Polar Bear Weekend!!!

     Last weekend I drove to Baum Stadium parking lot to find dozens of kids and leaders dancing around cars as they waited, giddy to head to Castle Bluff for a retreat called Polar Bear Weekend.  For two days each Fall, leaders all over Arkansas get to spend intentional time with the kids we’ve been chasing after all semester.  I was especially excited on Friday when I saw that two high school girls I’ve been meeting with had sleeping bags in hand and playlists ready for the drive.  

     Over the next two days we sang (yelled, really) at club together, shared dry shampoo (showering is overrated), took a ton of selfies (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=selfie), all mainly while talking in accents.  I love how fun Young Life is, but I also love the fact that you get so “real” with people.  Sometimes I think the kids teach me more as a leader than I teach them.

     One of Jesus’s most challenging commandments is to love others.  It sounds so simple, and I would say most Young Life leaders genuinely want to love people (or else they wouldn’t do all that they do).  However, this becomes really difficult when the theory of loving people is actually a reality, especially if those people are different than you.  I am always very humbled when I realize I will say I want to love the poor, but when the poor aren’t victims in a far-away place but are people who are around me so much, who test my boundaries, who annoy me, or seem to poke right at my insecurities, I quickly realize I have a very big need for the Lord.  

     So, this weekend there was one of those moments.  A very precious high schooler from another area started gravitating toward our kids.  Angel* was an outcast among her peers as she did not have the social etiquette that some are taught at home.  She was sweet and excitable and absolutely genuine.  All Saturday afternoon we had free-time at camp, so our kids wanted to do outdoorsy things, but Angel really wanted to play a game.  As she thoroughly explained the rules, hoping peers would want to play, and as she sang Disney songs all afternoon, you could see high schoolers make snide remarks and want personal space.  But then that moment happened.  As others were backing away and finding other things to do, Alex invited Angel to do the ropes course with her.  Angel was scared to do it, but Alex patiently listened to her talk about games and sing songs, and then helped her overcome her fear afterward.  Alex genuinely met Angel where she was.  Alex got it. Alex was not only a believer in Christ, but a follower.  Alex loved the poor in spirit, and she was an incredible example to her peers.

     Moments like that are the reasons why I will go through a hundred moments of sacrifice for a kid.  Jesus changes people, and I believe it. He loves people for who they are, but He also knows the people they were meant to develop into. It is a joy to be a part of that—to see a kid changed by the Gospel; to be a new creation.  Alex is just one of a ton of kids in Fayetteville who are EXPERIENCING Jesus.  Praise the Lord.

*All names are substituted to protect kids.

Katherine Haworth, Fayetteville High School Leader

Fayetteville High School

     God has moved in incredible ways this year in Fayetteville High School.  From leaders to kids, God has blessed this team and is continuing to do so as we ask Him to lead us in His ministry. As one of the leaders, I think I can speak for all of us and say I have been continually blessed with meeting as a team and getting to come together on a weekly basis. This week we potlucked at one of the leader’s house and we laughed and ate and planned club for the following week. It’s amazing to be a part of that kind of community. After all the festivities, we got down to business and prayed for the next week and for kids we have been pursuing.

     Our team has an interesting dynamic with more than half of the leaders out of college and working full-time.  This is making our team go through some growing pains and getting to see what works and what doesn’t. God has been blessing us with opportunities to hang out with high schoolers if we only ask Him for them. This year has been different in many ways, but seeing club grow and the provision of a club room, we know God is leading this and that if we keep praying, showing up and doing our part, God will impact these kids more than we ever could.

     The last few clubs have been amazing!  Ranging anywhere between 60-80 high schoolers a week, we have had banana club, Hunger Games club, Halloween Extravaganza, and this week we will be rolling out the sticky grey tape we all love for our 1^st Duct Tape club! We’ve been progressing through the gospel and this past week one of our leaders, Zack, gave the sin talk. He wiped mud all over his shirt to symbolize the sin that everyone is born with and that no matter what we do, we are helpless and haters of God with this condition called sin. It was a very powerful illustration. But it doesn’t stop there, Carlyle has some good news for us this week!

Marshall Moore, Fayetteville High School Leader

Har-Ber High School

     Har-Ber High School, in Fayetteville’s neighboring town of Springdale, is the newest avenue of ministry in Northwest Arkansas Young Life.

