January 2018 Newsletter

When we hear the term “ground zero”, we often associate it with the deadliest terror attack on American soil that occurred on September 11, 2001. Since our country has been at war now for 17 years, families are starting to experience 2 generations of family members serving in the same war. Wow!

The snapshot of Ground Zero in New York City.

Here in Leavenworth County, many of the students we work with attend Leavenworth High School and are a part of the JROTC program. Some of these students have plans to join the military and serve their country. Most of these students were born after 9/11, and have only known a country at war. Some of these students are dependents of military service members, while others will serve as a first-generation service member. Regardless of the area of the call to serve, whether it be the military, ministry, a helping profession such as the healthcare industry, teaching, or any other field where you can serve others, we all start somewhere. That starting point is ground zero.

Long before that fateful day in September of 2001, Merriam-Webster defined the term “ground zero” to mean, “the very beginning”. When it comes to YFC Leavenworth County, the very beginning was in July 2016, when the affiliate was created. Since we’re still in our infancy, there are many areas of ministry that we’re working to get off the ground.

One area in particular is with our volunteers. We can’t offer the different ministries that have launched without quality volunteers that are dedicated to serving and building Christ-sharing relationships with teens throughout the county. As we have been planning and vision casting for 2018, we felt it was important that our volunteers all start from the very beginning. Does that mean they time travel back to the inception of the affiliate in July 2016? Of course not! However, what we have done, is adapt a training class that was shared with us by fellow YFC friends that helps our volunteers start at the very beginning. That class is Ground Zero.

A front view of Patton Junior High on Fort Leavenworth where we are helping where they have need before school and during lunch periods. 

Ground Zero is an hour-long discussion that helps to orientate people that are interested in serving with YFC locally in our area. Throughout this discussion, we touch on who YFC is as a global organization, as well as the mission and vision of YFC here in Leavenworth County.

We discuss the process of the different ministry areas where people can get plugged in by exploring their passions, giftsets, and how we can see God's alignment of their calling to utilize them. The conversation wraps up by getting these interested folks on track to complete the necessary forms and background checks, should they decide that YFCLV is a place they want to serve.

The lunchroom where we help at 

Patton during both lunch periods.

The common area where we help at

Patton Jr. High in the morning.

That being said, we have had the pleasure of sharing a new need throughout our area which pertains to the impact of our teens - financial and life skill readiness. We shared the overall idea throughout social media, personally inviting adults throughout the county to join us in this effort as we build from 'ground zero' and develop it as a class the teens can truly enjoy. It would be developed via a focus group of teens sharing what they'd like to learn and the team of adults unpacking their strengths and where they feel led to pitch in and lead each time they get together with the teens. God's onto something since we have fielded 9 responses from adults who are highly interested in helping this move ahead. WOW! Rather than plow into developing this class, we are taking these interested adults through the initial 'YFC ground zero' information to see if there is an alignment and should they desire to proceed with the group who is committed. This basically allows the movement of this class and ministry opportunity to be fully embraced by the adults who wish to run with the torch and be poured into by our staff. Up to this point, every adult who has said they're 'all in' with moving ahead has specified that every teen would benefit from a class like this and essentially we are providing and filling a need our community and county. It's such a blast!

The front view of the Leavenworth Youth Achievement Center where we will host the ongoing finance/life skills class.

Another area where we have started from 'ground zero' was mentioned in last month's newsletter, specifically on Fort Leavenworth at the Harrold Youth Center. This is one of the 'meccas' of working with military youth on the installation right where they are and getting to know them on their turf. It all started in sharing with them that Phil could help out with their Passport to Manhood class with their only male staff person, Jake. Throughout over the year of relationship and integrity built in serving the folks, Jake specifically invited Phil to come spend more time with their teens on a more regular basis rather than twice a month for Passport classes. We can't make this stuff up. It literally is ALL Jesus and His plans that uncover and provide future plans to work with military teens on the post. Patience has paid huge dividends to His glory!

Our most recent snapshot of the 4:13 B-ball ministry partnership with the Leavenworth Salvation Army in which a

friend of ours joined us who used to play in the NBA developmental league, sharing pointers and hooping with us.

