Our family has been volunteering with YoungLives for two years. We had the opportunity to attend the first annual fund-raising banquet last weekend. I invited my parents to attend with us to hear more about this ministry that we are so passionate about. Here’s what my mom had to say about it.

“We knew of the integrity and productive ministry of the parent organization, Young Life, but were not familiar with this arm of the ministry. We only knew it was an outreach to single teen moms.  We went to the banquet anticipating hearing and expenses, budgets, and needs for funds. We did not expect that our hearts would be strongly impacted and touched by what we saw and heard at the dinner.
Instead of facts and figures, we heard the testimonies of many young girls and the changes  brought about in their lives as a result of their involvement with Young Lives. We were moved and excited as they shared stories of their transformation from gang life, drugs, and going-nowhere lives to graduating from   high school, going on to college or trade school, getting jobs, and centering their lives around becoming good moms to their babies. They shared stories of hope of becoming people who live with purpose.
The changes came about through the love and sacrifice of Young Lives Staff and volunteers. These people shared the good News of Jesus with the moms, mentored and tutored them, and provided wholesome, fun activities for them. These moms were invited to attend a local church where they and their babies have been surrounded with a community of supportive believers.  Most of all the volunteers at Young Lives are loving them and believing in them.  They now have hope for a better future for themselves and their children.

We are firm believers that the only hope for changing our Nation into a once-again great nation under God is through changing the culture. At the Young Lives Banquet, witnessing these real-life transformations of the young men and women, showed us that Young Lives is doing just that, one person at a time.  We are proud and privileged to have the opportunity of partnering with YoungLives North Orange County.”

Laurie Bradley and Jan Ebel

To see pictures from the banquet click here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskhPbcek

Hi my name is Crystal and I got involved in YoungLives in such a weird and good way. At the time I had recently been released from the mental hospital. While I was in there I decided that I needed help and support. So I went to a program at my school and spoke to a lady named Laura who gave me a flyer about YoungLives. After I heard about it from her I went home and called Myrna and she told me they had club that day but I couldn’t go because I had to study.

Around this time I wasn’t really doing a lot. I was in school and trying to take one step at a time to get my life back together. YoungLives means a lot to me because Myrna and everybody else there helped me on my rocky road. Myrna still does support me and I see her like a big sister. It is really awesome that people like her are helping out a lot of us teen parents. YoungLives give you that support and trust you need and they helped me get close to God, which is the most awesome part of the whole experience! A few months before I gradated from high school I got a job at Chipotle and it felt really good because it was my first job. I started college this year and have been managing my classes, work, and taking care of my daughter. My boyfriend Sergio helps a lot by watching her and supporting me as well. Managing both work and school is very hard but it is possible!

This last Saturday I got to be a part of an event called Love Santa Ana where different churches gather together to help out the community. It was my second time participating in one of these events. Some people go out and paint houses, pick up trash and do other things to better the neighborhood. This time I went to share about YoungLives and tell new girls and families about the upcoming YoungLives event that is happening in Santa Ana in December. We talked to the families and the kids played the beanbag toss game we had set up. After they played the game we let them pick out a tattoo and they really loved that! It was a great day and we got to promote YoungLives. We will be starting a new club in Santa Ana and we want to make this club fantastic for the girls. It is super exciting to me personally because I was there once and I know how it feels. Now I want to help because I know how much it will change these mom’s lives!

-Crystal

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Last night we had our first club gathering of the year in Huntington Beach. One word to describe the night for me would be crazy, but a very very good kind of crazy.

The kind where during the skit I was thinking “What is going to happen next?!” 

Along with dancing to a rock n roll “ish”version of “Watch me whip” was right there with the craziness. But who doesn’t love a little good-kind of craziness? It’s good for the soul! Lots of laughter, yummy dinner, a great message from Myrna, and lots of toddlers running around giggling – An overall amazing evening!

We were especially encouraged to welcome 4 girls who came to club for the very first time! Along with about 30 new volunteers! God provided overly and exceedingly more than we expected when we asked for more volunteers. We are so thankful for those of you who give up you’re time to be a part of this beautiful ministry and a huge part of our girls and their families lives.

For me getting to see the smiles on these girls faces all night long and hear the stories of their experience at club and how it is in their words “life changing” makes my job even more worth it to me. My hope and prayer is that every person who walks through those doors every third Thursday feels so welcomed and is able to feel and see the love of Christ demonstrated throughout the night.

• Kylie Bradley

Another young lives club year is approaching with much anticipation and excitement.

Over the past year and a half, maybe two, I’m not so sure, I’m not so good with numbers. For some time now, I have had the privilege to be a part of YoungLives North Orange County in HB. I have had the oppertunity to witness and experience, first hand, the commitment, hospitality, and love of the moms, dads, babies and volunteers that make up this beautiful community.

