Relationships Winter 2014

A CAMP PHYSICIAN GIVES THE PERFECT DIAGNOSIS

Winter 2014 | Vol. 27 Issue 3

MINISTRY AND MEDICINE IN MOZAMBIQUE YOUNGLIVES ON A NEW MEXICO NAVAJO RESERVATION

COMMEMORATING

50 YEARS AT CASTAWAY CLUB

contents WINTER 2014

5 9 13 17 19 50 YEARS 11 COMMEMORATING AT CASTAWAY MINISTRY AND MEDICINE IN MOZAMBIQUE

ABOUT THE COVER Susan Kehoe, area director in Salisbury, North Carolina, and her high school friends enjoy their time at Young Life’s newest camp. Carolina Point, located in Brevard, North Carolina. Carolina Point, opened for camping in July and is a great destination for areas throughout the southern and eastern portions of the US. This summer more than 93,000 kids around the world took part in Young Life camping, where they heard the life-changing message of God’s love for them.

A couple’s love for Christ and kids proves to be the best prescription.

PLAYING A DOUBLEHEADER

As the work day ends, some Service Center employees roll up their sleeves for even more time with Young Life.

RECOVERING A FORGOTTEN GENERATION

YoungLives reaches out to teen moms on a New Mexico Navajo reservation.

HOLY HEART SURGERY

A camp physician gives the perfect diagnosis.

MARYLAND MILESTONE

Mapping our growth on the Old Line State’s Eastern Shore.

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IN EVERY ISSUE

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

fromthepresident DOGS AT THE BEACH: A PICTURE OF YOUNG LIFE

We’ve described our Young Life clubs and parts of camp as ‘controlled chaos.’ Often it is. Like the dogs running amuck on Saturday morning.

But behind the frenzy of the beach, there was something going on that was not immediately visible ...”

— Denny Rydberg

In early September, Marilyn and I were in San Diego to attend the wedding of the daughter of one of our board members. The wedding was scheduled in the afternoon so that morning we went for a walk on the beach in Coronado — a favorite spot of ours. One special feature of this beach is that Navy SEALS train there and, in the early morning hours, you can see these finely tuned heroes doing things both amazing and inspiring. Another feature is that at the north end of the beach there is a large expanse devoted to dogs. Anyone and everyone can bring their dogs and let them run on the beach and frolic in the water. On that Saturday morning there were lots of dogs doing both. I decided to count as Marilyn and I walked through the chaos and I know I may have missed a few but my total was 103 dogs! All of these canines had at least one human with them and many had multiple humans because there were many more adults and children there than there were dogs. And there were LOTS of dogs.

Ninety-nine were NOT on a leash. Four were and they looked with envy at those who weren’t. One bulldog even had a life vest on and was enjoying the water with his master.

(Bulldogs are not known for their swimming prowess and I’m sure both master and friend appreciated the added buoyancy.) What especially impressed me was how everyone was smiling — every human and every dog. It was a great day for all of them to be alive. And for us as well.

(By the way, when I took this job 20 years ago, some Young Life veterans told me leading the mission would be like taking 100 dogs for a walk with no leashes or like herding cats — which I’ve found to be only partially true. But I did get a better understanding of what they tried to explain to me as we walked through the Coronado beach dog park that day!)

The whole experience reminded me of Young Life. We’ve described our Young Life clubs and parts of camp as “controlled chaos.” Often it is. Like the dogs running amuck on Saturday morning. But behind the frenzy of the beach, there was something going on that was not immediately visible. Some dog lover was watching his or her dog almost all the time and he or she was very aware (for the most part) where his or her dog was and whether that beloved animal was OK. That’s the same in Young Life. We have multiple leaders at club and camp.

And they know where their dogs are and how their dogs are doing.

Like the dogs on the beach, almost everyone at a Young Life club or camp is glad to be there and smiles abound. The sheer fun of being with your friends, out for the night (club) or for the week (camp), laughing uproariously at the skits and crowd-breakers, and being intrigued by the message about Jesus makes for a wonderful time “at the beach.” It didn’t look like anyone felt forced to come to the beach and that’s the way we like it in Young Life. You want to be there!

And because we care about kids individually, we know when someone needs a little extra help dealing with life, understanding the message, making a friend. So we provide life jackets for “bulldogs.” We want kids struggling to swim to feel more comfortable in the water.

And one more thing. When it’s time to go home, the dog owners go home with their dogs.

They don’t tell them, “Find your own way,” or “Take the bus.” They say, “Come on, Brutus, let’s go home.” And you see happy, tired dogs and humans heading for the parking lot. That’s what happens in Young Life. When you go to camp, you go with your leader and you return with your leader. You know you have someone you can trust who has your back. And at club, you know there are adults who know you and want to make a difference in your life.

So at 2:00 in the afternoon that Saturday, I was sitting in a beautiful chapel on a university campus as my friend was preparing to walk his lovely daughter down the aisle. But just before the service began, I admit I grinned and thought about the 103 smiling dogs and the God-given design of Young Life.

Denny Rydberg Young Life President

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inyourownwords OUR READERS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS

63 Years as a Young Lifer Taking a tour through the Young Life headquarters in July with Millie Carter was a walk down memory lane.

Millie had been my leader in Canon City, Colo., from 1950 to 1952! Her love and witness for Jesus drew me into Young Life. In seeing photos and walking through headquarters there was reflected, in a small part, my “life with Young Life.” I was a junior at Canon City High School in 1950-51. The girls were friendly. I heard them talking about “a new club that had started at school, called Young Life.” I was lonely, curious and looking for something to do so, in time, I went to see what was happening.

The male leader, Orien Johnson, was one of the greats in the early days of Young Life. He was dynamic on trumpet, a comedian who could make us laugh, listen and have fun at club! Millie Carter was a special leader ... gentle, loving, interested in us, and wanted to be friends! Every week Orien and Millie came (I never knew from where) to our high school, invited kids to club, mingled, and bought us a coke. At club we sang!

