Join our Marching Forward Prayer Team which receives prayer updates and an invitation to a monthly Zoom call.
2. SERVE
Join us as a volunteer on work staff this summer at a Military Family camp or a Military Teen camp. Or consider coming on full-time staff at a military installation.
3. INVITE
There are several ways to engage your friends with Club Beyond. Find out more about our Ambassador events and other ways to share the story.
4.
INVEST
Join us as we invest in reaching more Military Teens by expanding ministry at U.S. military installations worldwide!
Publisher/President
Newt Crenshaw
Executive Editors
Lauren Bocci
Gabe Knipp
Managing Editor
Jeff Chesemore
Coordinator
Michael Swyers
On The Cover
Copy Editor
Jessica Williams
Art Director
Isaac Watkins
Designers
Alan Cisneros
Liz Irvin
Kristen Ward
Diné Wiedey
A leader with a kid. Smiling. Talking. Sharing life. This is the essence of Young Life, and why we’ve called this edition “The Leader Issue.” May these stories of faithful men and women encourage you today!
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 assistance@sc.younglife.org. We can also help you with the change of address or giving information.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Friends,
John Maxwell once wrote, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” In Young Life we could not agree more. Any achievements we make with adolescents essentially come from two sources:
1. The Lord and how he chooses to move in their hearts
2. The high-quality women and men whom he calls and works through in this mission
Currently we have over 6,000 staff and over 60,000 volunteer leaders around the globe, which shows our great need and dependence upon the many faithful adults, who sacrificially give of their time and resources to introduce adolescents to Jesus and help them grow in their faith. What follows are stories about a few of these volunteers who spend their free time ...
• Reaching different age groups, from middle school kids through university students.
• Entering into various environments, from the city of Los Angeles, to a village in Burkina Faso, to a college campus in Tacoma, Washington, and more.
• Reflecting God’s diverse Kingdom, among them a Latina mom, a retiree, a full-time pastor, even a leader whose identity we can’t divulge for security purposes.
Yet in all their beautiful variety, they have this in common: they go. They go as a community to where kids are, listening, befriending, caring, and walking alongside them during the challenging years of adolescence.
They go because they are indeed “the aroma of Christ” to these dear kids (2 Corinthians 2:15). They go on Christ’s behalf, so that through them Jesus might make himself known to their young friends (2 Corinthians 5:20). See “The Last Word” on page 22 for more about this ministry of “with-ness” that we call contact work. And they go to introduce kids to their Lord and Savior, and to help them become his lifelong followers.
Thank you for supporting those who support kids. Your investment in Young Life is critical to the work our leaders put in day in and day out for the sake of the gospel!
Newt
The Real Influencers
An In-Depth Look From Axis
THE POWER OF PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, AND YOUTH WORKERS
Acclaimed filmmaker George Lucas understood the power of pop culture to impact hearts and minds when he said in 1992, “I’ve always tried to be aware of what I say in my films, because all of us who make motion pictures are teachers, teachers with very loud voices.” More than 30 years later, these teachers have moved from the big screen to the screens in our pockets. Common Sense Media reports that the average teen spends over eight hours a day using screens for entertainment.
Social media platforms, video streaming services, gaming consoles, and music streaming apps can all have a powerful impact on the next generation. Digital influencers of all shapes and sizes can help shape the way your son or daughter thinks about things like music, fashion, and relationships.
BUT WHO HAS THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE WHEN IT COMES TO PASSING ON FAITH TO THE NEXT GENERATION?
Youth workers — including camp counselors, coaches, youth pastors, teachers, directors, and people in so many other roles — are a key piece of this puzzle. In fact, research from the Fuller Youth Institute found that when young people have at least five adults investing in their spiritual lives, the odds of that faith “sticking” increase significantly. However, when it comes to passing on the faith, the data is clear: it’s the parents, the primary caregivers, the ones in the trenches day in and day out with their young people, who have the biggest impact on how the rising generation thinks about God and spirituality.
“... it’s the parents, the primary caregivers, the ones in the trenches day in and day out with their young people, who have the biggest impact ...”
After studying the spiritual lives of adolescents for two decades, Dr. Christian Smith and Dr. Amy Adamczyk wrote in their book Handing Down the Faith that, “... the single, most powerful causal influence on the religious lives of American teenagers and young adults is the religious lives of their parents. Not their peers, not the media, not their youth group leaders or clergy, not their religious school teachers.”
Another, even larger study conducted by Vern Bengtson, found that grandparents play a highly significant (and sometimes overlooked) role in the faith formation of their grandkids.
THREE KEYS
So what accounts for this influence?
