Winter Weekend 2011 Recap!

Cheers to the freakin’ Winter Weekend.

God has never been as real as he was over the last 48 hours. Using words would be disrespectful, it can’t be contained by descriptions man has produced. What I CAN tell you is that my life will never be the same. Ever. The only way to even give you the slightest idea of what happened is to say that I turned the Lion’s Sunday Night Football Game Off after 5 minutes to walk around Campus and listen to this song on repeat.

Nothing else matters. The Lions playoff chances, the homework I should be doing instead of typing this, even the Macaroni and cheese timer that just went off downstairs. Let it burn. The only thing that matters to me is the things that God did this weekend and the things God is doing in the lives of the kids that I am beginning to love more and more every time they talk, smile, or do something stupid.

My favorite thing about them is their ignorance. Their ignorance of the fact that they probably are having a bigger impact on me then I am on them. Their ignorance of the fact that no revolution of the magnitude that they seek has ever been inspired by a group of kids their age. Their ignorance of the extent that they can make a difference. Their ignorance of the fact we can already see a change in them that they can’t even see in themselves.

It’s hard to have rational thoughts after witnessing what we witnessed in Lake City this weekend. The kind of joy that inspires kids to wrap their arms around kids they don’t even know and sing Justin Bieber songs at the top of their lungs and knowing that no one is going to give a crap if they look like a fool. The kind of passion that drives kids to tears while their talking about what God is doing in their life. The kind of curiosity that lends to them asking me questions I’ve haven’t even been asked by any teacher, pastor, or author. The kind of youthful wisdom and perspective that baffles a bunch of college kids because it is so simple, yet so perceptively beautiful. The kind of love that provokes them to be so desperately vulnerable in hopes that the sharing of their story will soften the hearts of others and touch them in a way that nothing else will. The type of weekend that makes me sit up in my room ignoring the smoke alarm that is going off due to the now probably blackened macaroni and cheese because I need other people to understand what I just experienced.

So here I am, in the aftermath. Physically exhausted, emotionally spent in every single way. But my spirit is full and complete, nothing will ever feel better than this.

They say that YoungLife is the closest thing to the world that God intended when he first created it. I know now that that is indeed the case, and until I leave this earth to the place where beauty is exactly as God intended. We’re in good hands. These kids are about to move it in the right direction.

I encourage you all to not give up on people. Ever. I’ve seen things this weekend I have never seen before in my entire life. 2 months ago we were overwhelmed and frustrated by the vulgarity, disrespect, and egocentricity of these same kids who are now peeling back the layers of their insecurity to show us the loving, caring, joyful, and passionate kids that we knew they have been all along. Most importantly, don’t give up on yourself. There is a wonderful God out there who can do indescribable things to you, through any and all circumstances. If you saw what happened over the last 72 hours. You couldn’t help but agree with me

Oh how he loves us.

This macaroni is going to be gross.

Blessings. Kyle Roskamp.

 

Praying for GRSWYL

Today is Young Life’s International Day of Prayer. There is nothing particularly special about choosing this day, it’s simply a day designated for thousands of people across the world to join together and pray for kids meeting Christ and growing in their faith through the ministry of Young Life. If you are able, please take a moment and join in praying for the following things for Young Life in Grand Rapids SouthWest:

PRAISES

• 83 Volunteer Adult Leaders are currently serving on a leadership team in our 13 ministries, representing hundreds of kids throughout our area being shown the love of Christ
• Over 150 folks from our area (Kids, Leaders, Adults) experienced Christ on a summer camping trip
• The great relationships we have with parents and school administrators
• On September 1, we hired Jess Anderson as a full-time staff associate to assist in leading our area while leading at Grandville High School
• On September 1, Westview CRC hired Bryan DeKoekkoek as their Young Life Church Partner in our area
• Through the generosity of local donors, our 2010-2011 Operating Budget was met

REQUESTS

• Pray for kids who don’t want to go home after school, who are struggling with addictions, or who feel alone. Pray that we can continue to reach out to lost kids and grow in our wisdom to help them in multiple areas of their lives
• Pray for kids who are struggling with their faith, for college freshman who are searching out what they want to be a part of, for kids who are asking hard questions, for kids that we haven’t met yet who need a leader
• Pray for more Wyld Life leaders
• Pray for wisdom for leaders in tough conversations with kids
• Pray for wisdom for the area committee and staff as they make decisions about current and future ministries

Thank you for your continued support!

