GOING AFTER THE ONE

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” Luke 15:4-7

This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It’s one many if not all of us have read, given Young Life Club talks on and shared with kids one-on-one. But recently it’s begun to take on an even more practical meaning for me.

I get to lead a ministry for kids who are or have formerly been homeless. They all live far below the poverty line, which means technology is spotty, at best, so when our current pandemic hit, our ministry initially all but disappeared. I was at a loss. I’d watch friends post about their Zoom clubs or campaigners with tears in my eyes, feeling like we’d lost all of our kids, and truthfully I wanted to give up. 

And then one morning I came across these words again. I started asking myself what it would mean to look for us to look for our lost sheep. As a team, we started 

• Making countless calls and texts. 

• Driving around to the various locations that have served as ‘home’ for a night. 

• Buying food and other essential supplies. 

• Filling in the gaps that were missing when the aid that they previously depended on became over-burdened and under-resourced. 

One afternoon I got into my car and just started to drive. It felt a little rebellious as we sheltered in place, but my heart wouldn’t let me sit still. I went to a store and bought food, drove to the area that some of our kids stay and sent a text to the team I work with. “I’m in Lemon Grove,” I texted, “Who lives near here?” One of my leaders responded with a name and address and I went there.

I knocked on the door and was greeted by ten family members. I told them I was there to bring them a present, after awkwardly explaining to them who I was and how I knew Jeremiah. They responded by all filing outside, into the courtyard of the apartment complex and we sat on the grass and talked. It was a little uncomfortable. And so sweet.

I was reminded that while the circumstances are strikingly different.  We may all be lost sheep.  I know that I was that lost sheep. I went through years of being all over the dang map; struggling with faith, doubts in that faith, and deep-seated insecurities that led me to make some very poor and dangerous choices in my earlier years.

But God never gave up.

He never stopped coming after me, showing me His face when finding me curled up behind life’s dumpsters and ditches. He never said, “Well shoot, looks like I lost her—but whatever, look at all these other wonderful children I have!”

I don’t know if anyone would have blamed Him if He had.

But He didn’t.

He kept looking for His lost sheep until He found her. She was messy and dirty and full of shame, but He didn’t care, he was just happy she was coming home where she belonged.  And because of that, we too are called to keep going, we get to keep looking for the lost ones who need comfort and hope in the name of Jesus. 

And the amazing thing is, we get to do the same. With the strength of our sweet Shephard, we too are equipped to go out, find, and care for the lost ones. To those who have been shunned or forgotten by many. To bring them into our arms and show them the goodness and grace of our Father.

It’s not easy work, this journey we are called to, but it’s precious and holy. Keep going.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:13-14

Written by Rachel Karman

IT’S TIME TO LEARN HOW TO LEAD FROM A DISTANCE!

William Wallace is ‘da man!!  You know, half his face painted blue, big ole stallion, Goliath sized sword in hand, riding back and forth in front of the troops, leading a scared rag-tag collection of misfits, yelling “give me one chance, just one chance,…to tell them, they may take our lives…but they will never take (say it with me…) our freedom!!!”

We all learned to do Young Life this way, on the ground, in the game, at the school, walking the barrio, building teams, having meals, Bible studies at a kids house, picking up kids, and driving them to club.  We all learned leadership the “incarnational” way, being with, living life together, on the front lines, shoulder to shoulder.

But what happens when you have to lead people you don’t live near?  What happens when a Global Pandemic ‘socially distances’ us from one another?  What kind of leadership adaptations must you make to lead from a distance, be it down the street or across the Pacific Ocean?  How can you learn Apostolic Leadership like the apostle Paul? 

When I took over as the SVP for Latin America, it became very clear, very quickly, that the Lord was going to need to teach me a new way to lead…from a distance.  The truth is, when I was the Regional Director for parts of Colorado, New Mexico, and El Paso, TX, living in Colorado Springs, I had to muddle my way through the early stages of Apostolic Leadership.  The challenge was, there was no RD school class on the necessity of morphing leadership for RD’s. I initially tried to lead the way I had always led, and soon became frustrated, confused and discouraged.  Can I get an “AMEN?!”

Think about it - Paul led differently than Jesus.  Jesus had the twelve with him 24/7 for three years, day in and day out, much like an excellent YL leader living in the community where they do YL.  But after Paul’s conversion, his home base was Antioch. From here he was deployed on at least three different journeys, walking, sailing, riding some 10,000 miles to lead the New Testament church spreading throughout Asia Minor and into Europe.  Some places he stayed a day or two, some like Corinthians and Ephesus he stayed longer. Sometimes Paul was in charge of his movement and sometimes a Roman prison controlled his schedule. The truth is, whether he was on the go, or locked in chains, Paul’s ministry was going forth in power and strength, with or without physical presence.

There is not much room to elaborate on this here, but I will give five basic principles of Apostolic Leadership to chew on…pre and post COVID 19.  

1.  Realize your calling.  If you are leading more than one ministry you must learn to lead in an Apostolic fashion.  If you are an RD, VP, SVP, GSVP, or the President, all you do is apostolic leadership, and it the Lord who has chosen you!!

2. Set clear expectations with your team.  Many are frustrated by their supervisor because they see them so little.  Perhaps your “sup” needs to get off their tail and spend some time with you in your turf!  Just sayin.’ Or, perhaps they need to align expectations so the team knows the realities of apostolic leadership.

3.  Be more organized and more intentional – set your travel and communication strategy and share it with your team.  This takes exceptional planning and execution, but is critical for fruit-bearing distance leadership.  Write letters…really, write them. Seemed to work for Paul.

4.  Take people with you.  The disciples and apostles rarely traveled alone.  Might be something to learn here. Not only are we better together, you will be equipping someone (or a bunch of people) to take your place one day.

5.  Find your joy.  Yes, this is a different way to lead.  If you can’t find joy in this type of leadership then take another job.  Oh that our RD’s, all the way up the chain, would be known for their joy and courage IN THEIR WORK.  This is a different way to lead, it’s a good way. Truth be known, the days of our being Braveheart are behind us.  We now are inspiring, equipping, motivating others to paint the face and get after the next kid, leader or staff!

Yes, apostolic leadership can be learned, can be joyful, can be fruitful, and is exactly what many of us in this mission have been called to.  I am fairly sure this is some of what the Apostle Paul was talking about in Eph 2:10!! 

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Adelante!!

Dan Jessup

djessup@sc.younglife.org

THE UPSIDE OF THE NEW NORMAL

“WOW!  What a couple of weeks!”   That is how most emails, texts, calls and virtual conversations start now.  

All of us have been affected by CV-19.  Our families, our schedule, our work, our finances, and health are all in flux.  We have even had to adjust to a new lexicon of words as well: ‘Contagion,’ ‘Pandemic,’ ‘Social Distance,’ ‘Shelter in Place,’ are a few.  Those words have disrupted our natural routine, made us pivot as a ministry, inclined us toward the Lord and given us fodder for animated ‘kitchen table’ conversations with family.  Some vocabulary that we have had to familiarize ourselves with are below. 

