Graduations and Weddings!!

...we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head...(Ephesians 4:15)

 

Friends,

 

It's the season for GRADUATIONS AND WEDDINGS, our Young Life family, included!  

 

In the picture on the left--our very first YoungLives girl, Emely, and her daughter, Martiza, at Emely's high school graduation! Emely beat the odds as Christina, Sarah Ann, and Lee kept loving on her and pointing her to relationship with the God who loves her like crazy.

 

On the right--Emily and Tyler, Young Life/YLCollege leaders, dancing at their wedding on Saturday. They are just one of FIVE NWA Young Life leader couples getting married this year. What's more--most of these 10 young men and women actually met Jesus through Young Life when they were in high school!

 

We are also excited about our college graduates moving into the business world, recognizing that as the place God wants to use them. And we are thrilled that 3 graduates are going on full-time Young Life staff--Megan as camp staff at Young Life's Southwind property in Florida, Christine as our full-time administrator, and Amy as Young Life College International staff in Germany.

 

Please pray...

 

...that Emely and our other high school graduates will continue in their journey with Jesus. Many will stay involved with us through Young Life College, some to become volunteer leaders while others are still trying to figure out what relationship wtih Jesus means.

 

...for our newlyweds, that they would represent the love Christ has for the church to a watching world and would continue to be mission-minded Christ-followers.

 

...for all our college graduates to "grow up in all aspects into him who is the head," wherever God calls them to be.

 

Thank you for being part of this beautiful journey!

God's Peace,

 

Robyn Stutts, Area Director 

Big Week Ahead!

This is a significant week! There are two important events for which we would ask you to join us in prayer.

 

First of all, on Sunday, April 27, we will place 15-20 new Young Life volunteer leaders! Please pray for us as we spend almost every night this week interviewing the 20 candidates who have been in YL New Leader Traning class all semester. We interview them to assure both them and us as staff of their calling to Young Life leadership, as well as to determine on which of our now NINE ministry teams to place them.

 

And secondly, Tuesday, April 22, is the official Groundbreaking for the premier Young Life camp about to be built on Table Rock Lake. Having a Young Life camp in our part of the world is a gamechanger for our ministry, with more opportunities to take kids to camp, while providing better use of our finances and resources. $10 million has already been raised--please pray for the additional $5million needed to complete the project. I hope you have a few minutes to check out the link to the video below--Northwest Arkansas is one of the featured Young Life areas!

http://vimeo.com/89748979 

Mid-Semester Encouragements

The last two weekends, we've had the privilege of attending both Leader Weekend and Campaigner Weekend. Both were incredible opportunities to fellowship in rich community, encourage, cast vision, and get away and rejuvenate!

We took about 60 leaders from Northwest Arkansas down to Little Rock to meet the rest of the leaders from around the state of Arkansas for Leader Weekend. It was a time to meet, share ideas and struggles, and learn from leaders in other areas doing the same things we are. It was such an encouragement to know we're not alone!

We also had the honor of hearing from our regional director and a guest speaker. Both encouraged us to be "congruent," being self-aware and understanding our deepest hurts, so that we can move forward.

This past weekend, we took 53 leaders and high schoolers to Campaigner Weekend! We had the opportunity to pour into our campaigner kids and give them a vision for what Young Life can do in their schools. It was a chance to encourage them to be a part of something bigger than themselves!

These two encouraging weekends came at a great time. As we approach the middle of the semester, it's easy for our students to get burnt out and stressed with school. Both Leader Weekend and Campaigner Weekend were good encouragements!

Goodbye, 2013. Hello, 2014!

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

As we wrap up 2013, we want to reflect on some things that God did this year:

* Started Wyldlife at a new school, Ramay Junior High
* Took 56 high schoolers and leaders to camp
* Took 8 college students to Macedonia
* Took 12 college students to Work Week
* Took a handful of girls to a Young Lives weekend camp at a lake house
* Gave our high school campaigner groups vision to see YL change their high schools
* Brought on new staff members and team leaders
* Welcomed 16 new leaders to the NWA YL family
* Grew each club
* Had countless deep, intimate conversations in small groups, campaigner groups, and one-on-ones
* Sent 3 college students to summer staff
* Sent 5 high schoolers to work crew

These are just a few of the amazing things we had the honor and privilege of seeing God do in us and through us, and we are so, so excited to see what He does in 2014!

Please be praying for all of our leaders and kids over the break. Pray that they find rest as they take a break from school, but especially that they take advantage of the break and spend time in the Word. We want all of our leaders to come back refreshed and open to where God wants to lead us in 2014! 

Banquet and YLC Update!

Last week, we hosted our annual fundraising budget. Our goal was to raise $40,000 and we raised $46,000, and we thank God for that! Thank you to all of our staff, committee, volunteers, and generous donors! Thank you also to our generous sponsors: Central United Methodist Church, Penguin Ed's BBQ, General Mills, Dr. Mark and Karen Bonner, Planation Pest Services, and the Church at Arkansas.  

 

This week, please pray for our Young Life College outreach. University of Arkansas students are on fall break until Wednesday. Our Young Life College students are experiencing stress as we've reached the middle of the semester and feel a need for some rest. Please pray for our adult and student leaders who reach for the lives of these college students. And please pray especially for our college students who are Young Life leaders in each of our 7 ministries reaching junior high and high school kids, kids with disabilities and teen moms. They give many hours of their week to serve Jesus through Young Life and by mid-semester they are tired.

