Summertime Tradition

Last night I took some of my Youth for Christ girls to our annual summer baseball game. Each year a wonderful local business donates baseball tickets for our local minor league team, and through going to these games each year, we have started our own little tradition.

We get to go in through a "special door" with no line, and to the littles one's delight, we even get to take the elevator instead of the stairs. Oh, and not to mention, we have great seats!

And not only do we get to go enjoy a baseball game, we get to do it in style. Last night we got free tickets to the buffet, and on top of that, free hotdogs and sodas (delivered to our seats), and all we could eat popcorn! (And its a good thing I brought my mom purse, cause one of my girls insisted on taking some of the goodies home for her siblings. My purse now smells like a concession stand :)

We had such a fun night, and to top it all off, we stayed to enjoy a post game fireworks show. It really is a blessing to be able to give these kids a little special treatment once in a while.

 Thank you, Giersch and Associates, for your generosity, and for helping us create lots of great memories!

The C Word

This week I was asked to house/animal sit, and in exchange they allowed me to have a couple of the girls I mentor over to go swimming yesterday.

Two weeks ago I helped the woman I live with paint the New York skyline for her church's VBS. As a thank you to her for all the work she did, they gave her a giftcard to the Olive Garden. And to thank me she invited me and the girls to go out to dinner last night.

It kinda feels like that thing...

You know...what's that word?

Its that thing where you help others out when they need it, and then they help you out, just because they can...

I think it starts with a C....

Oh, yeah.

Community.

Being a Billionaire

In all honesty, many of the things I write on this blog are things I think about while driving/praying on my 30 minute commute to work.

Today on my drive home I was listening to the radio, and there was a short news piece about a couple of famous young women who are now billionaires.

I've gotta tell ya, my $20,000 a year income cannot even wrap its mind around what a billion dollars even means. And billions of dollars? Can't comprehend, other than I know it means being able to live without the constant worry of what extra jobs I can pick up this week to pay my bills.

So, away with this thought my brain went.

If money was not an issue, what would I do? How would my life be different?

Of course there are the little things. I would pay off my car and student loans. I would throw out several shirts that are ready to go and replace them with new ones. I would go out for a sushi dinner more than once a year. I would fly to Colorado to see my family more often.

On a bigger scale though, I gotta be honest. If I didn't have to worry about money, I would keep the same job I have now, working with autistic kids.

I would continue to volunteer at Youth for Christ, but instead of squeezing in time with my girls when possible, I would buy a house in their neighborhood and quit my extra tutoring jobs so I could be home with my door open when they get out of school. I could bake them cookies and help them with their homework every day. I could hear the little details about their everyday lives instead of once or twice a month updates.

Then summers. Oh, the things I would do with my summers. Since I work at a school, and I wouldn't have to work summer school, I could travel the world. But first I would get my master's degree in Community Development. I would spend the summers building schools in rural areas where there is no formal education, but I would do it in a way that they are community sustainable. (I have ideas, let me tell ya).

And as I continued driving, my ideas expanded. Then I realized that my dreams are not that far away from reality. In some areas I would be able to do the things I love "better," but I wonder at what point my reliance on Christ would turn to reliance on money.

Since I can remember, growing up in a single parent home, each month was lived by faith. There were days we didn't know if we would have dinner, and somehow God always provided.

Yeah, it would be awesome if I had the money to, with the swipe of a card, just pay for the Rural School Project in Zimbabwe.  But then I would be missing out on being part of an international community. The members of New Life Church and I would miss out on the act of stepping foward in faith each month to meet the government regulations and time line in the building process. The communities around Binga would miss out on offering their time and talents and sweat in order to give their children an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. And the kids would miss out on the opportunity to experience through this project the faithfulness and power of Christ, through whom all things are possible.

And all of these things, they can be hard, but they are good. These are the things money can't buy.

I ended my drive with a prayer that if God ever entrusts me with more money, that I will be faithful with each cent I am given, and if he doesn't, that I would do the same. I prayed that I always remember that no matter how much or how little I have, it all belongs to Him. And I thanked Him for always proving himself faithful.

What would you do if you never had to worry about money? How would your life change?

One Reason to Become a Mentor

Being a mentor can turn everyday drab events, such as running errands, into laughter worthy, bonding experiences.

You never know when a simple thing may be a first time and exciting event for a child.

Such as going through an automatic carwash.

It's in these simple moments, just living life together in ordinary ways, that I have found the extraordinary.

God Bless,

Scooters are Cool.