Last January marked my first semester as a Har-Ber High School leader. Our team went into the new year with high hopes and much excitement for what the Lord had planned for high school students in Springdale. However, we faced unanticipated challenge after challenge. It seemed as if all doors into the school were being closed, literally and metaphorically.

     I can’t begin to explain how frustrating this seemed at the time. But frustration was always transformed into humility. We were continually reminded who’s ministry this really is: God’s. We were called to be obedient to HIS plan, and trust in HIS timing, our own agenda completely set aside.

     And how sweet it is to learn to wait upon the Lord! All of our desperate prayers, and every appearance we made at the school last semester were far from worthless. Seeds were planted, blessed by the Lord, and have finally taken root at Har-Ber. This semester has been a season of excitement. While we have not begun club yet, we have all experienced so much joy in contact work and we are currently focusing on bringing kids to Polar Bear Weekend.

     As ministry at Har-Ber High School has constantly led us to be spontaneous and flexible, the Lord has called us to be creative in how to meet kids. This has been such an adventure and has been particularly sweet because it has really led us to rally together as a team. All of our unique insight and personalities are being poured into one common goal: loving kids.

     Nellie and I have started campaigners on Tuesday afternoons, which has been so special. Last night, we had a few girls over at our house dressed up in silly Halloween attire to eat cupcakes. Among the laughter, I couldn’t help feeling awed: this was such a milestone for us! We had young life girls in our living room, EXCITED to be our friends. We feel so blessed to be apart of their lives.

     We are still learning how to trust in the Lord, every step of the way. This ministry never fails to teach me what it looks like to do life with Jesus- entirely dependent on His guidance in every move we make.

Lauren Bevan, Har-Ber Leader

 

College Weekend

Young Life College has really fallen into a great rhythm this semester! From themed parties and weekly Late Nites to tailgating on game days, Young Life College has quickly become a place of fellowship and community.

A couple weeks ago we wrapped up a series that had been focusing on a love that is never stationary. A love that is in constant motion. It’s a love that does. We based this series on the book Love Does by Bob Goff. Each week, we talked about God’s never ending love for us and what that love looks like in our everyday lives.

We’ve also talked about how vast and giant God is. He is not only the creator of the world, but He is the ruler over everything He has made. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. (Psalm 147) But even in His sovereignty, He still wants to serve us, the created. He wants to meet our needs and love us right where we are.

We got to experience this kind of love this past weekend. We took a group of students to College Weekend at Clearwater Cove in Lampe, MO. We got to get away for a night and have fun with our friends. We danced and sang and laughed. We made smores around a bonfire and we cliff jumped. We watched a meteor shower. We looked up at a clear, black sky that was covered in millions of stars, each given a name by God. We listened to talks about how loving our God is, that in His great power and sovereignty and love, He became what He is not so that we could become what we are not, holy and righteous. He is a love that does.  

--Lauren Johnston, YL College Team Leader

Wyldlife

     Wyldlife is our ministry for kids in junior high, and it’s an absolutely incredible ministry in Northwest Arkansas. As a Wyldlife leader, I get the privilege of reaching out to junior high kids and showing them how fun and beautiful life can be in community.

     We want to enter into our junior high friends’ world, so we spend a lot of our time with them at their lunches at school. There’s several tables of kids we talk to regularly and have started hanging out with outside of school. A few of us took advantage of the fall weather and hit up the pumpkin patch recently! It’s been so fun to have these new friends become a part of my life.

     Last Friday, we had our first club of the semester! It was America themed. Red, white, and blue were the colors of choice, and there was lots of America trivia! Did you know that the number one choking substance of Americans is toothpicks? Yeah, me neither. And did you know that America has never lost a war when donkeys were used? Me neither. Oh, by the way, did you hear the one about the Liberty Bell? It cracks me up! We had such a great time joking around and hanging out with these kids. We finger jousted, pied people in the face, and danced and sang to Taylor Swift. Christine, one of leaders, spoke and gave the kids a glimpse of what Wyldlife is. She shared an adventure from her own life, and then shared the story of Jesus calling his disciples to adventure. Jesus isn’t a fun-sucking man who wants to steal our fun. He wants us to experience life as He designed it to be: adventurous, loving, exciting, joyful, filled with laughter... It’s what Jesus is talking about in John 10:10. It's life to the full. And that’s what Wyldlife is all about.

