“Since 7th grade, you guys have been some of the most consistent adults in my life.”

We’ve seen Jessica’s entire life transformed.  When we met her, she was sad and slightly rebellious.  We watched as rebellion turned to bitterness and anger towards God.  We saw her make bad decisions and put herself in horrible circumstances.  We were there and we never gave up.

I vividly remember the night she decided to follow Jesus, and there has been a gradual but profound transformation ever since.  She began striving towards a deeper relationship with God and to be a better person.   Through some significant life struggles, and intense ups and downs, she sought God and our council.

Now, as an 18 year old, we get to be with her and encourage her as she decides what to do after high school.  She says it is because of our influence in her life that she is considering college and a youth ministry degree!    She doesn’t think she would be alive had it not been for our support.  She attributes her success to our presence in her life. 

It has been an honor to walk beside her!

“Alex” is 14.  He is an extremely rough kid who we’ve known for about a year.  Quite honestly, he is one of the roughest and darkest kids I have ever met.  He has seen and done things no person should ever see or do.   He has had a very painful upbringing, and has made some horrendous decisions.

At first, he cussed at us, rebelling against any boundaries we set for him.  He was rude, mean, and frustrating.  Yet, as we have continued to be kind and share Jesus with him, he has started to change!  I recently saw him at a store, and he politely introduced me to a family member!  He smiled at me, and when he left he said good night!   I was shocked.

He told Nick Sterner, our Pratt Campus Life Director, “Nick, you are the only adult that I can really talk to.  You don’t judge me or freak out on me when I tell you the things that I do.  You actually want to listen me.  I like hanging out with you.”

For Alex, this journey has just begun!  God is working on his heart, and I fully believe that this young man – the roughest I have ever seen – can completely change.  I believe he can live a successful and beautiful life. 

We are committed to him.  We will not give up.

God can restore those who are even “the most broken.”  God can release these kids from the bondage and captivity of pain, bad decisions, and sin.   I know that He can, and I believe that He will.

Please pray with us for all the “Jessica’s” and “Alex’s” of our communities, the kids who are succeeding and the kids who are just beginning.  It is through our prayers and the power of God that these kids have hope.  It is your financial commitment that has allowed us to stand by Jessica.  It is your generosity that will enable us to continue to walk with Alex.

“‘…I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.   I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.”   (Jeremiah 33:6,8)

My Deepest Thanks,

Joel Williamson
Executive Director
 

Tommy is an “at-risk” kid.  He comes from poverty, divorce, and very real life trauma.  While it isn’t apparent at face value, he is agonizing over serious, deep issues.  He doesn’t go to church, he isn’t popular, and he often gets into trouble.

Last year, Tommy accepted Jesus through Youth for Christ!  I meet with him weekly.  We talk about what is going on in his life, look at the Bible, and pray.  I am discipling him and teaching him what means to follow Jesus.  It is your contributions that allow me to do this.

Your commitment has enabled us at Youth for Christ to give more kids one-on-one attention.  We have 15 mentors for Pratt and Kiowa County!  Our goal is to double that number by the end of the summer.

Can you imagine what will happen in our communities as this program expands?  Students who are mentored are 27% less likely to begin using alcohol.  They are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs.  They are 52% less likely to skip school!

Mentoring teenagers literally transforms lives.  Thank you for your continued partnership as we seek to reach more kids like Tommy.   Thank you for all that you do for us and the youth of our communities. 
 

She is a senior in high school and has expressed little hope for her future.  When I run into her and ask her how she is doing, she frowns and says, “terrible.”  She then proceeds to tell me what circumstance or situation has caused her current heartache.  Every time that I offer to pray for her, she smiles, and says, “Oh, please don’t.” 

I remember this girl from when she was in middle school.  She used to come to Campus Life every week.  She would walk in the room, this tiny little girl, and she would flash one of the biggest and most genuine smiles I’ve ever seen.  She was known for her high energy and her giggly attitude.  She didn’t have many friends and was socially awkward, but she loved us, and she loved coming to the group.  She called herself a Christian, and she was even involved with a local youth group.

I was nearly moved to tears when I saw her last.  I think, “What happened?”  This girl, who was so full of life and potential, is now depressed and not following God.   She makes bad choices, and her life is currently pointed toward darkness.  I have searched my soul with the question: “Did we do enough for her?”

And my truthful answer is, “I’m not sure.”   We spent time praying for her, we took her on events, and we even spent one-on-one time with her.   We cared for her in the best way our resources allowed us to. 

