October in Young Life South County!

South County rolling hard at the all Orange County YL skate night!

October was a great month for South County Young Life!

We started with an all Orange County Skate Party, and ended with an epic Halloween club. 

Pie in the face trivia: USA vs Canada

We started having "normal" clubs this month and saw the group grow in size every week in October. We had 14 kids at our first club of the month, and had 25 at Halloween club. We have seen more kids from both Ladera Ranch, and San Juan come out, and we have kids from SJHHS, Tesoro, Dana Hills, SM, and J Serra coming on a regular basis.

Juan with a HUGE smile!

Clubs have been super fun. We typically have three games, a raffle, and a talk about Jesus.

It has been incredible to watch kids let go and have a blast doing everything from trying to smash balloons tied to their feet, to racing to see who can unravel two rolls of TP the fastest.

While these games get crazy, and it may seem chaotic, they have a purpose. Games show kids that we want them to have fun. They show kids that we care about them by showing we spent time trying to plan something they would enjoy. The crazier the game, often times, the more accepted kids feel, and the more they are ready to trust us.

Club can get a bit crazy at times!

Club is also a time to just be with our high school friends. We do a lot of hanging out in Young Life because we believe that one of the greatest gifts we have to give our young friends is our time. We come to club early and leave late, often giving kids rides home, or meeting with them after. When leaders spend time with kids, they let them know they are valuable. We let them know that we think they matter, and that we think they are worth spending time with.

Mummy wars at the Halloween Club.

The last thing we do at club is the talk. We have the opportunity to share about Jesus. This is, without a doubt, my favorite part of club.

This month I have gotten the privilege of giving the talks. I believe, with all my being, that Jesus loves every single kid that comes to Young Life. I believe he loves each of them, the way they are right now. I love getting to share with them stories from the Bible where Jesus loved people, and made things new, better, and more full.

Jesus brings life wherever he goes. Whatever he touches is made better, from turning water into wine, to making a crazy person sane, Jesus makes things better. He has the unique ability to fully restore anything to the way it was created to be. He does this with us as well. Jesus doesn't wait for us to clean ourselves up, or get our act together, or do something good before he loves us. Jesus loves us the way we are. He loves the people others don't love, and he loves the people others have forgotten. This is incredibly life giving to our high school friends. To know that God loves them regardless of the way they act, or how they feel about him. Realizing this brings freedom, the freedom to love, and the freedom from shame.

Luke sharing the Good News of Jesus' love.

Young Life is about helping kids meet Jesus and then growing their relationship with him... but first we just seek to show kids we care about them, and then, because Jesus did this for us, we love them no matter what.

Halloween Club was a blast.