Also, as we look into the future, God has been opening phenomenal doors for us to discern and see

what He's planning for our opportunity to take kids to summer camp. We believe that when we can take our students away to a place where they can truly unplug from their lives back home and their devices and anything else, God really works in those moments. Through much prayer and seeking God's timing on what we are going to do for our teens, it came from an introduction to a gentleman who was serving alongside Phil while he was helping at Lansing Middle School's Challenge Day in the fall of 2017. As soon as the chance happened to get together with Antonio for coffee to hear more about the summer camp he provides not too far from us in Leavenworth, it truly was God's working in connecting

Antonio and his wife Candace who lead

Awaken Camp each summer.

other like-minded Kingdom people. It became apparent that Awaken Camp which Antonio had been blessed to oversee was exactly what God has in store for our Summer 2018. The camp literally works with kids relationally throughout the week spent with them and they highly encourage all the adults present on camp grounds to 'jump right in' with the kids and get to know them and spend time with all the kids, including the ones each leader brings. The final pieces that also provided confirmation of our choice included the incredibly affordable price of $95 per student and the camp would be an hour drive from most teens' homes in our area.

A snapshot of students worshiping together at Awaken Camp last year.

Now that we are seeing God's provision for our camp plans this year, we are now plowing the fields and working with the plans of raising support to see our teens go to camp at an affordable rate. We're praying and hoping to see each student to be able to go for half price or better. With all of these details coming together, we are noticing new things come together to get our teens supported, specifically with a silent auction, 50/50 drawing and a pancake feed to kick of spring in our area. Amy's sister has blessed us in a great way reaching out to businesses on our behalf; we have already received multiple generous donations from a dozen or more businesses who have contributed toward the silent auction and we are awaiting on a couple of the local Kohl's stores in coming to support the event as well, in which the company will support the event financially should at least 5 or more employees help us out. We also are launching our first-ever envelope sponsor campaign, where it has envelopes numbered 1 to 50 and folks choose which envelope they would like and the number of envelope they take is the financial support amount they choose to send to YFC Leavenworth County to support our youth for camp.

These are the envelopes available to support sending teens in our area to camp, each number is a dollar amount in 

which folks can choose to help and partner with us. 

No matter what happens or occurs, we are truly thankful for each of you believing, praying and supporting God's movement on our lives to serve the awesome teens of Leavenworth County. As you all can see, there IS something going on as we are moving swiftly into 2018! We really LOVE hearing from you all as well, so please let us know how we can be praying for you. If you want to know more about anything we are sharing in the letter, please let us know. We are excited with all the new things happening and all the new adults and teens we're getting to meet.

Onward, upward and Kingdom movement for Christ's glory!
~Phil, Amy, & Parker

**To join our team in any way you feel led in prayer, financial partnership, spreading the word and anything in between you can reach us at pparsons@yfcmail.org or contribute online at https://yfc.givingfuel.com/30631**

December 2017 Newsletter

What an amazing and incredible 2017 it's been! We feel sometimes we don't tell y'all enough about what God has been up to with the ministry to military teens and their friends throughout Leavenworth County, Kansas, so we'll give it our best with more detail shared on the stories of students' we've served. We hope and pray we do justice in sharing what Christ's been doing in and through us this year. 

Brandon (on far left) with our guys helping raise funds for

the Salvation Army kettle campaign this year. 

Brandon is a young man that has been attending the basketball ministry at the Salvation Army since its inception, and before that I got to know him through the basketball ministry at the local church we were partnering with. As I have gotten to know more of his story through our time spent together, I learned that his dad is a Navy veteran. He didn't even realize he was a military kid since his dad wasn't currently serving. Many of the kids that we work with are military kids, but because their parents are retired, they aren't moving around all of the time, changing schools, or any of the other things on the long list of what military kids have to endure. Recently, a local church in our area had to make the hard decision to close its doors. I have known the pastor for many years, and worked with his kids in club when I previously lived and served in Leavenworth before moving to Georgia. He wanted to bless the ministry with all of the sound and audio/visual equipment from his church since it was no longer needed, as well as the local youth center with the chairs from their worship center. I showed up to help them transport the chairs to the youth center and load up the sound equipment one Saturday morning. I checked with a few students to see if they wanted to help, and Brandon stepped up and came out to help me. As we were moving stacks of chairs, he started to tell me a story of how he had been reading in the book of Revelation. Wow, I thought, that's awesome! This news came as a bit of a shock to me, as we haven't really shared much of God's story with the students attending on Thursdays as we are still working to learn their stories and build the relationship to a place where we can share God's story with them. As the conversation continued, God continued to blow my mind and this is an amazing opening of a door toward gaining that access to having more faith conversations with these students. He shared with me how he had been watching a movie that mentioned Revelation, so he decided to look into it a little more by pulling out his Bible and doing some reading. His reading led to some questions, so we talked a little more about what he had read. As the conversation went on, he shared how he would be interested in getting some friends together to start exploring more of God's Word! He was even excited to share that one of the Christmas gifts he received was a Jesus Calling devotional book. We're praying that the Lord continues to penetrate his heart as he digs deeper.

