While our primary focus at YFC is 11 to 19-year-old students, our mission is to create lifelong followers of Jesus. When we build relationships with students, we plant seeds that will affect growth throughout their lifetime. Sometimes we are lucky enough to see those seeds grow right away, other times, it takes years. An example of this happened just recently in Leo.
There was a young man who would come to Campus Life all the time on Monday nights, and I would hang with him and his friends frequently. I can remember many conversations with him about God, where he was open to a relationship with Jesus but was never ready to take the next step. At one point in his life, he went to church for a bit, but it was not a good experience. This made it hard for him to be all in at that time. For the past couple of years, we’ve kept in touch. Recently, out of the blue, he called me and wanted to talk. We met at Applebee’s where he shared that for the past year everything in his life had gone wrong, and he was looking for hope. I had a chance to share Jesus with him, and he accepted Christ into his life. He has been coming to church regularly for the past three weeks, and he has even gotten involved in the college group.
It’s such a blessing and a privilege to see the Spirit continue to work in the lives of individuals as they leave high school. It’s a reminder of the importance of real relationships. Our smallest actions can have huge eternal ramifications. Praise God for His faithfulness!
Mike Steiner, Leo Campus Life Director