Relationships Fall 2014

CAMPAIGNERS ENCOURAGE THEIR SCHOOLMATES THROUGH TWITTER

Fall 2014 | Vol. 28 Issue 2

CLINT GRESHAM: A “SUPER” LEADER IN SEATTLE THREE SISTERS’ INVOLVEMENT IN THREE YOUNG LIFE MINISTRIES

AN AMICUS STUDENT FINDS

REDEMPTION

contents FALL 2014

5 9 14 15 19 11 SELFLESS IN SEATTLE FAMILY RESEMBLANCE

ABOUT THE COVER

How Young Life helped three sisters look more like Jesus.

Leaders and kids from Eastern Cincinnati, Ohio enjoy their week at Lake Champion, Young Life’s camp in lower New York state.

The iconic covered bridge provided the perfect setting for their “dress up” pic on the last night of camp, a celebration of what for many kids is the best week of their lives.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DESTINY An old redemptive tale becomes a means of grace for an exchange student from Poland.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

One company makes it their business to give back through Young Life Expeditions.

REACHING A WORLD OF KIDS A visual update on Young Life’s biggest initiative.

TALES OF DETERMINATION AND DIGNITY

Firsthand accounts of the Capernaum ministry in Africa.

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Cover Photo by Ryan Mecum

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IN EVERY ISSUE

FROM THE PRESIDENT IN YOUR OWN WORDS YOUNG LIFE LITE MISSION NEWS FROM THE GRAPEVINE YOUNG LIFE SPOKEN HERE PARTING SHOTS

fromthepresident I’VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE

We are experiencing a miracle in Europe comparable to feeding thousands with a small lunch and taking a shortcut across the lake by walking on water.”

— Denny Rydberg

Have you ever had this experience when reading the Bible? You come to a passage that you’ve read over and over, and, BOOM, words fly off the page and strike you in a way you’ve never been struck before. How could it have happened? Why didn’t you see this earlier? Why now?

Let me tell you about a similar experience when I was “meandering through Mark” a couple weeks ago.

The last few years, I’ve done the “read the Bible in one year” plan. I have loved that approach. You read multiple chapters per day, and in 12 months, you get to see the big picture.

Every book. Every verse. But this Lenten season, I decided to take another tack. I read only a dozen or so verses per day from the Gospel of Mark and really tried to unpack them slowly, carefully, and prayerfully.

I had studied Mark 6:30-44 the previous two days where Jesus performed one of his greatest miracles. He took just “five small barley loaves and two small fish” (John tells us in his account the size of the fish and the size and kind of bread) and fed a crowd of more than 5,000!

In addition, the disciples gathered 12 basketfuls of leftovers. Mark says “they all ate and were satisfied” and John says they ate “as much as they wanted.” In fact, it’s so significant a miracle that every Gospel writer, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, included it in his account.

It was the next day in my study, as I arrived at Mark 6:45-52, that I experienced “I’ve never seen this before!” In these verses, Jesus walks on water, and then Mark says: “Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:50-52).

The disciples are amazed by Jesus walking on the water. That’s good. But Mark is telling us that the disciples somehow missed what happened the day before when Jesus fed 5,000 men plus women and children! Not good. How could they not be totally overcome by the feeding of the 5,000? They had front row seats! They distributed the bread and fish and collected the leftovers! Somehow a miracle of this magnitude passed them by. How could this be? Mark says, “Their hearts were hardened.”

We’re in the same boat with the disciples (no pun intended). I struggle with a hard heart. I miss Jesus performing miracles. Maybe you do as well. Somehow our hearts get hard, our eyes get clouded, our ears get dull, and we miss what God is doing around us. My wife likes to say her spiritual gift is the “gift of amazement.” I wish more of us — myself included — had that gift. Let’s not miss the joy watching what God is doing among us.

Fortunately, my heart was soft in mid-May in Spain where we had our European All Staff Conference. I was amazed by what God is doing through our Young Life staff and volunteer leaders in Europe. Pundits have called Europe “post Christian.” Europe is supposed to be too sophisticated for the proclamation of the Gospel to bear fruit. But at the conference, I met leaders who were going where kids are, winning the right to be heard, sharing the Good News in a winsome way and introducing kids to Jesus. I saw and heard that Young Life is working in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia and Croatia, and that doesn’t include anyone from countries in the Former Soviet Union who are in another Young Life division and will have their All Staff Conference next spring!

I’m glad I didn’t miss out on the miracles God is doing. I’m thankful my heart was warm and the gift of amazement was evident because we are experiencing a miracle in Europe comparable to feeding thousands with a small lunch and taking a shortcut across the lake by walking on water.

Let’s pray that neither our sin nor our distracted spirit nor our unbelief keeps us from watching Him perform miracles today.

Denny Rydberg Young Life President

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inyourownwords OUR READERS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS

Open Doors The first time I met Amy Berry, she held the door open for me. I was 15, a sophomore in high school and not so easy to love. Every week I would see her there, at that same door, and every time, she made me feel like I was the most lovable person at Eastside High School. I am now 28, and Amy has been a vital part of my life for almost half of my years on this earth.

Year after year, she has continued to hold doors open for me. These doors were invitations to live the life God created for me. It is a life I see Amy live; it is one that is passionate, fearless and showered by God’s grace.

As I went to Wake Forest University, alone and scared, she held the door open for me to be courageous and firm in what I believed. As I ventured to Asheville as a young adult, she held the door open for me to have faith that God had a plan for my life. As I now come into my own as a woman, she holds the door open for me to believe — to believe God is good and He has me in the palm of His hand, no matter the circumstances. Literally and figuratively, Amy has always held doors open for me. She holds an open door into her heart, allowing me in, and for me, that’s the loveliest of all the invitations.

To be part of her life and to have her be part of mine is one of the greatest gifts the Lord has ever bestowed upon me. My life is a happier, brighter, funnier and much more encouraging one with her in it.

Because of Amy, I know the Lord better and the door that leads to Him is a life-changing one.

— Lauren Rubio, Asheville, N.C.

younglife.org P.O. Box 520 Colorado Springs, CO 80901

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is a publication of Young Life, a mission devoted to introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith.