We laughed! We listened! I felt being at club was one of the best things that had ever happened to me.

And weekly I heard Orien give a personal invitation to me to give my life to Jesus. I wanted a relationship with Him and with my whole heart I gave myself to Him. The impact was dramatic ... “what though wars may come with marching feet and beat of the drum I have Christ in my heart.” (One of the old Young Life songs).

At club I met Christ; at Campaigners I was discovering grace and learning to study the Bible. I met more of “the family” at Star Ranch, Silver Cliff Ranch and Frontier. I heard fun and powerful messages from Jim Rayburn and many others. I realize, now, that a new and growing mission for Young Life had begun ...

“Young Life goes to camp!”

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

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Young Life preceded me to the University of Minnesota, where I volunteered for my first club work under the leadership of Orien, Phil McDonald and Tom Starr. My husband, Doug, and I are a team and together we took Jesus’ life and words to civilian and military teens. I was on the Monterey, Calif., Young Life committee (1972-74), the Castle Rock, Colo., committee for four years, and we now live in Boerne, Texas. The new staff associate, Morgan Champion, asked if I would help with the girls’ Campaigner Bible study. Knowing this was from her heart, I gave myself to it enthusiastically.

I thank God for Young Life and the mission it has to reach teenagers who need a Savior, His love, forgiveness and hope. I think my life could look very different now had there been no Young Life. Even at 79 God used me to teach the Bible to Young Life Campaigner girls. I am still a Young Lifer at heart!

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

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

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

— Donna Green Barker, Canon City High School graduate, 1952

Publisher/President Denny Rydberg

Copy Editor Jessica Williams

Executive Editor Terry Swenson

Lead Designer Jason O’Hara

Lead Editor Jeff Chesemore Coordinator Donna McKenzie

Contributing Photographers Dan Dyer Beatriz Fuentes Janaye Johnson Jason O’Hara

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

younglifelite

BY STACY WINDAHL

THE ICING ON THE CUPCAKES With a shoestring budget and a volunteer-led team in an urban setting, Glendale, Ariz. Young Life is welcoming more than 100 kids a week to club.

And in that beautiful sea of faces, one in particular has become precious to the Glendale leadership team.

Charlie seemed like an unlikely kid — or at the very least a “furthest out kid.” He attends an alternative school in Glendale where he is guided by an IEP (individualized education program) created for kids with learning disabilities. Living in a kind of poverty that most of us cannot imagine, Charlie has struggled with self-image and anger issues which once landed him in jail. But at the root of it, according to leader Kim Tobey, “Charlie has struggled to believe that in spite of it all, he is loved unconditionally by our Savior. No one ever shared with him the love of Jesus. And so he continued in this battle, ‘Am I worthy?’”

A team of Young Life leaders joined that battle on Charlie’s behalf. The first was a Young Life leader who was dating Charlie’s brother. Naturally, she invited Charlie to club. He agreed but he positioned himself in the back of the room where he could make an easy exit. As the weeks went by, Charlie moved from the back of the room into the midst of a team of guy leaders who sat shoulderto-shoulder with him in club and in friendship.

Wanting to include Charlie as a closer part of their community, his new friends invited him to leadership meetings. “Our leaders have rallied around Charlie, they’ve promoted him to ‘junior leader’ and walked alongside of him to help him believe in himself and ultimately to understand the hope and grace of Christ,” said Tobey.

This summer, Charlie turned 17. Not a milestone birthday for most high school kids, but Charlie’s college-age leader friends wanted to throw him a party. Glendale supporters, Ty and Michelle Lorts, opened up their home and swimming pool, to host an informal gathering. This was a simple affair, no DJ, decorations or gift bags for guests. This party featured burgers on the grill, plastic squirt guns and store-bought cupcakes.

According to Tobey, that evening “Charlie laughed his contagious laugh, took his shirt off in front of the guys because he was comfortable with the group, and used those 99-cent squirt guns like they were full-throttle, highpowered Nerf water propellers!”

Eventually the guys toweled off and gathered for dinner and dessert.

After the assembled group sang a simple chorus of “Happy Birthday” around a paper tray of candlelit cupcakes, Charlie shared a little more about his past. He hadn’t had a birthday cake since he was five and he’d never had a birthday party with friends.

And on this birthday — before the candles were lit — the battle was won.

Charlie understood the truth of the prophet’s proclamation that God was not only with him; God delighted in him. God Himself rejoiced over him with singing (see Zephaniah 3:17). And the chorus of “Happy Birthday” that his friends sang to Charlie that night?

That was the icing on the cupcakes.

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in Mozambique

BY JEFF CHESEMORE

A couple’s love for Christ and kids proves to be the best prescription.

Beatriz Fuentes’ original photo of Cleide from 2007.

Gustavo and Beatriz Fuentes do not practice medicine, but their obedience to God’s call has brought healing into the lives of two students who will one day heal others.

In November of 2007, Gustavo and Beatriz Fuentes were missionaries serving in Inhambane, Mozambique. While eating lunch one day, the couple couldn’t help but notice a striking teenage girl who was sitting in the restaurant. Beatriz, an artist who loves to use photography as inspiration for her paintings, asked the girl’s permission to take her picture.

The girl agreed, Beatriz took a few pictures, and before leaving the restaurant the couple learned the teenager’s name was Cleide.

Shortly thereafter, Gustavo and Beatriz met a man from Houston, Texas, wearing a Young Life hat. Beatriz’s last contact with the mission had been 25 years prior, when she began a relationship with Christ as a Young Life kid in Brazil.

She shared this history with the man, who served on a Young Life committee, and who in turn connected the Fuentes

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Psalm 91 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

with the Young Life Africa office. Sensing God’s leading, the couple came on staff in 2010 and were sent to Beira, Mozambique — a city of 600,000 about 10 hours north of Inhambane.