Drawing on the work of Bengtson, Smith, and Adamczyk, here are three keys to successfully passing on the faith to the next generation: we’ll call them relationship quality , openness, and continual conversation
First, the quality of the relationship. As Bengtson and his associates write in Families and Faith , “While most parents wanting to transmit their faith understand
that their own examples and actions are important in achieving success, some may not be aware that it is the nature and quality of the relationship they have with their child that is crucial — perhaps as much or more than what parents do or teach religiously.”
A parenting relationship that balances high expectations with relational warmth is known as “authoritative” parenting. Smith and Adamczyk write, “... kids who had an authoritative parent (relative to authoritarian and less engaged parents) appear more likely to follow their religious lead, regardless of whether it is high or low on religion.”
Making time to connect with our sons and daughters — often by doing something they enjoy, without an agenda — not only helps improve our relationship, but it makes them more receptive to the ideas we want to convey.
The next key is openness. That means being receptive to a teen’s moments of doubt and disagreement. This one can feel counterintuitive, but as Bengtson and associates report: “Allowing children religious choice can encourage religious
At Axis, we translate pop culture to help parents and caring adults understand and disciple their teenagers. For more help understanding your teens’ world, go to axis.org and sign up for our Culture Translator newsletter.
“... Acceptance and affirmation, rather than judgment and preaching, are the keys.”
continuity ... in more open or diverse contexts with competing moral and cultural perspectives, parents who encouraged some degree of exploration while still providing a firm religious foundation have higher success rates, at least in our sample.”
They also apply this principle of openness to prodigals: “In our sample, the Religious Rebels who returned to the fold had parents who waited, were open and accepting, and did not push ... Acceptance and affirmation, rather than judgment and preaching, are the keys.”
So, when doubts and questions come up, take a deep breath, and try not to panic. If your teen is wrestling with something, it’s a sign they care about what’s true and what’s right — and they need to know Christianity is durable enough to handle their questions. A calm, attentive presence helps to convey this.
Finally, continual conversation. This is the big one. Smith and Adamczyk reported that, “... a one standard deviation increase in parents talking with their teenage children about religion increases the odds of those children reporting the highest level of religious importance [10 years later by 66%]. By comparison, a one standard deviation increase in parent religious faith increases the odds of adult children reporting the highest level of religious importance by 29%, and for more frequent parent religious service attendance the increase in odds is only 24%.”
In other words, even though parents modeling the importance of faith and attending religious services do have an impact, above all the most significant impact a parent can have on their teens’ faith comes from parents regularly talking with their kids about faith in ordinary circumstances.
INTENTIONALITY
In Deuteronomy 6:7, Moses is explaining to Israel how to pass on the faith to the next generation, and he says to talk about it “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” In other words, faith doesn’t only grow in mountaintop events; it grows when we build intentional conversation into whatever else we’re doing in our lives.
Questions like these can help kickstart the conversation (or keep it going) with your own teens:
• What’s the best thing going on in your life right now?
• What’s the hardest thing going on in your life right now?
• If you could ask God one question, what would it be?
• When is the time you’ve felt closest to God?
• When is the time you’ve felt furthest away?
And however your young person responds, your first goal should be to listen actively, pay attention, and try to understand. Often, simply restating someone’s response in our own words can help others feel heard enough to be willing to elaborate. If the conversation dries up, spend time doing something together that your young person enjoys — without an agenda. Relational warmth and remaining open in conversation are crucial — and by demonstrating an interest in your kids’ interests, you buy opportunities for the “bigger” conversations later on.
Snapshots From Around the World
MADE POSSIBLE BY YOU.
Burkina Faso
RELENTLESS PURSUIT
In Bandéo, the locals hold great attachment to traditional beliefs — primarily animism, a belief that there’s a spiritual essence in objects, places, and animals.
Young Life club began in Bandéo in late 2020, The first club launched with six leaders and 38 teenagers in attendance. Fourteen accepted Christ that day.
One of these was Bertin. His father disliked Young Life because it was a Christian organization. He would send Bertin far away on an errand if he noticed club was happening. Still, Bertin did all he could to be there, even if just for the ending, and his love for Jesus grew.
Bertin asked his father to let him choose who he wanted to worship, and his father decided to allow it. Unhappy with this decision, his brothers planned to beat him. Bertin told Bruno, his Young Life leader, who warned the brothers he would involve the police if they touched Bertin. The brothers then left Bertin alone to worship as he chooses.
Many other teens want to attend Young Life and follow Jesus, but their parents and superstitious beliefs hold them back. Nevertheless, leaders relentlessly pursue teenagers with the good news as they courageously go into dark places to give hope to the next generation.
