Young Life Capernaum

After being involved in a sorority freshman year and a business organization sophomore year, I decided to pursue an organization that would be more of a spiritual challenge and where I could better serve. I wasn't sure where to start, so I just looked into what I was already familiar with. I had been involved with Young Life in high school where I went to a weekly club and attended camp one summer in Colorado. Here in the Brazos Valley, Young Life is pretty big with 12 teams serving high schools, junior highs, teen moms, and people with special needs. In Young Life, there is a two year commitment and a semester of training. Because I was a junior and hadn't gone through training, I thought I would have to move on to look for another organization to join.

I have a friend from Wichita Falls that had been placed on Young Life Capernaum late in the spring semester of our sophomore year and he encouraged me to visit. They were going to be short on leaders because three would be graduating in December, so the two team leaders sat me down to see if I was really interested and willing to commit more than an ample amount of time each week to being on the team. After quite a few prayers and a meeting with the area director I was placed on Young Life Capernaum. For the first time in my life I was totally giving up my plans and decisions to the Lord and He blessed me so incredibly much by placing me on Capernaum.

Young Life Capernaum is a branch of Young Life that ministers to kids with special needs. I say "kids", but the ages of people who attend range from fourteen to upper sixties. As a leader, we have a couple of meetings each week along with contact work and club. Here's a small glimpse into what I am so extremely blessed and proud to be involved in:

Contact Work:

Contact work is one of my favorite parts of being on Capernaum because we are able to live life with our friends. Most of the kids in Capernaum are in a bowling league. They have practice every Tuesday night and an occasional tournament. This is a time for us Young Life leaders to go and cheer them on at practice and be able to talk to them about things going on in their lives.

Haley and Clay

Cassie and Dana

Stacie

Another opportunity we have to see our friends is at their schools. Our team goes to two local high schools that allow us to visit in the cafeteria, PE classes, and classrooms. This is a great opportunity for us to meet new kids and build our relationships for the ones that already come to Capernaum. At Bryan High, they have a coffee shop where special needs kids can work to help gain real world skills. All of the proceeds go to their program at school.

We are also able to hang out with our friends outside of school. Whether we go grab lunch, watch a movie or head to the park, it is mainly about spending time with each of them in a more one-on-one setting.

Jennifer and myself feeding ducks at the park

Polar Bear Camp:

Young Life typically takes kids to Polar Bear camp for a few days in the winter months. In January, we took our Capernaum friends for a weekend retreat. We stayed for two nights at a camp site just outside of Huntsville where we had different activities. Between club, talks, free time, skits, s'mores, and a carnival, our friends had an amazing time and were able to learn about our Father who loves us and finds each one of us so extremely precious. 

Janet, myself, and Carolyn

Juan

Dylan and Morgan

Carolyn

Chris and myself

Dylan got water balloon payback

Jolyn

Clay

John eating his first s'mores

Waiting on s'mores

Special Olympics:

This past weekend was the spring Special Olympics in Brenham, Texas. It was about an hour away for those driving from the Bryan/College Station area, but there were schools and groups from other areas as far as Houston. One of our friends in Capernaum, Dylan, had been calling me each day the entire week before the Special Olympics to make sure I was coming to see him in the softball throw and a 50 meter dash. They all get so excited to take part in such a big competition and be cheered on by friends and loved ones.
 

Showing off their muscles

Manuel

Stephen and Manuel

Receiving medals

Joey, myself, Shawn, and Joseph

Club:

Thursday nights are always my favorite nights of the week! This is the time that all of our friends get to gather for games, skits, worship, and a message given by a leader. We have a theme each week to make it a little more fun for our friends. Our prayer each week is not that we just make it a fun time for our friends, but that they see and learn that their heavenly Father wants a relationship with each one of them.

This semester I gave my first club talk. I had free reign on what I would get to share with the kids, so I decided to do something that I was (and still am) going through so that it would be more genuine... trusting in the Lord's plan and timing.