Gustavo and Beatriz soon began Young Life club in the neighborhood where they lived. The turnout was strong and one night the Fuentes were greeted by yet another new kid … Cleide. The couple and Cleide didn’t recognize each other at first, but a few months later Beatriz shared with Cleide that she had been in Inhambane for vacation four years earlier. As she recalled the time, her eyes were opened and she recognized Cleide as the girl she had photographed that day.

An amazed Cleide then remembered the encounter, too. When Beatriz showed her the picture she took that day, everyone was astonished. Having moved to Beira not long after the meeting in the restaurant, the now 19-year old and her family lived a mere block away from Gustavo and Beatriz.

Cleide, a devout Muslim, remembered her feelings about her first club. “I had never heard of Jesus before that Young Life club — it made me very uncomfortable.

But I really liked the people — Beatriz and Gustavo and Lina [another leader] were so loving and made me feel so welcome.”

Soothing words Almost daily, Cleide suffered from violent seizures triggered by her epilepsy. She’d been to many doctors — even as far as South Africa. Imams as well as traditional healers also tried to help, but nothing worked. As Cleide suffered through the seizures, her family and friends stood by watching helplessly.

It was during this time a crusade came to town. Cleide went one night to listen and at the end of the meeting a woman gave her a Bible — she had never touched a Bible before. She accepted the gift, but wouldn’t dare open it.

When Cleide told Beatriz about the gift, Beatriz invited her friend to study the Bible with her. Cleide, however, was not ready to respond to the invitation. Then, in a moment of desperation after suffering another violent seizure,

Cleide reached for the book. The pages fell open to Psalm 91, which was highlighted, and as she read, things suddenly changed. “I felt a deep peace I had never felt before. As I read I was comforted. I had never opened the Bible before and did not know what I was reading, but it had power.”

Following that day, Cleide would often read Psalm 91 after she experienced seizures, and the passage would bring her comfort.

A double dose of healing One day after club, Gustavo sensed the Lord telling him the leaders should pray for Cleide. When they asked Cleide if they could, she thought it was odd but agreed. Gustavo, Beatriz and Lina prayed for their friend. Cleide didn’t know what happened, but she felt a sudden peace and power come over her. With that prayer, the young girl’s seizures ceased. Cleide and her family were all amazed. Learning her three friends prayed “in the name of Jesus” piqued a curiosity in Cleide. She wanted to know more about this man.

Cleide and Beatriz started meeting weekly to study the Bible. After their first study, Beatriz shared the story of God’s love and His plan of salvation through Jesus. Cleide said, “I was overwhelmed. It was all new to me — like a fish breathing air. I could hardly take it.”

Nevertheless, she kept coming back. She devoured the Word, Beatriz said, reading more than was assigned each week. She began asking many questions to her madrassa teachers which they could not answer.

Cleide decided she was ready to give her life to Christ.

Beatriz cautioned her not to follow Jesus because of the healing and benefits she had received, but because God loves her. Cleide began a relationship with Jesus and the decision changed not only her life, but the lives of her family members as well. Because of her healing and the obvious change in her, Cleide’s parents did not object to her decision, and in fact encouraged her to continue meeting with her Young Life leaders.

Today, Cleide attends the Universidad Catolica de Mozambique (UCM) where she studies medicine alongside Lina. Like her friend, Cleide is now a Young Life leader Continued on page 7

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Continued from page 6

telling others on campus about her Savior. “I feel a joy and a burden — and I am ready to share Jesus with others.”

“She is a natural leader,” Gustavo said, “and Beatriz and Lina continue to help her develop more of her skills in this area.” Gustavo is also happy to report, “Cleide is still seizure free, praise God!” There is another student studying medicine at UCM who is also thankful to know the Fuentes. His background, however, is far different from Cleide’s.

A life on the run For the first 15 years of his life, Bigiruhiriwe (Bigi) Renovat lived in four countries. Born in Burundi, Bigi experienced war from birth. Fifteen days after he was born, his parents took the family and fled to Rwanda, where they lived in a refugee center for four years. When war broke out in Rwanda, the family returned to Zaire (known today as the Democratic Republic of Congo).

“When we arrived, we did not have anything to eat,” Bigi said. The family was reduced to begging. “Some people were cheerful,” he said, “but others spat in our faces. Our only choice was to beg.”

When conflict broke out again in 1996, the family left for Tanzania. As a result of the war, Bigi’s family was separated. His father and brother went missing, leaving Bigi with his mother, sister and other brother. In September 2013, Bigi’s father was found alive in Burundi, but he still does not know the whereabouts of his brother.

After living in another refugee center for nine years, Bigi’s mother took her four children and started walking to Mozambique. “People who did not know us, helped us, they gave us food, shelter and clothes,” he said.

Showing God’s love in practical ways Mozambique proved to be a land of hope for Bigi and his family. Bigi’s older brother received a scholarship to the UCM. “That’s how I had the opportunity to be at the university,

even with a lot of limitations. My brother shared with me to cover our expenses, to finish and fulfill our dream to become professionals and help others.”

Excited to study medicine, Bigi entered UCM. It was during his time in school that Bigi had a life-changing encounter. “I met Gustavo in the University and he started talking to me as a friend.

“I started to participate in Young Life and it was amazing! It is a friendly way to share about Jesus.” Thanks to conversations on Saturdays at Young Life club, Bigi said, “I understood about God’s salvation plan through faith in Jesus Christ. I received Jesus as Lord and Savior of my life on April 11, 2011.”

Bigi credits his Young Life leaders with not only introducing him to Jesus, but helping to care for him in extremely trying circumstances.