It is at the monthly gatherings where walls are broken down and relationships are formed. If you happen to stop by refuge church on a third Thursday you most likely will run into a baby, hopefully not literally, you most likely will share a meal with an incredible person, and you most likely will expeirence noise.

I am so very grateful for our YoungLives family. Each and every club is a true testament of Jesus’ love among us.

– Bri Drew

The YoungLives Fall Kick-Off was a great day.

Let me be honest and say that I was not exactly looking forward to going, because it was on a beautiful end of summer Saturday and I really wanted to be outside playing. So, I was hoping it would be worth it. And it was! There was a lot of excitement. A lot of new faces. People who have never been involved with Young Lives were there because God had tugged on their hearts and they obeyed. To me, this is always a sweet thing to witness. I have learned from experience that in volunteering and pouring out on others, if I’m not being filled up by the Lord then I will both burn out  and be of no good service to anyone. This day definitely filled each of us up. We started off with a devotional from Laurie Bradley who took us right to Jesus’ heart and example on service. She shared the washing of the disciples feet story. Seriously, how can one hear this story and not start to get a shift in their heart. The shift from all about me, to let’s look out for others. Let’s follow His example.

We then got to hear from some seasoned volunteers from outside of our area Newport, Pasadena, and Las Vegas. They shared the history of YL and their experiences. They shared their passion, and It was contagious. I need that sometimes. A spark from someone else.

 Then I sat in Becky Tirabassi’s session!! Talk about a spark!  Her story is a beautiful story of Grace and redemption! She shared how God reached down to get her attention and draw her in when He was the farthest thing from her mind and from her life choices. A great reminder that on any given day, God can renew and revive a life. And in YL, we often get a front row seat to watching it happen. Becky also reminded us of the importance of being disciplined and intentional about our prayer time and reading God’s Word. We really can’t do it in our own strength.

Psalm 44:3 “it was not their own strength that gave them victory. It was by Your mighty power that they succeeded; it was because You favored them and smiled on them”.

Last Sunday, North OC YoungLives was invited to share at three local churches about the amazing work God has been doing in the lives of teen moms and dads. We were so humbled (and very excited) about the invitations! As we head into another school year, it was a fun opportunity to let some of our partner churches know more about the ministry as well as invite new volunteers to join us!  After four years of ministry in Huntington Beach, we are excited about launching a second club in Santa Ana in the coming year. We have a big year ahead of us and we can’t wait!

In Huntington Beach, we’ve partnered with both Refuge Calvary Chapel and RockHarbor Huntington Beach. Refuge has been the host site for our club since they opened their doors to us three years ago. At services last weekend, people were moved by a video we showed about YoungLives and the chance to see the impact of this ministry firsthand. Many people came to the table just to give Myrna and Yousef a word of encouragement for the work we’ve been doing. We had nearly 30 people sign up to volunteer in the coming year and many of them were excited to hear that this is a ministry that takes place at Refuge each month. It was really special to meet so many people from the congregation!

At RockHarbor Huntington Beach (RHHB), we had the privilege of showing a video about summer camp and the incredible impact it has had on teen moms and their babies. We have seen dozens of lives transformed through the summer camp experience – teen moms and volunteers alike and we are grateful for the part that ROCKHARBOR has played in making this possible. A core group of our volunteers attend RHHB so it was fun for so many of them to use this opportunity to share more with their friends about YoungLives. We’re looking forward to some new faces from RHHB joining us to volunteer this year.

With the anticipated launch of YoungLives in Santa Ana, we are very excited about partnering with Emmaus Church. We currently have about 15 teen moms and dads attending club in Huntington Beach and we are looking forward to launching a club closer to home for them. This will also allow our Huntington Beach club to continue to grow by immediately freeing up space at our monthly club gatherings. And the Santa Ana teens will be able to invite their friends to a club in their own city!

We are incredibly grateful for our church partners and the countless ways they come alongside us to serve teen moms and dads and their children! This is truly a ministry of partnership as none of us could do it alone. We are looking forward to what God has in store for us in the year ahead. If you have ever considered jumping in to serve somewhere in YoungLives, now is your time! Our Fall Kick-off is TOMORROW (8/29, 8:30a-1:30p) and it’s not too late for you to join us! Email us to let us know you plan to join us!

It is with great excitement I announce the hiring of Kylie Bradley as our new YoungLives Intern! Kylie has a huge heart for ministry and sharing the Gospel with others. She spent 6 months being trained up as a missionary with YWAM in Hawaii and Ghana last year and she continues to live life as a mission field here in Orange County.

