Thursday, November 2, 2017

Hello Fall - Nov 2017 Sitka YL update


Fall is a busy time with ministry, Alaska All state, and our annual Sitka Young Life Banquet
One of our favorite parts of doing Young Life ministry is that it affects families as well as students.  Here is a quote from a conversation with a parent this past month:

 "I want to thank you for the interest that you took in my Jon.  Jonathan needed something in his life when you took him under your wing. I'm listing the positives that I have seen in Jon since his association with you and your group.  He has become a happier person with himself and with his family.  He is not so critical of  our family and has become open with his brother and sister.  He is more tolerant of people and empathetic toward people who need our help. At first  I wasn't sure about the religious association, but it has seemed to help him. His new found faith of God has given him confidence to go out on his own and try to make the right decisions on his own.  He is now becoming the person he wants to be and the person I want him to be too. He is more complete. Thank you again."

WITH KIDS: This year we have 120 kids regularly participating in club with with 15 leaders in our middle school and high school groups.  We regularly have 20 leaders meeting with 60 kids in small group campaigner Bible studies.  Our leaders work to develop relationships with kids through these weekly events to build connections and share life and the Gospel message with kids.

ALL STATE CONFERENCE: At the end of September we took 17 leaders to the all- Alaska Young Life conference. We got a chance to connect with more than 200 Young Life Staff and volunteers from around Alaska and had an incredible time of worship, training and encouragement. One big area of growth this year was seeing all the people from rural villages that attended the conference. Aaron had a chance to meet and discuss ministry in rural villages with leaders from 7 different rural  communities from around the state.

SITKA BANQUET- October 23rd was a great evening of sharing about Sitka Young Life with our community.  Our speaker Kent Williams started the evening sharing that Young Life elevates Jesus and his love through relationships. We also had a chance to  hear from past and present leaders and kids about how this ministry of Young Life has impacted people in Sitka and around the state for the past 20 years. A big thank you to everyone who made this year's YL Banquet a success!!

Thank you for your prayer and support of ministry in Sitka...

Chris & Aaron