 

Finally, please pray for our Young Life College Fall Outreach Camp this weekend, Oct. 26-27. We have close to 100 campers and leaders registered for camp. Pray that these college students would hear the word, accept it, and that it would produce a crop thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown! (Mark 4:20)

 

Yours for the Kingdom,

Robyn Stutts, Area Director 

Start of the Semester

We've had a crazy, crazy start to the semester! After wrapping up a full summer of camp trips, mission trips, and summer campaigners, we hit the ground running when school started.

We kicked things off strong with Young Life College. From a straight week of parties and tabling on campus to weekly Late Nites and small groups, Young Life College is reaching hundreds of students. Our college team is the largest its ever been, and we're so excited to see where God leads us this year.

Our two high school clubs and campaigners have started, as well. Our campaigner kids are stepping up to the plate to help lead their peers, and we're excited to see how God uses them this year.

It's no secret that Capernaum and Young Lives are hard, slow-paced ministries. They've both been in our area for a few years now, and we're so excited that they've gotten some momentum. We're confident God is doing a great work here.

We now have two Wyldlife teams and are reaching the two junior highs in Fayetteville. We're so excited about the growing teams and growing clubs. First Wyldlife event is just a week away!

Six years ago when Young Life began (again) in Northwest Arkansas, it was like trying to "till a concrete field." But in the last six years, God has taken His ministry here to a whole new level. We've built incredible relationships with more kids and students than we could have ever imagined. It's been an absolute blessing and honor to be a part of their transforming lives. And somehow in that, we too are transformed more to the likeness of Christ.

We are so grateful that God invites us to be a part of His ministry here. We're so excited to see all that He has in store for us this year, and we're so thankful that you're a part of it, as well!


NWA Young Life staff and volunteers

OUR WEEK AT CROOKED CREEK RANCH

This week 56 Young Life kids and leaders traveled by charter bus to Fraser, CO to experience "the best week of their lives" at Crooked Creek Ranch. We are a little past the half-way point of the week. 

Cy Martin, one of our volunteer leaders, shares some of his experience so far with his guys:

After just one day, all I could say was that Crooked Creek Camp in Colorado was amazing already! I love being at Young Life camp and my guys are loving it too. None of them have ever been to a camp like this before. The first club was outrageous! Tons of enthusiasm and laughter. The talk was great and set us up for a solid first cabin time. None of my guys are Christians, and none of them have anything spiritual going in their life. They are nice and not against God, but they didn't grow up in church or Christian homes and just haven't been exposed to the gospel before. 

I asked each one in cabin time why they came to camp. Each one said they came because they were pursued and because their friends were coming. They know that we're going to talk about God this week, but they haven't really thought about it past that. They have tough lives, and they have experienced life without God for 16-17 years so far. I think they are primed and ready to experience God in a huge way this week.

Day 2 was awesome. I got up at 7:00 to beautiful sunshine coming over the mountains. This was a packed day, full of activities, from a wacky sand volleyball tournament to a mountain bike ride to a "rodeo" of fun, all inclusive games, yet with lots of time to spend with some of the guys just hanging out. A BBQ dinner followed after that in the valley over the ridge from camp at the base of the continental divide 

Club was once again awesome. We sang some Justin Bieber and rapped the Ludacris part like champs. The upfront game on stage was musical guys, and the girls have to fight for them. Emily Yurwitz from our group won and we all died laughing. Steve, the camp speaker, did a great job telling the story about Jesus turning water into wine. Just like how the master of the ceremony told the bridegroom that they had saved the best for last, Steve pointed out that it took the faith of the servants to take the dirty pots used for ceremonial cleaning and follow Jesus instruction. Fill them to the brim, and then dip some out and take it to the master of the ceremony (aka your boss). Sounds easy, but put yourself in the servants' place. It takes some faith to believe that Jesus can take dirty pots and make the best wine ever in them. 

Cabin time went very well. We talked about what it feels like to get rejected, and then we talked about whether or not we've rejected God and why. God is doing great things in their hearts. I can tell that the Holy Spirit has been hard at work, because each one of them is willing to listen and be real. That's a huge praise!

The week is continuing to unfold in unexpected and amazing ways.We had a ride before breakfast on the "Claim Jumper" which is a huge swing like at a theme park. It swings way out over the valley so it's really high off the ground. At the very top where we start the cables are parallel to the ground. Several of the guys were afraid of heights and so it was a big deal for them to do it. The same guys have been having trouble letting the walls that protect their hearts down. It was a great accomplishment for them and it really helped them be open in cabin time last night. 

Steve, the camp speaker, explained at club how we keep trying to fill the void in our hearts. He has a 30 gallon fish tank on stage with him. He took a pitcher with a hole in it and scooped one of the fish out. The fish represents us, and as the water ran out of the pitcher he kept filling it up with more water. Just like in our lives we keep trying to fill our life with more and more stuff to try and have enough to keep so that we don't run out. It's just like our spiritual lives. We keep filling it up with stuff to try to compensate for the huge hole we have, and we've become really good at it. 

My guys really opened up last night. Really tough stuff in their lives that they shared. It was by far the most serious and emotional thing I've ever been a part of. It was totally heartbreaking. 

At the next club, Steve talked about our "condition." He took 1 oz of dye and said that it represented sin. Then he said "a little sin is ok right? It's not like it will affect other parts of my life." Then he poured the dye into the fish tank and the entire tank turned black. The fish can do nothing to get rid of the black, and we are just like the fish.... there is nothing we can do to get rid of sin on our own.

We've done a lot of activity since the sin talk--the ropes course (which was great for he guys to conquer their fear), a carnival, a big dance, a hike up to 10,000 ft! But the best part is coming... In club, the story of how and why Jesus died on the cross is coming. My guys are very anxious to know what comes next in the story. They don't like the idea of being helpless with sin. 

I can't wait to see what God does Days 5-7 of camp!

In Him,

Cy