Dominican Republic
THE NEXT GENERATION
We held our first Pre-Leader Camp with a group of 422 attendees. The Lord gave us a fresh vision to care for a small group of young people who are in a special stage of their Christian journey, and the camp was a great success. We believe it is essential to train the next generation of leaders, and we are confident that this new initiative will bear even more fruit in the 2025 period of Hands-On Training, where they will learn about Young Life through practice.
Young Life Thailand is finding a way to reach more kids. Leaders are hosting English classes after school where students can learn and practice their English skills. These young people get to know our leaders and are invited to club and camp. This new method of contact work is making a real difference in a historically hard-to-reach context!
Nicaragua
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
We closed 2024 hosting 15 camps at La Finca in Nicaragua. This year, we exceeded our expectations, with around 5,000 young people having the opportunity to encounter Jesus and grow in their faith.
WALKING IN STEP
By Stacy Windahl
IN GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, CHEERING ON A PACK OF BOYS AS THEIR
“FOLLOWSHIP”
BECOMES LEADERSHIP.
What comes to mind when you hear “Green Bay, Wisconsin”?
“Toilet Paper Capital” of the world (which it is) might not be your first thought. More likely, it’s the famed and publicly owned football franchise, the Green Bay Packers, and its legendary Lambeau Field. This stadium, the oldest in the NFL, can host 81,000 fans (many of them shareholders) in a city of only 105,700 residents. Game days are equally legendary in Green Bay for tailgating in the yards of city residents and cheeseheads. Resourceful people can make a good buck on game days. Ask Ethan Seifert, a 22-yearold Young Life volunteer leader and donor. As a 19-year-old, Ethan could make a thousand dollars in one day delivering food from a local eatery to ravenous fans. He was making good money then, but he wasn’t always flush with cash.
PROVISION AND PIZZA
Ethan attended his first WyldLife camp as a sixth-grader. He and his buddies rode their mountain bikes to the Young Life office, pockets empty with official forms in hand, and climbed on the bus three days later. They knew little of Young Life or the Lord. Instead, they knew the gym attendant at the Salvation Army Kroc Center named Jorge Gonzalez. They followed him.
How was it that a sixth-grader could sign up for camp on a dime — without a dime? Heather Faulkner, Green Bay’s area director, said finances are always an issue. Nine in 10 kids in the area can’t pay for camp, but the team works hard raising funds so that financial issues aren’t also ministry impediments. And parental permission? Ethan was able to decide that for himself. “My dad wasn’t in the picture,” he explained. And with his mom’s struggles
with alcohol, “She was gone a lot.” Ethan and his siblings often fended for themselves.
Jorge, now on Young Life staff, understood Ethan’s situation. “I had a dad, but not one by my side.” He continued, “Eighty to 90% of the boys I lead don’t have dads in their lives.”
Following that trip, Ethan, Othoniel, Brian, and Luis began a Young Life adventure with Jorge by their side — along a path that wasn’t always straight. The boys would attend camps, experiencing a spiritual high, only to reenter their worlds at home, reengaging in the same patterns they’d left behind the week before. The throughline for this bunch of raucous boys was an outrageous dream they’d shared with Jorge, an imagined experience of one day — one day, being together at Malibu Club, the Lambeau Field of Young Life camps. Most years, that wasn’t looking likely.
Undeterred, Heather and Jorge stayed close to the boys in the years that followed that first camp week. Ethan and his friends graduated in 2020 during the pandemic, and so, missed out on the traditional milestones and opportunities to launch into adulthood, possibly outside of Green Bay. In fact, Ethan stayed in town after graduation, making good money on game days and volunteering for a few Young Life events. Then Jorge and Heather approached Ethan with an audacious request. Would Ethan consider becoming a Young Life donor?
“I was glad they asked,” Ethan recalled. “I wanted them to be able to get pizza for kids like donors did for me,” said 19-year-old Ethan. Ethan and his friends continued in what Green Bay calls, “Young Life Beyond” for young people out of high school but not in college. As a donor, occasional volunteer, and Young Life Beyond participant, Ethan’s faith deepened and the call to serve became louder.
A DREAM REALIZED
And so, in 2022, Ethan and his friends volunteered to serve on summer staff — at Malibu. The wish offered as 12-year-olds became an answered prayer 10 years later. The experience transformed Ethan, who returned eager to serve as a WyldLife leader and summer staffer at Timber Wolf Lake where he’d been a camper years before. Last summer, he led a dozen eighth-grade boys at camp. A one-on-one conversation with a
“Ethan’s gone from goofy, middle-school hooligan to Young Life donor, leader, and Christ-follower.”
camper opened his eyes to the burdens kids carry, kids a lot like Ethan had been. “I thought I knew Luca [an alias], but in our one-on-one, I learned what I never remotely knew. It propelled me to keep going, to help kids like Luca.”
