Imagine this: a group of teenagers getting together on a weeknight and worshipping God.
Crazy, right?
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Well, it's exactly what Young Life is about. I never had Young Life when I was in high school, my school would have never wanted it around, but, when my best friend, who goes to Messiah College, told me that two of his friends did Young Life and that I should try it.
I figured, "Sure, why not?"
After this, I got in touch with my now former leader and he said that he would come to my room during move-in day to introduce himself. He came in with 3 of my leaders and after an awkward introduction and my Mom grilling him, I agreed to come and hang out with them at some of their Welcome Week events.
Little did I know, joining this club would change my life forever.
Going to a college like George Mason, the largest University in Virginia, it is very easy to get lost and involved in the wrong crowd, and I do not know where I would be without Young Life.
I've been a practicing Christian for all of my life, but , I had never really challenged anything I said, and I just agreed with everything that was told to me.
This was different than any Christian organization I have seen or had been a part of before this, was very specific and was not the best when it came to making everyone comfortable. More specifically, they would put pressure on people to believe certain things. This is not the case with Young Life.
Young Life is a relational ministry, and it's main mission is to connect with kids in College, High School, and Middle School as well as kids with Special Needs and Teen Moms in an effort to show them the love of Christ without them feeling pressure to conform to something they are not comfortable with.
Their literal mission statement is: Introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith.
It's honestly really great.
The sense of community that this organization develops is something that cannot be put into words in the most eloquent way.
The only way that I can give an inkling of the impact of Young Life is by telling you about my experience and seeing the love of God from people in this organization.
This past summer, I had an internship for the summer in the D.C. area, and I didn't have a place to stay for the summer. I asked one of my friends who I met at Young Life if I could live with him and he graciously opened up his home to me.
While I was doing the internship, I was pursued by my leaders in the organization and they would routinely pick me up at the metro or meet me in Washington D.C. to treat me to dinner or just spend time with me when there were not many people my age for me to be with.
Their kindness inspired me to grow in my faith and think about things that I haven't thought about before.
I love Young Life and I don't know what I would do without it being part of my everyday life. Through it, I have grown closer to the Lord than I ever thought I would and I have made some of the best friends of my life being a part of it.
If you know of a Young Life club near you, I highly encourage you to join it.
