Christ - youthHOPE

My Call to Zambia, “The Womb of Africa”

May 18, 2012 by B Sue Leave a Comment

Guest blog post from Andrew Maina, Global Youth Worker in Zambia. The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you”. Genesis 12:1. (NIV). My journey, from my birth place in Kenya, to Zambia began one year ago. I quit my position as associate pastor into a season of 40 days of prayer and waiting on the Lord. Afterward, it became very plain to my wife of 7 years Grace and I, that the Lord wanted us to move to Zambia to serve as missionaries among the youth. The Lord connected us with YouthHOPE, a vibrant and dynamic ministry of like minded, passionate believers sold out to global youth ministry. We packed our bags, and my wife quit her job in Kenya. We called our family and friends together, bid them farewell, and with zero budget and an Abrahamic faith launched into the waters of central Africa. The Lord supernaturally provided the air …
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Filed Under: Global Youth Worker Stories, Gospel Tagged With: Christ, church, global youth, global youth ministry, youth ministry, Zambia

“My first born daughter of Uganda”

May 9, 2012 by B Sue Leave a Comment

Deborah's life is a testimony to God's good work and a glimpse at the way He transforms lives. Deborah was young when Lena Pira sponsored her through African Renewal Ministries (ARM). Lina has a heart to train up a new generation of Christian leaders and she saw great potential in young Deborah. The two started to exchange letters back and forth. In 2006 Lina went to Uganda to work with ARM ministries and had the privilege of finally meeting Deborah face to face. "She was very shy, reserved, and not quite sure of herself or how to interact with me," recalls Lina. In 2007 Lina returned to Uganda to work near Deborah's school. They enjoyed each others company and began to form a unique bond. Deborah would visit her during the day and volunteer her time to work alongside Lina in her free time. Lina saw the potential in Deborah as God's daughter. "Over the years I have seen her transform from a shy 8 year old to a …
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Filed Under: Global Youth Worker Stories Tagged With: Christ, church, community, current events, education, global youth, global youth ministry, holistic needs, relationships, sponsorship, youth ministry

Youth Bulge

May 2, 2012 by B Sue Leave a Comment

Throughout history, young people have always been a catalyst for revival and renewal of society. The Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakening both resulted from youth movements. The "Haystack Prayer Meeting" was the result of a freshman at Williams College in Massachusetts challenging his prayer group with a vision to advance the nations in Asia. This was the start of modern day missions. The Welsh revival of 1904-5 resulted in over 150,000 people coming to know Christ as their savior. Lives were TRANSFORMED! The world is experiencing a "youth bulge." A decrease in child mortality rates has led to the largest generation of youth in history, 1.8 billion youth! According to the Population Reference Bureau, 53% of those youth are in Asia and 29% in Africa. "I believe that the greatest challenge confronting the church in the new millennium relates to youth ministry," says Alvin Reid. "Of the eyewitness …
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Filed Under: General, Outreach Tagged With: adolescence, Christ, church, community, youth

What is God calling me to?

April 23, 2012 by Kyle 1 Comment

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls..." Jeremiah 6:16a (NIV) Many people who partner with us say they've found us on the web. Often times they're searching, looking for answers. We created an opportunities database to help people hone in on potential ministry opportunities. This is for people who have a desire to serve in a specific place or in a certain way. Sometimes, however, I think people come to us with a wide open perspective. They're not sure what to do, or more importantly, what they're being called to. I know that most believers, especially young people who've not yet chosen a career path, wrestle with God's call on their lives. And rightly so! I think we sometimes think God has this wild and amazing dream for us that we're certain we don't want to miss out on. People ask …
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Filed Under: General Tagged With: Christ, church, culture, gospel, missiology, mission work, opportunities, prayer

It’s simple really… When the saints pray… stuff happens!

April 20, 2012 by Katie 1 Comment

Here at YouthHOPE, one way in which we transform the lives of global youth is through internships. Every summer we send teams out to work with our Global Youth Workers and be a blessing to the ministries. This is a way for us to give encouragement to our youth workers and for their ministry to get a boost of energy. In about 5 weeks YouthHOPE will be sending out 15 college students and team leaders “to go into all the world” and work alongside our missionaries in 5 different countries. On May 28th, all of our interns will come together for training and preparation in Fort Myers, Florida and then on June 3rd, they will go out…to Bulgaria, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, and Southeast Asia to learn, serve and grow. This summer our interns will get a chance to learn and gain hands-on cross-cultural youth ministry experience while working with experienced Global Youth Workers and their ministries. Interns will develop and teach in an …
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Filed Under: General, Internships Tagged With: Bulgaria, Chile, Christ, job creation, Kenya, leadership development, Malawi, mission work, prayer, relationships, Southeast Asia, youth ministry, Zambia

