Hey everyone! I’m camryn and want to share a little about my week at camp, watching all the super cute little babies. 

  So, the beginning of the week we didn’t really know what to expect until we met all the babies and then we knew after that this was going to be an insane week. right away I met this adorable little girl that I instantly loved, her name was Neveah, she was about a year and a half.
Man, was she tough. She pretty much cried the whole time that we had her, sometimes it was up to seven hours a day. We were all so tired by the end of the week and pretty ready to go home, but before we left all babies, moms, and nannies all went into the club room and got to see all that God did that week and all the girls that accepted Christ into their hearts, it was soo rad to watch because Neveah’s mom ended up accepting Jesus into her heart! I knew at that moment that all the crying and all around hard week, it was all soo worth it! I would for sure do it all again just for that moment.

 

 

I wasn’t planning on going to camp but I decided to go sort of last minute, I am so glad I went because if I didn’t I wouldn’t have been able to see all the amazing things God did that week! It was a life changing week, not only for the teen moms but for me and the other nannies as well! 

 

-Camryn Bradley, age 15

 

 

This is our area’s 4th year taking girls to Lost Canyon Camp. I cannot help but get excited just dreaming about where this year’s group of campers will be a few years from now-  How will this week shape their faith? How will it impact the way the do relationships? How will they be better mothers because of the time they spend investing in themselves? What will they remember when they look back on this week?

Please join me in praying that this is the best week of their lives!

 

 

We just had our 4th annual Pancakes in the Park – a family friendly event at Lake Park in Huntington Beach. It was so much fun!

The purpose of the event is to raise money to help send teen moms and their babies to a life-changing summer camp. Hundreds of people came out to support YoungLives!
From all you can eat pancakes and sausage, to delicious fresh-brewed coffee, it was a great way to start the day. The generosity of everyone who came was so encouraging! As with any large event, it took an army of volunteers to put on this event. Volunteers arrived at 6am to start prepping the area, setting up tables and chairs, making coffee and mixing up the pancake batter!

Another fun aspect of the Pancake Breakfast is the Craft Fair! This year we had nearly 20 different local vendors who were selling a variety of handmade items. Each of them donated a portion of their proceeds to help send girls to camp!

 

 

We are so thankful for all of the volunteers and craft fair vendors who made this event possible! Because of your generosity, we will be sending 7 girls and 3 volunteers to camp later this month! During the week of July 11th, be sure to check our blog and Facebook page for updates from camp!

We just had our last YoungLives event of the year…PROM! We’ve gone through New Years to Christmas together and to wrap it up, we all gather together to celebrate the young moms and dads that graduated. This year the theme was Hollywood, awesome right? All the girls came dressed beautifully ready to party!

From the babies being well taken care of in childcare, to an amazing live band, photo booth with a professional photographer, raffles, dj, and great food served to them, I’m sure the girls felt great to be treated like the queens they all are.

The night started off with the girls walking the red carpet as paparazzi snapped photos of them, which was my favorite part ,seeing how happy they were. Ok, so after the red carpet it was dinner time! The girls were seated and served dinner by youths dressed in all black. How great is that? Taking a break from babies, sitting down and having amazing volunteers cater to you. I helped serve food too, butter to be exact,yes BUTTER for a bit then my heels told me have a seat haha. While having dinner, a band played, Rocky’s Revival and they were amazing. To continue the night, Myrna shared with us that God is our strength and how great it felt being there this year as a mother herself.

PROM QUEENS! This is the time we honor the girls who have worked hard this year and graduated. Each girl was given a certificate and “prom queen” sash then crowned. After that, we did raffles and there were some pretty cool prizes. One of the girls won 3 tickets to Disneyland, another a custom phone case and much more was given.

To wrap up the night, there was an open candy bar for dessert, my FAVORITE part!!! At the end of the night everybody put on their dancing shoes and danced the night away!!