Brandon (in back left) with a group of teens

helping with bell ringing for the local Salvation

Army fundraiser this season.

Some of our students that aren't military kids, are experiencing a lot of what military kids have to endure in that they are moving all of the time due to poverty. Some of these students are moving a lot more than military kids have to in a lifetime. This has really opened my eyes to a whole new demographic as I previously have never really worked this closely with this population. Leavenworth County is a very affluent county in Kansas with so many military households, which boarders Wyandotte County, which is the one of the poorest counties in Kansas. Sadly the need of our students and their families in Leavenworth County who do not have their basic needs met are typically ignored or pushed out. Some of our students come out on a Thursday night, and by the next week, they've already switched schools and changed addresses. Many of our students are couch surfing, and one day they may be staying with friends while still able to attend their current school, but the next day, they may end up staying with relatives in a different area of the greater KC area, where they have to switch schools, only to return to Leavenworth in a few weeks and have to transition all over again. A big piece of what our leader team is learning is that these students are struggling to have their most basic needs bet. When they are struggling to figure out where or when their next meal will be, whether or not they have clothes to wear for school, or a place to lay their head at night, it's so much more difficult for them to believe in a God that loves them, because after all, why would a loving God allow such pain, misery, and hardship? As we love these kids and are becoming the only consistent piece of their lives, they are learning that they can lean on us and look forward to our time together. As we continue to work with them, we hope to build the bridge to point them toward Christ and His constant love for us, regardless of the circumstances we face, and teach them that the trials we endure in this life are so much easier to handle when we're walking with Jesus. 

As one can see, the gym gets packed on a 

Thursday night. Showing that our teens 

talk with their friends about a space and

place they are welcome and safe to hoop.

In the mean time, we continue to show up and love these kids right where they are, and partner with others in the community that are doing the same thing. Jesus loves us in the middle of our mess, and we do the same for these kids. They are noticing our love for them. Oftentimes throughout the day, students will text me and ask for a ride to the community center or to or from school. I'm not always available, but they reach out to me because I have become a trusted person in their lives that they know they can reach out to. Even when I have to tell them no, they know that I'm still here for them and love them and they can always reach me. 

As I have been parenting my own son for the last couple of months, my eyes have been really opened to what exactly these kids are lacking when they grow up without a father in their lives. Some of our students have fathers that are in prison, others have fathers that they have never known because they walked out before they were born. Others have fathers that have been killed or have died of cancer. I know that I can never replace the father that they lost, but I can walk alongside them and point them to a relationship they can have with an eternal Father that will never leave them or abandon them. 

Simple sandwiches and mozzarella sticks

with marinara sauce mean the world to 

these teens who might not get much to eat 

from day-to-day.

It is through these stories we can see that Christ is working in and through the relationships we are building with these students. Our prayer is that God will continue to grow these relationships, bring us more students to engage with, grow our leader team so we can reach more students throughout the county, and continue blessing the work that He is doing through us. 

Our family together at Kansas City's Union Station during their annual 
Christmas display.

As most of you know, I had to pick up part-time work in July in order to offset the financial deficit we had due to the loss of the government contract in 2016. I have been working part-time for our local church as the operations director. It is with an extremely joyous and grateful heart that I am excited to share with you that we have raised the additional monthly support amount needed to offset the deficit so that we can return to a full-time ministry status with Youth for Christ. In less than 4 weeks, we went from a $1500 per month deficit, to being fully funded again. With this additional funding accounted for, we can now focus on raising funds to get the affiliate fully funded and growing the ministry throughout the county as God leads. 