VOCABULARY SURROUNDING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

• ASYMPTOMATIC (adjective): showing no symptoms of a particular disease 

• CARRIER (noun): a person  that transmits a disease to others, whether suffering from it themselves or not 

• COVID-19 (noun): official name for the novel coronavirus disease  COVID-19 = COronaVIrus Disease-2019 

• EPIDEMIC (noun): occurrence of a particular disease in a large number of people in a particular area

• INCUBATION PERIOD (noun): the time from  first exposure to a disease to the time when symptoms develop 

• INFECTIOUS (adjective): describing a disease that can be transmitted through the environment

• ISOLATION (noun): separation of infected people from healthy people for serious contagious diseases

• NOVEL (noun): the word novel means “new”

• OUTBREAK (noun): a sudden occurrence of a disease (or other unpleasant thing)

• QUARANTINE (noun): isolation of people exposed to an infectious disease to see if they develop symptoms 

• SHELTER IN PLACE (verb): isolate oneself; put oneself in quarantine, away from other people  

• SOCIAL DISTANCING (noun): practice of minimizing contact, by banning large or small groups/meetings 

• SYMPTOMATIC (adjective): showing symptoms of a particular disease

• VACCINE (noun): a substance used to protect humans and animals from a disease 

• VIRUS (noun): a living thing, too small to be seen without a microscope, that causes infectious disease

How does a relational ministry thrive in a social distancing world. All of us have pondered, “how will we reach more kids when we can’t even be in a room with them?” But maybe there is another perspective that we can embrace?  The phrase I have heard this week is “new normal.” I’ve been told we need to accept it, acknowledge it, get used to it, and adjust to it. The new normal could be a world with 6 feet of personal space, masks, essential travel, and governmental directives but here is the part of the new normal that I think could be helpful.  

• A new normal where our rhythm is slower

• A new normal where our families are closer 

• A new normal where rich conversations are daily                                           

• A new normal where relationships are deeper

• A new normal where hope and peace resurface

• A new normal where every day we are finding new ways to meet more kids    

• A new normal where a hunger for God’s will grows -- globally    

• A new normal where we are as comfortable being ‘together and with’ as ‘off and alone’          

You see, Social Distance by its definition is exclusively PHYSICAL, but YL’s  model of ministry is way more comprehensive.   There is a closeness that is physical but also, RELATIONAL, SPIRITUAL, AND EMOTIONAL.  Those connections can still happen with a potency and intentionality that hasn’t been experienced recently.  As we all are aware, if we take away one faculty, other capabilities have the opportunity to become more acute.  

The world has been forced to stop and it is not over. What if we saw our current situation  as an opportunity to stop, assess, talk, train, listen, and learn. In short-RESET. As we go forward in  slow motion, the adjustment in speed may give us a window to see in detail. With restrictions we face - we will find a way.  There is nothing more innovative and GOSPEL-centered than that! This global crisis could be one of the greatest opportunities for the  mission and for that hope to spring from this tragedy has precedent all throughout the Bible- let's not miss it. 

In the early days of COVID 19’s  growing presence in the US, Lynn Unger penned a simple poem about a virus that went viral on social media.  It catches the tension of socially distancing and relationally connecting.  Maybe we could adopt her words in our prayers. 

PANDEMIC

What if you thought of it

as the Jews consider the Sabbath —

the most sacred of times?


Cease from travel.


Cease from buying and selling.


Give up, just for now,

on trying to make the world


different than it is.

Sing. Pray. Touch only those


to whom you commit your life.


Center down.

.

And when your body has become still,


reach out with your heart.


Know that we are connected


in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.


(You could hardly deny it now.)


Know that our lives

are in one another’s hands.


(Surely, that has come clear.)


Do not reach out your hands.


Reach out your heart.


Reach out your words.


Reach out all the tendrils


of compassion that move, invisibly,


where we cannot touch.

.

Promise this world your love —


for better or for worse,


in sickness and in health,


so long as we all shall live.

— Lynn Ungar 3/11/20

As the YL mission has wrapped its collective heart around Psalm 91, it may be helpful to remember that in the back and forth rhythm of  “He will” and “You will” in the 16 verses of that passage, the Lord’s role is action and our role is to not fear and observe. We were made for this!  Let’s wash our hands and get to work if this is going to be THE NEW NORMAL!

Written by Ken Tankersley

Global Innovation February 2020

HOW TO MAKE INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS

This sketch video gives a teaser and overview of the book Little Bets, which analyzes how innovative companies, like Pixar, do amazing new things. It’s an approach we can all take toward innovation, even in ministry. Are there “little bets” you could be making to help you reach the next kid?

December 2019 Global Innovation

MEET THE DISNEY CHURCH

Cast Member Church is an innovative church plant that is doing life together, with people from all walks of life, and sharing faith in a way we haven’t seen before. This church plant focuses on cast members at the Florida Walt Disney theme parks (but check out their vision for where they are planting more churches!). If it sounds fun…it is. If it sounds innovative…you’re sure right. If it excites you too, well, just read ahead!

“We are an innovative movement of Disney Cast Members---most having never been part of a church before---exploring what it means to know and follow Jesus. We are not about the mouse, the magic, or the make-believe. We are about those behind the mouse, the magic, and the make-believe, who, like you, ponder the issues of life, faith, purpose. We are a diverse family (multi-ethnic, multi-national, and multi-lingual), deeply committed to each other no matter what. We are agents, hidden in plain sight, on a mission to introduce a Kingdom influence (Jesus' love, truth, mercy, and grace) to the world around us.”

• Learn more about Cast Member Church.

• Read the recent Christianity Today article on Cast Member Church.

• Read the EFCA article on Cast Member Church.

• See a preview of Life Beyond Imagination - an innovative disciple making tool.

November 2019 Global Innovation

”ARE YOU OPEN TO AN IDEA?”

I was described by a friend last month as an ‘early adopter.’ I understood the term but hadn’t really thought about it much. I asked why he would describe me that way and he said, “because every time we try to solve a problem you always say  phrases like ‘what if?,’ ‘let’s try it,’ and ‘why not?’ I guess that’s true and I probably have at least one person to thank. You see, for more than 20 years I’ve had the privilege of being mentored by Ted Johnson, former interim President of Young Life and “encourager-in-chief” for the mission. There have been many times in that 20 years when I needed advice. Sometimes the situation was work-related and sometimes personal. Most of the time, upon approaching Ted for help, he started his thoughts by asking me a question – “are you open to an idea?” My response to that simple question would change everything. Because of my respect for Ted, I almost always said ‘yes’ and that response changed the course of the conversation to a new approach, plan or path.  

YL is full of early adopters who are open to ideas. 