The reality of our mission is harsh: We don’t always see the kids we invest in decided to follow Jesus.  I have been in this ministry long enough that I am now seeing some of the kids who have chosen not to follow God become adults.  And it breaks my heart.

I am motivated like never before;
we must reach these kids. 

For every girl like this that has come through our doors, there are another 3 who we have never even met.  It is our dream, our passion, and our commitment to strive to meet every kid in our communities who are unchurched, and give them a opportunity to know and follow God.  With new ministries like our mentoring program, and other visions that God has given us, we believe that this can become a reality.

When my wife and I saw this girl the last time, she said, “We should hang out.”  Even in her depression, even in her hardship, we represent the most positive influence she has ever had: Jesus.  We will “hang out” with her, and I pray that she will come to accept and embrace the love of God in her life.

May all of us rise to calling of reaching these hurting kids. 

With God’s help, we will.

 Every week as I meet with students, I am continually amazed with what they handle at their age. They have parents and siblings in and out of jail. They are in the middle of intense custody battles. They are teenagers raising babies.

What happened to childhood innocence? What happened to living a worry free life with few responsibilities? These kids are being forced to make adult decisions far too soon. Since their normal childhood has been taken from them, they find release elsewhere. Now instead of having a sleepover, they try doing drugs. Instead of going to the movies, they get drunk at home. Even the thought of getting pregnant as a teenager seems doable to them. The only people that many of them have for support are those that live very similar lives to their own, offering no better example.

I am so excited for our new mentoring program: MATCH: Mentor a Teen; Create Hope. It is a program like we have never done before.  While our Campus Life program is an incredible ministry, it isn’t always able to give each student one-on-one, undivided attention. This is what MATCH will bring our students! It will provide them with a personal friend who will care for them long term.  What an opportunity we have to come alongside their lives and encourage them!

Would you be willing to help create hope in the lives of our teens? There are already students waiting to be paired with adult mentors. Maybe you love our ministry, but can’t commit to helping with Campus Life each week. This is a wonderful opportunity for you! It takes as little as one hour a week, to truly invest in a young person. The difference you will make will last a lifetime.

Please contact me, Whitney Kregar, Mentor Coordinator, at whitsto@gmail.com.

For years this young man was a self-proclaimed atheist.  I think he wanted to believe in God, but couldn’t make enough sense of Christianity.  His home life is rough.  He tends to behave badly.   His parents often over-react and treat him bad.  He then is miserable, and behaves even worse.  It is a viscous cycle and has not encouraged a belief in God.

Then, this summer, he finally accepted Jesus!  Intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually, this young high school boy gave his heart to God.  I can’t tell you the joy I felt watching him give his life to Jesus! It was incredible!  He experienced real happiness, that incredible joy of saying yes to Jesus.

And now, things are tough for him.

His parents are on the verge of divorce.  They are Christians, but they fail to model it.  They don’t take him to church, and when he gets in trouble, they ground him from our ministry.  He gets yelled at constantly, and usually reacts with anger and rebellion.

And so he comes to me, and tells me that he is starting to lose God.  He tells me of his poor choices, and how he doesn’t want to live that way anymore.  He says it’s hard, and he doesn’t know how to deal with the things in his life.

I wish I could take the hurt away.  I wish I could rescue him, but I can’t.  I can walk with him.  I can be a shoulder to lean on.  I can listen and I can give Godly council.  I can challenge him to be strong and cling to Jesus.  I can assure him that he is not alone. I want you to know I am committed to being there for him.

In our January newsletter, Deborah Factor challenged us to make this year’s prayer focus on the Christian students that are involved in our ministry.  We want to see these teenagers grow up strong in the Lord and to have a successful, joyful life.

I just invited this young man to join a small group I am leading.  He has opened up to me and he is looking for help.  He knows he wants something different for his life.  What an incredible step!  I am looking forward to standing by his side and supporting him where he needs it.

This is what we do at Youth for Christ!

Would you take time this month to pray for him, his family, and the many other Christian youth in our communities?  Pray for our staff as we walk along side them.  Thank you for your prayers!  They are so valuable!

I was nauseous and panicked as I tried to get a hold of him or his family.  When no one answered, I called one of his friends.  While I can’t explain the details, the essence of what happened is that Thomas made a bad choice; he went too far.