“One unforgettable time I was detained because police suspected I was involved in human trafficking, just because I am originally from Burundi. Gustavo and Beatriz went to the police. They witnessed about my behavior and were even willing to witness in front of a judge. Because of their intervention I was released and safe. They showed God’s love in practical ways.”

“Bigi continues to grow as a Christian,” Gustavo said, “especially in the understanding that he is a disciple called to help others follow Jesus. In our recent outreach camp, he volunteered to help guide the blind youth as they moved around the camp.”

For his part, Bigi is appreciative of how God is using the mission in his life. “I am thankful to participate in Young Life and know the leaders. Because of their guidance to me as a Christian and as a student, I have an understanding of a better future with God’s help, through Jesus.”

As Bigi and Cleide soon leave the university to enter the world of medicine, they’ll do so armed with the knowledge that a loving couple once comforted them with the good news of the Great Physician.

Cleide (third from left) joins Beatriz, Gustavo (far right) and other members of the Mozambique leadership team.

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Bigi Renovat

missionnews NEW TRUSTEES Young Life is governed by a Board of Trustees, whose ultimate responsibility is supporting the integrity and vision of the mission. The Young Life Board of Trustees recently welcomed two new trustees — Nanette Ballbach and Chris Roberts, both of whom will serve on the board for the next four years.

Nanette Ballbach

Ballbach has started Young Life at Radnor High School and WyldLife at Radnor Middle School in the last five years. She also mentors female volunteers in the Western suburbs of Philadelphia and supports areas in the Liberty Region. Ballbach and her husband, John, have four children — Graham, Whitney, Chandler and Tucker — and they reside in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Chris Roberts

Roberts is the president of Cargill Kitchen Solutions.

Roberts is a member of the Young Life Eastern Division Advisory Board and a supporter of the local and divisional Young Life ministry.

Roberts and his wife, Susan, have one son, Preston, and reside in Minneapolis, Minn.

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FOELATI R Y ONSH OU IPS R T MAG AB AZI LE NE T!

TABLET AD Want to receive the new tablet version of the magazine rather than a hard copy?

Contact the Young Life Mission Assistance Team at (877) 438-9572 or mat@sc.younglife.org.

The tablet format is also on younglife.org.

Select “Relationships Magazine” in the “Take me to” drop-down menu.

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BY JEFF CHESEMORE

As the work day ends, some Service Center employees roll up their sleeves for even more time with Young Life …

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Leader

Leader

f you’re a volunteer with Young Life, you know the drill.

You spend all day at work or classes or with your newborn and then it’s time to “change gears” and head out to invest time in kids, whether directly with them as a leader or indirectly on a committee. It’s a true commitment which more than 52,000 men and women undertake every day around the world. Since the 1940s, volunteers have long been the backbone of Young Life.

And within this world of volunteers, there’s a unique contingent of adults joining in this great pursuit. During their work day, they may be answering your phone calls, processing your donations, creating your area’s newsletter or even designing the magazine you’re reading right now! After work, like thousands of others in the mission, they’re going to the high school basketball game, leading a WyldLife club, planning a committee meeting or meeting a kid for a coke.

These are the men and women of mission services, the vast majority of whom work at the Service Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Ask each one of them and they would say it’s a high honor and privilege to serve the field staff by day, and serve beside the field staff by night!

Following are profiles of four such volunteers and what they bring to the mission in most of their waking hours!

Jessica Hilgenberg

Mission Services Title: Income Processor (sounds way nerdier than it is!)

Department: Income Processing Years at the Service Center: Four Role in local area: Volunteer leader, Manitou Springs, three years How service in the field inspires work at the Service Center: My background is actually much more field work than administrative support. It’s on those long and stressful days in the office that I can stop and remind myself of those moments of seeing my girls experience Jesus. My processing of payments and donations is playing a part in teenagers, across the mission, entering into the most fulfilling relationship they will ever know!

Some of the greatest lessons/principles/etc. … learned by working in the field: I’m reminded time and again it is not about me. It is nothing I do that will bring salvation to these kids, that is the work of the Holy Spirit and He can choose to use me, despite myself, in that process. I’ve also learned prayer has to play a huge part in all I do in the field.

What brings joy to your role at the Service Center: I have the opportunity to see how we are the body of Christ and how the Lord uses all types of people with different gifts

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and abilities to work together to fulfill the mission. Just because someone is not directly working with youth does not mean their heart doesn’t break for kids. It’s been a joy to work with people who, while they may never lead a club or have a one-on-one conversation with a teenager, have such an intense and deep desire to see kids know Jesus.

I have the opportunity to share with these coworkers my experience in the field and it blesses them to hear those stories. It also brings me joy to serve and support the field.

I love knowing that what I do, frees up the staff to spend more time with kids and hopefully lets them lead a little more of a stress-free life.

Rob Winship

Mission Services Title: I had to look at my official Young Life business card — Telecommunications technician Department: Building Services Years at the Service Center: 14 Role in local area: Young Life volunteer leader with my wife, Sherry, at Pueblo West High School, eight years.

How service in the field inspires work at the Service Center: I can see how it works together, what we do here at the Service Center in relation to the field. It makes me personally conscious of how I spend money here at the Service Center. I want to be a wise steward.

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ldin

gP erce

Of th res e 122 pon peo 57% ded t ple in hav o a re Miss ( 27% 45% e bee cent i ion Se hav form n vol nform rvice u e s (21 been er, 12 nteer al sur who %f % v l c e ey, o a cu 17 m or d (wi % are mer, mitte rrent) ers 6% th 2 e f 72 ormer cur mem 3 ½ r b 9 e f we re/ % hav years ield s nt) ers are t e ch aff of inv olv ildren servic ed e in Y who ) oun gL ife

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Committe e Leader

How work at the Service Center informs labors in the field: It’s encouraging to know we have an organization supporting us that can assist in dealing with issues far too complicated for us. For example, we have had to deal with issues with the police and our kids, insurance, etc. These are things I can look to the Service Center to help deal with, so I can focus on reaching the next kid.