¹¹ "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29

Not that God takes the easy way out, but I feel like it was His way of killing two birds with one stone. Not only was it rewarding to share the truth that God tells us about His perfect plan, but my time of preparation taught me so much that I had skimmed over before. Although I feel the need to stress and worry about the changes and unknowns in my life, all I should do is give them up to the Lord because His plan is so much bigger than what I can plan for myself.

Tony and Tony skit

Myself, Kent (George Strait), Miles, and Clay (Motley Crew) at "80's" club

Myself and Kyle at "Noah's Ark" club

Molly, myself, Kyle, and Mason at "Crazy Hair"club

Dorothy and Linda Sue at Valentine's Club

 Greta, Cassie, Kelly, and Molly at "Super Hero" club

Ben and Alice at "Super Hero" club

Matt and myself at "Super Hero" club

Joe as Indiana Jones at "Super Hero" club

Myself and Jennifer at "Beach Party" club

Dana trying to avoid "hermit crabs" (fortune cookies with whip cream filling)

Jennifer and Molly at "Easter" club

Charlotte, Matt, and myself at "Fiesta" club

Haley, myself, Dylan, and Hayley at "Pilgrims and Indians" club

Welcoming Ben to club

Clay and myself

Merl and Earl (Kyle and Mason) doing a skit

Boys at "Patriotic" club

Dylan as George Washington at "Patriotic" club

Teddy at "Western" club

Talent Show:

Each fall Capernaum puts on a talent show to raise money for sending a few of our friends to camp during the summer. We have performances anywhere from "Grease Lightening" to Sunny & Cher's "I Got You Babe." There was such a great turnout with over 200 people to support our friends. It was by far my favorite night of the fall semester getting to see our friends have the courage to perform in front of so many people.

 Juan practicing for the talent show

Waiting for the show to start!

Fall 2011 Leaders

Leader Appreciation Dinner:

A few weeks ago, some of the parents decided to throw all of the leaders an appreciation dinner to thank us for the time we spend with their kids. It was such an honor not only having a dinner party, but having our meals served to us by our sweet friends. It wasn't anything we as leaders expected or felt that we deserved, but it was one of the sweetest nights of my life getting to hear that our hard work and love hadn't gone unnoticed. 
 

Guy leaders and Ben

Girl leaders and Wendy

Kent, myself, and Gary

Myself, Carolyn, and Mason

Dylan saying the blessing

Because Capernaum is geared toward people with special needs, it sometimes leads me to doubts and thoughts of if I really am making a difference or wondering if our friends are understanding what we try to teach them. I realize that those are all lies that the enemy is using against me. Although it is out of my control, I know that the Lord will provide them with the capability to understand what He is telling them through us. A few weeks ago, someone told our team that one day our friends will be thanking us in heaven for everything that we are doing for them now. It is such a sight to look forward to getting to see our friends in perfect form telling us what they were experiencing when they were at Capernaum! Since I have heard that, I have had a better attitude going into situations with our friends and realizing that all the small things we do for them really are making a difference in their lives.

¹² “...When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  -Luke 14

Spending the last two semesters pouring into this ministry has become the most rewarding time of my life. I have found so much joy in serving our friends and getting to show them the way Christ loves each of us through unconditional love. I have also received so much from our kids by getting to see their childlike faith and positive attitudes despite what personal issues they have. It has been such a blessing to get to be a leader and it has pushed me to grow and strive to be more like Christ each day. It is such an honor to be serving my God even though I have so many issues and struggles that I deal with. I am blessed with the love and grace of my Savior, and although I am a broken vessel, I am still a vessel that God is using to display His truth. Regardless if I am "too tired" or "not in the mood," it is still my duty to be a living example of Christ for our friends. I am only able to be completely drained of energy and effort because I have the everlasting love of a Savior that will undoubtedly fill me up when I'm running low. 

"Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory." -Romans 5:1-2