To support my fundraising efforts for my upcoming trip to Zimbabwe, I received this very generous donation from Tom and Janet Baird:



I decided to do a raffle.

On October 1st Janet drew the winning ticket (sorry I know this announcement is a little late :)



And the winner is...



Esther!

(Pretend my eyes are open)

I am so excited that Esther won! She is a full-time staff at Youth for Christ. Not only does she direct the City Life program (that is our urban-outreach community ministry), she also lives downtown in the neighborhood she works in. Esther and her husband have been sharing a car, so the scooter has really been a blessing to her. To top it off the scooter has opened the door to start conversation and connect with more people in the community. Everyone loves the scooter!



And yes, she rides it in her heels :)

So, thank you again to Tom and Janet. The raffle was a big success, and the scooter has ended up being a double blessing!

The Rules

At Youth for Christ we always have club rules hanging up on the wall as a constant reminder of what behaviors are expected.

Last week one of our girls summed it up well. This is now the sign hanging up at girls club :)


"be nice to e wuther"

Immersed

A few months back I shared about having a Mother's Heart. I shared that although I don't have any children of my own, God has blessed me with many children in my life.

Last week I was hanging out with some of the girls I have been mentoring for the last few years, and I just had an overwhelming sense of love for them. I felt love for them that I am sure parents feel for their children...so much that I felt like I was going to explode...so much love that I couldn't contain it.



Feeling that love for them just broke me. Have you ever had God break your heart for someone or something, and you are moved to continuously pray and long for them?



It is like that, but stronger than I have ever felt before.



I have loved these girls for years, and God broke my heart for the neighborhood they live in and the families who live there a long time ago, but last week God pulled me in deeper.



So deep I am completely immersed in God's love for these girls.

You Capture. Hands.

This summer at Youth for Christ one of our interns is leading a girls club. Each week she does a short Bible based message about being a woman of character, and then she teaches awesome and practical skills that most of these inner-city girls have never learned.

I have the honor of being her support and mentor for the summer, and have been blessed to sit in with the girls club every Monday and Wednesday.

Jackie is a Proverbs 31 woman to the core, and it is a beautiful thing to watch her share her time and skills with some of our junior high girls.




Over the course of summer she is teaching baking, sewing,




as well as some fun crafty things. This week the girls made picture frames.







I love seeing these girls being pushed each week to try new things. They really are stepping out of their comfort zones, and are so proud of their creations.

Yet another reason I love being part of Youth for Christ.

(please feel free to check out more photos from this week's You Capture)

You Capture. Fun.

To be honest, this week has been a really rough week. Between my grandma passing away, and having to say goodbye to many of my students who will be at new schools next year, I have been an emotional wreck. Because of this, I will have to cheat a bit for this week's You Capture.

When I think of fun, I think of Thursdays. On Thursdays I invest a little extra time with some of the students I work with through Youth for Christ. A couple weeks ago I took 2 of my girls to the park to fly a kite, which kids and kites are the funnest things ever.

These girls, Payeng and Dulce, have been part of my life for several years. They were very shy when we first started getting to know each other...



...but as time has passed it has been a blessing and a complete joy to watch them grow



into beautiful,



joyful,



and fun







young women.

Wow, I am blessed.

Was it Worth it?

A couple days ago I went One Day Without Shoes.

Did it really do any good? Was is really worth all the weird looks?

I would like to think so.

I have been on spring break this last week, so I did not go to work barefoot, but I did spend the morning at Youth for Christ. It was great! Most of the office joined in, and we printed out little info strips to hand out to people we encountered throughout the day.

There were several people I know who I saw throughout the day. When they didn't mention anything about me being barefoot, I asked them if they were curious as to why I wasn't wearing shoes. One person told me they assumed it was "some kind of people who love Africa thing," and I was told by another that they didn't think anything of it, because I am kind of a hippie. I will take those comments as compliments, thank you very much :)

So, throughout the day I was given the opportunity to share the cause with many, even with some women at my church. (Yes, I went to church barefoot)

Throughout the day I was able to share the facts about there being over 300 million children in the world who don't wear shoes, and the health effects of that. Perfectly enough, part of our study topic that evening at church was THANKFULNESS. The conversation came back around to the things we take for granted, and I got to share even more about some things I experienced on the mission field.

One thing that shocked me throughout the day was that everything I was saying seemed to be brand new information to a lot of people...even Christian people.

I love raising awareness about poverty, but I use to get so frustrated at things people didn't know. I eventually realized all that did was turn people away, so I prayed for a change of heart. I have to tell you that now it just makes me so sad. Being the church, we should know about the poor, because how are we going to love them if we don't even know about them?