Grand Rapids SouthWest Young Life

A picture is worth a thousand words …

… here’s about 15,000 ….

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Timber Wolf Lake Family Camp!!

Timber Wolf Lake Family Camp It’s time to get excited for Family Camp! We are gearing up and planning for the 2011 Timber Wolf family camp.

When: September 2 – 5, 2011 Labor Day Weekend

Arrival Time: 3-5PM ET on September 2

Departure Time: 1PM ET on September 5

Cost: $150.00 for adults & kids ages 13 and up, $75.00 for kids ages 4-12, kids ages 3 and under are free!

Where: Timber Wolf Lake in Lake City, MI

What: Great family time, great food and great fun!

Activities Include: High Ropes Course, Go-Karts, Water Tubing behind WaveRunners, and an Indoor Climbing Wall

For more information, or to register, click here.

Castaway!

Thanks so much for partnering in prayer for the Castaway trip. It was an amazing week with kids experiencing the gospel on all kinds of levels. It’s been fun to hear leaders share stories about the amazing conversations had during one-on-ones, the things that happened during cabin times, how kids connected to what the speaker was sharing, and how kids from different schools got along and learned about each other’s worlds. One of the most precious stories I’ve heard has been about how a kid who truly needed affirmation was treated like a king on his birthday- starting with breakfast in bed with candles in his breakfast sandwich to rapping in front of camp later that day. What a beautiful picture of how Christ feels about him! Please continue to be in prayer for kids and leaders as they process how to live their story in a renewed way at home.

 

Check out a few pictures from the week:

 

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Open House for Lyn!

Attention all Former Leaders and Committee Members of Grand Rapids West Young Life!

You are cordially invited to a 

GRSW YL Celebration Open House For

Lyn Ten Brink

 

Wednesday, June 15

6:30-8:30 pm

First Reformed Church of Grandville

3060 Wilson Ave. Grandville MI 49418

We would like to shower Lyn with words of thanks for her years of service as Area Director of Grand Rapids SouthWest Young Life and affirmation as she moves onto her next steps with YL. Please email your thoughts to jkwiersma@hotmail.com or mail them to the area office by June 30,  or bring them the night of the open house  for us to compile as the area’s gift to Lyn.

Byron Center Young Life

Byron Center High School Young Life | In a Nutshell

The word that sums the 2010-11 BCHS Young Life year has been ‘transition’. While attendance peaked at upwards of 80-90 students on any given Monday last year, 30 or so loyal Senior attendees graduated. While it was bittersweet to see such a large, influential class of students graduate, it was with such hope and promise for their impact on the world that we let them go.

This year has been an unseen blessing. While the BCYL team wondered what it would be like to have so many faces missing for our usual Monday gatherings, the slightly smaller number of students proved to be a great opportunity to meet, connect, and intersect the lives of a bunch of new Freshmen and Sophomores, as well as a few new Juniors and Seniors. It has been a ridiculous pleasure to be able to take new kids to Winter Weekend. It has been a blast to attend basketball and football games of a fresh group of underclassmen now upperclassmen. It’s been fantastic to add four new faces to BCYL Leadership Team and watch the relationships flourish. This year has truly been a testament of God’s shining affection for the students of Byron Center High School.

As the school year comes to a close, the BCYL Team looks forward to the summer. While Club + Campaigners won’t be scheduled each Monday night, a trip to Castaway (MN) is coming up in June, as well as a group of gals heading out to hike with their leader out west. We look forward to enjoying summer with our kids as relationships don’t stop for summer vacation. Pool parties, BBQ’s, Movie Nights, and maybe even a camping trip will surely keep the fire of Byron Center Young Life ablaze over the summer months.

While the BCYL Team is made up of a crack squad of the most amazing individuals one could ever ask for, we covet your prayers in summer months. Prayers that will allow Christ to work in the lives that were sparked this school year. Prayers that our leaders will find rest and rejuvenation under the Michigan sun and continue to lead by example.

Thanks for your support of Byron Center Young Life – we couldn’t do what we do without you!

Cheers. Timm Bloem, Byron Center High School Young Life, Leader

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Capernaum Young Life

One of the beautiful aspects of Young Life is the variety in leadership dedicated to serving specific areas. People want to help and Young Life provides a means to train and place those desires accordingly. Our area has the privilege of representing many diverse clubs – Urban ministries, alternative schools, Christian schools, and Capernaum clubs.