I am thankful that we embraced the list below:

Contact work

The ‘Clubble’ and the Big Cookie 

Summer Camp obstacle course and Real Life 

Multi-Ethnic Student Staff

The Local Committee model

WyldLife

Capernaum

YoungLives

Young Life College

...And the list goes on and on, ideas that gain traction and become part of the fabric of the mission. I guess we all have benefited from someone who was open to an idea. It seems like early adopters are always trying to find a new way... see a way... or make a way to get things accomplished. We need that creativity now more than ever in the mission of YL. We are in a time where more and more is asked of everyone on staff, and our openness to ideas becomes increasingly relevant to our individual and corporate success. A humility, flexibility and teachable spirit, need to continue to  be the mark of the culture of YL. 

One of the great attractions to being on Young Life staff is that often our entrepreneurial spirit is able to shine through. We get to make decisions about how we function in the day to day. Busy ministry entrepreneurs must  always be looking for an opportunity to create, innovate, and improve. If we don’t, we miss out on game-changing ideas simply because someone else invented them or we didn’t take the time to educate ourselves.  

For the last few years I have been a member of YL’s Innovation Team. I have been impressed that we are surrounded by game-changing ideas in this mission. In a time where building relationships with kids is more difficult than ever, we create ‘Brilliant at the Basics’ and see dozens of Regions benefit from this cohort training. During a time of unprecedented growth in the mission, Volunteer 101 gets developed so that we are able to give every leader in the mission- core and principled training. With camp costs and transportation costs rising, ideas like the Campership Legacy Fund are developed with currently over 25,000 kids to camp. Lastly, in a time where the priority of discipleship is paramount, tools like The Good Way, the Rooted Devotional, and Summer Staff training arrive. 

Adopting new ideas is hard work. The process can feel a bit like leaning backwards off the cliff at Frontier Ranch with your first repel alongside kids. It can be scary! However, if we can become an ‘idea culture’ that looks for the very best of what other people are inventing and incorporate those great ideas into the way we operate as a mission we can potentially become even more fruitful that we already are. Ultimately, God is the Lord of the harvest. But we can and should work to do our part as thoughtfully, prayerfully, and efficiently as possible. That may mean looking outside ourselves for the very best of ideas that others have to offer. Together!  

So if you are open to new ideas - we have them. Currently there are dozens of initiatives around the mission that range from ministry models to funding structures and from volunteer leader recruitment to staff development and spiritual growth. 

 ‘Are you open to an idea?’ Let’s talk - Jeff Rudder (JRudder@sc.younglife.org) Executive Director, The Young Life Foundation 

October 2019 Global Innovation

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF HAD  $$$$$ TO REACH MORE KIDS?

Ok, made you ‘click!’  We may have gotten your attention with the title, but it’s going to be worth it.

Now let’s give you the big vision: YOUNG LIFE INNOVATION SHARK TANK! In a mission full of ENTREPRENEURS we are hoping to identify The Next Big Thing.  It could be a new ministry model, game-changing idea, or training approach that will go viral across the mission. In our- close to 80 years of history as a mission, the list of innovations is impressive: Young Life College, YoungLives, 15 minutes of silence, The Crud War, The Big Cookie, ‘Got milk?’ Club, Capernaum, Oct-a-Ball, YL Connect, Deaf YL, ...and the list just goes on and on. 

So, if you have an idea that could be a game-changer as we endeavor to reach more kids than ever, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE! If you can dream it, then we can help you build it!  So here are the details: 

• INNOVATION SHARK TANK -  All across the mission, staff are submitting ideas that will help us reach more kids then ever and we will help the most compelling ideas scale across contexts, Regions, and Divisions. We are essentially creating a YL version of SHARK TANK! 

• GOAL- Identify some the next innovations that could be a game changer in ‘reaching more kids” than ever before.

• WHO CAN WIN?  Anyone! Just have a well-thought-through model in your local context that can be scaled. 

• WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO? The first step of the process is a simple email to TANK (kenbtank@gmail.com) and answer the following questions.  .  

  • 1.  Your Name, email, and contact phone #.

  • 2.  Division, Region, Area name

  • 3.  Brief description of the idea. (2-3 Sentences)

• WHAT KIND OF IDEAS DO WE WANT? We want well thought out, compelling, scalable project ideas. We want something that you have been doing locally would be the best. If you win, you will get coaching and design support, as well as possible funding to help scale your project. Some SAMPLE IDEAS  that others have suggested are: 

  • A new ministry model 

  • Student leadership initiative

  • A camping model, tweak, or new design

  • Volunteer Team Leader training

  • A contact work initiative 

  • Creative club ministry (lunch, school or community based etc.) 

  • Ministry cohort training for a Region or Division

  • A volunteer leader recruitment/training or development idea

  • Contact Work initiative within a Division or Region 

  • Campaigner vision initiative tied to evangelism and discipleship

  • Creative core ministry/specialized ministry growth initiative

  • Student Staff Pilot (new model or curriculum) 

  • Teacher/Coach volunteer initiative 

You get the idea?   

What we know for sure is that... 

A good  IDEA, can become a MOVEMENT,  

MOVEMENTS help design PILOTS,

PILOTS that work, become MODELS and,

MODELS can then become a MINISTRY,

And a good MINISTRY could be THE NEXT BIG THING! 

Come with your best, game changing, exponential, leveraged effect idea!  Help us reach the next kid through the next big thing and change the world! We will wait for your email! 

- Young Life, Global Innovation and Growth Office

(kenbtank@gmail.com)

September 2019 Global Innovation

Did you know?

• The hardest question for a military teen is “where are you from?”

• 1 of 5 Military teens has made a plan to end their own life (USC survey)

• Military teens move 10 times more often than civilian families -  on average every 2-3 years. every 18- to 30-months, and start all over again…

• Since 2001, more than 2 million American children have had a parent deployed at least once.

• More than 900,000 children have experienced the deployment of one or both parents multiple times.

• Young Life has focused on military teens since 1959

Young Life has been working to reach military teens since 1959 when Jim Rayburn identified the teen-aged children of U.S. Military Families stationed in Europe as a unique demographic that Young Life needed to reach, reporting to the YL Board of Trustees that, “…these kids are stranded. If we don’t go after them, no one will.”

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. Military has endured the longest period of sustained armed conflict in the history of our nation, according to the Department of Defense. The current generation of teenagers has known only a post-9/11 world, which has been characterized by the frequent extended deployments of their military parents. 

As the “Did you know?” opening statements share, military teens face unique challenges, but the broadening experiences of military life and the military community values of resiliency, service, and sacrifice give these teens high potential to become leaders and world-changers. Helping these teens find faith can help them avoid the negative factors of their high-risk profile and can help them fulfill their full God-given potential.

Young Life Military is authorized to bring the Club Beyond ministry on-installation, “inside the gate,” at individual military installations around the world, and conducts ministry to military teens at these installations in close coordination with Military Chaplains and Installation Commanders.  Young Life Military has staff openings at installations in the United States and around the globe, and filling these openings to keep up with the military’s demand for Club Beyond ministry is YL Military’s #1 challenge. Perhaps you are hearing the “call of duty” to serve in ministry to military teens, or you know someone who is hearing that call. If so, please contact Phil Alfrey at palfrey@military.youmglife.org

Please see this month’s survey question, which asks you about personal connections you may have to the Military.  We’d love to hear your story!