I wish you could have seen him two months ago at our summer camp.  With the zeal and passion of a seasoned preacher, this kid stood up in front of the entire camp and pleaded with them to follow God and to stay on His path.  He publically committed himself to walking in God’s ways.

Then, back at home, where Thomas’ world was much tougher, he fell. He went back to the old friends, back to the old habits, and back to living in a way that might end up destroying him.

Thomas is home from the hospital now, and, outwardly, is healthy.  Yet, the sickness that has invaded his soul threatens much more than his physical well-being. 

We have spent years ministering to this kid.  I have personally invested more hours into Thomas’ life than I can count.  I remember the obstacles he has overcome, the victories, and all of times that I have felt an incredible sense of joy for his accomplishments.  I have, more than once, believed that the worst was behind him.

And here he is, fallen again.  And I am frustrated.

I am frustrated because I have spent too much time with him to see him fall again.  I am frustrated because, just as a “fool returns to his folly,” Thomas never seems to fully let God transform him.  He always goes back to his sin.  

And yet, I am reminded that, as frustrated as I am with Thomas, he is a victim.   His entire world screams pain, hurt, and temptation.  If he lived in a supportive home, with love and consistency, I have no doubt he would be thriving in his Christian walk.

I pledge to you, that no matter how frustrated I get, or how many times Thomas falls, I will never give up on him.  

I will continue to walk with him, listen to him, pray for him, and hope for him.  As long it takes.  I will continue to pursue him.  I love him, and I will never give up.  God never gave up on us, so isn’t the least that we can do to not give up on these kids?

Let’s pray this month for the Thomas’ of our communities.  He is not the only one in desperate need of a touch from God.  May we be strong and steadfast in our commitment to these kids.  May we never give up.
 

This apparently wasn’t the first time.  She shared that she had been hearing and seeing things for the last six months.   Her mom had taken Jesse to be evaluated by psychiatrists.  She was put on prescription drugs, and had a two week hospital stay.  However, Jesse was still seeing things.

What Jess hadn’t told her mom is that she and a friend had been holding “ceremonies.”  I’m not sure of the details of these ceremonies, but she shared with us that her purpose was to contact demons.

I know there are many opinions on the demonic among Christians.  We did not lecture her or try to scare her further, she was already petrified.  We did simply and calmly tell Jesse that she was playing with things that are dangerous and forbidden.  Deb told her that God protects us from such things, but when we actively seek it, we could open ourselves up.  We challenged her to renew her commitment to Jesus and repent.

Over the course of the week, God moved on her heart, and she did repent of her actions!  She actually went before the entire camp and publically declared her recommitment to Jesus!  I’m thrilled to say that she hasn’t heard or seen anything unnatural since.  It has been a little over a month.  

After six months, she has found relief.

This girl’s story is important.  She has personally witnessed the healing power of Christ in her life.  Why did she try to contact demons?  She said she was lonely, and I would guess she was also influenced by her friend.  I do believe she learned a hard lesson, and her recommitment to Christ is genuine.  We intend to keep closer tabs on Jesse, helping her through her loneliness, and encouraging her commitment to Christ.

This year at camp, we saw real, visible growth in our youth. 

A student who made a first-time commitment to God came home and apologized to his mom for the awful ways he had treated her!  Another student, for the first time ever, was able to talk openly about his Father’s death. A young lady decided to change her life dreams and instead go to a Christian college so she could learn more about the Bible! 

Every year the fruit of camp amazes me.  The impact on our local youth is huge.  Thank you for your prayers, support, and commitment to our camp ministry.  To all of you who said an extra prayer or made a special donation, thank you.  Your prayers and money has made a difference! 

I remember when the 12 year old girl came to the front of the chapel and declared that she wasn’t going to drink, smoke, or do drugs anymore.  I can also picture one young man’s expression of relief after he confessed his secret sin.  I can hardly comprehend the number of healing tears that our youth have shed, the amount of teenagers that have come forward for prayer, or the depth of what God has done in our midst.

Honestly, I am not sure how to fully express to you the importance of our annual summer camp.  We have seen so much more than brief “spiritual highs” in the lives of our youth; this camp has been a catalyst for real, life-altering change.   Every year, I come home awestruck by what God has done.

By the time you receive this letter, we will be at our first week of camp.   We are taking the Pratt County students on July 24-29 and the Kiowa County Students on July 31-August 5.

This year, we are praying that God will reveal Himself in fantastic and miraculous ways!  Our prayer has been that these students will get an opportunity to experience God’s love like they never have before. 