Relationships magazine is published three times a year (spring, fall and winter) by Young Life.

If you’re receiving duplicate copies or would like to switch over to the electronic version, please contact the Young Life Mission Assistance team at (877) 438-9572. We can also help you with the change of address or giving information.

A Different Environment Being involved with Young Life is the greatest blessing.

Our Campaigners are innercity high school students.

They’ve been through a lot of trouble, despair and trials in their lives. Many do not know Christ, let alone been to church before. They try to find their identity through their clothes, parties, drugs and toughness.

But the second they step into club or Campaigners, everything changes. They aren’t afraid to let loose and just be themselves. No longer are they under the pressure of their peers to be anything other than who they truly are.

The environment is completely different than school, and they find that freeing. Most admit they do not come for the Bible study. However, when we dig into the Word, they are immersed, interactive and engaged. Our lessons hit deep with them, and they respond with genuine interest. Their hearts are open and their ears are listening, and they see the love of Jesus and respond to it.

— Malaina Bishop, Springfield, Mass.

Publisher/President Denny Rydberg

Copy Editor Jessica Williams

Executive Editor Terry Swenson

Lead Designer Rob Huff

Lead Editor Jeff Chesemore Coordinator Donna McKenzie

Contributing Photographers Sarah Lazio Ryan Mecum Seattle Seahawks

Young Life is a Charter Member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

younglifelite

BY STACY WINDAHL

HOW TO DEW THE GOSPEL Brian Klos teaches honors geometry, and advanced placement stats and calculus at Southridge High School in Kennewick, Wash., where he also leads Young Life. Once a week, 30 to 40 Campaigner guys show up at the house he shares with two friends. Once a month, Campaigner girls join them and the number of high school kids at his house swells to 70.

Although a student took the time to describe Klos on Rate My Teacher as a hilarious guy and the most unique teacher he’d ever had, kids aren’t coming to his house to talk calculus.

And they’re not always coming to talk Jesus, either. At least not at first. Klos sweetens and caffeinates the deal with an offer of free Mountain Dew for all comers. (The original flavor, although Voltage Blue Raspberry is popular when he can find it, and Baja Blast is a hot new release.)

“It wasn’t like Campaigners revolved around Mountain Dew,” said Caleb Osborne, a former Campaigner kid and current Young Life leader and junior at Eastern Washington University, “but Mountain Dew definitely sealed the deal for many of my friends. They would hear ‘free Mountain Dew’ and they’d be there.”

That offer still stands — which helps to explain why panDEWmonium is likely to break out at Brian Klos’s home at least once a week and for a couple of all-nighters during Christmas break. It explains a garage refrigerator stocked with the stuff once promised to ”tickle your innards,” 50 empty cans on Thursday mornings and text messages from high school kids alerting Klos to the best deals on Mountain Dew. (The record for cans consumed by one guy in one night is 18 — a 12-pack and six more for good measure.)

One of Klos’s housemates is Ryan Orozco, a mechanical engineer who has witnessed these gatherings for five years. “Nothing surprises me anymore when I walk out of my room Wednesday nights,” says Orozco, “from teenage guys wailing on the piano singing at the top of their lungs, to impromptu dubstep dance parties, to foam sword fights in the front yard. I often shake my head and smile and secretly fight the urge to join in.”

Klos has been building bridges of friendship out of aluminum cans for 10 years. Housemate Orozco said, “Watching a new guy’s eyes light up when the kids show him the Mountain Dew fridge is priceless. It’s almost like once they are holding a green can they know they belong.” Eventually, the guys who come to Campaigners for free Mountain Dew keep coming because of that sense of belonging and conversation that satisfies a deeper thirst.

Osborne was one of those guys who started hanging out at Klos’s house for the gaming (video consoles in various rooms of the house) and the endless supply of “zero-proof moonshine.” As a leader he now sees that God used these “lowly things” for His greater purpose. According to Osborne, “He chooses a simple thing like Mountain Dew to bring high school students into an environment where they are safe and can get to know the story of Jesus and what He did for them.” Asked why he uses Mountain Dew to bring kids to Jesus, Klos says, “After all that Jesus has done for me, I know He also wants me to ‘Dew unto others.’”

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Emily at Crooked Creek.

Aby at the Camp Buckner ropes course.

Lily at WyldLife camp.

Family Resemblance

BY LESLIE STRADER

Sitting side by side, you can see the resemblance. Aby, Emily and Lily Monsivais share the same gentle smile and dark brown eyes, inherited from their parents, Luis and Alma, who work multiple jobs, hoping to give their family a better life.

The sisters also share a room in their family’s Lewisville, Texas, apartment, and have been known to swap clothes and shoes (like all sisters do) along the way.

Life together hasn’t always been easy, but recently, the girls have discovered one thing they were eager to have in common: a bond in Jesus.

Over the last few years, one by one, the three girls found their way to Young Life. Now they call their Young Life friends “family,” and are thankful for the ministry that’s changing

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their lives, connecting their hearts and giving them a new inheritance as children of the King and sisters in Christ.

A PLACE TO BELONG It was the first week of Aby’s senior year when she found out she was pregnant. A.J. was born in April 2011 and Aby did what she needed to do to take care of her son and herself — attending class during the day, night school in the evenings and working in between.

Aby’s cousin saw she needed someone to relate to and the following fall, invited her to a teen moms group that met at her church. Andrea Brakner, the YoungLives coordinator for Lewisville/Flower Mound and a volunteer for the church’s teen moms group, quickly embraced the young mother and invited her to YoungLives.

“Whenever my friends used to tell me to come (to YoungLives), I was thinking we’d be sitting down and everybody would be reading the Bible,” Aby said. “But when I got there it was not like that at all. There were games, prizes, all kinds of music. And the ladies were super cool. I loved it.”

Brakner remembers Aby’s eagerness to find a place to belong. Aby had been feeling so isolated and lonely, and loved finding friendships and feeling connected with the leaders. She dove right in.”

Aby was grateful for the new support system, but there was some tension at home. A new baby on top of trying to balance work, school and family responsibilities was taking its toll on her relationships, especially with her sisters.