 

• Mass Vincent

 

“A mother’s love is like an unrivaled forced of nature” -Hotch (criminal minds)

My life on growth as teenage mother… When I was younger, my 7th grade teacher asked my class, “What are your biggest fears?” As she went around the classroom from one student to another, I heard things like: “spiders, heights, clowns and some student even said being broke,” haha. Then she came to me, I told her “I have no fears Mrs. Alexander”. Everybody has fears right? But how was I supposed to tell my teacher my biggest fear turned nightmare haunts me every night? How am I supposed to tell her when I was only 9, I lost all trust in men and now my biggest fear is someone taking that same advantage of my child? Only one year into being a teenager, I became a mother to a child I had no idea how to be a mother to. I had to grow up and become an adult, and parent while my friends enjoyed their teen years. Thankfully I had an amazing woman I called “MOM”. Being a teen parent was a battle I was fighting with myself for 6 years but I am no longer.

Hi, I’m Massa. I’m 21 years old and I have an 8 year old son named Christop

her. I’m from Charlotte, North Carolina and no I do not have a southern accent. When I was 16, I lost my mom then I had to pack up and move to California. WOAH, across the country, away from all my friends and I was thinking “how the h*** am I going to survive this sh**”; well that was 2012, 2016 & I’m still alive. When I first moved to California, I started attending Valley Vista High School (it was scary) haha. While attending Valley, I met Mrs. Richie who worked with the young moms at the day, through her I met Myrna, who was tutoring there at the time. Myrna and I started talking and one day while giving me a ride home, she shared with me that she wanted to start a program for young high school moms and mentors and asked what I thought about it. She called it YoungLives, mothers, kids and amazing women as mentors. I remember first joining and it was all moms, the program has expended so much from having young dads including to being provided in another city for other girls.

I was blessed with two mentors (not purposely), first being Cassandra, who was so nice, quite and just so helpful to me. Then Stephanie Lane, that I thank YoungLives and Myrna sooooo much for placing her in my life. Being that I lost my mom, Stephanie became more than just a mentor to me. She was my friend, my mom, we were family and she even called me her daughter, her lil mama haha. She taught me to love myself; her, Tamara and Colleen (though it may not be to their knowledge). Every time these women called me beautiful or said something positive to me, it boosted my confidence, which I’ve always had a problem dealing with. Back in 2013 Tamara told me “I’m surprised but you know, those boys are probably so intimidated by your beauty, maturity and how well you speak. And I’m serious!! Always impressed by you.” Thanks to her, I’ve lived by it ever since. These women have helped so much with even knowing and that’s what it’s about. Being in YoungLives and seeing all the girls I grew with and where we were then and where we are now is what this family is about. If it’s one thing it taught me is GROWTH; growing and wanting to some day help girls whose been where I’ve been is what I want to do. I’m not in the program as a teen mom anymore but now as a volunteer, being on the other side feels so great because I’ve experienced and now want to pass on the great work.

Being a teen mom has taught me nothing can hold you back unless you let it. I never regret the day I decided to take a chance and keep my son. Strive, conquer and let NOBODY tell you cannot do it because you have a kid.

 

Hi again 🙂 I’m Massa, I’m 21. I’ve graduated from Marina High School. Now I nanny some days and work with my grandma others. I’ve learned to love myself, accept change and keep pushing. Its not easy but I’m working on the this book God wrote on my life and I’m just entering a new chapter.

We’re all YoungLives, we’re not perfect but God still love us all.

 

Amber is one of our amazing teen moms, she has been around since the beginning, she graduated Highschool and is now serving other teen moms and  dads at club we are so proud of her and all she has accomplished. Watch her story below.

 

 

Over the years we have had several individuals contribute to the work that YoungLives is doing in very creative ways. A common theme that we noticed is that people were giving back to YoungLives by engaging in an activity that they already did on a regular basis.

This is a HUGE way that you can jump in for the first time or do more to support YoungLives and impact generations. What is even more exciting is that we have a donor that wants to make these passion projects so successful that they are matching 100% of the proceeds that are raised in this way! Read how Ryan’s experience competing in a triathlon in support of YoungLives ministered to his heart HERE.

 

EXAMPLES:

ROAD RACE/ BIKE RACE- Participate in an organized race on your own or with some friends in support of YoungLives. We will set you up with a simple fundraising page where you can tell your friends what you are doing and give them the opportunity to donate.