Kylie has spent the last 2 years helping in childcare at YoungLives and being available to jump in wherever she has been needed. This summer she joined us as a leader at camp and had a tremendous impact on the teen moms from North Orange County. If you missed her blog post about her camp experience you can read it here. I have seen her consistently volunteer at Rockhabor Church services and build meaningful relationships with families in the community. I am not only excited about working with her but also about seeing the impact she will have on the ministry, our volunteers, and the teen moms and dads. Please pray for Kylie as she transitions into this new position and join me in welcoming her!

I am thankful for evidence of God’s hand in this ministry and our lives as He made it possible for us to hire Kylie (and for her to accept the position) at the right time. As we say goodbye to Nicole Maiocco, who has spent the last 10 months working with us to build systems that will serve the ministry for years to come, we are excited to send her off to a place that will be incredibly blessed by her passion and gifting. We are grateful to our ministry partner ReGenesis for the gift of hiring Nicole to work with us and we are excited to see how she is used in her new position at her sons’ school, Calvary Christian School in Santa Ana.

Please join me in praying for this new ministry year as we prepare for our Fall Kick-Off training next week and anticipate the teen moms and dads that we will be meeting in the weeks to come.

Just show up.

When Myrna asked me to write about my experience this past school year with YoungLives, I agreed with enthusiasm. I have felt that words have been bubbling up within me and perhaps this would help to process what the heck happened when I agreed to “just show up”.

Somewhere between 2013 coming to a close and 2014 fast approaching—(the year I would be turning 50) I became very uncomfortable. I was challenged by sermons, books and blogs. I could hear that still small voice inviting me. The problem is that when I get quiet, when I listen to God’s very still small voice in my heart, when I pay attention to what makes me feel alive and joyful and in my place (as opposed to displaced), it almost never revolves around being awesome.

It looks more like being present.

And being peaceful.

And being less grabby and afraid everything is about to run out.

And being generous.

And being at home with my people—my three adult daughters and my Saint Bernard!

And being in my kitchen.

And being ordinary.

I showed up for a teen surf camp the summer of 2014 with the Oakview community, and I showed up at a YoungLives kick off meeting where I expressed an interest in mentoring a teen mom, while I was also wrapping up classes to become a foster parent through the County of Orange. I almost forgot to mention that I listed “interested in a teen” on my application.

Can you guess by now that I’m a little crazy about teens? The messier, the wonkier, the further out from the bull’s-eye—the better. The word “awkward” is practically synonymous with the word “teenager” — every adolescent undergoes a difficult physical and emotional transformation as he or she transitions from childhood to adulthood. Unfortunately, that awkward quotient messes some of us over more than others; all teen angst is not created equal.

I understand God best through people; their gifts and strengths, their love and compassion, their character and courage. I sincerely believe we were made in God’s image, and when I evaluate the goodness of people, I love God more. I crave a world of justice where people are safe, loved, empowered. I plan to use whatever influence I’ve been given on behalf of edged-out people—especially teens for all my days.

When I showed up at YoungLives committing to the role of a mentor, devoting myself to a teen mom and her son, I admit I thought it would look so very different. Not a surprise. Loving this young girl and her son continues to teach me, stretch me, and even prepared me in some ways to embark on the challenge of fostering a teen. In February of this year a 15 year old spit fire of a girl was placed in my home. We like to say “she is a force to be reckoned with”. What I’ve gleaned from my relationship with these two young ladies is that they both have a hard time trusting others. It was hard enough parenting my three daughters through their teen years, but it’s even tougher when the teen hasn’t had much of a start in life. How do you undo at least 13+ years worth of hurt, anger, and disappointment? I would try to teach these girls how to act appropriately, how to trust, and how to be responsible. One girl has built walls around her heart to keep out fear and pain and another girl has been let down so many times that she can’t see any reason to believe me.

Paul told us in Romans: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.” This would pretty much solve it. If I am devoted to you, if I prefer to honor you than disprove you, then we can preserve loving community in the midst of thousands of differences, even monumental ones. As long as I prefer the sound of my own voice and the affirmation of my choices, then brotherhood and sisterhood is hopeless. Sure, we must love our neighbors as much as ourselves, but as themselves.

Life is too short to live small and afraid and disgenuine and guarded. Just go ahead and live your one wild and beautiful and spectacular life with all the you-ness you can muster.

Hi, my name is Kylie Bradley I am 20 years old and live in Huntington Beach. I had the amazing opportunity to be a leader at this years YoungLives camp!

Here’s my story…

For the past few years I have felt the Lord calling me into ministry. A year and a half ago, after graduating from high school, I went away to YWAM (Youth With a Mission) for six months. During this time I lived in Hawaii and Ghana using my gifts to help bring joy and the love of Jesus to people all over the world. Ever since I returned home I’ve prayed about where the Lord might want to use me here locally in Huntington Beach. I’ve been involved in YoungLives for the past year or so volunteering at club once a month, but I always knew there was supposed to be more. I wanted to get to know these girls personally on another level.

