Back in February this
year, we shared how it will be pivotal to build opportunities in putting our
hands to work alongside folks already doing great Kingdom work and spending
intentional time with adults who want to see teens impacted all over our
county-wide area. It has become evident that patience and perseverance
throughout how God has called us to work to reach teens in this area will be
key to our long-term success. We aren't just planning for a one or three-year
plan, but for decades to exist in making impacts upon teens in Leavenworth
County.
It can be easy to think
you’ve accomplished all of your groundwork as eagerness builds to begin laying
the foundation. However, as we kicked off ministry at the Salvation Army, we
quickly saw the need to slow down and keep tilling the soil. In building
relationships with these teens that are regularly attending on Thursday nights,
we’ve learned that many of them are lacking their most basic needs like shelter,
food, and clothing. Back to school
season just passed and most students are now
back in classes. Many students look forward to the start of a new school year
and all the preparing that goes into purchasing supplies, and back to school
clothes. These students we’re working with though, didn’t get those shopping
sprees or new wardrobes. Through learning their stories as we spend time with
them, we’re finding that many of them live in extreme poverty with one-income
households earning minimum wages, or may have a parent on full-time disability.
One student in particular, we learned is couch surfing with his family at
another student’s home because they don’t currently have a place to live.
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Dakota and I hanging out
on the sidelines one Thursday night during bball. |
These stories are
heartbreaking and gut-wrenching and we’d love to be able to help each student
we reach and provide for their most basic needs. We may not have the resources
to be able to help each student we encounter, but we can still help them. By
building these important relationships, these students are learning that we
care about them. In working with this demographic of students, the groundwork
phase is longer than we anticipated. We’re finding that students don’t want to
learn about Jesus when they don’t even have their most basic needs met. Many of
them question how could a loving God even exist when they don’t have food or
shelter. You may be wondering what our hopes are for introducing these students
to a relationship with Jesus. Eventually, that is our hope to plant seeds that
will be cultivated and lead to them developing a personal relationship with
Christ, but we are beginning to understand that with this group of students,
that may be a long process.
We continue to be
consistent with our team and show up every Thursday evening and love
 |
KeShawn with Al and April
after winning the 3 on 3 tournament one week. |
In addition to our large
group gathering on the basketball courts on Thursday nights, we try
to create as
many opportunities as possible throughout the week in order to gain momentum to
continue building relationships with these students. Since it’s not uncommon
for these students to go without meals, we work to connect with them throughout
the week and see if they’re available to grab a meal at the local Taco Bell or
Wendy’s. They get the opportunity to fill their belly, and we get some solid
one on one time to listen to the things that they feel they might not be able
to share with others, as well as speak some truth into their lives. Following a
recent trip to Taco Bell, Phil was hanging out with a student he has been
building a relationship with and as they wrapped up their meal and
conversation, he said, “thanks for letting me get some things off my chest”.
That might not seem like a huge deal, but it appears that the foundation is being
poured in that young man’s life.
Another of our leaders,
Al, is also busy trying to connect with students outside of Thursday nights in
hopes to continue the groundwork, to eventually build on at some point. Specifically,
he recently chose to take a couple of the guys from Thursday nights to the
Kansas City Chiefs training camp with his own son as well. They enjoyed the
time together plus played some basketball on post and then finished with some
food. His continued energy to try to reach our teens in a way that relates to
them is an incredible blessing. Recently, he has chosen to take it upon himself
to invest in a 4-week study Tim Tebow has put together and work it into a way
the teens might show some interest. Another blessing
has been the involvement of
his wife, April, into the mix as well, being that she also hopes to connect to
the female students and create those places to invest into the teens in a way
during the regular tempo of life. April recently commented with Al about
inviting the students they are getting to know regularly to their home for
meals and just to ‘hang out.’ This IS how relational Kingdom work is done.
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These are the materials which Al purchased for an
upcoming study with our teens. |
Additional groundwork
for building opportunities has begun in reaching teens in the southern part of
the county, specifically through a school mentorship program. Specifically, our
dear friend Howie Lucas of First Baptist Church of Basehor told me about the
program where the school allows adults to come into Basehor-Linwood middle or
high school and mentor students who might need help in a certain subject where
they need that extra ‘boost.’ He said that the program director is always open
to new adults coming to help out. It didn’t take too long to receive the email
from the director, Tammy Potts. Tammy is literally a living and breathing
testament of what we embody in everything we do with our teens on a regular
basis in building relationships and pouring into their lives when we receive
permission. Allison and I got the chance to tour the high school, hear about
the history of the mentor program and hear the needs they currently have and
how we can be part of their amazing movement. This opportunity is something we
never imagined happening for us especially we had been praying for connectivity
to our teens in the southern region of the county. God’s timing and plans are
SO perfect!
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| The logo and banner for the mentor program at the Basehor-Linwood school district. |
Finally, if all of that isn’t enough, God has put it on our hearts to start plowing the fields locally to invite folks to an upcoming event where we will share what God has us doing locally and also hear about our mission, vision and strategic plan on reaching the over 19,000 teens in our county in 6 school districts. Specifically it will be called “See the Story.” The adults we will invite will get the chance to come in on a Thursday evening when we are working with our teens with the basketball ministry at the Salvation Army and watch how it unfolds for a little while and also get a tour of the facility where we’ve garnered a partnership and amazing relationship of servitude. The other part of the one hour event will include how folks can prayerfully consider being part of the movement God has us doing in our area to reach these great military teens and their friends. Should you find yourself in our area sometime in the end of each month, we’d love to have you join us for this amazing opportunity to see the ministry in action.
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| The event we attended and assisted with our dear Young Life friends in the southern part of the county. |
So, there you have it – God is really moving BIG. We are so thankful for each of you who pray for us as we are moving diligently but obediently where God leads us to build relationships for the long haul and that we seek His glory and not our own.
We thank you and pray for each of you who have been alongside us in this journey.
~Phil, Amy & (Soon
to be Parker)
