1a look through the eyes of

How1weekcan cHange1Life

a publication of Tacoma Area Youth for Christ • Spring 2012

Inside: God told Goan - pg. 2

Stacey knew about God before going to camp, but God wasn’t why she went to camp. What she thought was going to be a week away from normal life changed her forever.

Stacey had heard about Camp while going to Campus Life at Narrows View. “I initially went to Campus Life because my friends dragged me. I had no idea what it was or what to expect. One of the leaders, Judy, took an interest in me and I immediately felt welcomed and cared for.” When camp promoting came around, Stacey was one of the first kids to sign up.

Her favorite activity at Canyons camp was hanging out in the indoor gymnasium where she would hit the volleyball and talk with camp leaders and other students. “My

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“God showed Himself to me that night, showing that I would be able to trust Him and others to help me in my challenges.””

We are gearing up for a great camp again this summer! Kids are already signing up for camp, so please consider how you may be called to stand with us financially to help kids experience the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ!

City Life

JJM currently has 6 men and 4 women serving kids in detention centers. I love hearing their ideas and seeing their passion for sharing love and truth with disadvantaged kids that desperately need both. Thank YOU team!

Juvenile Justice Ministries

Need your FIREWORKS for this 4th of July? Come to the Campus Life/TNT fireworks booth at Green Firs parking lot (near Safeway) in University Place. 100% of proceeds send kids to camp in August and the Mission Trip next year.

Campus Life

Foster care continues to grow with over 60 families in the process of being licensed. We’re excited to be expanding into King and Snohomish counties with the hope to provide more kids with a loving Christian home.

Foster Care

For more information about any of these ministries or activities, visit us at www.tacomayfc.org or call 253.572.7888

Stacey’s understanding of what it means to follow Jesus was forever changed that night. “Before I knew about God but did not have a relationship, now I do; I talk to him and I feel like I can trust Him. To know God means that no matter what is going on in my life and if people don’t care, God does and He is always there and the only thing I really have to do to reach him is to pray!”

Stacey is growing in her relationship with Jesus. She is a student leader at Narrows View and has been consistently going to Neighborhood Church with her Mom and brother. She still deals with life issues as a teenager. But now she has a foundation based upon Jesus and is learning to open up to others and to God.

Stacey is looking forward to camp again this year and is a strong promoter

of Canyons Camp to other students. “camp is so valuable because it gives kids

an opportunity to be more open and share with others; get out of old environments that hold kids back and provide an opportunity to grow.”

When I started at Graham Covenant as the associate pastor a little over a year and a half ago I had no idea the impact Campus Life would have on our Church. In the time I have been involved in Frontier Jr. High’s club I have seen the lives of several young peoples transformed by the power of the Gospel! Well over half of our youth group kids at Graham Covenant started coming because of their involvement with Campus Life. We have even seen a handful of these kids become Sunday school teachers, assistant teachers and leaders in the youth ministry. i am so excited about the potential of all the lives that can be impacted through club. By first introducing young people to Christ, then encouraging involvement with the local church, and ultimately seeing these young people on fire to serve Christ!

“A rising tide lifts all boats”Do you remember that old Sister Sledge song, “We Are Family”?

I love that saying. A friend first shared it with me about 10 years ago as we were preparing a volunteer training together and I love the principle—when the “atmosphere” around us improves, all benefit by it.

I’ve thought a lot about this idea lately in discussions with Tacoma YFC staff as we intentionally pray for and encourage you, our ministry partners, to grow in stewardship and generosity. We believe that the more you grow in the investment of your resources, the more you’ll grow in Jesus.

A scarcity mindset says, “There’s not enough to go around so I must work harder than the next ministry to get that person as OUR donor. A rising tide mindset says, “If people grow in their love for God and understanding of how to be good stewards of the resources He has blessed us with…we all benefit, everyone wins.”

When we embark on taking kids to YFCamp this summer and partner with Young Life in using their facilities and with local churches and community partners to move the greatest number of kids, we’re all about the “rising tide”. And when you partner with us financially and see the fruit of changed lives, perhaps you’ll grow in the same attitude and look

for new ways to impact Pierce County, one life at a time.

“A rising tide lifts all boats,” great advice and the heart I want to have.

Bobby arkills Tacoma YFC Executive Director

Musings of an Executive Director

[ page 2 ] Tacoma Area Youth for Christ • Spring 2012

Sending kids to Camp . . .How 1 Week can Change 1 Life (continued from cover)

favorite memory though, is the night we all dressed in black scurrying around the camp like ninjas doing crazy antics like creating a human pyramid and singing a group song while avoiding the staff as they tried to bombard us with water balloons and water guns!”