Our Capernaum club looks quite different than most of the “ typical” YL clubs. Unlike most clubs that operate out of middle or high schools, Capernaum YL is made up of a group of young adults with a wide range of disabilities between the ages of 18 to 30 from all over the Grand Rapids area. They meet bi-weekly in Olivet Reformed Church’ s basement.

This particular YL ministry is very visual and energetic, focusing on keeping spirits and participation high! Club is filled with music, games, mixers, crafts, and discussion. As with any YL club – an essential part of club is the talk. Capernaum leaders use their creativities and a wide range of props, videos, and puppets to help communicate the Gospel to those who attend club. The leaders also focus their energies into one-on-one time with their members, helping to fill out and discuss prayer requests and ultimately meet them wherever they are at. As one of the leaders put it, “ Most of our focus is just spent on loving these kids, making them feel special and important.” It is that investment in God’ s people that illustrates so effectively what YL is about.

And the investment and blessing is two-fold. Another leader explains, “ Us leaders often talk about how our kids are so joyful and care free, with faith like a child. For that reason I believe God works in the hearts of us as leaders — the kids are examples to US as to how simple love and joy is the root of life.”

That’ s what Capernaum club is: a place where joy is the root of life. What a beautiful example and reminder to God’ s servants.

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2011 GR SouthWest YL Golf Outing

Young Life is a world-class ministry for adolescents that has been a staple in the Grand Rapids community for over 28 years.  Between the Eastern Ottawa and Grand Rapids SouthWest areas, we have ministries in 22 different locations in which our volunteer leaders give of their time and energy to build relationships with kids.  Our staff and volunteers enter into the world of kids, focusing on what matters to them – fun, adventure, friendship, and a sense of significance. In doing so, we earn the privilege of talking to them about something that we think matters most of all – the truth about Jesus Christ.

On Wednesday, May 18th, we will be hosting our 10th annual “Profoundly Armature” Golf outing to help raise support for our area.  The event will contain two different flights – morning and afternoon – you can participate during the time that works best for you.  Lunch will be provided for all participants.  This year’s event will be held at Railside Golf Club in Byron Center.

Your participation in this event helps Young Life in its mission to ‘introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ, and help them grow in their faith’.  We are so thankful for your support.

Click here to register

Click here for the 2011 Golf Outing flier

Calvin Worship Symposium

A few weeks ago some of our YL staff/leaders attended the Calvin College Worship Symposium.  This year Calvin introduced YL/Para Church Track which was excellent.  Here are a few things we were challenged by:

 

Timm Bloem:

Area Developer; Volunteer Leader – Byron Center High School

So often in Young Life, I rely on my love for high school punks and cup-loads of fair trade coffee to keep me going in Young Life. The Calvin College Symposium on Worship was a fantastic opportunity to slow down, take a deep breath, and reattach my head to my heart. I was moved by a presented thesis that argued ‘you are what you love’ and that ‘what you love’ is so often lived out in habitual form. This revolution in my heart has me reexamining the rhythm in my life. I look forward to continuing to address my habits and striving to have them bleed out in both my personal life, as well as the hallways of Byron Center High School.

 

Janie Derks:

Asisstant Area Director

I think I have more questions than answers after this day!  I’m realizing that more than being taught through words, a lot of what I learned and continue to learn about following Christ is by watching others. So are the people around me seeing the rituals that come with following Christ and am I inviting them into that (outside of simply talking about it in club, campaigners, etc?) If we learn more by watching than hearing, what does that look like for ministry in Young Life? And how do we encourage other leaders to invite kids into the rhythms of their lives with Christ?

 

Anne Bouman:

Volunteer Leader – South Christian High School

First, let me say that there were so many thoughts about Young Life that were cultivated by our discussions at the worship symposium that it has been a bit difficult to reify them into action items but…

As a team: Let’s talk about the ways we address kids. Yes, their athletics and their clothes are hugely important to them, but perhaps we should be addressing them in ways that we hope are cultivating good habits for valuing one another and what they choose to do.

As a leader:  I think I realize more than ever how important it is that I show the girls that what I value about them is not the coinage they have learned from everyone else – not what they are wearing and certainly not what they can “produce” for me – in their school work, their athletics, their accomplishments, their leadership initiatives, even in terms of their spiritual commitments. This probably means being more intentional about my phatic communication with them — rather than “you look great in that coat” say “you look relaxed or comfortable and at home here, is that true?” or “what is the thing you’ve been thinking about the most lately.”