Ethan’s gone from goofy, middle-school hooligan to Young Life donor, leader, and Christ-follower. He didn’t so much learn the roles, as he mirrored what a former gym attendant had demonstrated. The boys who’d hung out with Jorge watched him marry and eventually become a father to three children. Jorge takes the role of mentor and friend to heart. He’s known all along that while “I can’t be their dad, I can be their friend.”
Jorge’s leadership, the kind that inspires Christ-followship, isn’t lost on Ethan who commits to “helping kids from struggling backgrounds like I had and being there for them like Jorge was for me.” Jorge’s leadership, and now Ethan’s, isn’t leading from up front, or from behind, but in step, walking with kids through the highs and lows, the fun stuff, the hard talks, and the ordinary graces and grind. Ethan says, “I’m doing it for the next generation.”
Opposite page: Ethan and Jorge, second and third from left, with other leaders.
Left: Ethan, top right, and friends at Timber Wolf Lake.
Taking ROOT in His Timing
By Abbey Fagan
LESSONS
ON LEARNING TO BLOOM WHERE YOU’RE PLANTED.
Esperanza (Espy) Carmona-Mejia’s journey with Young Life goes back to the ’90s. At 14, she was surrounded by gangs, drugs, and violence. Life at home was chaotic, and stability fleeting. By 16, she had her first son. Turbulence defined her world, but she did have one constant: Jonnell.
“God is using me to pour back into the community I once terrorized.”
Now a leader, Espy pours into the teens at Woodleaf camp.
Jonnell was her Young Life leader, whether Espy wanted to claim her at the time or not. Espy’s reluctance didn’t stop Jonnell from showing up.
Jonnell came to Espy’s court dates when no one else could.
Jonnell visited Espy at school and in juvenile hall.
Jonnell wrote letters when she couldn’t see Espy in person.
Jonnell kept showing up — loving Espy exactly where she was.
Still Espy pushed her away, as she wrestled with the idea of God. “I believed he existed,” Espy said, “but I was convinced he wasn’t ‘cool’ with me or had anything to offer someone like me.” Still, Jonnell and other Young Life leaders planted seeds of love and truth in Espy’s heart— seeds that would take root in God’s timing.
SPROUTING
At 32, Espy hit rock bottom. Alone, hopeless, and on the run, she found herself in the back room of a drug house. In that dark moment, she remembered Jonnell’s words about God’s love — about how he’d be there when she was ready. That memory sparked something in her heart, and for the first time, Espy surrendered her life to God.
Flash forward eight years to 2016, when Espy became the first leader in the re-launch of Young Life in the LA Harbor, California, area.
The city of San Pedro is a diverse, under-resourced community that’s home to juvenile halls, homelessness, gang violence, and drug use. Survival often overshadows hope. Jenna Walmsley, the area director of LA Harbor, described the kids there as “hungry, both physically and spiritually.”
But this is Espy’s hometown. She knows kids’ struggles here because she’s lived them. Her story reflects their reality, and gives her the ability to connect and relate. They see themselves in her, and they feel understood, known, and loved. Espy isn’t just leading; she’s paving the way for indigenous leaders in the community.
BLOOMING
“I love being the hands and feet of Jesus, trusting the Holy Spirit to do the real work,” Espy said. “It’s my favorite thing about Young Life: leaders don’t ask kids to change; they tell them about Jesus and watch God transform hearts.”
Espy co-leads with her friend Jenna at their high school’s evening club and hosts a lunch club at a continuation school, a school for kids who were expelled from traditional high school. Jenna sees Espy as an indispensable partner in ministry: “I couldn’t imagine running after kids without her.”
When Espy steps onto a campus, she fearlessly seeks the furthest-out kid — the one who wants nothing to do with her, telling her to get lost. She’s undeterred because she was once that kid. She knows how God can transform even the hardest hearts.
Take, for instance, a boy her team prayed for by name for three years. He would literally beeline in the opposite direction whenever he saw them. But they kept praying. Three years of prayer before they received a single smile. Three years before the walls slowly came down. Now, he’s attending soccer games and starting to open up.
Another girl doesn’t attend any Young Life events — ever — but she reaches out to Espy when she needs her. They don’t see each other often, but she knows Espy cares for her. Espy feels God at work in this relationship: “I can see she trusts the Jesus in me the way I trusted the Jesus in Jonnell.”
Since COVID, God has been leading Espy toward deep, one-on-one relationships instead of large groups with less depth. Many of the girls she connects with don’t like each other — some have even fought one another. But this doesn’t stop them from confiding in Espy because she’s proven to be invested in their lives.
Espy brings them groceries.
Espy goes to their court hearings.
Espy celebrates their baby showers and cheers them on at sports games.
Espy shows up — because her Young Life leader showed up.