As 2017 comes to a close, if you would like to make any year-end gifts, feel free to follow the link to make your charitable contribution that will continue to fund the work we're doing here in Leavenworth County. We pray that you all had a very Merry Christmas and that your new year is filled to overflowing with God's blessings. 

~Phil, Amy and Parker

**To join our team in any way you feel led in prayer, financial partnership, spreading the word and anything in between you can reach us at pparsons@yfcmail.org or contribute online at https://yfc.givingfuel.com/30631**

November 2017 Newsletter

The group of guys who lovingly cleaned up

the whole Salvation Army facility one

Saturday afternoon.

As we flip to this time of year on the calendar, we enter a season of thankfulness. This season, we have so much to be grateful for. We try to live each day with an attitude of gratitude, but lately, God is blowing our minds in many different ways. Some days all we can do is pick up our jaws off the floor and marvel in His unending goodness of all that He is doing within the ministry here in Leavenworth County.

  

Our prayer for a while now has been to establish a relationship within the gates at Fort Leavenworth through the school system. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the principal at Patton Jr. High School, which serves grades 7-9 on post. He is an amazing Christ follower and has many faculty that are also believers. In our time together, I simply listened to some of the needs he has for adult volunteers within his school. While our hope is to eventually offer a program to where we can build relationships and share Jesus with the students at Patton, our current plan is to step in and serve in a capacity that helps meet the current need. Principal Wiebe gave us the green light to start serving in his school, serving as those needed extra adults to simply be present with students. This will look like additional help in the morning as students arrive to be a bright, smiling face that greets them and gets their day off to a positive start. It will also look like having adults available during the lunch period to eat with students and build relationships with them, striking up conversations with topics like how school is going, after school activities, and being available to listen to their hurts and struggles that they may have being a military teen. We hope to start serving at Patton after the first of the year as students return from Christmas break, with a presence in the school 2-3 days per week.

Another reason to be thankful is for the continued partnership with the Harrold Youth Center on post. They offer many programs for the military youth at Fort Leavenworth through their joint partnership with The Boys and Girls Club, including a program for teenage boys called Passport to Manhood. Through this program, they are able to teach these youths how to bridge the gap from childhood into adulthood by adequately equipping them to face challenges ahead of them. In this program, they are taught basic life skills like money management, hygiene, respect in relationships, and many other topics. Through this program we are able to build relationships with them with the hopes of sharing our story, listening to their stories, and pointing them in the direction of Jesus.

Phil, Amy & Parker together ringing bells
for the localSalvation Army. 

As if that isn’t enough reasons to celebrate and be grateful, there’s still more! Since initially vision casting for the affiliate as we began serving in Leavenworth County, our hope was to eventually have a presence in all of the 6 school districts that serve the county. This was a long-term goal and our hope was to accomplish that within 10 years. Since our inception, we have been praying and have been seeking opportunities to meet with faculty, athletics, and other organizations within the schools to begin building these relationships. God has been busy paving the way providing opportunities. As we have been obediently following, we now have relationships with key stakeholders in 4 of the 6 school districts. God is good! We hope to continue growing these relationships as we seek to serve as God allows, loving on these teens in our community.

Allison, our additional staff member of the YFC affiliate, has been gaining a lot of ground in the Southern part of the county as she serves at Basehor-Linwood Middle School. She has been building relationships through the mentoring program they offer. She serves twice a week in the theater class and has befriended many girls and has also been spending time with them outside of the classroom. They have gotten groups together and played volleyball, among other activities. Allison recently had the opportunity to sit down with one of the student’s mothers to brainstorm how they could form a girls small group and begin sharing Jesus as they grow their relationships.

Our wonderful adults serving

the teens their Italian food.

Phil's table of guys sharing

during the meal.

