Discipleship Training School

We are a completely bilingual campus! Meaning, speaking only Spanish or English will be more than enough.  If neither Spanish nor English is your first language, you just need to comprehend and/or speak one.  That being said, we’ve had students in the past that weren’t fluent in either of our languages, and they’ve been willing, amazing people that brought amazing life and culture to our base family. Pray about it! We don't want to hold you back if you're called here.

Our YWAM campus is located within walking distance to lots of ‘Tiendas’ (little shops), restaurants, yummy tacos, scenic spots, and coffee shops, as well as some great beaches. Wal-Mart and other grocery stores, the Golden Zone (tourist area), excellent restaurants, movie theatres, and a shopping mall are either a short taxi/uber ride or bus ride away.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided and all meals are eaten together on our outdoor patio, which looks out over the ocean! Our campus has a kitchen run by our staff and students. We do our best to accommodate all health restrictions (gluten-free, dairy-free), but know that there might be times where we are unable to.  There is a fridge for students to use and store personal food in.

For girls – there are no short shorts or skirts, no crop tops.  When it comes to swimming, we require swim shorts, and a one piece/tank top.

For guys – Please no speedos. Please don’t have your boxers showing or be shirtless unless swimming.

This will all be covered more in-depth in your welcome pack, after applying!

Your airline will determine how much/what kind of luggage you can bring; however while on outreach you will be limited to one pack/suitcase. So pack accordingly. Large hiking/trekking backpacks are ideal for Outreach, but you can get along with a duffel or suitcase if you can't get your hands on a backpack. We totally recommend having a hiking pack if possible. Your accommodations during the Lecture Phase will be limited in personal storage space, so keep that in mind! Everything you bring on to DTS will need to be taken with you on outreach. We have no extra storage space on our campus. 

You’ll need a set of good clothes for local church and ministry, casual clothes for lectures/leisure. We tend to be pretty casual at the campus, but churches here tend to dress up more. Also, depending on where you go on outreach, girls may need longer skirts and long sleeve shirts for working in remote communities. That can be purchased here if needed. And don’t forget some dress clothes for your graduation!!
*Because of the humidity here, clothes can occasionally get stretched out. Keep this in mind when you’re packing your favorite things (but don’t pack like your going to the wilderness either! We still enjoy wearing nice, stylish clothes as much as anyone!

Here's a blog to help!

The Ultimate Packing List For Your YWAM DTS

For payment options, please go to the Donate Page and then click on the payment options link.

We have Wifi at the campus that works well.  If students want to have cell coverage everywhere they go, they are welcome to call their current provider about extending coverage to Mexico or getting a data plan here that the staff can help set up.  Most students tend to use Skype/Facetime/Facebook Messenger to keep in touch with family and friends, which can all be used off of Wifi.

How much you’ll need will really depend on your personal spending habits. Plan on $20 USD a week to cover toiletries, snacks and extra food, and other unexpected expenses.

In your dorm-style rooms, you are given a bunk bed, mattress, shared bathroom, and a limited selection of personal storage space.  You will need to provide your own bedding for the duration of the school. You can either bring these things with you, or purchase them at a store here! The first days of your school are arrival days, and there are many trips to nearby stores to pick up whatever you might need to get situated in your room! Pillows especially- feel free to buy them here.

It’s best to have your money in an account that allows you to have an ATM card. It’s easy to make withdrawals down here at the banks, but make sure you have notified your bank you will be outside your country.

You can use one of the local laundry mats, “lavanderias”, that will wash, dry, and fold your laundry for roughly $1.50 USD per kilo. There are also a few staff who offer laundry service as well, drop off and pick up service to support their finances to be here!

A few practical things you can do is make sure you have a compact sleeping bag, a hiking pack (or something else that’s easy to travel with if there aren’t paved roads), conservative clothes that are easy to wash (depending on where you go, washing by hand may be your only option), and preparing to pack as little as possible. Lots of students make the mistake of bringing too much stuff on Outreach and end up regretting it when they’re running to catch a bus or trudging up a hill. Keep it as simple as possible and leave room/money for buying gifts/other things you may pick up along the way.

Be flexible! Things might not always be the way you expect them to turn out, or community living might be brand new for you; but be prepared to change your expectations and let God work in your heart. Some of the best lessons in life come when we learn to allow God to transform us when things get hard, and we end up being grateful for the lesson learned!