Top: Espy, right, with a fellow leader.
Bottom: Espy, left, with teen moms.
Helping YOU Bloom Where You’re
Planted
1. Who in your life needs you to “show up” consistently?
Jonnell’s persistence changed Espy’s life and is now changing more lives. Who in your world needs you to love them consistently, even when they push you away?
2. Where is God calling you to step into hard places?
Espy serves in a tough community because she knows God moves in broken spaces. Where is he calling you to be his hands and feet, even when it feels difficult?
3. Are you willing to trust God with the long game?
Espy’s transformation didn’t happen overnight, reminding us God works in his own timing. Who have you been praying for that you need to keep entrusting to God?
“I know how to show up because Jonnell showed up for me,” Espy said. “If she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have learned that’s what Jesus does. I wouldn’t have held onto the truth that when I’m ready, I can call on Jesus and he’ll welcome me.”
A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN
Leading in San Pedro is not easy. Death is familiar. The enemy’s lies fester and run rampant. For many kids like Espy, turbulence is the norm, but they’re hungry for more.
And God is using Espy, Jenna, and their team to push back the darkness with his truth and light. He’s supplying caring adults who want to invest in the next generation.
Espy is quick to tell her friends they’re loved. That they matter. That the God of the universe created them with a purpose. While the world tells them they’re worthless, Espy reminds them they’re priceless, created by the God of the universe.
Some may only see the beautiful finished garden of a kid at their graduation, but Espy and other leaders have walked alongside them to this point. They cheered them on, texted them to go to class, celebrated them when they passed, and reminded them they can succeed in a world that tells them they will fail.
The work in San Pedro is Kingdom work — sowing seeds, walking alongside the furthest-out kids, and watching God grow something beautiful.
Espy (fourth from the right) at Woodleaf as a camper in 1991 with her leader Jonnell (top middle).
HOW ONE VOLUNTEER’S SETTING THE GOLD STANDARD IN HIS GOLDEN YEARS .
By Jeff Chesemore
Consider the commitment of your average Young Life volunteer leader. They spend countless hours going to the school to meet kids, attending their activities (sports, concerts, plays, etc.), praying for them by name, leading club and Campaigners, and taking them away on summer and weekend camp trips. It’s a high bar — exhausting and demanding for the heartiest of souls — be they college students, young professionals, or adults raising their own kids.
Chris Jackson, a volunteer leader in Kentwood, Michigan, is no exception. He takes on all of the above with a zeal and
humility that’s second to none. But there’s something just a little different about Chris.
This particular Young Life volunteer is 68 years old. What’s even more amazing? He didn’t start leading until he was 60!
“NO YOU’RE NOT!”
One might assume Chris was just biding his time, waiting to join up with a ministry he’d admired for years. In reality, unlike the majority of volunteers within the mission, this “seasoned citizen” was brand new to all things Young Life.
“I wasn’t involved in Young Life in high school, nor was my wife, Pam.” The
Chris and Jake
two married in 1978 in their native Indiana, eventually making their way up to Kentwood in the early 1990s. None of the Jacksons’ five kids were involved with Young Life growing up, either, but Chris’s awareness of the ministry began when one of his grown daughters became a volunteer leader in Oklahoma City, later coming on staff as a regional administrator.
Fast forward to 2016, when as Chris tells it, “A group of people in the community, including the mayor of Kentwood, wanted to take a leap of faith and see if Young Life could get started again here at the high school. Pam knows lots of people and she jumped in, eventually becoming the area committee chair.
“One day I said to her, ‘Well, what the heck, I’ll go ahead and join the committee, too.’ And she said, ‘No you’re not! You need to be a Young Life leader!’
“So, I do both. I go to most all the committee meetings and lead in between.”
In June of 2021 Chris retired from a 40-year career working as a retail store manager for Marshalls and Target. He could now devote even more time to reaching kids, which is exactly what he did.
No one is more impressed at Chris’s dedication than his area director, Jake Bajema. “At 68, Chris could easily spend his time golfing or biking, but instead, he’s dedicated his life to helping kids experience Jesus. Chris is in the East Kentwood High School and Pinewood Middle School lunchrooms every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Between the two schools, he visits 12 lunchrooms every week.”
You might think this would be more than enough school lunch times for anyone, and yet his thoughts drift to the two other middle schools in the county without WyldLife.
“I still have Tuesdays and Thursdays free. I’ve asked God to show me if he wants me to start going there, but he hasn’t answered yet. I get impatient and think, ‘Hey, come on. We got to do this now!’ And that’s not necessarily God’s plan. Not to mention that if I go to the lunchrooms at two more schools, my wife’s going to shoot me!”