Some of the greatest lessons/principles/etc. … learned by working in the field: As pious as this might sound, the greatest thing it has taught both me and my wife is our need to constantly be growing in our relationship with Jesus as our whole ministry is an outflow of that. I love Jim Rayburn’s quote, “If anyone grows tired of Christianity, it’s because he has become preoccupied with something else in the Christian faith besides Jesus Christ.” It has to be about Jesus.

What brings joy to your role at the Service Center: I love my job, pulling in and troubleshooting cable, fixing phones, etc. My passion, though, is leading the Bible study here at the Service Center and ministering to people as God leads and they allow.

Mark Poindexter

Mission Services Title: Director of Construction Department: Camping Years at the Service Center: Eight Role in local area: Rampart Range Young Life committee chair two years, committee member six years.

How service in the field inspires work at the Service Center: It definitely enables me to see a bigger picture of Young Life and the direct impact the mission is having on kids. It’s much better to see and hear it in person than read about someone else’s experiences.

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Some of the greatest lessons/principles/etc. … learned by working in the field: Don’t be afraid to plan events because you might think no one will attend … just plan the event; make it happen and see what the Lord does with it.

What brings joy to your role at the Service Center: Being able to tangibly see the results of my work while visiting the camps and seeing kids having a blast while using the camp facilities.

Joe Boncha

Mission Services Title: Lawson and Oracle database administrator Department: Information Technology (IT) Years at the Service Center: 14 Role in the local area: Volunteer leader, 26 years (the last 13 at Air Academy High School).

How service in the field inspires work at the Service Center: I somewhat understand the crazy schedule and demands of what field staff attempt to do with limited time/budget, but with a very big God. Thus, I try to make things run as smoothly as possible.

How work at the Service Center informs labors in the field: It’s a huge encouragement to be at the Service Center; it keeps the bigger vision in mind when talking with kids one on one.

Some of the greatest lessons/principles/etc. … learned by working in the field: Don’t be surprised at obstacles you’ll face when you’re doing what God calls you to do.

What brings joy to your role at the Service Center: Hearing of changed lives, ministry growing in new areas/countries — and being a volunteer leader.

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Over Labor Day weekend, nearly 300 people attended the 50th Anniversary Celebration at Young Life’s Castaway Club in Minnesota. In 1963, C. Gordon Smith, whose family owned the property and whose father was a dear friend of Jim Rayburn, learned of Young Life’s need for another camp.

Believing it “too valuable to sell,” he and his wife, Isabel, gave the 26-acre property to Young Life.

Since that time, about 200,000 kids have been campers at Castaway, many of whom have met Jesus Christ and experienced transformed lives.

I did my first Young Life summer assignment at Castaway in the early 1990s. I was the outdoor work crew boss, serving under the direction of Castaway’s legendary groundskeeper, Marv Johnson. The best relationships happened with that small group of work crew kids — I wound up going to every one of their high school graduations, college graduations and weddings.

There is something special about a place that engenders those kinds of friendships.”

— Wiley Scott, Field senior vice president, Eastern Division

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YOUNG

L — Ray Donatucci, Young Life Midwest Divisional Training coordinator

CELEBRATES

1963

years

CLUB AY

Castaway is what the ancient Celts called ‘a thin place,’ one of those holy places where heaven and earth are very close to each other.”

CASTAW E IF

2013

Phil McDonald invited me to look at the camp before Young Life had it in 1963. I was a recreation major at the University of Minnesota and Phil wanted my opinion if I thought the property would make a good camp. I remember pulling up and seeing the grounds, the bluff and the lake, and just knowing this would be a perfect venue for kids to meet Christ.”

A S TAW C E IF

YOUNG

CELEBRATES

1963

What does Castaway mean to me? I spent 22 consecutive summers working here, met my wife here, and watched every member of my family become a Christian here — both my parents, my sister, and all my children. There aren’t words for what Castaway means to me.”

years

CLUB AY

L

— Wally Urban, former Chicago Young Life staff

2013

— Perry Hunter, director of Training Initiatives The Castaway Club 50th Anniversary is just one example of a milestone event. If you would like to find out about other upcoming milestone events, or have a desire to develop one in your area or camp, please contact the Office of Alumni and Friends at alumni@sc.younglife.org.

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Recovering a “Forgotten Generation”

BY AIMÉE KESSICK

YoungLives reaches out to the teen moms on a New Mexico Navajo reservation.

T

he remote town of Crownpoint, N.M., is a twohour drive northwest of Albuquerque and home to a Navajo reservation, where poverty, high unemployment, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and teen pregnancy are all too common.

Not surprisingly, teen moms who live there face an array of obstacles. Many don’t complete high school, are unable to find jobs and subsequently live an isolated existence on or near the reservation where the cycle of poverty — and hopelessness — continues. But leading the charge to seek out these young moms, build relationships with them and share the Gospel is Barbara Johnson, who started Red Rocks YoungLives there in 2006, the first YoungLives in New Mexico.

Coming alongside Johnson is a growing group of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds, including Betty Bennett, a 74-year-old Christian Navajo woman serving as the YoungLives committee chair. “I always tell Barbara that she’s responding to a forgotten generation,” Bennett said. “Values that used to be important seem to be slipping away. The young mothers are kind of ignored and on their own.”

EQUIPPED BY TRIALS For Johnson and her husband, John, answering the call to minister to the Navajo people has been part of a long journey, marked with pain and joy, yet it seems to have

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uniquely equipped them for fruitful ministry in a tough place.

Johnson’s experience with teen moms began more than 20 years ago in New York, where she directed a crisis pregnancy center, while her husband was a pastor. “I had a passion for teen moms because I found they were open and looking for answers. We have the best answer in Jesus Christ.”