Written by Marty McCarty, VP YL Military (mmccarty@military.younglife.org)

Global Innovation August 2019

SHAKING UP THE YOUNG LIFE CAMPING MODEL!

I have the privilege of hearing incredible stories from around the globe of leaders and staff using camping activities with friends of every age. There have been some amazing sightings of innovation in action, as we all strive to maximize every opportunity to share the Good News! Let me share with you just a few…

Did you hear the one about…?

1. 217 young men and 40 of their leaders attended Young Life’s Basketball Camp in Erie, PA.

2. “Fowling” became a new free time activity at Timber Wolf Lake. It was a big hit!

3. Escape Rooms have been a great cabin unity game at Cairn Brae.

4. Kids of all ages and abilities went Adventure Camping this summer with their leaders! Of note,

   • WyldLife kids went backcountry hut camping, a brand new trip option with Adventures RMR Backcountry this summer.

   • Capernaum kids went Adventure Camping at Pioneer Plunge, Adventures Northbound, and Adventures Wild Ridge.

1. Young Life College students helped 17 camps prepare for summer by serving at “Work Week.” All combined, they performed over 50,000 hours of labor to help prepare an extraordinary environment for kids to encounter Jesus!

2. 360 families experienced camp and heard the Good News together at Trail West this summer. They came from 26 states and 79 of those families have a spouse serving in the military!

3. 202 kids came to camp in the U.S. from overseas this summer. And, 1,321 Americans have traveled to 28 countries so far this year with YL Expeditions. YL kids, leaders, adults and families are connecting around the world!

4. Macedonia hosted its first summer Young Life camp ever! There were 63 campers and over half chose to receive a Bible.

5. 58 Capernaum friends and 23 YoungLives teen moms served on either Work Crew, Summer Staff, or Assignment Team this summer. That is the most ever in one summer!

6. Over 9,500 volunteers and staff shared a common daily devotional this summer – Rooted, by Crystal Kirgiss.

7. This school season, our camps are planning to serve around 230 YL weekends. All combined, at our camps and through the other creative ways you are camping with kids, we will exceed 103,000 Young Life guests in the U.S. this school year! 

What a privilege it is to work together to extend appealing and meaningful invitations to kids to encounter Jesus and grow in their faith. Thank you for striving after the best ways to reach kids in your community. I can’t wait to see what we say yes to next, as we continue to serve Christ together and set leaders free to minister to every kind of kid!

With Gratitude,

Chad Sievert

VP of Camping 

csievert@sc.younglife.org

Global Innovation July 2019 - ARE WE THERE YET?

Time to plan your Summer 2020 Discipleship Adventure Camp

“Are we there yet” echoes through the forest up the mountain, across the glacier, up the inlets on a daily even hourly basis on our Beyond Malibu trips. The answer is often “no” followed by ”it’s just around the corner,” “it’s when we get out of the forest,” or “it’s not long now.” These responses are more describing the journey rather than the end.

Adventure camping experiences are a great opportunity to turn the “Are we there Yet?” question into a conversation about how the  journey we are on can translate to our journey of faith and our journey in life. 

Adventure camping experiences are in large part about the journey. On adventure experiences you do the best you can with what you’ve got, from where you are, right now. You are focused in the moment on solving the next step. Soliciting help from those around. You are embracing the moment and journey.

These are tangible experiences that serve as a great metaphor for our lives and faith. 

Young Life Beyond Malibu seeks to change lives through adventure ministry. Week-long challenging sea kayaking and mountain adventures in British Columbia, Canada are designed to challenge high school and college students, and adults of all ages to explore who they are in Jesus Christ and their relationship to God.

Looking for an adventure of a lifetime? 

We have 8 National Young Life Adventure camps that are designed to help you encourage your high school friends in their journey with Jesus Christ.  They range from camp based adventures to Pioneer experiences to hiking on islands in Lake Superior, or in the San Juan mountains of Colorado or the coastal mountains of British Columbia Canada to sea kayaking on Lake Powell and the inlets of the coast of British Columbia. There is something for everyone.

Considering going Beyond your regular camping plan? As you contemplate the journey that you are taking your Young Life friends on whether students, leader or committees and you think of Going Deeper in your area, consider including one of these adventure camps, which are focused on providing discipleship experiences for your participants, in your camping strategy. Start planning now! Consider a graduating senior trip or a student leader trip as they go into their senior year, or a milestone trip as students move from accepting to walking with Christ.

Young Life Adventure Camps:

YL Adventures Baja

Scotts Valley, CA

530.448.6026

info@adventures.younglife.org

Yl Adventures Beyond Malibu

Seattle, WA

206.525.0791

beyondmalibu@beyondmalibu.younglife.org

Yl Adventures Northbound

Lake City, MI

231.839.7552

bsharp@twl.younglife.org

Yl Adventures RMR Backcountry

Fraser, CO

970.726.6690

admin@rmr.younglife.org

Yl Adventures Santa Cruz

Scotts Valley, CA

530.448.6026

info@adventures.younglife.org

Yl Adventures Wild Ridge

Mt. Nebo, WV

304.404.2005

dbaumann@awr.younglife.org

Yl Adventures Wilderness Ranch

Creede, CO

719.395.6602

wilderness@wilderness.younglife.org

YL Adventures Pioneer Plunge.

Weaverville, NC

828.645.7187

kfarren@wg.younglife.org

Adventure Camp Pilot

Written by Rob Duyker (rduyker@beyondmalibu.younglife.org)

A SIMPLE PLAN TO ENGAGE ONE OF THE MOST ISOLATED COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD

Around the world, it is estimated that anywhere from 0.2%-2% of Deaf people say they know Jesus. In the USA, that statistic is slightly higher at 2%-4%, but when you consider that 96% of Deaf people would say they DON’T know Jesus, that makes the Deaf community one of the most unreached people groups in our communities. That’s what makes Deaf Young Life so special and so needed.

I’m honored to be part of this unique and special ministry. As a senior in high school, I found myself on a soccer bus with a Deaf freshman who had made the team. My school had a mainstream program, so I went to school with Deaf students right in my own classrooms for years. As I got to know this girl, I invited her to come to Young Life and eventually she started bringing a few other Deaf friends to club too.

I felt a distinct tug from God to start a club just for this community, so in 1997, we started the first club at the Oregon School for the Deaf in Salem, Oregon. A few years later I stumbled upon a club happening at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont. We started collaborating with the California club for camp and other club ideas.

Deaf Young Life club looks a lot like any other Young Life club you’d walk into on a Monday night. It’s the same everywhere, but different everywhere at the same time!

The logistics of an all-Deaf club is where it starts to look a little different. Deaf kids often live further away from the actual school they attend because school districts will often place all Deaf kids in one school to help meet their needs. Travel to club can be a little tricky. Music sounds a little different sometimes with mainly a drum beat that kids can feel, and it’s really loud. Physical touch (tap on the shoulder) or flashing lights is how we get everyone’s attention.

Theater, improv and story is important in Deaf culture, and we incorporate that into club. Deaf culture is highly interactive and interrupting with questions is not uncommon at an all-Deaf club.