“At first, my sisters didn’t understand why I was going (to YoungLives) because this was a Christian thing,” Aby recalled. “I would come home and tell my parents about it, and they never stopped me from going as long as it helped me. But my sisters were like, ‘Why are you going?’”

Brakner often gave Aby and A.J. rides to YoungLives events. Over time, this helped Brakner get to know Aby’s sisters and her parents, who speak very little English.

“One of the best things about YoungLives is getting to know the whole family,” Brakner explained. “When I would pick Aby up, that gave me the opportunity to be in her home and meet her family over and over again. I just tried to be loving and kind.”

Aby went to YoungLives camp in the summer of 2012 where the Gospel was spoken and lived out all around her. Aby immediately thought of her sisters and wanted them to have the same experience: “I wanted them to get involved and see what I got out of it. I was so excited for them.”

Emily (center) and friends enjoy the pool at Crooked Creek.

“It was the best week of my life. There was time where you go outside under the stars, with no lights in the whole camp. And that’s where it hit me.

That’s when I realized I wanted to become a Christian.”

LIKE ANOTHER FAMILY Aby engaged even more in YoungLives during the next school year and also worked on convincing her sisters Young Life was the place to be. When her middle sister, Emily, finally attended club, she agreed it was fun. But her time at Crooked Creek in 2013 made the real difference in her life.

“It was the best week of my life. There was time where you go outside under the stars, with no lights in the whole camp. And that’s where it hit me. The whole story. That’s when I realized I wanted to become a Christian.”

That same summer, during her second trip to YoungLives camp, Aby also surrendered her life to Jesus.

Now Aby, A.J. and Emily attend church every week with Brakner. And the ministry of Young Life has become a part of their spiritual DNA. Brakner said, “I’ve seen a true change in these girls, how their sweet hearts have been softened to each other.

Their relationships are mended and growing.”

“Andrea is so great. She’s helped me out so much, through everything,” Aby said. “She knows my baby and even when he’s acting up she’s not annoyed. A.J. was six months old when we first went to YoungLives, and now all the babies are three years old. He’s made friends too. We all know each other.

“And people know him at church. When I was growing up, I didn’t know anything about church. A.J. knows what church is; when we (drive) by it, he knows it. That’s mindblowing to me.”

Emily says her relationship with Jesus has had a big impact on her life at home.

“Now I feel more at peace in myself and with my sisters. My house is more peaceful,” Emily said. “It’s helped Continued on page 7

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Continued from page 6

us open up more to each other and has built a relationship we didn’t have before.

“Young Life helps you find your way. You learn about God, the Bible, and they help you through stories you can relate to. You get attached to people from Young Life. They are like another family to me.”

Their youngest sister, Lily, who is 15 and will be in high school next year, has been watching her older sisters walk this road.

“Over time, once they started attending Young Life, I could see them changing by the way they dressed and their way of being,” Lily said. “I’ve changed my way of life by how I am now and by who I surround myself with.”

Lily went to WyldLife camp in 2013 and was involved in club in middle school, but is looking forward to going deeper in high school.

“My favorite thing about Young Life is the connections with everybody and how we’re all there for the same reasons — to find the right path with the Lord.”

A NEW GENERATION Brakner says she sees God’s hand on the Monsivais family tree, reaching down to the roots and using Young Life to water fertile soil.

“I’ve come to know and love [the girls’ parents] Luis and Alma,” she said. “Clearly God is working for them to be so open to people who just show up and want to love their girls.

“We went to A.J.’s birthday party in April, and Luis had tears in his eyes, thanking us for all we’ve done. He’s seen how his daughters’ hearts have changed. He was thanking us, but we know it’s Christ. We just point them to Christ.”

Now Aby is starting to pay it forward. The 21-year-old spent two weeks this summer at YoungLives camp serving on work crew, encouraging the campers who are just where she was not that long ago.

“Serving at YoungLives Camp was one of the greatest, most rewarding experiences I’ve had,” Aby said. “It’s amazing seeing firsthand how everyone works hard to serve God, and just to see how he works with the girls throughout the week.

Lily and Emily went to Frontier Ranch together in July. During Say-So, Emily renewed her commitment to Christ and for the first time, Lily decided to trust Jesus as her Savior.

With this new and precious common bond, the girls were eager to return home and talk together about what their relationships with Jesus would look like at home.

“Without YoungLives, I don’t know where I’d be,” Aby said. “I didn’t know anything about God or Jesus and I probably still wouldn’t know anything. I wouldn’t have the relationship I have with Him or any of the help they give me or any of the friends I have.

“I feel like every girl having a baby at a young age needs to get involved in YoungLives. It lifts up so much weight off your shoulders. I had [support] at home with my parents, but it’s different when a stranger shows so much love to you. And it keeps going. They stay with you.”

The kindred spirit that Aby and Brakner share has created a new generation of Christ-followers. Brakner says she knows their Heavenly Father is growing this lineage of faith. And this is only the beginning.

“We know it’s a long-term walkout,” Brakner explained, “but that’s why we do what we do. It’s all about Jesus changing lives, and it’s been awesome to witness it.

A.J. is learning about Jesus in Sunday school, and that’s a whole new heritage for them.

“I see Jesus working in the whole family. These girls are pursuing and loving Him through some really hard things in life, and they are being transformed. It’s been transforming for me too. And that’s what I love about this ministry.”

Emily (right) with friend, Brenda (left), and Andrea Brakner.

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Brakner with Aby and A.J.

missionnews Carl Nelson September 9, 1924 – May 5, 2014

BY JEFF CHESEMORE

On May 5, longtime former staff Carl W. Nelson Jr., was welcomed into the presence of the One he so eloquently made known to thousands of kids.

Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Nelson attended Wheaton College, before and after serving three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Nelson graduated in 1949, married Mary Jane (Jay), and completed his Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Reformed Seminary. While at Fuller, Nelson joined Young Life staff in 1951, and for the next three decades (1951-1981) he and Jay served with the mission in a variety of places. A third of those years were spent on staff in Tacoma, Wash., Knoxville, Tenn., and Chicago, before moving to Memphis, Tenn., where he served for nearly 20 years as the Mid-South regional director.