In 1995, her husband, John, began to pursue a career in medicine, and Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I was sad and scared,” said Johnson, whose mom had already died from cancer. “I would wake up some nights and just cry. But one night I felt like God was putting His arms around me, holding me, and telling me it was all going to be OK.” In 1998 her husband, John, entered medical school in Washington, D.C. Johnson began directing a pregnancy center in the city, where she first learned about the ministry of YoungLives.

Several years later, Ben, one of their sons, died in an accident while he was away at college. “I am sure God has used Ben’s death to make me more compassionate and empathetic,” Johnson said. “And it’s made me really want to turn people to God.” After medical school, John’s residency took them to Philadelphia, where Johnson started two YoungLives ministries there. But when John’s residency ended, it was

time to move again. “I always want to stay where I am, but God has bigger plans,” Johnson said. John had committed to work in an underserved area, and he’d had a heart for Native Americans, so in 2006 they headed to New Mexico.

About six months after they arrived, Johnson started YoungLives in Crownpoint. Their local church, Crownpoint Christian Reformed Church, enthusiastically supported Johnson in her endeavor. (It hosts club monthly.) “Barbara is very interested in our people,” Betty Bennett said. “You can always tell when people have prejudice toward us. I can only go so far with them as a Navajo because they will think they are better. Johnson and her husband are not that way.”

FACING OBSTACLES Even though it filled a great need, ministry to young moms has been full of challenges. One of the greatest challenges she and the mentors continually face is just getting girls to attend. “It’s so hard to get the word out,” Johnson said.

“They also don’t have transportation, or can’t afford to put gas in their cars. They live far apart from one another, or their cell phone service is constantly getting turned off, or they say they’ll come, and they won’t. I do a lot of inviting before I will see them.”

These days club draws up to 70 people, including moms, dads, kids, family members, YoungLives mentors and childcare volunteers. It includes dinner, all the typical fun and humor of club, as well as some brief parenting education, and a Gospel message at the end of club. Before they leave, moms receive bags full of diapers, wipes and other donated items. In addition to club, Johnson also holds two Campaigner meetings each month as well as times for mentor and junior leader training.

The time in between club and Campaigners is spent pursuing girls, visiting with them at their homes, which sometimes have dirt floors, or lack electricity, running water or basic furniture. She will also meet teen moms by going to the local Women, Infants and Children office or the hospital where she can meet teen moms who are there receiving pre- or postnatal care.

MENTORS, CAMP AND MONEY MIRACLES Key to their ministry is pairing teen moms with mentors, but this is one of the greatest challenges, mainly for

cultural reasons. “Kids who have mentors do better, but in this culture, mentoring is a foreign concept,” Johnson said.

“People don’t want to invade one another’s privacy.”

It’s been a stretch for one such mentor, Andreana Lee, a Navajo woman raised in Crownpoint. “You’ve got to be there for them continually. You have to talk to them. I will have to force myself, too. God is trying to open their hearts, but the evil one is trying to blind them.”

Camp has also been a powerful tool in ministering to teen moms, and Johnson believes girls who attend camp are more likely to have a better quality of life in the long run.

“Many of them have never left the reservation. At camp, they’re getting to see more of the world, that there’s more to life. We take them away from the chaos of home and we have a captive audience.”

That’s true for girls like Amanda,* a teen mom who attended Lost Canyon, Young Life’s camp in Arizona, this summer. She signed up for camp in 2012, but backed out at the last minute. She came to club occasionally the next year, often riding with Johnson, and ended up bringing two friends with her to camp in July. Turns out, she had been thinking about Jesus all year. At camp, her heart was ready, and she began a relationship with Him. Along with stories of transformed lives, the Red Rocks YoungLives group marvels how God has always provided financially, often in the nick of time. With most of the funding coming from across the country, Johnson said the committee is constantly encouraged. “It shows them that people care about them in this remote place and that God is at work in YoungLives.”

CREDIBLE FAITH, INCREDIBLE IMPACT In the 18 years since her first diagnosis, cancer returned in 2009, and then again last November cancer was detected in her lungs and lymph nodes. Not surprisingly, it hasn’t stopped her. “Cancer has been the best thing in my relationship with kids,” Johnson said. “They’ve seen me without my hair. I’m not just a doctor’s wife. The cancer gives my faith credibility. If He can help me face cancer, they see He can help them.” *name has been changed

Experience Crownpoint Looking for a short-term mission trip opportunity?

Young Life Expeditions offers opportunities to serve in Crownpoint, N.M., as well as other locations in the United States and around the world. Find more info at expeditions.younglife.org.

To learn more about supporting the ministry at Crownpoint, contact Barbara Johnson at bjj20003@yahoo.com.

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GOING HOME WITH GOD

BY BRIAN SUMMERALL

Vincent came to Windy Gap, our Young Life camp in North Carolina, with a group of guys from Florida who were dealing with a recent gang-related killing of their friend. On night five after hearing the message of the cross and spending 20 minutes alone under the stars, he found me to ask a question.

Vincent looked up at me and said with a sweet, sincere innocence, “Can I ask you something? Can I live here? I just feel so sinless here.“ I was reminded of Vincent’s question as I was reading one of the Chronicles of Narnia books to my youngest son, Daniel. The characters of Lucy and Edmond were asking the lion, Aslan, if they could stay in Narnia and why they had to leave.

Vincent looking up verses in his new Bible on the New Believers Aslan responds, “This was the very reason you were Walk at Windy Gap. brought into Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you might know me better there.”* On the last night, Vincent stood up at the Say-So and told the entire camp that he had begun a new relationship with Jesus. He may not get to live at Windy Gap, but he went home with the God of the Universe living in his heart.

Vincent, like so many others this summer, was brought to Young Life camp so that by knowing Jesus there for a little while, he might know Him better back home. *From C.S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

KINGDOM EXCHANGE

BY ERIKA JAY

Vince Gordon, area director in Jackson, Miss.