I remember being just shocked to learn one of my girls didn’t know what the cross meant. Around Easter, one of the girls finally heard the gospel through sign language and said “THAT’S what the cross is about? I had no idea.” She had been going to church with her family for years and never fully understood it because English was not her first language, and no one had ever shared it with her in her main language.

I’ve learned so much more about this community over the years. Deaf people are so unreached, and starting down this path raised that awareness tenfold. My eyes were opened to the fact there simply are not many resources focused on reaching Deaf teens.

In a lot of ways, we’re building something new here. There’s a lot of potential, with 100 Deaf schools in the United States and only a handful of ministries. Young Life has four active Deaf Young Life ministries and countless clubs around the world who have Deaf students popping in. 

But, we can do so much more!

Where to start?

Do you want to plug into Young Life ministry to the Deaf? Do you want to help start a club specifically for Deaf teens? I’d love to help you find a way to plug in.

Be aware. For Deaf students, being Deaf is how they identify culturally. The culturally correct term is Deaf or hard-of-hearing, not “hearing impaired.” If you aren’t sure, use what term they use or use “Deaf.”

Remember that visual cues are vitally important for anyone with hearing loss. Don’t assume everyone can read lips, or even if they do, that they understood 100% of the message.

Pray for our Deaf teens. Be aware of the needs in your own town and ask God if there are ways He wants you to get involved.

Written by Araya Williams (info@sonshineinterpreting.com)

WHAT I LEARNED FROM FIVE YEARS OF GOING TO YOUNG LIFE CAMPS

I have been on staff for 28 years. That’s a lot of contact work, J.V. sports, Chipotle burrito bowls, last-minute mixers, whipped cream, and Monday night clubs.

When I add up all the summer assignments, fall weekend camps and countless summer experiences, I realized that I have been on a trip, at a camp, sleeping under the stars or on a bottom bunk for over 4.5 years of my adult life. Literally that is “years of camping.” With so many trips over the last few decades, you would imagine that they are all a blur, however, it is not hard for me to identify my favorite type of trip. NOT favorite property, adolescent generation or graduating class, but my favorite style of camping.

The answer? Adventure camps! Whether backpacking, houseboats, mission trips or sea kayaking, those have been some of the richest experiences I have ever had with students.

What happens on these trips that is different?

• The 168 hours (a seven day week) of an adventure camp is a rare un-programmed event so you have to be INTENTIONAL.

• On a trail, or in a boat you are forced to talk, and over time the conversations go from the superficial to the REAL.

• Most of these trips are designed toward second-timers or students at an “AGE AND STAGE” that is pivotal in their discipleship and maturity. Those “crossroad” moments are few and far between.

• In a culture that can be comfortable and numb (physically, emotionally and spiritually), BROKENNESS is rare.

• Jesus was “dangerous” in a few contexts: when He asked questions, when you were with Him one on one, and when you encountered Him on a road or trail. ALL THREE of those happen during an adventure camping week.

• Believers grow when they ask heartfelt, sincere QUESTIONS too. It takes time to ask the question behind the question.

Over the past few years we have had an opportunity to focus on the second half of the mission statement through discipleship experiences. When you design your camping plan for all 11 years of ministry (from junior high to college) it makes sense to include some of the gems of our adventure camps.

ANNOUNCING THE ADVENTURE CAMPING PILOT PROGRAM

This fall you will have the opportunity to apply to be part of an adventure camping pilot where Young Life areas that have not yet had a long history of camping at these camps would be given the opportunity to schedule trips, receive a discount and foster a culture of discipleship camping.

The draft application is on this link. The application opens up in September and each U.S. region can submit one area that fits the criteria. We want Young Life areas that have NOT traditionally utilized adventure camps to start fostering a culture of discipleship camping. The pilot application process opens in the early fall of 2019, but look over this LINK and contact your regional director.

Hope to see you on the trail!

Written by: Ken Tankersley

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

“As pain often opens the heart of an adult, fun and laughter pry the lids off the hearts of kids.” — Charley Patten

“So you’re tellin’ me there’s a chance?!” In 1994, the movie “Dumb and Dumber” had every high school guy in America quoting that line and dreaming of riding a moped to Aspen, Colorado. At the time, my friend Tim was about to enter his senior year of high school in Raleigh, North Carolina. One of his Young Life leaders, Eric, invited Tim and his buddy Jason, on the adventure of a lifetime:  a road trip to Aspen.

Eric made the guys clear it with their parents, but later Tim confessed that he’d just ask his mom if he “could go to the mountains with Eric.” He didn’t tell her he meant the Rocky Mountains.

Their four-day road trip began with a 24-hour sprint to Colorado, only stopping when they needed gas. Once they hit the Rockies, they decided to keep going and eventually detoured through Mexico on their way to L.A. and the Pacific Ocean. On the way home, instead of stopping in Raleigh, they passed through their hometown and added four more hours to the drive, just to put their feet in the Atlantic Ocean and make it official that they’d driven “coast-to-coast.”

6,000 miles. 26 states. 4 days. 3 friends. 2 countries. 1 Ford Explorer.

Tim is now 40 and has been doing Young Life for close to two decades. I once asked him when he started following Christ. That’s when he told me the story of their trip. Tim told me, “Over those four days, Eric not only talked with us about Jesus, but he showed us Jesus. And that trip sealed the deal for me. After that, I was all in with Christ. Cold turkey. My life has never been the same.”

When you read the Gospels, you may notice another road trip: one that happened 2,000 years ago.

3,000 miles. 13 friends. 3 years. 1 Rabbi.

The Teacher had a few years before He was heading off to His Father’s house, so He invited 12 guys, maybe some around the same ages as Jason and Tim, to take a three-year road trip with him. The plan was to go about 3,000 miles on foot. The Rabbi asked them to drop everything, to abandon their jobs, leave their families, and to follow Him. And they did.

Isn’t that what most teenagers would’ve done when given the choice between responsibility and adventure? Over the course of those next three years, the Teacher showed them what real love looked like. That trip sealed the deal for 11 of them. After those three years, they were all-in with the Teacher. So much so, that 10 of them died a martyr’s death. They were so convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, they gave up their very lives, cold turkey.

What would it look like for you to tap into your teenage friends’ instinct for adventure?

The summer offers great opportunities for spontaneity, and it doesn’t just have to happen at a Young Life property. For the past 20 years, I’ve been taking guys on a summer adventure trip in the North Carolina mountains. We hike, camp, fish, jump off cliffs, and ride down waterfalls. We sleep in ENOs, build campfires and have cabin time under the stars. And it usually only costs about $75/person.

Here’s a link to help you plan your own mini-camp.

The best way to begin is to simply make a list of 10 names you’d like to invite.

Start praying for them (and the trip) now. Brainstorm with them.

Few things are as bonding as choosing your own adventure.

Written by Drew Hill (yldrew@gmail.com). Drew is a pastor in Greensboro, North Carolina, and has been doing Young Life since the ’90s. Ten years ago, he started the The Young Life Leader Blog and last year released a book for Young Life leaders called “Alongside: Loving Teenagers with the Gospel.”