DINNER PARTY- Host a dinner, share about the ministry (YoungLives will provide video or live testimony), and give your friends an opportunity to join the work that is happening by giving. YoungLives will also provide you with upcoming volunteer opportunities

HAIR-STYLING- Use your gift and give back. Let your clients know that you will be doing a day of hair styling and donating a portion of the proceeds to this cause.

POKER NIGHT- Gather some friends, set the buy-in, enjoy a night of friendly competition knowing that the proceeds are going to make an impact. You can even turn into a tournament if you are that ambitious!

PHOTOGRAPHY- People love getting their pictures taken. Offer family mini-sessions on a specific date at a low cost and let your clients know you will be donating the proceeds to help local teen moms. Your previous clients are great candidates!

CRAFTING- Host a craft night and charge an entry fee, create something and sell it, the sky’s the limit for you craft people!

GOLF- Join the fun and sign up to golf on July 20th for this golf passion project that is already in the works.

PAINTING PARTY- Host a night of painting and maybe even some wine and cheese.

SILENT AUCTION- Gather some prizes, invite friends and family, host a fun gathering while your friends bid on the items you collected.

ESSENTIAL OILS/ JEWELRY/ MAKEUP ETC.- Host a party and let guests know a portion of the proceeds go to this cause.

FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE- Decide on a fee to join the league, come up with a prize for your fantasy football league winner, and compete knowing that no matter who wins you are impacting the next generation.

BABY BOTTLE CHANGE DRIVE- Pick up some baby bottles and have your lifegroup fill them up with spare change for the next couple of months

FITNESS/WEIGHT-LOSS CHALLENGE- Decide on a fee to join the challenge, set up a text, facebook group or email to communicate. Get healthy and give back at the same time.

BUNCO NIGHT- Get some friends together for some friendly competition. Charge an entry fee and provide snacks.

YARD SALE- Need to clean out your garage anyways? Have friends do the same and let them know that the proceeds will go to support YoungLives ministry to teen moms and dads.

CREATE YOUR OWN- We would love to hear your ideas! Contact John Tumminello at John@strattonrd.com

 

PASSION PROJECT FAQs

1- WHY ARE WE ASKING YOU TO START YOUR OWN PASSION PROJECT?
It takes a village to make this ministry possible. We are inviting you to join us in impacting generations by participating in an event that you already enjoy.

2- WHAT DO YOU DO?
Choose something you are passionate about, set a date, gather some friends, and raise funds to support YoungLives.

3- HOW CAN YOU FIND OUT MORE?
Contact John at John@strattonrd.com  We would love to help you come up with an idea, give you YoungLives tools to implement it, and even come out and share at your event!
100% OF FUNDS RAISED WILL BE MATCHED BY A GENEROUS DONOR.
YOUR EFFORTS WILL HAVE DOUBLE THE IMPACT.

I love when God teaches us lessons and reminds us of His truths in unexpected ways.
YoungLives was exploring a new fundraising concept called Passion Projects (a planned event in which one does something they enjoy while giving back to YoungLives and impacting generations). When I heard about it I volunteered to be a guinea pig. I was already signed up to race in a triathlon with some good friends from college. We were rallying together as we had all found ourselves in need of a different type of mountain to conquer besides dirty diapers and making it through bedtime routines. So as the idea of merging a passion with a fundraiser was mentioned it seemed a perfect fit and off I went launching the campaign and involving my friends!
Doing the triathlon for a greater cause than just my personal needs really changed the game for me. I believe this small step outside myself helped me to unplug my ears and hear from God. I found myself on my long runs, bike rides, and swims being reminded of the ministry and the brave men and women it serves. My workouts became a time for prayer for them and that entry into a posture of prayer also allowed me to be more attuned to God and set the stage for me to hear from Him. It was neat to see donations come from my neighborhood friends to my Grandparents in Chicago as I reached out to my network and shared my excitement of racing for a cause!

