StoryLetter March2024
It has been a wonderful month at West Sound YFC! We have seen a lot of changes happening in our relationships with the students and more opportunities to share the Gospel with youth.
Ministry Stories
I first met Aaron, a remarkable young individual at one of our centers. He’s a 9th grader who initially faced challenges in socializing and making friends.
Raised by a dedicated single mother alongside a younger brother, Aaron has navigated through more trials than many his age. Despite these hurdles, it’s heartening to see him creating and building bonds with his peers at the center.
Aaron’s resilience is evident through his struggles. Aaron has shared with me that although he does believe in God, he is still searching for how this belief fits into the fabric of his life. His regular attendance at our small group sessions is a positive sign. I am hopeful that with continued support and encouragement, he will not only find his place spiritually but also feel empowered to overcome the obstacles he faces.
Deandre
Military Life & Campus Life Leader
Bremerton Area
Meeting students in their environment produces authentic relationships. Every week as I walk on campus I am building new relationships and strengthening others. Campus time can be unpredictable and sometimes challenging. I see hundreds of students and while they all know me I haven’t even began to memorize their names or faces.
Many times I meet students who will tell me personal things going on in their life. One girl named Layla mentioned to me she is in foster care, deals with Type 1 Diabetes, and cannot wait to leave her home. Another shares how she is dealing with low self esteem and her mom makes her feel bad about herself. These are just 2 of the many stories I have heard and I hate to think about the students stories I have missed while trying to maintain other relationships.
We are in need of more loving, caring and thoughtful adults willing to meet students where they are most comfortable. For them that is the lunchroom, a basketball game or at an after school club. Many students are waiting for someone to listen to their story!
Cassandra
Campus Life Leader
Bremerton Area
Braxton has been coming to our center for a few weeks and recently he walked up to me and said, “You know how I love God?” He then shared with me how he started attending church and had a conversation with some friends who believe in Satan and one that didn’t believe in Jesus. I told him to continue loving them and showing his friends kindness. Braxton then said, “I should pray for them huh?” I told him that praying for others is a wonderful thing to do, we talked about how God will find them wherever they are.
During this conversation another student joined us and shared how he does not believe in God, it gave us a wonderful opportunity to talk with him about it. I love how these students felt comfortable bringing up these conversations; our drop-in centers are a great place where students feel comfortable to be themselves and we are able to build incredible christ-sharing relationships with them.
Stephanie
Campus Life Leader
East Bremerton Area
Upcoming Events!
We have a fun Seattle Spring Break trip coming up next month and we are asking for your help! We have so many students who want to attend this trip but unfortunately cannot afford to do so, you can help sponsor a student by donating to our Trip and Event Sponsorship program.
You can also register your student for Seattle Spring Break by clicking the link below.