In the last issue of Relationships, Joni Eareckson Tada shared about beginning her journey with Christ in 1965 on a Young Life weekend where Nelson was the speaker. Countless kids experienced the same life-changing encounters because of the gifted communicator, who always strove for excellence in his presentation of the Good News.

Greg Kinberg, former Young Life COO, who like Nelson served as a regional director in the Eastern Division for several years, remembered Nelson’s attention to detail when it came to presenting the Gospel at camp. “At summer camp,” Kinberg explained, “most speakers work on a series of talks for a week and after the first week make improvements in those talks for the remaining weeks. In a four-week assignment, Carl would give 28 different talks. A new one each night, each week. And, they were all world class.”

Tom Wilson, former senior vice president of the Central Southern Division, remembered Nelson as a powerful role model to those he led. “Carl was such an encouragement to me during my early years on Young Life staff,” Wilson wrote. “A faithful and gentle man with a servant heart. Heaven is much richer today.”

Nelson is survived by Jay, daughters Barbara and Zanne, son Mark and two grandchildren.

Celebrate 50 life-changing, family-building years at Young Life’s Trail West Lodge in this commemorative book.

Through photographs and stories, we recognize: Trail West’s history, its significance today, and the many ways this special place offers its guests the Young Life experience.

To learn more and order your copies, go to trailwest.younglife.org.

Another Day, Another Destiny

An old redemptive tale becomes a means of grace for an exchange student from Poland.

BY TRAVIS JOHNSON Kris Doneff and her husband, Nick, have served as a host family for exchange students for most of their marriage. Her own high school experience had influenced their direction as a married couple. “I was an exchange student in 1967 to Tokyo,” she recalls. “About two years after we got married, we just knelt down and gave our lives to God and said, ‘use us as you want.’ And it’s never been the same since.”

That commitment had led the Doneffs on an extraordinary trajectory for more than 20 years before their paths intersected with Amicus. They had learned about Young Life’s student exchange program — which draws its name from the Latin word for “friend” — through their son, a volunteer leader in Colorado. In the fall of 2012, the Doneffs welcomed a young man named Kuba into their home, and a new chapter of their commitment began to unfold.

Who am I? Jakub “Kuba” Janas came from Poznan, one of the largest cities in Poland. He arrived wearing a black jacket and chains, his long hair pinned behind his head and a small chip on his shoulder. He had left a close-knit family and a

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girlfriend back home, and the separation immediately took its toll. “We knew right away this young man was very homesick,” said Doneff.

Amicus prompts exchange students to immerse themselves in the experience of a new family. For a full school year, it means minimal contact with friends and family back home. The goals involve creating not just a place for an exchange student to weather his or her stay, but a home and a relationship based on unconditional love.

The Doneffs have even had their exchange students refer to them as “Mom and Dad” in an effort to form a greater relational bond. Kuba, however, kept to himself.

A certain acclimation period is expected at the beginning, but Kuba resisted cutting ties to home. “It was a real dilemma to get him to invest in the experience,” Doneff said. When guests came over to visit, Kuba stayed in his room. He even began sneaking quiet conversations with his girlfriend via Skype.

Two activities, however, did earn his vested interest: the movies and football.

His school had a small football team and the coach

always welcomed new players. “Kuba just took right to it,” Doneff said. But as the school year progressed, Kuba succumbed to a number of academic challenges. He failed to turn in assignments on time, grieved a few of his teachers and was eventually kicked out of a class.

“That brought everything to a head,” said Doneff. Four months in, Kuba was done. “I am not exchange student material,” he told Doneff. “I want to go home.”

The Doneffs contacted their Amicus representative to discuss options. Given the tumult of his stay so far, departure seemed like the best solution. In the meantime, Doneff and Kuba found time to take in one more trip to the movies on President’s Day weekend to catch a showing of Les Miserables. The Kuba Janas and Kris Doneff. experience had profound implications for everyone.

One day more Millions know the story: after 19 years of hard labor, prisoner Jean Valjean receives his parole. After seeking shelter from a parish priest, Valjean makes off with the priest’s silver. Later caught by the authorities, he’s returned to the parish where the priest not only reprieves Valjean, but presents him with two silver candlesticks worth more than what he had already taken. This act of mercy turns Valjean from a vengeful vagabond to a man fully committed to the manner of the Gospel.

The moment affected Kuba in surprising ways. Since he had come from a faith background, Doneff found she was able to discuss the implications of the scene with ease. “He grasped it right away,” she said. “He understood that that was the moment in which Jean Valjean turned around and changed his life to follow God and become a good man.”

Kuba and friends on prom night.

Preparations for Kuba’s departure had entered their final phase. Two hours after seeing the film, however, Kuba came to Doneff and completely repented. “I am making the biggest mistake of my life,” he said. “This is all my fault.”

Doneff, who is trained in family and relief counseling, knew his change of heart was genuine.

“It was real,” she said. “I can generally detect deception or manipulation, and there was none of Kris, Kuba and the candlesticks. that there.”

If Kuba was going to stay, he was going to have to follow the rules.

Together with Amicus, a new contract between Kuba and his host family was created, one that tightened his responsibility to invest in the experience. “It was a disciplined second chance. They had set a standard for him, and he had to follow it.”

The family celebrated Kuba’s second chance four days later. During the modest festivities, the Doneffs bequeathed a small gift to their prodigal — a pair of silver candlesticks.

He met the challenge of his new contract with renewed vigor. “I saw God put His hand on that kid’s body, and turn him 180,” Doneff said. Kuba cut his hair and ditched his chains. He even suspended conversations with his girlfriend back home.

Doneff recalls, “He told her, ‘You have to let me finish this.’”

At school, he began completing assignments and turning them in on time. “Once he started studying he was on the Dean’s List the next quarter,” Doneff said. “He thought that was kind of cool.”

Bring Him home As the school year drew to a close, Kuba received audacious encouragement from the people he met. They told him he would change the world when he returned home, Doneff said, and the pressure overwhelmed him. Doneff tried to encourage him. “You will do whatever God has built you to do,” she told him.

Kuba finished the year and returned to Poland in May of 2013. He still connects with the Doneffs once a month over Skype. “He’s very loyal, and very steady, and very strong in his faith,” Doneff said.

