When I was first invited to LOG my senior year of high school, I had no idea the role LOG would play on the rest of my life. I grew up in a strong, Christian home and had a pretty strong faith going into my participant weekend. However, that weekend (#48), I experienced God’s love in a whole new way during a time in my life that I needed it most. I will forever be thankful for that experience, the opportunity to serve on a team, and for all the ways the LOG community shows Christ’s love.
Fast forward to my senior year of college where I felt God nudging, well more like pulling me, towards a job in youth ministry. This was far from the pre-med path I was pursuing a degree for and my future graduate school plans. At the time, I was volunteering for Youth for Christ, an organization that seeks to share the Gospel through relational ministry to kids 11-19 years old. My Thursday nights spent with middle school reminded me a lot of my time at LOG, sharing God’s love and building the foundations of a life with Christ.
In November of 2015, I accepted a position with Youth for Christ in West Michigan to continue the mission of raising up lifelong followers of Jesus. Youth for Christ is a para-church ministry committed to reaching young people and sharing God with them. My position as a Campus Life Director involves working with students at a local public middle school in Byron Center, MI. Together, with a team of volunteers and other partners, we are engaged in authentic Christ-sharing relationships with these students. These relationships grow in a variety of ways including weekly large group gatherings (which are a lot like a LOG weekend spread out over a year), one-on-one coffee meetings, visiting the school lunchroom, cheering kids on at soccer games, etc.
I could share countless stories about the ways I’ve witnessed God working in the hearts of these kids, many of whom have no faith background. There’s just nothing that quite describes the feeling of seeing the “tough guy” kid, who firmly described himself as an atheist, break down weeping after deciding to say, “YES!” to following Jesus for the very first time. It is such a blessing to see the Kingdom of God grow before your own eyes!
Would you join us in praying for this Kingdom growth? Would you pray for LOG and teens in the Michiana area, but also for Youth for Christ and kids throughout West Michigan and the world?
If you’d like to hear more stories about the ways God is moving in students’ lives or how you can support our mission, I would love to chat! You can contact me at mbadur@wmyfc.org.