YoungLifeLeaders.org || AlongsideTeenagers.com

See You On Broadway: A GLOBAL MINISTRY but ONE MISSION

“Broadway” to Africa and the Middle East…How did that happen?”  What do Broadway Musicals and ministry in Africa/Middle East have in common?  Well, at first glance...not much.  However, this innovative fundraising event actually makes perfect sense.  In the greater Denver area, there is a dynamic faith community of music lovers, theater goers, and committed Young Life fans who get together each year to put on a performance like none other.  The ‘Big Idea’ surrounding Broadway to Africa (BTA) (a vision started by Shelley Sadler and a few others) was simply to have a musical experience, focused on Broadway show tunes, with the proceeds from the performances going to support ministry in Africa and the Middle East.  What could be easier? ...just wait. 

Young Life is present all over the country and around the world.  From small towns to International, cities to college communities, to 103+ countries around the globe to over 1,300 YL Areas, 81,000 Volunteers and 5000 staff.  In the midst of being in so many locations it can become a challenge to be truly together as ONE MISSION.  The scripture verse that has surrounded BTA over the years has been Zephaniah 3:17, “...ours is a God who is with us...is mighty to save...delights in us...quiets us with His love...and (even) rejoices over us with singing”--a message we long to share.  Ours... We... Us…  Together  language!

When BTA began in 2011, there were 18 cast members, one performance, one dress rehearsal, and the event raised funding to offset the cost of one Young Life Africa Women’s Leadership Summit serving 35 staff.

Now, 8 years later there are:

• 92 cast members, 

• 4 months of rehearsals 

• 10 sponsored Camps  (8 in Africa, and 2 in the Middle East). 

• 4 performances

• 3000 campers who will experience summer camp 

Without a doubt, the most beautiful part of the Broadway to Africa experience over the years has been the privilege of watching the Lord move in and tangibly affect not only students in Africa and the Middle East. However, the 125+ people involved in production (i.e., cast and crew, band, costume designers, directors, and “sponsors”) and the hundreds in the audience are also deeply impacted. Broadway to Africa is a really creative and powerful tool in helping change lives both in the US and all over Africa and the Middle East.   “Literally thousands of young people go to camp and have an experience that, in Africa and the Middle East, they rarely get to have. When they may otherwise live in utter poverty, war zones, or orphanages, at camp these kids are are fed, cared for, safe, loved, known, and noticed, all in the name of Jesus.”  On the US-side Senior Director, Jennifer Condreay who has given her time to BTA since the beginning celebrates that  “each year our practice and rehearsal season is an amazing 16 weeks of hard work, joy, and fellowship!” 

It may be true that it takes a whole community to reach a community and when you do EVERYONE IS CHANGED!  That is what we have seen happen each year at Broadway to Africa. 

For more information about how you create your own ‘Kingdom-minded’ event contact Shelley Sadler  or to learn more about the production, just click here. This year the production in Denver is June 7-9th. Being one mission is not easy, but it really can be beautiful and you may just find yourself singing.  See you on Broadway! 

. 

FINDING HOPE AT THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

In late January, I experienced my YL Training Timeline class at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City UT.  One day as I waited in line for my 3rd film of the day, the person next to me leaned over and asked, “Are you a filmmaker?” I laughed, “Me? Nope! I’m here with Young Life staff for training!” Another “Only in Young Life” moment.

A group of 15 YL staff joined 250 Students from 22 Organizations, Seminaries, and Universities for a week of looking at the intersection of Faith and Film through conversations with each other Directors, Producers, Screenwriters and Actors.  It was amazing and so instrumental in equipping me in my day to day work with kids. Robert Redford is credited with starting the festival in 1985 believing that “society relies on storytellers”.  Over the last several decades, the chance to share your story at Sundance has become a filmmaker’s dream. Over the course of the Festival over 40,000 people descend on Park City,UT (pop. 8,378). This year, there was an astonishing 14,259 film submissions, of which only a select 112 feature-length films were chosen! The filmmakers are truly cultural theologians in how they identify longing, brokenness, need, and hope.  One short film “Period. End of Sentence” was founded by a high school, listing a bake sale and yogathons as funding in the end credits. It felt like “us,” how we’ll do whatever it takes to fundraise get a kid to camp.

So….how did we end up there? The Windrider Forum gathers a group of believers at the Festival to explore faith in the midst of culture’s primary form of storytelling - film.   The group was named after the Hebrew word ‘ruach’, meaning “wind” or “spirit.” The class was engaging, challenging and informative. Truly, the Sundance Film Festival may be one of the last cultural events that allow the YL Staffer to truly be 1 step ahead of the culture. We were challenged to have eyes to see and ears to hear where the Spirit of God was moving as we watched.

“Filmmakers are the poets and sages of our time” was a mantra we kept hearing. Each filmmaker risks to say something, to tell a story, to ask a question about real issues – mental illness, the death penalty, race, immigration, disability. And yet so many directors paint the world as they see it – broken, dark, unjust, without any sign of hope. The average Netflix user watches 71 minutes per day….numbing, consuming, grasping for something, being spoon-fed some version of truth. When I think about my Young Life kids’ learning about life through a screen, it doesn’t seem fair, it’s not the whole story, it’s not often a complete picture.

One film called “Gaza,” showed raw and broken snapshots of daily life in a war-torn streets of the Gaza Strip. I was trying to have eyes to find a glimmer of hope amidst scenes of wreckage, but I struggled. Another YL staffer later said, “You know, they have Young Life in Gaza.” Young Life in Gaza!! I got tears in my eyes, there it is:  hope! God’s writing a way bigger story sending light onto the streets of the Gaza strip.

So we wrestled with questions - how can we, as believers, become redemptive storytellers?  How do not only be students of students but also be students of the culture? It’s what YL does so well, we go into the world of kids. What if we watched with a different lens – looking for hope?  Then we would truly have a message worth seeing and sharing.

Keep an eye out:

Some of our favorite films to look out for include “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” “The Farewell,” “Luce,” and “Moonlight Sinata.” Missed it this year? No fear, you should save the date for the next year it is offered.

Written by: Kaitlyn Ousley (kaitlyn.ousley3@gmail.com)

Unwrapping the Gift of Healthy Supervision

A recent 5 for Friday ‘ONE QUESTION SURVEY’ asked a simple question about supervision:

“What are the top three qualities you want in a supervisor?”  Hundreds of you responded! Thank You, for responding! Below are the qualities that were listed to choose from:

• strong leadership

• emotional stability

• encouragement and affirmation

• clarity on expectations

• empathy and compassion

• integrity

• disciplined and focused

• solid communication skills

• coaching and mentoring skills

• flexibility and accessibility

• clarity on expectations

• wise and strong knowledge base

• Confident

• Others?  _______________

AND THE TOP 3 ANSWERS WERE…..

• FLEXIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• STRONG LEADERSHIP

• SOLID COMMUNICATION SKILLS

The results may not be surprising because the qualities we want from a boss are understandable.  

