A Year of Firsts…

As you know, this was my first year coming on to Young Life staff. Because of that it really was a year full of ‘first times.” It was my first time leading our Student Staff and Staff Associate cohorts, first time training our regional staff, first time leading workshops for our regional volunteers, and first time speaking at a college weekend camp.

Thanks to your prayers and support I’ve been able to invest into leaders across LA: leaders who are just getting started and leaders who are seasoned veterans. I’ve seen leaders who were wrestling with their calling to gospel ministry step into their roles with greater confidence because of our training cohorts. I’ve gotten to walk alongside staff who’ve started ministries in new schools; all the way from the Antelope Valley to the Chino Valley to the San Fernando Valley. I’ve been able to speak into our younger Student Staff as they lead clubs on school campuses – often for the very first time – in Whittier and Long Beach. And in all these places, kids are hearing the gospel and their lives are being transformed.

One of my highlights this year was speaking at our SoCal College Weekend. 300+ students from CSUN, SDSU, UCLA, CSULB, Pepperdine, Chapman, Cal State San Marcos, Point Loma, and other colleges from across Southland got to hear about how Jesus meets their longings for identity, purpose, satisfaction, and transformation. For many of these students it was the first time hearing the gospel clearly explained and for others it was an opportunity to examine places in their life where they’ve been following their idols instead of Jesus.Thank you so much for your support in 2021!

The West Valley

Even though I have the privilege of training staff across Los Angeles, I get to work especially closely with staff from the Antelope Valley, Santa Monica, Chino, Upland, Whittier, and the West Valley. I hope to highlight some of the ways these staff are being Christ’s presence in their communities. This time I want to highlight what’s going on in the West Valley [full disclosure, this is the area I volunteer in and my wife is on staff in]. In this video you’ll get to hear students describe, in their own words, how growing closer to God has impacted their life. You can give to Young Life West Valley here.

May you be blessed and be a blessing in 2022.