So I shared with them a few things going on in our world that many of us have been sheltered from. And now I am praying for more opportunities to share with them in a loving and meaningful way.

So, was it worth it?

Yes.

Are there still over 300 million children in the world who do not own a pair of shoes?

Yes.

But the good news is that we can do something about it. Check out how at Toms shoes and Samaritan's Feet


The Fresno/Madera Youth for Christ crew going One Day Without.

CUPCAKES!

Yesterday was the semester kick-off of Saturday Sports at Jefferson, as well as a brand new Saturday club for girls. Since most of my Jefferson kids have moved up to junior high this year, I wanted a way to stay connected with them, especially the girls who are in such a crazy and crucial growing up stage.

I want the Saturday girls club to be a safe place for the girls to talk about issues they are facing, as well as teach Biblical truths about purity and love and integrity that are completely foriegn in the commuinities they are being raised in. As part of the club I want the girls to participate in outreach projects, as well as have opportunities to take on leadership and responsibility in activities we do, with the hope of strengthening their leadership skills and their self esteem. I am still searching for the right curriculum/Bible study to use as the basis for the club, so I thought we would kick it off this week with just a fun time! So we made cupcakes! LOTS of cupcakes!


For these girls it was their first time making cupcakes, ever!



Of course we had to mix in some silliness.



(Some of) The final result! I am telling you, we made A LOT of cupcakes!



We made extra so we could give some away to people we thought could use some encouragement. Joseph was one of our lucky recipients :)

It was a great day. And now I need to go de-frost the kitchen floor!

God Bless!
Rebecca

A Few Faces From YFC

I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have prayed for me, the interns, the kids, and the overall ministry of Youth for Christ over the summer, and over the past 2 1/2 years as I have worked with YFC in various ways.

Although I am not a parent myself, the more I work with these kids the more my love for them grows, and at moments God gives me an inkling of the love HE feels for His children, and I am completely overwhelmed. This feeling brings me to my knees, and I am reminded how time and time again in my Christian community I hear the emphasis of how important it is for parents to fervently be praying for their kids. I know that this has been true of my parents, and I know it has made a difference in my life and in the heart I have for Christ.

Having said that, I would like to point out that the majority of the faces you see below do not have parents praying for them. For many of them, if their parents know anything about Christ it is through the example of the children. So, please, as you look at the pictures of these kids, I would ask that you would pray for them. Maybe picture by picture for each one, or maybe God will tug at your heart for an individual child. Many of the pictures have names, but if you are curious about a child that is not named, please let me know. I know your prayers can make a huge difference in these children's lives!

God Bless,
Rebecca

A Powerful Peak Into the Ministry of Youth for Christ

YFC Update Letter

Dear Friends,

Blessings! I would like to say a big thank you for all of your generous prayer and financial support over the last several months. Summer has officially begun at Youth for Christ! We have a great team of interns who have stepped up to provide fun, safe, and Christ-centered activities for the youth of downtown Fresno.

If you were to visit Youth for Christ’s office any given weekday, which we encourage you to do, you would find youth of all ages learning about the love of Christ through graffiti art, music, crafts, improvisation, community service, and various other activities.

As Summer Intern Director, I have been amazed to see how God has brought together a diverse group of people. Each intern comes with a unique background and set of talents, forming a team representative of how wide and vast His love and His kingdom are. As the weeks pass I see these interns grow. Some are comfortable within the neighborhoods similar to their own, and some are completely stretched beyond their comfort zone, but with each one I am proud to see their willingness for God to use their testimony and their talents, whatever that may look like.

As the summer continues I would encourage you to keep the youth, the interns, and myself in your prayers. Pray that God would expand the reach of Youth for Christ, and that we would be able to bring in new youth who have never experienced the love of Christ. Pray for the interns to grow in their personal relationships with Christ through this experience, and that their actions and words would be a living example of the truth they are teaching. Please pray for me as well, that I may have creativity, compassion, and wisdom as I lead this team of interns.

Thank you again for your continued prayer and support. I have been blessed by your generosity. If you are still interested in donating, your gift would be greatly appreciated as I am still working to reach my goal.


God Bless,

Rebecca L Allen
Summer Intern Director
Fresno/Madera Youth for Christ


Some YFC students making WaPIs (Water Pasteurization Indicators) that will go to communities in Swaziland where they have penpals.


YFC interns preparing for a fundraiser dinner.


YFC interns in the kitchen getting ready to serve spaghetti to some of our awsome supporters.