As for changing the world, Kuba contacted the Doneffs last Christmas morning to tell them how it was going. “He said, ‘Guess what, Mom: Young Life is going to have a Young Life camp in the summer in Poland, and I am going to be one of those leaders.’” Doneff reports that his girlfriend has gotten involved with Young Life as well. “This is the girl he wants to marry,” she said. “They’re in it together.”

Doneff maintains that the support structure Amicus offered was vital to Kuba’s redemptive stay. “It was wonderful to have that backup, that support,” she said. “I would never work with another organization besides Amicus.”

For more information about Amicus, please go to younglife.org, scroll down the “For Every Kid” tab and click on Amicus.

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Selfless i

How one NFL-er brings victorie

BY JEFF CHESEMORE

Clint Gresham has a different vantage point on life.

“

As the long snapper for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, his position is vital to the success of every field goal, extra point and punt. Pretty significant when you consider he’s accomplishing all this by looking upside down on every play.

Some might suggest his view of life is upside down, too. It would be easy for this professional athlete who spends a lot of time working on his craft to fiercely guard his time and privacy. For this Seahawk, however, that’s not even a consideration.

Gresham, you see, volunteers with Young Life and has a heart for kids of all ages. When Clint Gresham is not on the gridiron, you’ll most likely find him hanging with high school, middle school or even elementary school kids from Mercer Island, a suburb of Seattle. If he’s not at their school or spending time with kids over frozen yogurt, he might be hanging back at the house he shares with four other Young Life leaders.

Why is a man who has hoisted the Lombardi Trophy spending so much time volunteering with Young Life? The answer has a lot to do with Gresham’s own journey.

God was pursuing me eveztn when I wanted nothing to do with Him.

“SO MESSED UP” The 27-year-old remembers well his own struggles as a kid in Texas. “I didn’t get a full understanding of who Jesus was until college,” Gresham said. My parents divorced when I was eight and I struggled with crazy insecurity and fear. I was pretty messed up with drugs, alcohol and girls, but in all that, I knew I really wanted to love God. I just

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”

in Seattle

es to two teams.

Teammates Ben Malcolmson, Sydel McKim and Clint Gresham.

didn’t know what that looked like.”

Amid the temptations, Gresham sensed that God loved him too. “God was pursuing me even when I wanted nothing to do with Him. I get choked up thinking about it because I was so messed up. It was a slow process of God revealing Himself to me.”

“I remember what it was like trying to navigate those years,” he explained, “and feeling like my life was never going to amount to anything. I had some older people speak into my life when I was in high school, every now and then they’d check in on me, and it rocked my world. I want to get calls 10 years from now and hear people say, ‘Clint, I was going through a difficult time and you helped me.’ I just want to be able to help as many of these young people as I can, because I remember feeling isolated and alone and trying to get my value from having friends, being cool or being an athlete and realizing that none of that satisfied me.”

In his college days at Texas Christian University, Gresham met the One he’d been seeking, and he was a man set ablaze. On campus, he started a Bible study, where many friends began relationships with Christ.

These early achievements were preparing him for a larger stage … the NFL. Continued on page 13

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Continued from page 12

FINDING COMMUNITY ON AN ISLAND In 2010, after originally being signed by the New Orleans Saints, Gresham was picked up by the Seahawks.

Thousands of miles from home and living alone in a studio apartment 30 minutes north of the practice facilities, the rookie was miserable and desperate for community.

That summer he met Ben Malcolmson, Head Coach Pete Carroll’s assistant, who had arrived a year prior and could relate well with Gresham’s situation. Both men were originally from Texas and both arrived in town without any friends or connections. The two became fast friends.

“You can just tell with certain people that Jesus lives in them,” Malcolmson said. “Clint and I have a friendship and brotherhood that transcends all boundaries and my group of friends became his group of friends.”

That group of friends consisted of Young Life leaders who lived on Mercer Island. As Gresham built friendships with the others, he became excited about also becoming a leader. In October 2011, he jumped on board. “Once I got involved with Young Life, I was hooked,” he said. “I love the way Young Life does ministry.”

That fall Gresham purchased a home on Mercer Island, so he and the other male leaders could live under one roof and build the community he had been seeking. “I really had it on my heart that I wanted to buy a home in the community we live in,” Gresham explained. “Because it’s an island, if you don’t live on Mercer Island, you don’t serve on Mercer Island. I also wanted to have affordable housing

Gresham and Mercer Island kids hanging out at CenturyLink Field.

for our leaders and provide a place where we can do club, Campaigners, etc. It’s incredible to see what God has done with community here.”

There is perhaps no one more appreciative of Gresham and his house purchase than Mercer Island Area Director Sydel McKim. “I love how he opens the house up for ministry,” McKim said. “That house is a revolving door,

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being used to share the Word. At times I’ll stop by when a group of Campaigner guys is leaving. Clint’s high-fiving them, telling them they’re ambassadors for Christ.”

These ambassadors were part of the massive group who attended the Super Bowl celebration the week after the Seahawks’ victory. “All the kids went to the parade,” McKim said. “A lot of the kids Ben and Clint work with went up and congratulated them. There was such pride.

You could see how much it meant to Clint and Ben to have our whole community of Young Life kids and leaders behind them.”

(And the mission means so much to Gresham that he even sported a bright Young Life t-shirt at the victory parade!)

Just because he’s won a Super Bowl, though, doesn’t mean he’s an automatic “kid magnet.” “I thought I was going to be able to leverage the heck out of this football thing!” laughed Gresham. “It’s been a great way to open the door, but I get kids who never text me back, who stand me up. The fact that I play pro ball wears off pretty quickly, which I appreciate, because I’m a normal guy. But when you hang out with kids and ask them questions, they begin talking about themselves and you see them realize, ‘Man, this guy’s really interested in me.’”

FLYING BELOW THE RADAR Clint Gresham enjoys specializing in two low-profile roles. As the team’s long snapper, an often overlooked position, he is critical to the play. A successful play for Gresham is if you never hear his name mentioned (as on a penalty or botched snap). Off the field, he is a huge practitioner of contact work (going to where kids are and building relationships with them), also an art that often goes unheralded, but essential to kids experiencing the love of Christ. Gresham is just as happy to go unrecognized in this endeavor, too.