• We want to be noticed so we want someone to SEE us,  (Accessibility)

• We want to give input so we want someone to HEAR  us.  (Communication)

• We want to learn and grow so it makes sense that we want someone to stretch,develop and CHALLENGE us.  (Leadership)

But wait, in the COMMENTS section these desired qualities were also suggested:

• Spiritually mature

• Humble

• Macro-manager

• Detail oriented

• Visionary

• Speaks truth in love

• Servant leader

• Innovative/creative

And what about these attributes that didn’t make the list:

• Loyal/committed

• Teacher

• Courageous

• Listener

• High EQ, CQ, OQ, SQ (all the Q’s)

• Holds accountability

• Health conscious

• Learner/listener

• Professional

• Authentic

• Trainer

So, what about a second question- “How do you 'get’ what you need from a supervisor?”

We know that no one can be all of the things listed above. Besides, our ability to receive good supervision is filtered through our own perspective.  Although we may never agree on the most important qualities in a supervisor because of our own uniqueness, there are different qualities we need in a supervisor as we grow, mature and change.

Bottom line:  You can’t design your supervisor, but you can design your supervision.

Supervisors, have the conversation with the people you lead. Let them know what you expect and what you can offer them. Let staff know why you believe what you believe about supervision. Importantly, it’s not just up to the supervisor to design.

Staff person, a form of “leading up” is letting your supervisor know what you need in supervision. In no way is it a demand, it is a conversation. Sure, you won’t be asking your supervisor to be MORE confident, but you can ask them to be clear regarding expectations. Maybe you let them know you respond best when you have time to ask questions for clarity or that mentorship is of great value to you.

Together, you can work to meet the needs.

Now what?  So, do you as the supervisor or staff person need to have a conversation? Is it a good time to provide clarity or ask for what you need? If you think yes, then do something about it right now. Make a call now, set up a check-in, write out what would be helpful and discuss supervision. Supervisors want to be effective and as staff people we need to be supported----Have a conversation.

Written by Reid Estes estescoaching@gmail.com

WHAT TEACHERS THINK ABOUT YOUNG LIFE:

There is a large pool of potential volunteer leaders in your area right under your nose. Many have a vibrant faith, love teenagers and all of them are on campus doing contact work every day.

Who would that be? Teachers!!

Let me ask you a few questions:

• Do you actively seek out teachers to be members of your team?

• Do you do contact work with teachers, seeking out believers, striving to know them and helping them to become missionaries to their classroom?

I highly encourage you to do this. Teachers do more contact work with kids day in and day out than you or I would ever be able to accomplish. Partnering with teachers to know more kids will help ministry grow and go deeper.

During my 11 years in the classroom, I found myself connected much deeper to kids than my 10 years as a non-teacher volunteer or my last five years on full-time staff.

Our area has been blessed to currently have over a dozen teachers actively serving in my area. Some of these teachers simply lead a Campaigners group, while others serve in a full-on capacity. Many of our teacher-leaders have a minimal role in club but a considerable role in introducing our other volunteers to kids from their classroom.

When allowed, our teachers champion club and Young Life events. In more closed schools, they merely introduce kids to leaders at after-school events. I spend much of my time with teacher-leaders, encouraging them on how to be intentional with kids.

Here are just a few examples of the impact teachers can have when they are involved in their local Young Life area:

• They can spend one passing period per day being intentional in the hallway.

• They can use their before-school duty station to start conversations with kids they don't know well.

• They can spend one planning period per week connecting with other Christian teachers to pray for the school.

• Imagine what happens when a new teacher catches a vision to invite a cabin full of kids to summer camp.

Much of the expectations for teachers is the same as is is for my other leaders, but some of it is more flexible. I seek to be intentional to avoid events during busier school times (quarterly exams, meet the teacher night) or not expect to see them at club on those days.

Ultimately, I discovered during my time as a teacher-leader that ministry gave me life even when I was overwhelmed by my teaching load. Being connected to students deeply through the Young Life ministry gave me a greater purpose and led me to pursue my calling versus just having a teaching career. Leading Young Life during those years kept me in the classroom for years longer than if had I simply been teaching my subject.

Seek to help teachers find their calling and fulfill the calling to truly be missionaries in the classroom through the mission of Young Life.

For more information or resources for connecting to this vast pool of potential volunteers in your area, contact Carrolton Area Director Michael Cone at younglifecone@gmail.com.

Learn more about teachers in the mission HERE.

A 1% Difference For Your Ministry

Football has started, kids are in school, and fall is in full swing. Of course the reality of Young Life is that “fall” is in full swing by mid-August. Here at the “beginning” of the year I’d like to offer a few thoughts, things that might make your year more productive.

An idea that has captivated me recently: Kaizen (the term means small continuous improvements).

“Put simply, the Kaizen approach is based on the belief that continuous, incremental improvement adds up to substantial change over time.”

Small adjustments can make a BIG impact:

Here’s the effect of a one-degree change in a flight plan:

• After 100 yards, you'll be off by 5.2 feet. Not huge, but noticeable.

• After a mile, you'll be off by 92.2 feet. One degree is starting to make a difference.

• After traveling from San Francisco to L.A., you'll be off by 6 miles.

• If you were trying to get from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., you'd end up on the other side of Baltimore: 42.6 miles away.

• Traveling around the globe from Washington, D.C., you'd miss by 435 miles and end up in Boston!

Sometimes this is called “1 Percent Improvement.” Over time, 1 percent can make a big difference. The question is: WHAT 1 percent are you going to focus on? What small thing could make a big difference for your area, committee or club next year? What would produce the greatest impact if you focused your energies on a few critical small changes*, and didn’t get distracted by the hundred loose ends tugging on you daily?

*Notice I didn’t say “easy changes,” (they never are), and you have to stay with them doggedly to get the benefit.

ACTION STEP: What if next year … ?

• You spent more time planning committee (or club) meetings and always finished on time?

• Every adult meeting started with a great devotional, a kid sharing, or a leader giving a ministry update?

• A group of adults prayed for club every week?

• You identified the 10 most important donor relationships for the area and did a great job thanking them and keeping them informed?

• You identified the three critical things that would make your area/club better and focused on that till it happened?

You get the idea. I don’t know what your 1 percenters are, but you do. Think about it. It’s worth it.

A lot of people are focused on football right now, but I’m thinking, what will be the few “1 percenters” that will be my highest priority this year?

— Written by John Evans (jevans80@mac.com )

The Cost (and Benefit) of Living in Community

“This is a true story of six strangers picked to live in community and work together to find out what happens when people start getting REAL!”

When we kicked off the GLOBAL CITIES FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM in Hong Kong we felt like we were getting ready to live a season of MTV’s Real World “Young Life Young Life.” We didn’t know exactly what would happen if we put three 22-year-olds from all corners of the earth in one global city to live and work together for two years. It had the potential of getting messy really quick. What happened was nothing less than a miracle and far exceeded our hopes and dreams!