Then, shifting gears toward our leaders, we couldn’t be more thankful for each of them as they passionately serve our teens right when and where they show up. For instance, Al chose to go to the beginning scrimmage of the first basketball events at Leavenworth High School, specifically where two of our young men, Caleb and Jacob were playing for the freshman team. Yet if all of this isn’t enough to show God amazing thanks, our leaders continued to love our teens in our end-of-semester Thanksgiving Italian feast. The adults chose to serve them an all out food smorgasbord on their final basketball evening of the semester, in a family-style sit-down meal, to include tons of pies, cake and other desserts. Multiple students complimented and thanked the adults for showing them so much love in a meal they’d haven’t experienced before or in a long time together with their ‘family.’ In Phil’s table, he asked students he was sitting with specifically what they were thankful for and multiple comments flew out that students were thankful for their ‘family away from home on Thursdays.’ Impact beyond any belief being made in and

through our servant leaders!

Finally, we wouldn’t be where we are if it weren’t for opening our hearts and listening to our brothers and sisters already doing Kingdom work throughout our area, hence building

The huge group of volunteers for the Thanksgiving meal.

relationships with folks we’ve mentioned in previous newsletters. Specifically, our ongoing partnership with the Salvation Army in Leavenworth has been nothing short of God’s miracle to our obedience to support and show up to help out in a new program not offered in such a long time. Throughout our inception in June of this year to end of November, we have reached over 620 total headcount of teens who have come into contact with us via the program and beyond it with serving opportunities, flag football events and other moments spent with our teens. Also, our other amazing partner who does phenomenal Kingdom work in the community, Unity in the Community Movement, yet again offered for us to partner and serve the people physically and spiritually. We got to gather a couple of our teens to help out with a turkey and clothing giveaway at their church location and also had the pleasure of helping serve in their annual Thanksgiving dinner to the community event. It is truly God’s best when we seek to partner where folks are already on His mission to serve as we have with our UIC brothers and sisters to impact our teens and their families for His glory.

Phil chose to serve UIC dressed as a clown
during a recent Turkey & coat giveaway.

So, there you all have it – God’s been SO good and we have tons to share! We are thankful for each of you who pray, partner financially and care for us as we work diligently as God leads us to work with the teens we encounter all throughout Leavenworth County. Pray for more hands for the harvest as we have shared that we’re getting new permissions and there will be a huge need for more hands to the work!

Thankful for each one of you!

Phil, Amy & Parker

October 2017 Newsletter

What a roller coaster of an October we've had! If you all didn't know, as soon as the calendar flipped to October, we knew it was only going to be a few short weeks until the arrival of our baby boy, Parker Landry. Little did we know God had other plans in his entrance into this world. After the doctor told Amy and I to be at the hospital on Sunday, the 8th to be induced, our minds were already spinning in getting our stuff in order the weekend ahead of heading to the hospital. They wanted to reduce any complications due to diabetic need and blood pressure figures, so we were so thankful for the knowledge of the professionals and how they cared for us even before his birth.

All of us back in the room after his arrival.

After nearly two days in the hospital with little action, the doctor chose to move things along with more assistance and before we knew it, Amy was starting to move toward having our son on Tuesday. What we didn't know was how her blood pressure would continue to rise and the medical protocols the hospital had would force us to make a decision we didn't think we'd have to make. Rather than have Amy in pain but also provide some relief for her blood pressure for her and the baby, we chose the option to help that quickly and safely. Before we knew it, her pain was under control, the blood pressure dropped and it seemed like we were on the way for her to continue the birth plan from the doctor earlier. One thing the doctor noticed was how quick her blood pressure dropped and then the baby's heart rate dropped with it. They were concerned so much that she said that we'll be having a birthday party soon if it doesn't rise. Literally less than 15 minutes later, I was in the operating room watching my son being shown to us from the whirlwind of activity that happened to bring him safely into the world along with keeping Amy healthy and safe as well.

Amy and I with Parker moments

after his arrival.

So, there it was, on October 10th, at 1:13pm, Parker Landry Parsons came into the world. Although we had a birthing plan together for how we hoped to see things unfold, I (Phil) was very open and relaxed as things kept climbing for us to notice the demand of changing options and keeping mom and baby healthy. It was a Jesus teaching moment right from the start - not all goes as planned and He'll make sure we're taken care of regardless of our own intuitions. The full on range of emotions hit me while I was holding my son while the doctors and medical staff were tending to Amy to finish up the procedure was unreal. We were both elated but also filled with tears of joy that God had brought us our son, which we never knew would happen.

