This weekend our family made the quick trip to Iowa to share Young Life's ministry with the First Baptist Church in Chariton. What a great group of people. Everyone was so friendly and encouraging about our new journey. It was a blessing and a lot of fun. FBC really gets excited about partnering with missionaries who have ties to their church. My parents have been at FBC for several years, and when I was accepted into Young Life, the church contacted me immediately and said that they'd like to support this ministry. Their mission board meets later this week to officially decide on their giving.
And just so you know... Iowa was cold. 9 degrees, and snow everywhere! We bundled up the kids and took them sledding until they turned blue. (and they were still mad when we took them inside).
Dessert Brainstorm
Last week we got some great people together at Applebees to talk about the upcoming Young Life Fundraising Dessert. What a great buzz! Together we came up with a list of 60 folks to ask to be our table hosts (we prayerfully anticipate 28 table hosts). God is going to use these folks to really bring Young Life to our area -- and all through bringing cookies & friends. So awesome.
If any of you want to hear more personally about Young Life, I'd love to take you out for a coffee or lunch to share with you what's happening.
Young Life 'Committee'
We've also been prayerfully considering who will be the team to lead the Young Life ministry for the long haul. We've talked to a few folks about prayerfully & professionally taking up this ministry. We want to find the committee leaders that God has hand-picked to build up a healthy organization so that contact workers/leaders can just spend time loving and building relationships with kids. Our future committee areas may include finances, organization, event planning, strategy, advisory, leader care, cheerleaders, etc. These committee leaders who love Jesus and love kids will do foundational work in the next few years as we discover God's plans for our area.
Where are we going?
Right now we're called Young Life Paola, and we're working toward establishing a healthy area in Paola, but our county has over 3600 teens enrolled in Louisburg, Osawatomie & Paola High Schools & Middle Schools. We estimate that only 500 of these kids have a church home. If we can find the leaders that God wants to use to love kids and share the Gospel in Osawatomie, Louisburg, Wellsville, Prarieview, Ottawa, Spring Hill... we're going to let Him move. Just today I sat down to have lunch lunch with a good friend who has a heart for middle school kids and for the city of Osawatomie. Maybe God is moving here, and if so we want to prayerfully accept his leading, wherever it takes us.
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