“Clint would not put himself above any other leader doing these same things,” McKim said. “He likes to fly below the radar. He wants to be a light for Christ, but not in the spotlight, because that’s for Jesus.”

That doesn’t mean he can’t have fun, however.

Malcolmson laughed, “Clint is what we like to call a ‘ham’!

He can ham it up with the best of them. That just tears down walls and people gravitate toward someone with a personality like that. Jesus is real to Clint and he desires for others to come to a realization of that in their lives too.”

For now, Gresham is content to simply preach the Good News through his life, whether at the high school or in the locker room. “I’m thankful God grabbed a hold of my heart before I got into the NFL. It really changed my perspective on my purpose. If you’re standing on the fence in your Christianity, you will get chewed up in the NFL. There’s no doubt about it — it’s going to make you decide who you’re going to serve. I’m a missionary and God has given me this level of influence with kids and people in this city. All I want to do is be faithful with what He’s given me. He didn’t give it to me so I could make a decent salary. He gave it to me for a purpose and that’s to reach young people.”

s n o i t c e n n o C Making

BY NED ERICKSON

rana. odia,” Expeditions, Michele Sb vision, we settled on Camb ed his to ing en list ter “Af o. int xic pa d Me an pick Chiapas, puter lab g a pit, their shovels and where they set up a com a, ran Sb d ung sai Yo ced en a Fifteen folks were diggin t eri wasn’ cantly, they exp the hard earth. No, this a school. But just as signifi axes taking turns against Life, Cambodia-style. lp a family put prison sentence. veled to Costa Rica to he tra y the .

12, on 20 In ati vac erent s wa This ung Life Expeditions is diff work for Maintenance a roof on their house. “Yo jects. With Expeditions, These men and women pro re than ordinary short-term ung Life staff who are the Yo the e you come alongsid d Squires. throughout the year,” sai , especially n great for team building bee ve ha s trip “These ce. They offi l tra cen t doesn’t have a , and it for a company like ours tha job ’s son per a o giving back int help integrate the idea of h our customers.” really makes an impact wit axes were making very little Unfortunately, their pick have an xican dirt. “Every week, we of one with the hard, Me we look ere wh r’ rde Ha arter Not internal meeting called, ‘Sm e to our customers. So we put vic farm. for ways to offer better ser ed a backhoe in a nearby tic no d an er eth tog s sos, our head pe few a of hange le negotiating and the exc litt a er ve s, Mexico. ha Aft apa uld Chi in wo d at har g Wh rkin g.” tion team wo hole was du The Maintenance Connec a job was created and the pleted in two hours. taken two days was com ter pu a, “was later that com es vid g on the cake,” said Sbran company that pro icin e are tw “Th sof a , ion ect t, nn on Co Verm Escuela Telescundaria ipalities like the State of ile painting the outside of wh ek, re we s trie programs to help munic nis the school’s computers we oled Electric, and outreach mi 8, the MC Team noticed po 42 ys gu se the , corporations like General ed ask the ung Life’s case, st. Without being Yo be in at , ge ate na qu de ma puter e ina Lif com g w un like Yo brand ne s, bought and installed a ps. rce cam ou ir res the rm. ir of sto the ce by y an en nit int n, mu ma k the com ilding a camp of their ow the school. They really too for lab at gre a Young Life Mexico was bu ch d su an is y nnection would come to laugh, pla “To me, Maintenance Co ents where this summer, kids come out d an to utilize the gifts and tal pit like d ks mu a loo it in e at div wh ’d of ey le Th . re mp us we exa Jes es t ou ess hear ab re busin God’s kingdom. I wish mo for ve ha g. ilin you sm d an hy in, filt .” ld dig the pit. Two hours doing what they are doing really makes the planning That is, if these folks cou n. rde ga s a ion nt dit pla pe to Ex dirt “Young Life have a they hadn’t tilled enough founded es uir Sq know that our work will d we Bra d d “an an r es, che uir Bu Sq d ris sai Ch s sy,” nd ea frie en Wh ess , it was more than a busin lasting impact.” ke Maintenance Connection ma to ce in 37 countries and 13 pla a as t no ny pa com r ou In 2013, 131 teams served countries will er venture. “We saw oth in sitive difference ited States. In 2014, 44 po Un a ke the in ma s to on ce ati pla loc a t money, bu es. host Expeditions groups. people’s lives,” said Squir rch or business can His shirt reads, . ad he n’s ma a r d out how your area, chu ove s fin To a at at A pick axe swing wh by s, contact Michele Sbran at we get. We make a life join Young Life Expedition it ylexpeditions.com.

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MC munity. visit mcgivesback.co duct and time to the com MC Gives Back program, percent of their profit, pro r.

In 2010, they went bigge n that Young Life was a Left t Knowing little more tha g Life o Right with the director of Youn wn do sat es : uir Sq er, C ary Yoc custom um, the princip al of Telescu nderia , Brad Squire s, Caleb V argas C hapa

e nection and Young Lif The Maintenance Con of the school. nt fro in ms tea s Expedition

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Reaching Kids in Your World – Around the World Virtually all of our Relationships readers are supporting Young Life ministry in their own communities and regions. Many reach beyond to support missionwide initiatives such as the multicultural/urban campership fund or ministry in one of more than 90 countries around the world. And kids’ lives are being changed — in growing numbers.

We thought you would like to see an annual update on the impact in which you are participating — one kid, one community and one country at a time!

Young Life’s Reaching a World of Kids initiative, launched in 2009, has the goal of impacting two million kids annually, through 8,000 ministries with the vital help of 80,000 volunteers by 2016.

We’re excited and grateful to report that the 2013-14 ministry year saw great progress in reaching more kids in more places with more faithful volunteers.

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We’ve also seen great generosity from friends of the mission in supporting special programs and strategies within Reaching World of Kids. (See chart for current progress in each of these important areas.)

And we give God all the credit! We are fortunate to be partners with Him in seeing the lives of adolescents changed!

