The 2019 Winter Blast high school group

We have gotten off to a great start the semester and are currently gearing up for our annual middle school and high school winter camp, Winter Blast!  Holly, a  gifted speaker from Anchorage, will be coming down to speak and bringing along friend Eric to do music.  We also have two of our YL friends coming up from Idaho to keep us laughing and make our time together more memorable.  We anticipate close to 100 students in all, and we currently have teams from six different Sitka churches preparing our meals. Please keep us in your prayers as we are one week out. Also on the docket is a strategic planning session for Sitka Young life - so again, we welcome your prayers.  Thanks for your partnership.  We are grateful.  

End of Year

Merry Christmas

I wish you could be there for the 40 high school kids who wake up 90 minutes early every Tuesday and Friday so they can meet for campaigner Bible study.  I wish you could see the sheer bliss as 35 middle school kids create chaos at club and then get to hear about Jesus.  I wish you could just peek in to see kids shed the burdens they carry and get to be a kid, to be loved, and to hear about a God who radically loves them.  It is your prayers and support that make this ministry possible.  It is people like you that make it possible for kids to experience love joy and hope in Christ, through relationships with caring adults. You are impacting the kids and families in Sitka and 100 communities around the state.  If you would like to make a year-end gift,  CLICK HERE. (Please note our website has recently changed and use AK23 to designate to Sitka Young Life.)

Merry Christmas!

Aaron and Chris

Last Week in Sitka

Last week was a flurry of exciting activities for Sitka Young Life. We hosted our annual fundraising banquet with 230 guests pans of delicious food and our very own SYL graduate Dolena Fox come to speak at our fundraising Banquet. Also, we had a record number of guys come to morning Bible study and breakfast.  And finally, we had over 100 high school kids at our event at McDonald's. Thanks for your support of Sitka Young Life

Renewed Life

I am so thankful for the Body of Christ and how God has designed each of us to play a different role.  In the past month, I have had a chance to see how God has orchestrated people to use their gifts. 

• Leaders find untapped enthusiasm on camping trips with kids. 
• The prayer teams praying with increased passion and conviction for the community and for young hearts to turn towards Jesus.  
• A husband and wife cooking team serve a 5-course breakfast for 19 high school boys and 17 girls; then sincerely thanking the kids for coming to breakfast where they get more about Jesus! 
• People sponsor kids to go to camp where they experience God in an amazing setting, with leaders who know and love them. 
• Our adult committee being energized on new ways they can encourage and energize youth workers around town.
• partnerships forming with churches and community organizations. I have seen our partnership with churches and community organizations grow.  God is working through this ministry to change kids' lives, families, and the hearts of those who serve

Thanks for being heroes: for praying, sharing resources, and for being people who follow God's leading. And ultimately, thanks be to God who daily transforms our lives when we say yes to him

A lot can happen in 19 hrs.... WINTER BLAST

Two weekends ago was one of the year's highlights as we hosted "WINTER BLAST," our annual middle school and high school lock-in or minicamp.  In total we had 85 students participate in two nights.  There were 16 leaders being with kids and five church congregations providing food and support.  We flew in an amazing speaker, musician and a gal to do the program and keep us laughing. We made a lot of great memories at the pool, and on the diving board, and a new favorite this year, a photo scavenger hunt downtown.  We also enjoyed playing big club games with balloons, eating snacks, tossing bean bags, and just being together.  Kids also had four opportunities to hear from our speaker about God's great love story and to process what was shared with their friends afterward during cabin times. "It's amazing how much kids can open up in 19 hours," one of our leaders shared.  Winter Blast has become the favorite night of the year for many of our kids. At the end of the event- one of our high school juniors said: "Winter Blast is the best time I have ever had with people."  Thanks for partnering with us as we share God's love. 

Fall is Flying Fast

Fall is whizzing by at breakneck speed and we have many reasons to give thanks. Thank you for being a part of this ministry. We have already had 15 club meetings and over 30 campaigner Bible studies.  We have 4 new adult leaders and met a ton of new kids. There are new people on the  Community Adult Support Team and new members attending our weekly prayer time. Our banquet went well and we are looking forward to finishing the semester strong and preparing for our winter camp called "Winterblast."  Here is a picture that was taken in the bus on one of our high school clubs.  Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Transition

God orchestrates many things in the lives of those who follow him.  As our lives are not our own, it is key that we follow His leading. In Young Life, we recognize that this ministry is not ours, but His.  We, too, need to follow His leading as He directs Sitka Young Life. This fall there will be some staffing transitions for Sitka Young Life.

As I first began working as Young Life ministry coordinator for rural Alaska, my supervisor and I weren’t really sure how the new position would evolve.  We wanted to learn an effective strategy for starting a youth ministry in a native rural village. Over these last six years, I have learned a ton, and I have had the chance to meet and talk with many people from around the state.  There have been opportunities to travel and work with elders and with youth. I have partnered with leaders of organizations who have been ministering to youth in rural AK for generations. I have connected and talked with people in Young Life about effective strategies for new startups. Since I began, we have hired two other people to start ministries in the villages where they live.  These past six years we have learned what Young Life in rural Alaska can look like, and we have learned some strategic priorities that will help ministry flourish. This past year I have been increasingly aware that the next progression for Young Life in Rural Alaska would require more oversight and travel than I am able to commit to. Sitka is a great spot, but far from the rest of the state, and with the arrival of our third baby this summer, traveling will be increasingly difficult.   I still have as much passion and interest in the people from villages, but my position will need to transfer to a team.

Simultaneously, God had been moving in Chris’s heart about the upcoming year.  In early Spring, the Sitka School District asked Chris to consider applying for the position of Director of Special Education.  Through a lot of prayers, both Natalie and Chris felt led that Chris should take the position. Chris’ calling and his passion for the kids of Sitka have not changed, but his hours will shift.  Over the past 5 years, Chris has worked full time for Young Life and part-time for the school district. He will now work full time for the district and part-time for Young Life. He will still work with high school and middle school kids.  Some of the behind the scenes work will now need to be done by someone else.

Over the past 2 years, my work with the local Sitka area ministry has grown to include working with many more adults. I have worked in the background more and have developed a growing interest in how SYL could adapt to become more effective. Through prayer and conversations with my wife, we felt that I should apply for the Sitka Young Life Area director position.

Last month the job position was opened, and I applied.  I went through the interview process and was hired. I feel God has prepared and called me to serve in this place, at this time. I have worked and volunteered in both school districts in Sitka for the past 16 years and have been able to build some great relationships. As our committee chairperson said, “It has been awesome to see God has moved and orchestrated in ways we could not have predicted.”  

We have had an excellent summer with 30 kids experiencing Young Life camp and watching them grow closer to God through the experience. We had 26 go to camp and 4 serve for a month on the camp work crew.  Through the summer months, Young Life leaders have also been preparing for the upcoming school year in planning events to build memories, thinking of ways to connect with kids, and creating opportunities for sharing about Jesus.  The focus for our teams this year will be growing deeper in Christ and experiencing his fullness.

Thank you for all of your faithful prayers and support as we look forward this year to seeing God move in Sitka and around the state.

Sincerely,
Aaron Routon.