A DIFFERENT KIND OF WORK
It’s not just during the normal daytime hours, however, that kids are on Chris’s mind. On many mornings around 4:15
Chris, far right, holding court with kids from Kentwood.
you can find the retiree, often accompanied by Jake, walking around one of the schools, praying for kids by name.
“I work several days a week at the pool as a lifeguard/fitness instructor, so I’m there at 4:45 in the morning. Before that I’ll go to one of the schools, those where we have ministry or the two that don’t, and I’ll pray for kids’ specific needs and the work God wants us to do.
“Even more impressive,” said Jake, “is Chris’s devotion to knowing each kid by name. He keeps a book filled with the names of students, which he prays over daily. Kids know Chris, and Chris knows kids. If you were to walk with him through the halls of the high school or middle school, you’d move slowly because kids are constantly drawn to him, captivated by his infectious smile and warm spirit. And if you attend a water polo match, volleyball game, or football game, you’ll likely spot Chris there too.
“Chris has a deep love for the city of Kentwood, and our public schools are the most diverse in Michigan and the sixth most diverse in the country.”
Chris is drawn to every kind of kid, and they reciprocate. “The blessings these kids have created for me is just astronomical. I love getting to know them and to hear about
their stories, their background, what they love, and what they’re involved in.”
Of course, Chris also loves to walk alongside kids in their spiritual journeys. “Some have committed themselves to God, some haven’t, some are still curious, and I’m OK with that. I tell people, ‘God only asks one thing of us: to love him unconditionally, and he’ll take care of the rest.’ If he needs my help, he’ll tell me, but I’m just going to love him.”
“WRITE” THINKING!
How does Chris view his calling to kids?
“I try to emulate a quote by Mother Teresa. Somebody asked her, ‘What are the qualities that allow you to do all these great things?’ And she responded, ‘I’m a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world. He does the thinking. He does the writing.’
“So, the pencil is unimportant; it just has to allow itself to be used. And every day I think: hey, just be the pencil.
“In many cases, God’s talking to us all the time, and sometimes we just aren’t listening. I try to listen the best I can, as much as I can to what God is saying. I just try to be a listening pencil, if you will.”
LESSONS FROM AN ELDER!
“I tell people that as a Young Life leader, I’m an oxymoron!
“But kids don’t care. What’s important to them is to know an adult just as another person; to be able to say, ‘Hey, Chris, how are you doing?’ Or for me to recognize them and say hi to them in the hallway.
“Young Life provides an opportunity for kids to know an adult on a different level, one who doesn’t judge them and is there to help them when they need it. Someone who doesn’t push the gospel down their throat, but who’s there when they’re ready for us to provide the information they need to make the biggest decision of their life.
“Your age doesn’t matter. God works through people in his own way and he’s provided a variety of ways he wants to use me. God has a plan. He’s going to implement it. And the plan he had for me was to work, retire, and get involved in Young Life. I don’t know if I would’ve thought about my life this way 20 years ago, but it’s the plan he had for me.”
“King” Chris and the guys.
A Change in Plans
GOD WANTS TO TAKE US ALL FROM DEATH TO LIFE.
Polina, a then 16-year-old teen from Viciebsk, Belarus, had it all planned out.
She would spend a few weeks visiting relatives, and also do a little traveling — something she’d had on her bucket list for quite some time. Then she would be ready. The end to her suffering would finally arrive, and she’d be free from years of abuse and rejection. She sealed the date in her mind.
EXUDING LIGHT
One evening, on her way home from school, Polina bumped into an old friend. “Hey, I’m heading to this really cool hangout,” he said. “Want to come? There will be lots of good food! It’s right over there,” he said, pointing to the building across the street. “Sure,” she replied. Anything was better than being at home.
They entered a large room, and Polina hesitantly sat in the far back corner. Teens entered the room, chatting, laughing, hugging, and singing. They seemed unusually cheerful and friendly.
Polina remained quiet. She wasn’t used to being around people like this. Her life epitomized darkness and hopelessness, but what she was observing was strikingly different. This group was exuding light — a weightless, unfamiliar light that was warm, inviting, and … safe.
The next week Polina came back. And the week after. One of the leaders invited everyone to a Bible study group. Polina showed up. During small group discussions over the next several months, something shifted inside her heart. After making friends with the other kids, Polina gradually started opening up. Then one evening, when it was her turn to share, she found the courage to speak …
She shared about her family; how her parents fought with each other for years, constantly dragging her in the middle of it. She then shared about her father, who in his drunken fits told her, repeatedly, he wished he had a son instead of a daughter.
Polina blamed herself for the family’s troubles, and desperately tried to make things better, but nothing worked. She hated herself for that. Her body trembled, she could no longer sleep, and fear took over her mind and soul. Having lost all hope, it was at that moment she told the group, she had plotted to end her life.