To learn more about how you can engage with the Reaching a World of Kids initative, go to: www.younglife.org/RWOK

2016

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CHARTING A COURSE

In Phoenix, Frisbee golf helps leaders walk with kids, literally and figuratively.

BY BETHANY BRADSHER It’s just an ordinary neighborhood park in Phoenix — plenty of grass and trees, a playground for kids. If you were to drive past the unassuming area called Butler Park, you might not guess that for two decades it has been sacred ground.

(left to right) Chuck Watkins, Chris McGuire, Paul Lorentsen

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You won’t find a single sign marking a tee box or a hole, but since the mid-’90s Young Life kids and leaders from Sunnyslope High School have been playing their own customized Frisbee golf course at Butler Park.

Developed by Sunnyslope club kids and leaders after their return from Woodleaf in the mid-’90s, the course has served more than one generation because of its simplicity and the power of the relationships forged there.

“It’s just a walk in the woods,” said Stu Graff, who was the area director for Central Phoenix when the course was formed in the mid-’90s.

“That’s all it is. It’s an excuse to take a walk together.”

Chuck Watkins was a Sunnyslope club kid who went to Woodleaf that summer and played Frisbee golf for the first time. He loved it because it was fun for all types of kids — athletes and non-athletes alike — and it lent itself to conversation. Back in Phoenix, he was one of the kids who chose Butler Park as the site of their own course and designated the holes.

“We said, ‘We’ll go to that tree, then to that light pole, there’s a penalty if a Frisbee goes into the street,’” Graff said. “We had some silly rules. It kind of took on a

life of its own and it didn’t take very long before you would be driving by and there would be four club kids playing.”

Watkins transitioned from being one of those club kids to a volunteer leader in his old high school, and in his 14 years in that role he’s introduced countless high school friends to the course. Chasing Frisbees from hole to hole, he has discussed girl problems, struggles with parents and friends, and often pointed club kids to the hope found in Christ. And inevitably, he said, the draw of the course brings new kids into Young Life.

“The most consistent thing, over the course of 20 years, has been a Young Life leader with about two or three guys that he has a relationship with kind of making it their thing,” Watkins said. “And what transpires is that those three guys experience something organic and real, and good conversation, and they want to invite their friends.”

Young Life leaders have been walking alongside high school kids at Sunnyslope High for more than 60 years, making it one of the three oldest clubs in the state, said Arizona Regional Director Chris Eaton, and the Frisbee golf course has become a key tradition for new leaders who can’t wait to start organizing games of their own. Every Christmas, former club kids and leaders even come back for an informal reunion tournament at the park.

The course has changed over the years due to natural events, Watkins said. Hole No. 10 used to be the third palm tree on the left and now it’s the first, because one was lost in a storm and another was cut down by the park maintenance crew.

But the core purpose of the course, and its meaning to so many Sunnyslope students, alumni and leaders has endured as a cherished tradition undergirded by two decades of relationships.

Watkins and friends continue the tradition.

RICK OR TWEET

A high school senior and her friends bring about social media redemption.

BY CHRIS LASSITER

When she saw social media being used to hurt Moorestown High School, 18-year-old senior Monica used social media to help heal it.

With the help of her Young Life Campaigner friends, of course.

The problem all started when students got wind of a social media app that allowed anonymous posts. The original intent of the app was to let people living in the same geographic region help each other anonymously, but it wasn’t long before the students learned that the app was as good at spreading gossip as it was goodwill.

“Anonymity can bring out the ugly side of people,” said Daniel Thompson, the Young Life staff associate in Burlington County, N.J., at that time. “A lot of ugly things were being said about guys and girls and their parents, teachers. It was stuff people would never say out loud if they had to be held accountable for it.”

The hurtful, anonymous posts soured school morale quickly.

“The school was in a state of shock,” Thompson said.

“They banned all electronics from the school to try to curb it a little bit. They had all these seminars. Four days after it happened, it was still raging on pretty strong. The school was up in arms with each other, because people were accusing other people of saying things. It was getting very ugly. Walking around the halls of that school was very depressing.”

It just so happened that Thompson had been leading the Moorestown Campaigner group through a study of the life of the apostle Paul. On the Friday night after the social media explosion, the Campaigners decided they wanted to impact their school like Paul impacted cities.

The Campaigners had heard enough lessons. They were ready for action.

“We were brainstorming different ideas of what we can do,” Thompson said. “One of my seniors, Monica, started talking about how to use Twitter. We could create an account where people could direct message things into this account and those things would be tweeted out anonymously. We could use it as a compliments page.”

And with that, @MHSComps14 was created.

What happened next amazed everyone.

The Twitter handle was created around 10 p.m. on a Friday night. Within the next 24 hours, more than 600 messages had been sent to the account. The story eventually went from social media to local media, as an article about Moorestown High School’s social media redemption appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“It was a beautiful thing to see,” Thompson said.

“Good things were being said about people, and there were compliments about what is great about the school. People

realized that the true heart of these kids was good, and that a few kids saying negative things didn’t reflect a lot about who those kids in the school were.”

On the Monday following the @MHSComps14 experiment, Thompson said Moorestown felt like a completely different high school.

“Our Young Life kids had made a very visible difference in their school,” said Thompson, who recalls the experience as one of his favorite moments as a Young Life leader. “It was unbelievable. It’s that moment when kids start to get it, grasp and live it out that reminds you why you do it.”

Through the social media ordeal, Thompson learned not to underestimate the power of a Campaigner group to change a high school.“Don’t be afraid to challenge them,” Thompson said.

“Don’t underestimate the difference they can make.”

Monica (middle) and friends.

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Editor’s Note: In January, Suzanne Williams, Capernaum coordinator for the Southern Division, and her husband, Christopher, visited Young Life Capernaum clubs in three African countries. What follows are just two of the many stories the couple experienced in their travels.

DETERMINATION

She rolled through the bumpy dirt roads of Nairobi, over pieces of trash and around people who looked at her with scrutinizing eyes. They saw her as cursed, as one who didn’t belong, as one who wasn’t welcome. But her smile spoke differently.

th.