     Personally for me this semester, Wyldlife has been an incredibly challenging and beautiful experience. It’s really intimidating to walk into a cafeteria full of junior high kids, go up to a table, and introduce myself. But God is always faithful. He is teaching me to rely not on my own strength, but to be in deeper relationship with Him so that He can love them through me. I am learning to trust His perfect plan for each of the kids I meet, and I am so thankful that I get to be a part of their lives.

Rachel Evans

Wyldlife Leader

Banquet

     Tuesday night we hosted our annual banquet. The banquet is our biggest fundraising event of the year and it plays a large part in keeping Young Life in Northwest Arkansas.

     Many people don’t really understand Young Life until they’ve seen camp. The uncontrollable laughter and joy of watching program; the adventure and adrenaline rushes of overcoming fears; the surprises; the delicious food; the speaker revealing Truth and leaders unconditionally loving and pursuing kids are what make Young Life camp the “best week of your life.” Our desire for the banquet was to give our guests just an idea, a small experience, of this. We had about 80 incredible high school and college volunteers to make this possible.

     One element of Young Life camp that we implemented into the banquet was tableau. Tableau is a collection of old-timey, western scenes: a wedding, a fight, children playing tag, axing a log, cooking around a fire… When a gunshot sounds, everyone comes to life, acts out their scene, and at the sound of another gunshot, everyone freezes. We put on our own tableau and program then invited everyone inside Pratt Place Inn and Barn where we spent the rest of our evening. We had a hard-working team of volunteers serve our guests Penguin Ed’s Barbeque dinner.

     From there, we introduced our speaker, Bob Goff, author of Love Does. We were so excited to have him come and share some of his story with us. His message was consistent with Young Life’s. Love does. It is never stationary. Our desire is to meet kids right where they are. We want to enter into their world and live life with them; to show the love of Christ to adolescents ages 12-22 in Northwest Arkansas.

     Despite all obstacles we ran into while planning this banquet, God provided, and we raised more money than we ever have in the past. We’d like to thank all of our sponsors, donors, table hosts, and volunteers for making all of this possible!

Amy Stutts
Area Admin

Capernaum Disney Club!

     God has moved in incredible ways the last few years, one of which is through Young Life Capernaum. Young Life Capernaum is ministry for those with disabilities. This is only its second year here in Northwest Arkansas, and I have truly had the honor to be a part of it. Last week we had the privilege of kicking off the semester with our first Disney-themed club!

     It was so much fun to dress up as our favorite Disney character (I was Tinkerbell) and sing, dance, laugh, and enjoy life with our Capernaum friends! We had eleven Capernaum kids and six buddies. Buddies are “typical” kids that come and help make club super fun for our friends with disabilities.

     We started club with Jonathan, another Capernaum leader, giving a short talk on Mark 2. Jesus heals a paralyzed man whose friends go through great efforts to get him to the feet of Jesus. Jonathan then spoke about how we, as Young Life Leaders, are here to help bring our Capernaum friends to the feet of Jesus and how Jesus is capable of healing not only our outward disabilities, but also the disability we each have inside of us, Sin.

     From there, we sang a few Disney songs and then went outside to play one of Capernaum’s favorite games: Freeze Dance!  It brought such joy to my heart to dance and laugh with our Capernaum friends and to see the joy on their faces.
     
     Every time I get to hang out with my Capernaum friends, God blesses me even more than I could ever hope to bless them. Whether it’s through their giving, loving spirits or their hilarious innocence, they truly bring to life Psalm 139, “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” These students were not a mistake. They were made just right. And as Capernaum leaders our desire is to speak that truth to our friends; the truth that Jesus loves them just as they are. And so do we. 

     Young Life Capernaum is such a beautiful picture of God’s unconditional love, and it proves that we can approach the throne of God just as we are. We don’t need special gifts or abilities. We don’t have to look, talk, or even walk a certain way. We only need to accept the love the God freely gives us. I have never been more certain of how big God’s love for us is than when I am hanging out with my Capernaum friends. 

     We are so blessed that God allows us to be a part of what He is doing for students with disabilities in Northwest Arkansas!

Kaitlyn Cross

Young Life Capernaum Team Leader