Polina at club in Belarus.
LIFE CAN BE DIFFERENT
“But,” she added, “Things have changed since I found Young Life. You helped me realize my life can be different.”
Polina scratched her plans. For the next two years she continued to come to club, gradually becoming a different Polina. She began to smile, her body ceased trembling, and she’d found a new zest for life.
Surrounded by friends and Young Life leaders who walked alongside her, she took part in every game and serving opportunity. Polina was now seeking Jesus.
Her mom didn’t allow Polina to come to camp for two years, but when she relented, Polina encountered Jesus in a life-changing way. She came to recognize he firmly holds her heart, gently mending its pieces, giving her a safe refuge, and loving his precious daughter as he helps her discover the Polina he created.
REALLY COOKING!
Polina’s changes were not just visible to her Young Life leaders and friends. Her mother, who recently visited one of the clubs, shared with one of the leaders, “I came here to see what it is you are doing with my daughter. Ever since she started coming here, she stopped talking about suicide, became more respectful, and started smiling. I never thought I’d see my daughter so joyful and excited about life.”
Today, 18-year-old Polina is no longer the quiet, reserved little girl who walked into her first Young Life club. She’s now living out of a newfound identity in Christ. She’s helping plan club, leading a Campaigners Bible study, and connecting easily with kids. She’s unafraid to speak about her experiences, boldly sharing her story at camp with kids considering a relationship with Jesus.
Vocationally, she’s making the most of her talent for cooking by currently attending a culinary school to become a chef.
How Can I Know If My Child Is Suicidal and/or Self-Harming?
Any one of the following behaviors could indicate your child is at risk of suicide and needs intervention:
• Talk or social media interaction about suicide or wanting to die (that, to your parental instincts, sounds like more than normal teenage hyperbole).
• Evidence of a suicide plan (such as an online search history, the obtaining of a weapon, or a stockpile of over-the-counter medications).
• Talk of feeling hopeless, having no reason to live, feeling trapped, feeling they are a burden to others, or experiencing unbearable pain, fear, or trouble (emotional or physical).
• Statements like, “You won’t have to worry about me for much longer,” or, “Soon all my troubles will be over.” (They might even begin to give away some of their belongings.)
• Increasing use of drugs or alcohol, including over-the-counter medications.
• Increasingly risky, reckless behavior.
• Easily induced agitation or rage.
• Frequent sleep disturbances (too much, too little, nightmares).
• Isolation or withdrawal, especially from people or activities they used to enjoy.
• Increasingly rapid and/or extreme mood swings.
Completely understandable, now that she’s tasted and seen that the Lord is good. To learn more, scan here.
If you even suspect your child has suicidal thoughts or plans, STOP READING AND TAKE ACTION NOW.
Taken from axis.org/resource/a-parent-guide-tosuicide-self-harm-prevention/
MY BEST
Five years ago, Dan Donohue was walking the campus of Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) in Tacoma, Washington. The university is located directly across the street from the Parkland Foursquare Church, which he’d planted in 2015. Things were going well there, but Dan was battling discouragement and missed connecting with college students (he’d led an active college ministry at PLU for several years). As he walked, he asked the Lord what he might have in store. Unbeknownst to the pastor, he was not the only one praying at that moment.
“I ran into Laurel,” Dan said, “and she told me she’d been praying for me !”
Laurel Hogan was the new Young Life College director at PLU and she’d been praying for leaders. The two first met at a meeting of pastors and Dan stayed on her radar because of his previous student ministry.
“Pastoring is hard, and I was overwhelmed with all the needs of the church,” Dan said. “I didn’t know how to
do college ministry and church ministry. I just knew that when I’m on campus I’m my best self. I’m full of joy and better with my family and my church.”
Their meeting was an answer to prayer for both, and Dan soon came on board as a volunteer leader. A former club kid, Dan knew Young Life and was excited to reignite his work with young adults. “Young Life embodies the things I already believe in; it helped me dig in and gave me a new focus.”
As a pastor, husband, and father, Dan brings unique depth to the college ministry at Pacific Lutheran, Laurel said. “He spends time with students, leads a small group, and is involved in club. He’s great at helping them take the next step with Jesus, whatever that is. He dedicates a day every week to meet with students one-on-one, even in the midst of church ministry and having a family. Dan’s been key in several kids coming to know Jesus.”
INFLUENCING AN INFLUENCER
Martin is an international student from Norway at PLU. Two years ago, the
Don talking with a PLU student across from Parkland Foursquare Church.
SELF
A PASTOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP REACH COLLEGE STUDENTS.
By Leslie Strader
freshman international student from Norway walked into the first club of the year. He was outgoing, funny, and attracted to the energy of Young Life.