Hope and Hunger: The Games We Play

April 17, 2012 by Aaron Leave a Comment

“Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear. A little is effective, a lot is dangerous.” Those are the words of President Snow from the film Hunger Games (you can watch the actual clip here). I just went to see it with my family and some co-workers this weekend. I had read the trilogy last year after my youngest daughter, Sofi, started reading them. The publisher primarily targeted the teen/young adult literature market, but they have become the latest craze crossing generational lines, similar to the Harry Potter series. The books were by far some of the best fiction that I had read in a long time. Since I’ve become familiar with them, I have noticed that there has been a lot written about the underlying socio-political messages the books bring to the table. The gamut stretches from identifying the saga with the “occupy” movement, to Fox News talking about an anti big government message. Even the Christian …
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Filed Under: Media Reviews Tagged With: adolescence, Christ, culture, current events, global youth, Hope, Jesus, videos, youth

The conference by youth workers for youth workers

March 30, 2012 by Justin Leave a Comment

I spent March 2 - 5, 2012 at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference in Louisville, KY. This was my first time attending SYMC, and I wasn't sure what to expect. The brochure offered "Time to BREATHE. REFUEL YOUR MIND. REFRESH YOUR HEART. REJUVENATE YOUR SOUL." What I experienced was nothing short of what was advertised. My purpose for attending the conference was to see how YouthHOPE can be involved - to learn and see what other organizations are doing in the area of global youth. I was extremely blessed by the presence of an organization called HeartWork. Their exhibit looped a video that I could not stop watching - see for yourself here - it's a beautiful example of God's heart for the nations and how He can use youth to make a difference in the world. Two things really impressed me about SYMC: 1) It was Jesus-centered. So much of what was brought forth from the platform in the general sessions pointed …
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Filed Under: Conferences, General Tagged With: Christ, conferences, global youth worker, partners, youth ministry

One Generation Away

March 28, 2012 by B Sue Leave a Comment

Beware... you are in for an English and a math lesson. This may be a simple way of you testing yourself to see if you are "Smarter than a 5th Grader"- 1. What is a verb? 2. This question may require a pencil and sheet of paper- How will you reach the number 1,800,000,000 (1.8 billion) faster, through addition or multiplication? We see the word disciple throughout the Bible. In fact, it is used in the new testament 269 times. What I find interesting is that 268 of those times it is used as a noun, and only once is the word used as a verb. A verb is the part of speech that describes an action or indicates a state of being. Where do we find this verb?? In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus instructs his followers to go and make disciples. The phrase, make disciples, is one word in Greek- matheteuo. The verb matheteuo has two meanings- to be and to teach. to be a disciple of one, and to follow in his precepts and …
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Filed Under: General, YM Advice Tagged With: adolescence, Christ, discipleship, Jesus, youth ministry

Youth Unemployment and a Challenge to the Church

March 21, 2012 by Katie Leave a Comment

Dozens of articles and reports by the UN, CNN, BBC, Unicef and others in the past few years have focused on the global youth unemployment crisis. As the global economy continues to waiver and bend, millions around the world fight the effects of unemployment. According to a report by the International Labor Office, there were approximately 81 million unemployed youth between the ages of 15-24 at the end of 2009--the highest ever. Many governments and organizations are establishing programs and schemes to fight this trend, to give hope to a generation trying to find their place. In the UK, the prime minister is planning an incentive that would give employers subsidies to employ 18-24 year olds for six-month periods. Throughout the world, programs are starting up to train youth for small business ventures and entrepreneurship opportunities. The world seems to be taking notice of this global youth crisis, slowly, but …
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Filed Under: Global Needs, Newsworthy Tagged With: adolescence, Christ, church, community, current events, education, global needs, global youth ministry, job creation, opportunities

Potential Energy

March 13, 2012 by B Sue Leave a Comment

I spent 4 years studying the body, how it works and functions. Every function of the body is a result of stored potential energy. Runners use this form of energy by positioning their legs at the most optimum angle in the starting blocks. Divers depend on the potential energy in the elasticity of the diving board to launch them into the air. These athletes see the advantage of positioning themselves and others on their team in a place where they can use potential energy in its purest form. On March 10th, 2012 there were an estimated 6.9 billion people in the world, half of which are under the age of 25. If I did my math right, that is equal to 450.5 trillion BTUs (British Thermal Units) of potential energy (averaging 150 lb person) in the youth of the world. Lets put that in practical terms shall we?? That is the same amount of energy contained in- 78 million barrels of crude oil 4 billion gallons of gasoline 1600 …
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Filed Under: General, Global Needs Tagged With: adolescence, Christ, church, global needs, global youth, missiology, mission work, relationships, resources, youth, youth group