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New life is always a cause for celebration, as well as a time for serious support of mother and child. The purpose of our YoungLives ministry is to care for teen moms and encourage them as they walk through what can be an extremely tough and lonely time.

In a state like Mississippi,where teen pregnancy rates are among the highest in the U.S., girls frequently have peers who are pregnant or already young moms. Many of these young women have decided to choose a different path, and it’s equally important to celebrate them for the choices they’ve made. But how do you celebrate both?

Jackson, Miss., Area Director Vince Gordon wrestles often with this very issue. Serving on Young Life staff and as the youth pastor for New Horizon Church International, Gordon and his team of leaders

have walked with girls in both arenas.

“It’s hard. I’ve often had girls in club ask if we would throw them a baby shower,” Gordon shared. Though he wanted to support them, he didn’t want to “throw parties” celebrating teen girls having babies. He wanted to extend the love of the Father without giving the wrong idea of what was right and good.

On the other side of ministry, Gordon had a milestone to celebrate. For the first time ever, his youth group kids had gone two years with no pregnancies.

“I’m a believer in catching kids doing something good. They always seem to get caught doing something bad, I wanted to celebrate them doing good,” Gordon smiled.

It wasn’t long before Gordon had an idea that would bless both the girls who had babies and those who didn’t. It was truly going to be a celebration, with a fun twist.

New Horizon Church International hosted a baby shower for all the girls who had chosen celibacy ... but the admission for the party was bringing a baby gift to be donated to the YoungLives girls. The gifts came in great abundance, meeting many of the needs of the teen moms and their little ones.

The event was truly “a Kingdom exchange,” a gift for the girls who have chosen celibacy that also blessed the young moms — allowing both groups to see the heart of the Father in love, joy, celebration and provision.

MASTERPIECES

KYRGYZSTAN KIDS DISCOVER GREATNESS THROUGH GRAFFITI.

BY JEFF CHESEMORE In what may be a first in the history of the mission, this summer Kyrgyzstan Young Life held their inaugural Graffiti camp! The experiment proved a hit with the kids, who were treated to so much more than art. “The kids painted all day,” Stass Maylenko, area director in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, said, “and each evening they heard a story about our God.” The camp was just one more example of how leaders learn what’s important to kids and then invest in the activities that interest them.

“Kids like the freedom of drawing,” he said.

Armed with this knowledge, Maylenko provided the kids with huge walls and the shell of a bus to serve as their canvases.

While painting, eating and hanging out late at night, leaders used the hours together to build deeper friendships with the kids. “My favorite part was the food,” Maylenko said, “and the evenings when everybody was tired and sitting around the fire. The kids would talk about everything.”

Maylenko’s vision was simple, but profound. “My goal was to share the story of God with them.” So while the kids painted visions by day, Maylenko painted visions of God by night. And as a result of their time together, these young artists learned that they themselves are the ultimate works of art.

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HOLY HEART SURGERY

BY DR. MARK WILLIAMSON

A camp physician gives the perfect diagnosis.

Editor’s note: The safety and well-being of every kid is of utmost importance in Young Life camping. That’s why Young Life has a Camp Physician Program at our national properties. The physician’s services during the week allow Young Life an additional degree of professionalism in the medical services provided to campers. Below is a story from one of our camp physicians about what he experienced while at Carolina Point, one of our camps in North Carolina.

It was day six of my week as the volunteer camp physician and I was fully engaged in club, excited for the games and skits that would soon light up the room with laughter. We were packed to overflowing, and suddenly someone tapped me on the arm. “I think they need you,” he said as he pointed to the doorway. I weaved my way through the crowd, and outside I saw Tim doubled over and sitting on one of the picnic benches, his right hand tightly gripping his chest.

Tim was a strapping 17-year-old senior, talented enough to play varsity football since his freshman year. Tim had not been involved in Young Life except for two or three club meetings he attended in the spring.

The week before camp, Tim went to the beach with his former girlfriend and her family. When they returned from the beach to drop her off at the bus, Luke LePage, a volunteer leader at Overton High School in Nashville, Tenn., approached Tim with an opportunity.

“Tim, we are headed to Carolina Point for a week of Young Life camp and we just had someone drop out,” Luke said.

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(From left to right) Carolina Point champion Chuck Scott, Tim’s leader Luke LePage, Tim and Mark Williamson.

“We have an open spot, fully paid for, and I want you to go.”

Tim thought for a moment. His home life was in shambles. He had nothing to do the rest of the summer until football practice started. His bag was packed from the beach, and he knew enough people that he figured it might be fun. Besides, who could turn down a free trip? In less than a minute, his bags were on the bus, and he climbed on board.

Keeping my voice calm and my movements slow, I quickly assessed Tim for any signs of a heart attack. He was not sweating. His breathing was slow and shallow but guarded. His pulse was regular and strong.

“Have you ever felt this pain before?” I asked. “Yes. Over Christmas break,” Tim said.

“What was going on then?” I asked. “My dad died.”

Those words hit me like a ton of bricks. Could this be the cause of his pain? “Tell me more.”

Tim said he had been living with his mom and her husband, but by the end of his sophomore year, his mom told him that he was “in the way” and needed to move out. So he moved in with his dad and his dad’s girlfriend. He could tell this was not going to be a good long-term solution, so he called his mother and she agreed to let him move back in.

Feeling better about his diagnosis, I decided his chest pain was musculoskeletal, driven by tension and hurt. “Tim, you are not having a heart attack. You are going to be OK.” I gave him some Advil and suggested he take a walk with Luke.

I was summoned two more times as Tim’s symptoms

seemed to worsen. Luke, Tim and I moved to the infirmary, and Tim began to pull back the curtain on his life.

Tim shared that his dad had split up with his girlfriend around Christmas. Circumstances had driven him to despair and on New Year’s Day, his dad took his life.