Would you be willing to set aside time, each day, to pray for our camps? 

Please pray that:
• Lives will be changed.  Ask God to penetrate into the hearts and minds of these teenagers.  Pray that they will be open to participating in worship, prayer, devotional times, and small groups. 
• We will be protected.  Pray for our physical and spiritual safety.  Please pray that God will keep our vehicles functioning well, safety on the roads, and an injury-free two weeks.  Pray also that God would protect us from evil spirits and influences.
• We will be wise and flexible.  Camp always brings us new challenges; please pray that we will be filled with wisdom, patience, and positive attitudes.

Thank you.  Each year, it is your prayers, your encouragement, and your giving that makes this camp possible!  I can’t wait to share with you what God does during our camp this year!
 

He seems to lie about everything.  He makes himself seem better by telling us about all of the incredible and expensive things he owns.  He works hard to make himself more interesting, as he seems to have a dramatic story about any topic that is being talked about.  His words tend to make him the center of attention. Constantly, accidently, and very obviously, he contradicts himself.  I have known him for 2 years, but, mostly, all I know is a lie.

She told us she was going to stop having sex, and, shortly after, became pregnant. 

For years we have watched this girl struggle to control her life.  She swore off drugs and drinking.  More than once she has said that she wants to be pure.  She didn’t succeed.  Now, she is going to try and live as an adult, raising a child and taking on a responsibility that is far beyond her.   She is 14.

He can’t see that there is a life away from the drugs.  

At 15, smoking, drinking, and doing marijuana are a part of his daily life.  He has been a dealer. He frequently gets suspended from school. We once took him on a day trip, and on the way home, he laughed and said, “If I hadn’t been with you guys today, I would have been just riding around looking for some more pot!”  We asked him once what he wanted to do with his life when he is older, and he didn’t seem to understand the question.

Their behavior is appalling and frustrating, yet, at the same time, heartbreaking and devastating. 

Behind the Liar’s words I hear:
“I am hurting.  No one in my life really accepts me.  People don’t like me. I need to make up stories because otherwise no one will ever listen to me.  I have to.”

The 14 year old, soon-to-be mother cries out:
“My dad abandoned me and my mom.  I want to know him so bad.  He left a huge void in my heart.  I just want to be loved.  I will use everything I can to be loved by a man.  I have to.”

The deep groans of the drug abuser say:
“Both my parents are alcoholics.  All I have seen is pain and misery in my life.  The drugs offer me a way out.  I am trapped.  There is no escape for me. I just want to be a kid.  If my life can’t be different, I’ll cope. I have to.”

“When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion…” (Matt. 9:36).  Jesus spent his time with the tax collectors, the prostitutes, and sinners.  He spent much of His earthly ministry with some of the vilest and darkest hearts of his time.  

And he chose to have compassion on them.

This month, will you join me by having compassion on these three youth?  Will you join me in praying for them?  

They are only kids.   

Blessings,
Joel Williamson 

Dear Friends,

This weekend 27 of our local youth went 30 hours without food to experience hunger and raise money for starving children around the world.  They participated in an event called 30 Hour Famine.  We have sponsored this event for ten years.  It is an important weekend!  In addition to fasting the youth will be raising money for World Vision.  “World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty.”

During the event our youth participated in local church services and learned more about world hunger.  They learned facts like the following:

• Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza a day or about 350 slices per second.
• If we could recover just one-third of the food wasted in the US, about 26 million additional people could be fed.
• Every three seconds a child dies because he or she was malnourished or susceptible to disease.
• God has a tremendous heart for the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners.

Every year I am blessed to see our youth come together, fast, serve, and learn.  They do it with a smile and they’re making a difference in this world.  This year the  youth raised $536 for World Vision and collected nearly 200 food items for our local food bank.

Here are the responses from some of our kids:

• "I feel like we need to give more and take less."  
• “This weekend together we made a difference, doesn't matter little or big.  Thank you."
• "I feel really sad for the kids in Haiti that are starving every day.  It’s just really sad and I wish I could do something....You know what? I am going to do something!"

Maybe this month you could give up one meal and say a special prayer for the poor of this world. My husband and I will be making a special financial donation toward tornado relief.  Maybe this month you could give a little extra to whatever relief organization you support.

Thank you for being behind us as we strive to teach our local youth the things of God.

In Him,

Deborah Factor