Rap, tats and slang

February 27, 2012 by Justin Leave a Comment

I came across an Associated Press article written a few months ago, entitled "US military legacy rubs off on Iraqi youth." The article highlights how 8,000,000 "Iraqis - a quarter of the population - have been born since the US led invasion of 2003 and nearly half the country is under the age of 19." In 2010, the population of Iraq was 32 million people. That means that there are 16 million under the age of 19. It would stand to reason that half of these are likely teenagers. Roughly 8 million youth in a country that is predominantly Muslim. 96.85% according to the most recent Operation World text. While the US military spent the past 8 years fighting for apparent freedom, the negative influence on youth was "hip-hop styles, tough-guy mannerisms, and slangy English patter." That means that they have heard of Eminem and 50 Cent, seen the Twilight movies, but have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This reminds me of …
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Filed Under: Global Needs, Gospel Tagged With: adolescence, Christ, church, education, global needs, gospel, iraq, relationships, youth

“You will be my witnesses… TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH”

February 3, 2012 by B Sue Leave a Comment

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." -Acts 1:8 Tomorrow, our team of 12 riders will be cycling 300 miles to do what Jesus says we can do through the power of the Holy Spirit- to be witnesses of Christ in Florida, Bulgaria, and 'To the Ends of the Earth.' God has provided a way for YouthHOPE and youth ministers from 7 different churches throughout the Fort Myers area to come together for the same cause- to reach the unreached youth of Bulgaria with the love of Christ. Not only has God been faithful to provide riders, churches, and support for the ride,but He has also opened doors to share with the surrounding community the need for servants in youth ministry around the world. We pray that through this ride we glorify the Father on earth, having accomplished the work that he gave us to do …
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Filed Under: General, Outreach Tagged With: Bulgaria, Christ, church, community, current events, global needs, global youth, global youth ministry, global youth worker, outreach, prayer, support raising, unity, youth ministers, youth ministry

The secularization of America continues…

January 30, 2012 by Justin Leave a Comment

I love meeting new people and spending time with the elderly. They are never short on stories of "the way things once were." My former pastor, Gary Buchman, used to tell me stories about reciting the 23rd Psalm in public school every morning. Prayer in schools in America was common for decades and wasn't just something that the religious right endorsed. It's been 12 years since I surrendered my life to Jesus as a teenager. I was 17 when God gave me "eyes to see and ears to hear." Over time I began to develop a Christian worldview and have seen the secularization of America increase ever since. From businesses requiring their employees to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas," to the countless debates and attempts by the ACLU to remove the 10 commandments from courthouses, surely "because lawlessness abounds, the love of many [has] grown cold." (Matthew 24:12) Recently I came across this article on msnbc …
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Filed Under: General, Gospel Tagged With: Christ, current events, gospel, prayer, youth, youth ministry

Ramadan

August 14, 2011 by Justin Leave a Comment

An intentional 30 days of prayer for over 1 billion Muslims around the world has begun. How should the Christian respond? Last night, I took my 3 daughters to our local library and my eyes were captivated by an Islamic children’s book, proudly displayed, most likely with the onset of Ramadan. The author describes a young girl going to her grandmother’s house and hearing the nearby mosque announcing “It’s time to pray, come and pray,” 5x a day. The story tracks the girl’s time with her grandma, her interest in praying, and culminates with her receiving her own special prayer clothes, prayer rug and miniature mosque figure because there is not one nearby her house. The figure is a clock that goes off and reminds her to pray and the modern Muslim prayer rugs have a compass which points the Muslim toward Mecca. This might seem like a nice story but the truth is: This. Is. Bondage. The word “islam” means, …
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Filed Under: Featured, Gospel Tagged With: Christ, gospel, prayer, unreached

My Call to Zambia, “The Womb of Africa”

“My first born daughter of Uganda”

Youth Bulge

What is God calling me to?

It’s simple really… When the saints pray… stuff happens!

Hope and Hunger: The Games We Play

The conference by youth workers for youth workers

One Generation Away

Youth Unemployment and a Challenge to the Church

Potential Energy

Rap, tats and slang

“You will be my witnesses… TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH”

The secularization of America continues…

Ramadan

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