Continuing to make a difference

Sitka Young Life impacts many lives each year and we couldn't do it without the faithful financial support of caring individuals. It takes a team of Young Life leaders, volunteers, and financial partners to ensure we continue to reach kids with the love of Jesus and help them grow in their faith. These next few emails will share with you the story of Young Life in Sitka this year and provide an opportunity for you to support the work that is happening in Sitka. Good things are happening and thanks for being a part of it!

Sitka Young Life impacts many lives each year, thanks to the faithful efforts of volunteers and the generous support of caring individuals. Reaching kids with the love of Jesus and helping them grow in their faith takes a committed team of leaders, volunteers, and financial partners. In the coming emails, we’ll share a picture of the work happening in Sitka Young Life and invite you to join us in supporting this meaningful mission. Great things are happening—thank you for being a part of it!

Sitka Young Life is continuing to make a difference by:

Being With Kids:

• Supporting kids through thousands of hours spent teaching, coaching, and meeting with them.
• Leaders coaching and supervising 8 teams throughout the year, encouraging kids during hundreds of practices, gatherings, competitions, and traveling weekends.
• Hosting weekly Young Life club meetings with 35–45 kids in attendance.
• Leading 3 weekly breakfast Bible studies with a total of 30 kids participating.
• Organizing "Winter Blast," an in-town camp with 40 kids and 8 leaders.
• Creating lasting memories at two summer weekend camps with 15 kids, including climbing mountains, boat rides, card games, and bonding around campfires.
• Distributing 60 Bibles to kids who requested them.
• Supporting kids through difficult times, including community tragedies and the loss of friends and family members.

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Supporting Local Churches and Schools:

• Collaborating with youth leaders from 6 different churches in Sitka to enhance youth outreach and discipleship.
• Hosting monthly collaborative gatherings for locals passionate about sharing the hope of Jesus.
• Coordinating and facilitating the Baccalaureate service for graduates from the three high schools in town.
• Assisting a school in their response to tragedy.
• Coaching or leading 8 different teams of kids in 3 local schools.

Impacting the State:

• Reaching students boarding at Mt. Edgecumbe High School, which hosts students from over 100 communities across Alaska, providing the opportunity to impact hundreds of communities for decades.
• Maintaining relationships with students after graduation as they spread across the state and nation, encouraging them to continue seeking Jesus during both good and challenging times.
• Promoting leadership growth by welcoming back 4 former Sitka Young Life students as leaders.
• Collaborating with Bible camps and churches across the state to support students who study in Sitka but attend camps or churches elsewhere.

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Adults Supporting Kids

This year we have 13 wonderful adults in Sitka walking with students! Among our leaders, we have four who work in schools full time. We are coaching 2 middle school teams, and 4 high school teams as well as the advisor for one student council. Our leaders are logging hundreds of hours each month hundreds of kids and as a result kids feel known and loved. They talk with their young life leaders about the fun things and they talk with their leaders about the hard things. Growing up these days offers many new challenges and young people need supportive mentors. We are so thankful to have a growing number of adults in Sitka who want to dive into life with kids buy, talking, walking, coaching, listening, laughing and crying with kids as they navigate these fun and tumultuous years. Young Life leaders are the heros in Sitka Young Life as they get to support kids ang get to share about the difference that Jesus has made in their own life.

Adults supporting kids:

 

Young people are reaching out

 
We have had a great start to the year. We have 3 breakfast morning Bible studies going every week and the number of kids attending church this year has really increased. This year we have handed out 45 Bibles to students coming and asking for them. Thank you for your prayers and partnership!

The Mountain Top

Earlier this month we hosted a guys' weekend discipleship retreat. Guys were so excited to hit golf balls, climb to the top of Verstovia Peak, meet for Bible study, and take a sauna. We met for 3 sessions to discuss how to grow our faith and obedience to Jesus Christ. The kids had a blast and were more highly engaged than ever.  Three days later we hosted our first weekly Bible study breakfast and 15 guys showed up hungry for pancakes and very focused on our study. Since then I have handed out many Bibles to kids, which shows me that something special is happening this year! Thanks for being a part of this and for your prayers and support!

 

 

On August the 8th at 11:30 a.m. a boat outside of Juneau severed the underwater broadband cable connecting Sitka when it pulled anchor.  In a moment all communication went down and the only way to get information was to speak to someone face to face. Partial phone and texting was was restored 36 hours and some people are using Starlink to connect to the internet.  This has been an interesting time for Sitkans. Imagine what kind of disruption this would cause to your everyday life if it were to happen to you town.

       Aside from disruptions, there have been many positive effects, including people getting better sleep, folks being outside and more physically active, and people engaging more in face-to-face interactions.  I hear from most kids that they have enjoyed the break and that they are in happier in general and I remind them that this is what it was like to be in high school in the 90's! - We have been talking with kids about how this break will change their future phone usage and many kids said that they will delete games and social media from their phone and only use these things on their computers.  These unusual days have been a gift and have helped us consider what boundaries we can place around screen time and prioritize face to face interaction. I wish every teenager (and person) had a chance to experience the world like we have these last two weeks, but I hope that moving forward we all can focus more on the people around us and less on screens.  These are the lessons we are learning in a small island town in Southeast Alaska.  Thanks for your prayers and support

Culture Shock

When we go to unfamiliar places we encounter people from different people who have different customs, different words, and different values.  Technology has changed the world and sometimes I experience "culture shock" trying to understand young people who have been raised with the internet and smartphones. In Young Life, I constantly get opportunities to learn more about the culture of Gen Z and I often come across resources that I like to pass on. Here is a brief video that helps explain how young people use social media. When you watch it, note specifically what they say in regard to creating identity in a digital world. This 2-minute video helps you better understand the emerging new culture and how their time spent in digital spaces affects their face-to-face interactions.  It is the 3rd video in a series of 4 that is very informative and helpful in relating to Gen Z.  Thanks for partnering with Sitka Young Life and for caring about young people!

Click here for video

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Summer Camping!

 

Sitka Cabin Trips HERE WE COME!  This season we will be taking kids camping in God's creation to enjoy the beauty of our local surroundings.  We are excited to provide this opportunity for both leaders and kids to build upon their relationship with one another and grow their relationship with Jesus. The Sitka High girls leaders just returned from a cabin where they enjoyed kayaking, laughing, warm springs, and delicious food. They took a deep dive into what living a life with Jesus is like during their six sessions together.  They are already planning their next trip.  We couldn't provide these opportunities without you, thanks for supporting Sitka Young Life!

Girls playing corn hole