“I could tell Martin had experience with the faith community at home,” Laurel said. “He was still doing the college party thing but started to investigate Jesus that fall.”
Dan invited him to his small group. “I kept pursuing him, and he kept coming,” Dan said. “He came to a weekend camp and went from fence straddling to something completely different.
“One day he said, ‘I feel like I’m not living the life I say I am. I need to go all in. How do I do that?’ I could tell the Holy Spirit had gotten hold of him.”
Martin is attending church now and wants to be baptized. He’s also interested in serving in Young Life leadership.
“I’m excited about Martin’s future,” Dan added. “He’s an influencer, and I’m already seeing him influencing other students for Jesus. It’s an awesome thing.
“College is a season where you’re making decisions about who you’re going to be for the rest of your life,” he said. “I don’t tell them what to do, but I’m there. You can be the person they come to when they’re struggling, have doubts, need to process. You’ve done the work to develop trust.
You can be the hands and feet of Jesus. That’s a reward you can’t measure.”
Remedying the Loneliness Epidemic
In 2023, the Surgeon General released the 81-page report, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” Among the report’s findings: the mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
And surprisingly, college students appear to be the most at risk. Young adults aged 18-24 report they feel lonelier and more isolated than anyone. The time of life that should be full of friends, fun, and freedom seems instead to be a season marked by solitude.
Laurel knows this reality firsthand. “I see students by themselves in their dorm rooms, scrolling or watching movies on their cell phone,” she said. “Phones give them a way to isolate, and the pandemic exacerbated that.”
Here’s three ways Laurel and Dan address the isolation issue:
1. Start with Small Groups
Belonging often feels safer in intimate settings, rather than in large groups. “The traditional Young Life trajectory is club (an energetic large group meeting), camp, and then Campaigners (a small group Bible study),” Laurel said. “These students start with a small group, then camp, then maybe club.”
Dan organizes a monthly small group time called “Come and See,” where students “have a home-cooked meal and spend time together, and there are Jesus’ people there to love on them.”
2. Mentoring
“Students need mentors,” Dan said. “All it takes is people willing to be faithful, spend time, and stick around. The need is huge.”
3. Personal Invitations
A one-on-one ask is more likely to receive a positive response, and being consistently present in the life of a college student makes all the difference. “They’re adults so there’s a uniqueness to (college ministry), yet they’re still hungry to be known and seen and loved,” Laurel said. “They’re more open to older adults in their lives. If you’re consistent in their life, they’ll be excited to be led by you. Showing up is the key.”
Young Life’s Non-Negotiable
INCARNATIONAL MINISTRY 101!
Jeff Chesemore
In Young Life we refer to ourselves as an “incarnational” ministry. But what do we really mean when we say this?
Incarnation, as regards Christian theology, is the “embodiment of God in the person of Jesus.” Young Life leaders often explain to kids this concept of Jesus as fully divine and fully human as “God with skin on.”
Tom Combes, Young Life’s director of Theology and Practice, says, “We think of Young Life ministry as being ‘incarnational’ because we believe we’re called to the mission Jesus gave us in John 20:21 — ‘In the same way the Father has sent me so am I sending you.’ Jesus left the heavenly realm and ‘incarnated’ himself in our world as a flesh-and-blood human. Similarly, Young Life staff and volunteers leave their ‘adult world’ and enter in to the world of adolescents, ‘embodying’ the good news of Jesus.”
John, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, spent three years in the physical
presence of the Savior, and wrote this about him:
“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-ofa-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish” (John 1:14; The Message).
In Young Life we move into adolescents’ neighborhoods when we go to them on their turf. To be about life-on-life relationships with kids, we leave our places of comfort to go comfort them, a practice we call “contact work.” In no way is the term “incarnational” meant to imply we’re on equal par with Jesus. Rather, we’re simply seeking to follow his example in our ministry of “with-ness.”
THE YOUNG LIFE DISTINCTIVE
The calling to be a Young Life leader is a calling to flesh out the gospel. Leading a club, taking kids to camp, teaching kids in Campaigners are all important to be sure, but contact
work is what makes Young Life “Young Life.”
Contact work is the Young Life distinctive. It’s what sets us apart from many other ministries: the slow, patient strategy of spending time with kids in order to build relationships, and ultimately, “earn the right to be heard.”
Perhaps the last word on our incarnational calling should be left to Wally Howard, one of the first five Young Life staffers …
“Our message is a person. God made himself known to us through a person. And he still makes himself known through people. And that’s what Young Life’s all about.”
To learn more about Young Life’s incarnational history, check out the books Back to the Basics of Young Life by John Miller, Letters to a Young Life Leader by Bob Mitchell, and Made For This: The Young Life Story by Jeff Chesemore.