“If I had been there for him, maybe he wouldn’t have left,” Tim said. “Maybe he would still be alive.”

I assured him it wasn’t his fault, that he had friends like Luke to help him. I didn’t know what to say, what to do, how to pray, so I silently and simply prayed, “Lord, help me.”

I am always fascinated at how ready and willing the Holy Spirit is to take over, if I just ask. With the wisdom of the greatest philosopher and the hands of the best surgeon, Jesus entered the room. We talked about having a relationship with Jesus and Tim listened. Tim didn’t have any spiritual foundation. He had no faith. He didn’t know about a God who was madly in love with him. He didn’t know Jesus wanted to heal his heart.

“You can’t fix your problems,” I said. “You cannot do it on your own. It will take someone far greater than you to fix the mess. But, Tim, don’t make a decision to follow Jesus in haste. Don’t do it for Luke or for me. Make sure this decision is for you.”

He looked at me with a slight grin. I sensed it was time for me to back out and turn things over to his leader. Luke grinned. “I think this is absolutely the best decision you will ever make,” he said, as he looked directly into Tim’s eyes.

As Tim prayed, his chest pain disappeared. Miraculous healing took place as the Holy Spirit performed open-heart surgery, and the angels rejoiced. No blood was lost, for blood had already been shed. No recovery; only redemption.

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BY NED ERICKSON

Cambridge kids at Saranac this summer.

Easton High School cheerleaders after a Friday night football game at Young Life’s Fifth Quarter.

Salisbury and Western Sussex County (in Southern Delaware) kids at Saranac in August.

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You can almost feel the collective sigh of motorists as they leave the hustle and bustle of Annapolis and Washington, D.C., to return to the coastal bliss of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. From the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Ocean City, US 50 winds for 100 miles through pine groves, farmsteads and harbor towns until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. In 2011, National Geographic named the highway among their top 10 scenic routes in America.

But what the article missed is what God has been doing along this stretch of road.

Take, for instance, the Bay Area Young Life leader tossing a lacrosse ball with his friends from Kent Island High School.

Or perhaps farther down the road, you may glimpse Area Director Bobby Davidson and his Campaigners from Queen Anne’s County High School in their hunters camouflage. “The area has a rich history of hunting and fishing. As Young Life leaders, we come alongside kids by sharing their interests, our lives, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Davidson.

Continue south on US 50 and you reach Easton. “A small town with big dreams of seeing lives changed through the impact and ministry of Young Life,” said Area Director Russ Brasher. While there, be sure not to miss a home football game, especially Young Life’s 5th Quarter, where more than 300 students attend. It’s becoming one of the most talked about and community-supported events in town.

At Cambridge, US 50 takes a turn to the east, but in terms of Young Life it’s moving in the right direction. With Young Life, WyldLife, Capernaum and YoungLives, Dorchester County Young Life impacts a wide range of students each year. “The Lord is rapidly opening doors,” said Area Director Clint Falduto, “not just with Young Life, but His kingdom presence.”

Arriving in Salisbury, you’re now in what is considered the “crossroads of the Eastern Shore.” Here Young Life has been able to capitalize on the local university to multiply its leadership base. “These leaders have been key in expanding Young Life into the surrounding counties, including southern Delaware and Ocean City, where this summer 10 students attended camp with us,” said Area Director Kate Etling.

Etling’s husband, Dave, a regional developer for Young Life, gave this perspective, “For the first time, there is a Young Life presence in every high school on Route 50 from the Bay Bridge to Ocean City.”

One road, 10 schools. That’s a milestone we can all celebrate.

y

younglifespokenhere YOUNG LIFE’S MISSION IN

UKRAINE

active ministries

cities

More than 5,000 kids went to camp in 2013 More than 7,000 attend club each week

Located on Russia’s western border, Ukraine, with a population of more than 50 million, has been in an economic depression since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. With an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 children in government-run orphanages and another 50,000 kids living on the streets, Young Life is in a great position to help bring about change.

Young Life began here in 1994. Today Regional Director Sasha Utkin and his wife, Ira, open their home in Chernovtsy to provide housing for leaders. The team uses the large Young Life training center to hold club for more than 1,000 kids, feed the hungry and provide rooms for orphans needing transitional housing. The center also has a computer lab, an exercise room for YoungLives moms and a special facility for Capernaum clubs.

In Ivano-Frankivsk, Natasha Tsurkan mentors kids and provides club and special camps to the many street kids in her city. Meanwhile, Sasha and Luda Gusakov are committed to bringing Young Life to Khmelnitsky.

Young Life is changing the face of Ukraine by providing more than 40 Developing Global Leaders sponsorships, through community outreach programs and by modeling healthy family lifestyles, all while spreading the love of Jesus throughout this large country.

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partingshots At the end of camp, there is traditionally a banquet to celebrate the life-changing week kids have just experienced.

On their banquet night at Saranac, this group from Montgomery County, Pa., were hoping to take their group picture at the spot above, but rain forced them to wait inside. When the rain stopped, someone saw the rainbow and they all ran out to capture this beautiful shot.

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1.

1. Bend, Ore., WyldLife girls at Creekside, Washington Family Ranch.

2. A college leader has a blast with kids at the firstever Young Life Expeditions trip to Pokhara, Nepal.

3. A camper from Williamson County, Tenn., enjoys the view while at Frontier Ranch.

3.

2.

THE BEST WEEK OF YOUR FAMILY’S LIFE! At Trail West, we help your family grow stronger and healthier, both spiritually and relationally. We provide programming and activities that include every member of the family, and that honor God in the process. At Trail West’s Family Camp, each member of your family will strengthen their relationship with Christ, as well as with each other ... and experience the “best week of their lives” in the process.

Call us at (7 to reserve yo19) 395-2477 ur week.

Celebrating 50 years of ministry in 2014!

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