There are primarily two needs of every Young Life area: 1) People, and 2) Resources. Since Hong Kong Young Life’s beginning five years ago, our biggest need has been — PEOPLE! People who understand Young Life and the unique culture of Hong Kong. We had open doors at schools but didn’t have the people to walk through those doors. Since we were too young to have “grown our own,” we needed to find a creative solution, which birthed the Global Cities Fellowship. The fellowship was initially a two-year program designed for young people with Young Life experience to come to Hong Kong to be team leaders and be a part of a training leadership program all done in community to eliminate loneliness and build a greater sense of team. Time, Experience, Responsibility, Community and Fellowship became some of the tenants of this program.

We expected to have all Americans but ended up with one American , one Thai and one of Nigerian-British heritage. We couldn’t have designed things any better. Why? Because of their intentional community! They each were able to bring and share their knowledge and experience of Young Life, Hong Kong culture, and youth culture. Each week they spent three hours in training together growing in Christ, learning Young Life principles, and discussing how to implement them in Hong Kong in their individual school context. They also lived life together — shared apartments by gender, socially hung out, were inclusive of each other and treated each other like family. We learned that the combination of experience and background was far greater than just having people come who know Young Life. The fellows’ diversity has made us a much stronger team and continues to breed more diversity and unity as we identify future cohorts. “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity” (Psalm 133: 1).

The benefits far outweigh the costs of the fellowship, but they are still a reality. Hong Kong is the third most expensive city in the world, and providing housing for the fellows is expensive. Also Hong Kong Young Life currently carries a majority of the burden of their cost as opposed to the traditional Young Life sending process, and your situation may be different. That being said, the fellowship answers our need for a pipeline of staff associates and helps us “grow our own” faster and develop a rich environment of diversity and cultural understanding, making our team stronger together.

Cohort 2 (Hong Kong Young Life Season 2) launched this past month with the orientation of three more fellows each with their unique background to Young Life, Asian culture, Hong Kong school culture, and Hong Kong culture. We are excited to see the outcome of this group’s community. There is a cost to community — but it is a small price to pay!

If you are interested in talking more, please feel free to email me at suzanne@hongkong.younglife.org.

Some other useful information Hong Kong Young Life Website — GCF or follow them on Instagram at younglifegcf.

Written by Suzanne Sittko (suzanne@hongkong.younglife.org)

View September 2018 Email

Global Innovation August | The Day My View of YL Got Bigger (and Smaller) At The Same Time

This is how I remember it …

YOUNG LIFE INTEREST MEETING, SEPTEMBER 1999

• The Time: 7–9 p.m.

• The Town: Mackay, Idaho

• The Location: According to my handwritten directions — the house 5 miles down a county road on the left-hand side just passed the split rail fence.  

• The Purpose: Interest meeting to start Young Life.

• The Agenda: Starting club at Mackay Junior/Senior High School — enrollment: 92.

  • Prayer

  • Coffee, pie and brownies

  • Introduction and sharing

  • Discussion about kids at the local school  (Mackay High — Home of the fighting Mushers!)

  • What is Young Life?  

• The Attendees:

  • 12 adults (1 local pastor, 2 ranchers, 3 teachers, 5 parents and 1 forest ranger)

  • 3 dogs were left in trucks parked outside.

For much of my more than 40-year career with Young Life, this has been my life. It involves driving a few nights each week from small town to small town all over the Western United States with names you have never heard of and on county roads you have never been on. It involves traveling with the hope of getting to talk with people about bringing Young Life to their community.

One of many pivotal moments was at a Young Life interest meeting sitting in Hilda Goddard’s living room one fall evening. “We need to tell our neighbors in Challis, Idaho, about this Young Life thing!” was the reaction of Harold, (one man in attendance) at the end of the night. I soon discovered that the “neighbors” in Challis lived at least 60 miles away! My understanding of the word “neighbor” began to grow that night. The gap of distance was overcome by the closeness of circumstance. Even internationally, I have been struck by the countless villages, townships and small towns dotted all around the globe that share common traits and challenges. My constant prayer is that there are people in these places who will reach out to these kids to love them, walk with them and tell them about the hope that comes with a faith in Christ.

Harold, whether he knew it or not, shared the heart and vision of Jesus. He understood how God works through the ministry of Young Life to not only transform individual lives of students who attended Mackay Junior/Senior High School, but to a greater extent, the entire community. The book of Matthew tells us that “Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives” (Matthew 9:35, MSG). Jesus wanted His message to get to everyone, so He went places most people would pass by. He had a heart and vision for the next small town!

We pass by our small towns and villages every day, giving them very little thought, but there are so many!

Here are a few interesting observations that I have learned in the past year.

• In the United States there are 18,025 small towns.  

• There are over 32,000 schools in small towns; 18,000 are secondary schools.

• 21 percent of the U.S. population lives in small towns.

• 94 percent of the total square miles of the U.S. (3.4 million square miles) are considered rural.

• At-risk behavior statistics in rural communities are identical to urban centers.

Here are some facts that you won’t find on any U.S. government website.  

• Many small town high schools adjust schedules around the harvest or hunting seasons.

• The nearest Walmart may be over an hour away.

• The local high school may have special parking for students’ tractors or horses.

• It is a community event when a new fast-food restaurant opens!

• Young Life leaders have been known to reschedule summer camp dates to not interfere with the County Fair.

… And there is a pretty good chance that you have a small town “neighbor” right down the street within 60 miles or less. So what do you do? Four steps to think about the NEXT school!

• Never Forget to Pray — Get a map and draw a circle with your town in the center of a 60-mile radius. Pray for towns in this circle; pray for the towns that jump out at you; pray as you drive through them; pray for the Lord of the Harvest to raise up workers. Do a prayer walk through the town. TRY THIS: Set an alarm on your watch to remind you to pray at 9:38 (Matthew 9:38). Pray each day for one or two of the towns in the circle of your “neighborhood.”

— Ask your committee, leaders, friends, who knows somebody in these towns? TRY THIS: Contact Young Life Alumni & Friends to help you find people in town who may have a Young Life background. Make some calls to pastors, civic leaders, and business people.

• eXtend a Hand — Get a leader, a committee member, club kid, friend and make a road trip! TRY THIS: Go to the town; spend time in the community. 1. Pray at the school. 2. Eat at a local restaurant. 3. Meet with a local pastor.

• Take the Next Step — Mobilize someone in the town to host a meeting of people who care about the kids in their community and need to know more about Young Life. You can check out the Small Towns Tool Box to give you ideas for this meeting.

There are Small Towns everywhere we go. Slow down, take some time to notice them and then do the NEXT steps. Email me if you would like to receive the Small Towns Newsletter or would like to attend the Small Towns Summit in December. To learn more or if you have any questions, check out the resources below for help.

Resources to Help: Small Towns — The Atlantic Magazine

Small Towns Director — J.C. Bowman — jcb31954@gmail.com, 208-866-0540

Jump Starts — Don Stuber — dstuber@sc.younglife.org, 360-789-6676  

Ken Purnell — kendpurnell@gmail.com, 541-620-0270      

Written By J.C. Bowman