Back to School Club!

As summertime is coming to an end, I became so excited for the Santa Ana YoungLives Club to start back up again. This will be my second year volunteering with the Santa Ana club, and I am confident that God is doing a very good work in this place. All of the volunteers have been praying over this new year, and we can’t wait to see the way God speaks and moves. When I walked into club, I had so much fun seeing familiar faces, and I loved meeting new girls, guys, and babies! I couldn’t believe how much the kids have grown over the past few months. The second I got there you could feel a deep sense of joy and expectancy for the new season of YoungLives.

After catching up with the girls, their boyfriends, and their babies, we started off with an absolutely delicious home-cooked meal and the girls were able to pick out a lot of clothes for their babies and for themselves! I loved seeing how excited they were to receive these items. I am always so blown away by the love and support that gets poured into this ministry. God continues to bring in volunteers with unique gifts and talents that are used to bless the socks off all who are part of this amazing ministry.

After dinner we got into small groups and competed in a series of “minute-to-win-it” style games. I think my cheeks were hurting for a solid half hour after the games ended because I was laughing so hard. This game was the perfect kick-off to an amazing night.

When the game ended we had the honor of hearing our YoungLives area director, Myrna, speak. She shared about her recent pregnancy journey and the excitement and anticipation that came as her pregnancy progressed. She shared that at each ultrasound she and her husband, Yousef, were able to see more and more what their precious babe looked like and could picture more of what life would be like with their new addition to the family. She connected this exciting journey to the journey we experience as followers of Christ. In verse John 10:10, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. This is a promise that Jesus makes to us, His beloved children! He desires that we live a life compelled by His love. The more we get to know Him, the more clearly we can see and understand the life He has for us. We can understand that even though we are going through difficult times in life, whether it has to do with relationships, work, finances, etc., God is still sovereign, God is still good, and God still has a plan to work all things for His glory. This was such an incredible reminder in this busy season of my life. I was encouraged to give all my worries to the Lord, and let me tell you, it’s a huge relief to do that!

At the end of the night, the girls made the CUTEST Pinterest-worthy hanging flower pots! 

while we were doing the craft the guys played soccer and prayed together. We were also able to raffle off backpacks and school supplies to all the girls. What an incredible blessing! This was such a sweet time to end the night, and I am already so excited for club next month. I can’t even begin to imagine the wonderful things God has in store for this ministry. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see and/or meet you at club next month 🙂

-Ellen Bosch