Suzanne and Ru

same roads all the way to Ruth’s house. We walked over the bumps and around the potholes and every person we passed looked intently at us. The difference was that they didn’t look at us with disgust but with honor, we were two white people, walking with one of their own. Little voices called out, “Hellloooo, how are youuuu?” as we passed and when we answered, a mountain of giggles followed. The same roads, the same people, the same beginning and end, but an entirely different journey.

When we got to Ruth’s house in the slums, I asked her what she loved about Young Life. After making fun of my English, she said Young Life has given her courage, friends and a place to belong. She said her favorite part of club and camp is the club talks, where she gets to learn about Jesus. And she shared with me about her desire to be a Young Life leader. Her heart for Jesus and her desire to get other kids with disabilities involved in Young Life are equally enormous. She has vision, determination, courage and people cheering her on. There’s no doubt in my mind she will be one of the best volunteers in the mission of Young Life.

Tales of Determination

BY SUZANNE WILLIAMS

She churned the hand cranks on her donated wheelchair with a level of confidence that matched the width of her smile and showed each person she passed that dirt roads, enormous potholes and lack of assistance weren’t going to stop her. She had dignity, courage and a place to get to where she knew she belonged.

Her Young Life leaders greeted her with matching grins, hugs and extra boosts to get her wheelchair into the room where Young Life club would take place. They pushed her to the front of the room since the back corner, hidden from the rest of the kids, wasn’t an acceptable answer for any of those leaders.

As kids piled in and songs were sung, leaders intentionally sought her out. They grabbed her hands and helped her dance. They spun her wheelchair and included her in the evening. And not once did I see the radiant smile leave her face.

Ruth’s 40-minute journey to Young Life club was worth every bit of it for the 90 minutes she spent safe, valued, encouraged and a part of the group.

Early the next morning, we walked those

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Ruth surrounded by love.

DIGNITY

Meanwhile, in Ethiopia there is a school where all of the kids are deaf and most have other disabilities as well. When the school began, teachers walked the streets to find kids with disabilities and built trust with parents so they would allow their child to attend school. Then a Young Life leader who was fluent in sign language found the school and decided they needed to have club there. She recruited Young Life staff and other volunteers and for the past two years, they have shown up every week to run club.

They are each learning sign language as they go, while the head master of the school, as well as some teachers, sign for and with them at each club.

When we pulled up to the school, the kids ran toward the van and greeted us with hugs, kisses, handshakes and radiant smiles. They knew what was coming and couldn’t wait. That van was a symbol of hope, an hour of joy and the chance to rest in the core of who they were created to be. For one hour they got to be kids, beautiful kids with brilliant smiles and sweet giggles. An hour where they forgot what the rest of the city thought about them. One hour of being treated as they were: fearfully and wonderfully made.

They danced, played games, laughed, did hand motions and patiently taught us new words in sign language as club progressed. We passed out food and

and Dignity watched as some of them grabbed it knowing that this would most likely be their last meal of the day.

One by one as their parents picked them up or they walked home, a bit of sadness came back over them. They had to re-enter the world around them, the one they knew didn’t value them. Despite deafness and disabilities, they were acutely aware of what everyone thought, not only about them but of their parents as well.

We walked through the streets after club to end up at the home of one of the students. Their house had been torn down to make room for a new railroad. Unable to find someone willing to rent them a room because their son has a disability (even relatives refused) the family lives under a plastic tarp that’s smaller than a double bed. They are a family of five, sleeping together on one mat, surrounded by people who think their child with a disability is cursed. They are rejected, feared and frowned upon.

Not by Young Life leaders though.

Eight leaders circled around the fire that Semera, the mother, was building for a coffee ceremony — Ethiopia’s sign of welcome. As Semera ground the beans, Rahel, a Young Life staff member, talked to her about her family, her living situation and her story. Rahel looked deeply into Semera’s eyes and welcomed the woman’s tears.

Neighbors came out and stood by their doorsteps, looking in wonder at this group of people sitting with the outcast.

The very woman they didn’t care to help was surrounded by a

group of people leaning in to catch her every word.

It wasn’t until our walk back that we knew all she said, since she spoke in Amharic, yet we understood what was taking place in those moments we were together. This

coffee..

Semera preparing

woman was experiencing dignity and friendship she had not known since her son was born. People listened to her story, soaking in every word and acknowledging the hardship of it. Though they couldn’t provide her a house or immediately change the way people viewed her, they were bringing change. Jesus was using them to meet her and her son’s hearts in ways that only He can.

As we piled back in the van and sat in traffic, I thought about the many Young Life Capernaum leaders I know who take the time to not only see the inner core of their friends with disabilities but who also lean in when a parent is speaking. They are leaders who sit and listen while the crowd looks on with disbelief.

Experiencing joy at Young Life club.

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younglifespokenhere NORWAY 60 YOUNG LIFE’S MISSION IN

leaders serving in seven cities on the southern half of cities Norway.

Young Life’s Norwegian ministry officially began in 2005 when Thor and Kate Odland arrived to pioneer the effort. Today the ministry has 12 staff working with 11 clubs.

In Norway, while state church confirmation is attended by some 70 percent of 14-year-olds as a rite of passage, less than 5 percent believe Jesus to be the Son of God. Despite these challenges, we are getting through to Norwegian kids, parents and communities through our Incarnational approach. We are drawing in people who are passionate about Jesus, and training up leaders who are joyfully giving their lives away so kids can hear about Jesus.

Young Life is in Northern and Southern Stavanger, Sandnes, Haugesund, Kristiansand as well as Western and Central Oslo. Each area has its own club and Campaigner group and some run a confirmation club ministry with the Norwegian state church, a great place to meet lost kids and engage them in the conversation about Jesus.

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2007 – 18 kids and four leaders traveled to the United States for camp.

2012 – 265 kids and leaders traveled to the United States and Canada on five different camp trips.

partingshots Young Life College groups from NC State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State worked together for a week at La Finca, Young Life’s camp in Nicaragua. The students painted, sanded, carried rocks, dug trenches, built chairs, measured for doors and windows, and much more as part of the master plan for expanding the camp over the next few years.

1.

2.

1. Hong Kong Young Life kids and leaders cool off during a heat wave.

2. Kids from White High School in North Dallas flash the “YL” sign during basketball Thursdays.

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