First Young Life club of the year!

Getting ready for the first club of the year!

Last night was the first high school Young Life club of the year! We had around 40 kids from 4 different high schools come out ready to have a great time. While the leaders and I were excited, we had no idea of how many kids to expect. I was hoping for enough to make things exciting, but did not expect anything like what we had!

Shaving cream baseball... it might have gotten a little messy.

The night started with everyone hanging out around the fire as kids showed up. One of the highlights for me was watching the returning kids from last year come. They were so excited to see Josh and Micah. It was evident how deeply Josh and Micah cared for these kids last year. I pray that as we move into this year, and possibly some growth in numbers, the relational aspect continues in this same way. The foundation that Josh and Micah laid last year is great!

 

MVP pitcher, Jack Benjamin, and Sam... like I said, it got messy!

Once everyone seemed to have arrived, we played a game. Shaving cream baseball. Its basically a game of whiffle ball, but the ball is filled with shaving cream. It was awesome watching the ball explode every time it was hit, and Jack Benjamin was hilarious to watch as a pitcher. As the game came to a close we switched the ball out for water balloons filled with shaving cream and let kids take turns hitting them with the bats... and then it just turned into a bit of a shaving cream war... nothing says Young Life like people getting covered in shaving cream!

Now that's a fire!

Once the mayhem died down we had s'mores and hung out around the fire. We have a few new leaders, and then a couple leaders, myself included, who came up from WyldLife this year. It was great getting to see leaders and kids begin new relationships, and watching the new leaders jump right in with kids.

Some of the freshman kids looked a bit in shock. I don't know if they knew what they were getting into, but as they were leaving they said they couldn't wait for next week, and were excited to bring more of their friends.

Like we always say, Young Life is about relationships. It starts with leaders building relationships with kids, and then those leaders hopefully get to help kids begin and build their relationship with Jesus. Nights like these are all about making opportunities for leaders and kids to get to know each other. A relationship with my Young Life leader forever changed my life, and I pray that some of the relationships started last night will change some of the kids lives in a similar way!

At the end of the night I introduced all the leaders to the kids, and let them know what to expect for the rest of the year. We will be having club every Friday night. All the leaders shared how they are involved with Young Life because they want kids to see that Jesus loves them just the way they are. I got to share how we do this because we believe, with all our hearts, that Jesus came to give us life to the full. I also told them that we want them to come and feel like they belong even if they don't agree with us about Jesus. Young Life is for every kid, everywhere, for eternity. We will always seek to be a part of these kids' lives, even if they never want anything to do with Jesus.

Next week is the all Orange County Young Life roller skating party! Its going to be a great time for sure!

So much fun! Can't wait for the rest of the year!

Ladera Ranch WyldLife: The Bonfire

Bryce and Riley showing Jackson and Matthew how to roast a hot dog!

Last night we had a bonfire to end all bonfires! Matthew Patrella came with a truck full of wood, and so many more kids came than I was expecting. It was a blast!

Always a good time hanging by a fire.

We started the evening just hanging on the beach. Some kids played whiffle ball, while another group started a football game, and still another group decided to go for a swim. Everywhere I looked kids were having fun with leaders. It was awesome.

Is there a better way to spend an evening?

After a while we started roasting hot dogs over the fire. Sometimes an open fire roasted hot dog just hits the spot, and Paden and Reese both agreed with me. I think Paden ate 5 and Reese had about 6. All the kids had fun making their hot dogs, and luckily, even though I was expecting 30 kids max, I bought enough for 50.

Ben, Jake, Henry, and Andrew decided to take a dip! Not too cold for them!

After the dogs we moved to s'mores. I love watching people gather around a fire, and so often really good conversations can happen as everyone is roasting marshmallows over a fire.

Drying off by the fire.

We ended the night playing a game called "cross the river." Its a super simple game but the kids love it, and it gives us leaders a chance to get to know them more.

Paden became a pro at roasting dogs!

Overall the night was a success. Sometimes all kids need is an evening where they get to be kids. It can be easy for me to think that I need to be talking about Jesus at everything we do, but I was reminded last night that pointing kids to Jesus involves much more than just talking about him. Hanging out with kids, getting to know them, letting them get to know you, and being with them even when things get kinda crazy points them to Jesus without using words. When we do that, we are acting like Jesus. He wants to be with us, he wants us to be with him, and he always stays close even when we go totally crazy… even when we make the worst decisions or completely ignore him. Showing kids Jesus' love is so much more than just talking about it.

That's why we do things like having bonfires, and letting kids run around like crazy middle schoolers on the beach!

The girls had a blast too… and that sunset was amazing!

Brand New Ladera Ranch WL Club

I set this blog up just recently to be a way for donors to stay up to date with what I am up to and how WyldLife Ladera is going.

"This last Saturday we had our very first event, a bonfire at Hole in the Fence beach!

We had 13 kids come, Jade, Caitlin, Candice and I got a chance to meet and talk with 5 parents, we chowed down on s'mores and played a little night time ultimate football. 

It was a blast.

Both the kids and the parents are more excited than ever about getting WyldLife officially started in Lader Ranch! I even had one of the boys text me later that night saying he was going to bring some girls to the next thing we do!

We are planning a few more events before Christmas: laser tag, and a scavenger hunt/Christmas party are both being planned.

If you could continue to pray as we get things going, it would be really appreciated. It seems that God has some great plans for YL in Ladera. 

Specifically, we could use prayer in/for the following areas: fundraising, recruiting and training more leaders, getting a solid support team of parents, and finding a way to get on campus.

I am both excited and hopeful for what the next semester will bring, and can't wait to get to know some of these kids and begin sharing the love of Jesus with them."

-Luke Bright