Then, after almost 5 days in the hospital, they released our new family of three into the world, ready

Parker in his initial days 'photo shoot.'

to go home and settle into this new journey of being parents to a newborn son. So many of our friends warned us on this moment that would grip us when we were heading out of the hospital...they're going to let us take this human with us, and expect us to take care of him!?! Once we arrived home, it was nice and tranquil around the home getting settled into the surroundings with the extra person alongside us that we were responsible for. One thing we didn't foresee was how our dog would welcome us back home...

A bit of a back story with our dear dog, Neicy. She'd been with Phil dating all the way back to 2005, where he'd adopted her and she was rescued from a no-kill shelter. She continued to be by his side throughout some of the toughest and darkest moments of what he'd been going through, including the transition into following Jesus all the way back in 2007-08. Loyal to a fault, this dog was everything hoped for and resilient beyond belief as she even moved nearly as many times as some military teens we've met in the years. She'd lived in Kansas, Nebraska, Georgia and back to Kansas again. Many friends throughout the years had helped watch her whenever Phil or both Phil and Amy would have an event out of town and dear friends would let her stay over or they would go take care of her at our home.

Neicy enjoying the warmth outdoors.

What welcomed us back to the house after a 5-day hiatus was a fragile and weak posterior of our dog when we saw her. Her back legs had deteriorated even beyond what we knew, literally where her front would go straight and the back would pivot sideways, trying to keep up. If this wasn't enough, the poor baby girl was having trouble holding her potty, where she would unknowingly urinate on the floor here and there in the home. It broke our hearts as she was highly interested in our son's arrival, literally going over to his carrier or us as we were holding him. Neicy would come sniff him and even lay her head on his covers just to be part of the process of Parker's being home.

Our sweet dog, Neicy as she was laying on our laps.

What we ended up doing was the toughest decision we've ever made being married. Neicy's life was at a point where it was not any type of quality at all. She was struggling just to survive in the time we noticed her decline. The day we were celebrating our son's one week being here, we were struggling to hold it together on the final day of our dog's life. Phil spent literally almost all day with Neicy, petting and cuddling her and even going outdoors and laying outside in the sunshine and enjoying it with her, just stealing moments together with a best friend. The time set in our minds was iron-clad, 4:40pm as we knew that time would come too soon at the vet. Getting her into the car and on the way to the vet was the toughest and longest ten minute drive of our lives. Even when we feel we're doing something humane for our pets, it's true agony when we do it due to their impact on our lives.

Neicy sunbathing outside on her last day. 

Neicy and I together in the warmth of the day.

Then came the moment to watch our dog come to the end of her life. To say that anyone could be ready and make that choice for a pet, is literally so hard. I had done that before for a friend who lost her husband and she needed help in putting the dog down that was her late-husband's dog, but this pain was way beyond that. To see our pet, a dear loved friend who was loyal to a fault, not be around anymore still brings us to tears as we remember that hard afternoon decision.

Neicy in the back of the car 

as we took her to the vet.

The best part about any and all of these moments this month is that God still remains sovereign even in the toughest and most joyful opportunities. I personally got the chance to share twice with groups of teens on what exactly God has been teaching us throughout this time. He is waiting on us, just like our pets as they are loyal to a fault and nearly will lie at our feet, waiting on our every move. It's just as I shared with our teens on Thursday nights and at our church to consider; what if we treated Jesus the same way our pets acted toward us?!

The month of October was a roller coaster for sure emotionally for us and continues to be that way as we remember our furry friend and loved pet, plus learning some kind of 'normal' with our son in the home. As we head into another month of creating spaces and places with phenomenal adults who love teens just as they are when they show up, please be praying for us. Pray for our family. Pray for each teen that comes through the doors wherever we get to high-five or hug them. Pray for each of our adult leaders who are spending incredible amounts of time loving our teens with the time they could be using elsewhere.

Us with our newborn son, Parker.

In essence, we can't do this without you all praying and taking care of us as we are hoping to go where God calls us and directs our ways. We love you all and pray for each of you often.
~Phil, Amy & Parker

**To join our team in any way you feel led in prayer, financial partnership, spreading the word and anything in between you can reach us at pparsons@yfcmail.org or contribute online at https://yfc.givingfuel.com/30631**

Daddy and son in their photo shoot in the room. 

Showing off his early grip from his hands.