Campers participated in the large group talk where each night the speaker would share a different aspect of God’s story culminating in an opportunity for students to respond. It was at one of these events that had the greatest impact on Stacey. “It was the night that a YouTube video was shown of kids who were like myself; who had troubles and were going through the same thing that I was going through. god showed Himself to me that night, showing that i would be able to trust Him and others to help me in my challenges.”

Come visit us at www.TacomaYFC.org

LIKE us on Facebook! Go to www.facebook.com/tacomayfc

Goan is a young man with a passion to help teens come to understand who Jesus is. This fervor was birthed from his own experience in Campus Life as a middle school student. Being a 7th grade student at Lochburn Middle School enabled Goan to meet Nathaniel, the Campus Life leader. A simple activity of soccer in the school field opened him to experiencing God as he and Nathaniel shared life together. Nathaniel nurtured Goan in his pursuit of Jesus.

When Goan moved to east Tacoma he attended Gault Middle School, he decided to get involved with Campus Life and their leaders. They continued to help him in his faith and developed him as a leader by allowing him to become a Student Leader.

Then, god spoke to goan at camp… “He told me to be a role model for kids.”

That calling has changed Goan into the Campus Life leader he is today at First Creek Middle School. It was at camp that he heard

God speak to him - and the calling he heard at camp continues to impact him and students around him!

Goan is excited about getting kids to Canyons Camp this summer. It’s such a great week! We get to laugh and do activities that most kids have never and may never experience! What excites him the most though is that kids hear about Jesus and they are given the opportunity to hear from Him just like Goan did so many years before!

“i know how much camp has impacted my own life and i want to help kids have that same opportunity!”

-goan

goDToLDgoan

Visit www.tacomayfc.org/campto find out more about YFC camp Working Together with the Local Church

why should YoU help kids go to camp?1) why is Yfc in your stewardship

plans? what prompted you to give to Yfc? The mission of YFC and the heart of the staff who invest in kids is the same as ours, that Jesus loves kids so very much and desires to make Himself known to them.

2) what brings you joy when investing in kids this way? We love being able to help send kids to camp because it is often in the “unfamiliar” camp environment that kid’s walls are down and they are more receptive to the Gospel. Furthermore, we know that these kids are being well loved not only at camp but when they get home. The seeds planted at camp are not lost but nurtured through the people at YFC in partnership with the Holy Spirit. It is a great thing to be a part of!

3) what would you tell others who might be considering supporting kids through Yfc? Go for it! There is no amount too small. Simply pray what amount is to be given, give it and rejoice that you get to be a part of the Holy Spirit changing a life for eternity!

4) why is Tacoma Yfc a good investment in your eyes? Investing in those who invest in young people enables lasting change in a community. The people we know at YFC are actively engaged in the lives of young people, showing them what it means to follow Jesus Christ. We can think of no greater investment than the furthering of the Gospel among the youth.

Thank you Even and Ember for loving kids through the ministries of Tacoma YFC. Your faithful stewardship is making a difference in the lives of kids!

Ministry Partner Spotlight

Evan & Ember Thomas

P.O. Box 834, Tacoma, WA 98401 • www.TacomaYFC.orgGo Green! In our efforts to use our resources wisely we offer this newsletter via email (downloadable pdf) Please contact Meleea Russell, Donor Development Assistant at meleea@tacomayfc.org to request this option.

Thank you!

wanna get away?Vacation advertisements bombard us every day with the promise of carefree sunny serenity. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

For kids today across Pierce County, the pace of life is frantic, and silence is a myth. All day long the sounds of cell phones, text messages, music, and television swamp their senses. For many, evenings at home are also filled with the noise of conflict and yelling.

we know that kids don’t need a vacation, they need Jesus, and at YFCamp, far removed from the hustle and bustle of Tacoma, they can consider more clearly the claims of Jesus.

Here kids can be kids—whether riding the zip line over a man made lake or jumping in on wild outdoor games, they can let their guard down. Most importantly, kids get the chance to share with leaders their confusion, doubts, and the honest hurt in their lives. Leaders who will tell them that Jesus knows their every hurt and every pain.

Kids, leaders, activities, and the clear presentation of the gospel all make up what some kids call the greatest week of their life. But one key ingredient is missing—YOU. You can make the dream of this week become a reality for a young person today by helping send a kid to camp. Many youth we bring to camp live with very little resources - the cost of camp is simply too much for them or their family to pay.

One gift of $53 provides a scholarship for one day of camp for one young person. $320 provides a full scholarship for the registration of one camper. Every investment counts, and we need yours to send more than 200 youth from Tacoma to Yfcamp this summer!

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It can be the greatest six days of a

young person’s life…will you help

make it happen?