 

Race day finally arrived and all my hard work was finally going to pay off in a great race and bragging rights with my friends as I was determined to be the victor!  Unfortunately race day did not go quite as planned…  It started off great as I crushed the swim and had a great transition into the bike until the guy behind me passed by and politely informed me as I was getting on my bike that my helmet was on backwards, oops.  Okay, so I fix the helmet and start pedaling up a monster hill and realize something is wrong, I look down and my back tire is flat!  I was so upset but stayed focused, jumped off, and used my CO2 cartridge to refill the tire and quickly resume.  Shortly after I realized it did not fully inflate and was only about half way full. I was determined to not have to stop again so I tried to fight through it but about 10 miles in I had to get more air so I tried another quick fix but quickly realized it didn’t work and that I was going to have to change the tube out.  I was then reminded that I did not have any more CO2 to fill the tube up and had no way to put a new tube on.  I was so disappointed and was ready to just cash it in.  All this hard work and I can’t even finish the race, I thought to myself…but then it hit me that my friend who I knew was a few minutes behind me had a pump on his bike and would be able to give it to me if I could flag him down.  So I proceed to change out my tube and wait for him to go flying past me, I almost missed him but caught his attention and he stopped, turned around and gave me his pump before getting back on the road.  I was able to change the tire and finish strong, not quite the time or performance I wanted but I finished and was proud of my accomplishment.

Later that evening as I was driving home by myself I was reflecting on the adversity I faced.  Once I got over my own disappointment, I thought about the ministry this race was for and I thought of the incomparable adversity the teen moms and dads have faced in life.  I was reminded of their courage to press on, to do the right thing, to be the best they can be.  I also thought of the ministry and its volunteers and that because of YoungLives the moms/dads don’t have to do it on their own.  The reality is we can’t finish the race of life well unless we reach out and receive help from others.  WE NEED OTHERS, we were made to be in community, to love one another, to share in each other’s joy and sorrow.  It was hard for me to humble myself and reach out to someone else for help, to feel like I was a burden for him as I was going to make him stop his race to help me, but then to see the complete willingness and even joy for him to be able to come alongside me, it is the same joy we all feel when we know we have truly helped someone in this life.  I just started crying as I thought of the beauty of this truth and the beauty of this ministry.  I am so proud of the moms and dads that are facing their adversity and rising above the voices telling them to quit and grabbing the hand of someone else to help them run and finish this race of life well.  I am so moved by the volunteers that have stepped forward to lend a hand and mentor the young men and women who are up against the adversity.

I love when God teaches us lessons and reminds us of His truths in unexpected ways.

 

-Ryan McCarty

 

 

Three girls share how YoungLives has impacted them and their babies.

 

 

Many of you ask, “What is contact work”?  Well, Contact work for me is simply hanging out with teen moms outside church or school walls, meeting them where they are at. I don’t know if I would even count it as “work” It’s my pleasure and honor to get to hang out with these girls. They are strong, brave, independent, beautiful young moms and I love getting to hangout with them. Whether its just a texting conversation, or playing taxi driving them around or taking them and their babies to the park or beach. It is so fun for me, and it is one of my favorite parts of this ministry.

Recently, I was at Valley Vista High School helping with homework and it just happened to be the day Red Cross was at the school and people were giving blood. Some of the girls were signed up to do it but were terrified having never done it, so one looked at me and said “will you come and hold my hand”, I didn’t even hesitate to say “absolutely” (even though I hate needles) boy, did she have a grip on my hand! Just knowing that the girls feel comfort and peace with me there is amazing because I know that is Jesus shining through me to comfort them. We were there about two hours but I didn’t even care, I could have stood there holding hands all day because I knew that’s exactly where I was supposed to be. Jesus would be doing the exact same thing for me or you, because He is the ultimate comforter, and Prince of Peace.

My hope and prayer is that these girls find Jesus (if they haven’t already), realize their worth and how much they are loved, graduate High school, get jobs and make a life of their own following God’s call on their lives. For me, getting to be even a small part of all that is worth a million bucks. As I look to the future and try to imagine where these girls will be, what they will be doing, and the lives they will impact brings tears to my eyes. I am so incredibly thankful and blessed by these young moms, they are incredible. I love every one of them and their babies, and I love getting to be apart of their lives, i’m pretty sure my heart has grown 60x bigger working wth YoungLives, haha!

I hope this helps you understand “contact work” a little bit more, I love sharing with you the stories of the way Jesus is working through “meeting them where they are” and getting to share my heart behind it all.

 

-Kylie Bradley