When Myrna called me a few nights before camp and asked me to come as a leader, I knew this was it. This was my opportunity. I really felt the Lord telling me to go for it. So I did!

This camp was filled with crazy adventures, lots of fun, and awesome memories but more importantly made me realize this may be the direction the Lord is calling me in long term.

Here are some of the highlights from my time at camp….

The moment we arrived at camp we hit the ground running! (literally) After our first club we wandered into the dark forest with our war paint on and prepared ourselves for the unknown. We jumped right into an obstacle course complete with mud pits, swinging ropes, and tires to jump through. It was a blast and a great way to start our time at camp. Throughout the camp, our days were filled with lots of fun activities.

One night near the end of camp, we had a dance party with foam bubbles and ended it by jumping into the pool with all of our clothes on! I was encouraged by watching the girls conquer their fears whether it was doing a ropes course, riding horses, or zip lining. They faced their fears and went for it! It was so fun getting to know all of these beautiful girls, walking alongside them and encouraging them on their various journeys.

After attending camp and spending time with all of these wonderful people, I feel so blessed and honored to be able to be a part of such an amazing ministry. I’m super excited to see how the Lord might use me in the future with YoungLives, and what doors He may open for me to walk through!

Thanks for reading!

xx, Kylie

So I don’t really know where to start or how to start telling you about my experience going to YoungLives Lost Canyon camp. But here goes nothing…

It started two years ago. Myrna would constantly ask me, “Are you going to camp this year?”. I would say, “Yeah definitely. I’ll be there.” But every time something would happen, honestly. Jesse would get sick cause he has asthma and it’s easier for them to attract bacteria. So that happened the first time. The second time I was pregnant and I was so not up to being on a bus for a long time surrounded by a lot of people. But that was the second time. And finally the third time around came. Myrna’s asking me, “Amber are you going to go to camp this year?” And I said, “Yes!” But honestly in my head I was thinking ‘I don’t know’.

I filled out the packet, helped out at the Pancake Breakfast and next thing you know, I’m packed and ready to go to camp. But I was still thinking ‘I don’t know if I really wanna go still’. And then the next day my alarm is going off at 5:30am and it’s time to get up and go to camp. The feeling of waking up and knowing you’re leaving home for a week to go to Arizona for camp is a little scary at first and exciting too. But once I got to the bus and started loading up, everything kinda fell into place and I know that was where I was supposed to be. And we were off to camp!

The ride there wasn’t half bad. And once we got there, it was just so amazing and beautiful. The people there were just welcoming! They had warm filled arms and love ready to spread to me and my babies.

The things that go on at camp are things I will never be able to forget. The things I will never be able to forget and things that will sit in my heart for eternity are:

-The lovely ladies that took wonderful care of my loves (boys). They loved my children and took great care of them. If I had a question about how things went or if things were missing or anything I needed, they had an answer and if they didn’t know, they would find out. My sons were in different rooms for childcare because of their ages. But I just want to tell you about Rafa’s green room ladies. They loved Rafa so much! Every time I’d drop him off they would fight over who gets to care for him that day. They also made a theme song for him. It is the song “Happy” but some words were switched up and they put his name in it. It broke my heart to leave those lovely ladies. I will miss them and their love for Rafa.

-Our first night at camp we had club and during club they had a game to start it off and I was chosen for the game. I was like “Seriously?? No. No. No!” But I went up and did the game and I almost won! I was one of the two last girls standing. It was so fun. It was cool. I won’t forget that night.

There were also moments when I cried. I became closer to God and the leaders and the other girls. I am so glad I became closer to Karime, Georgina, Adii and Kimberly – girls I never even thought of talking to. I can truly tell you now I have love for these girls. And Cheridan and I have become closer and built a stronger bond.

I can’t forget about the leaders:

-I want to start off with Myrna –  I just want to thank you for pushing me to go to camp and constantly asking me to go. I want to thank you because if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to experience the wonders and amazing feelings I got to feel at camp. Thank you!

-Next is Bri! Bri – you have just been the most amazing leader ever listening to me rant on a bunch of different things and giving me your advice and confidence and opinion on the topics we talked about.

-Kylie – I am so happy you went to camp! I’m glad I got to know you and you got to know me on a deeper level and not be judged. Thank you!

-Kim and Jim – Thank you for taking time out of your week to video and photograph all of the beautiful moments at camp. And thank you for becoming the grandparents to our children. It’s the best thing in the world to know there are more than just yourself that care for our children.

All I have to say now is that the last couple of nights at camp were the best nights. These were the nights I’ll remember and the nights where everything changed in my heart. Thank you everyone for making it possible for me and my boys to go to camp this year.

I love you guys and I this is motivating for those of you who haven’t gone to camp yet. You will never regret going to camp.

Signing off Amber Robinson, Jesse, and Raphiel