Good News - June 2020

www.goodnewsfl.org 39 JUNE 2020 OUT AND ABOUT Like many ministry workers around the country, Youth For Christ (YFC) Campus Life Direc- tor April Lovins had to get cre- ative when it came to continuing to reach at-risk kids in the Greater Miami area. Long before COVID-19 im- pacted the region, Lovins and her team had been active in sur- rounding counties, with three Youth For Christ City Life sites in high-need areas. Additionally, dance andmusicministry groups were reaching kids on middle school campuses, and YFC had a presence at 22 sites, some on- campus and some off-campus. Plus, staff and volunteers were workingwith local juvenile justice centers as well as training about 100 youth leaders. “So before COVID-19, there’s been a lot of inspiringmin- istry going on all over the county and expanding in the Ft. Laud- erdale area as well,” Lovins said. But the Greater Miami YFC teamhad to find newways to get to the kids they had beenmentor- ing and serving for months if not years.And other Youth For Christ chapters around the nation faced the same gathering challenges but also the same urgent needs. “No one has been immune to the effects of COVID-19, and this is especially true for at-risk youth who were already in chal- lenging situations evenbefore the coronavirus changed our daily lives,” saidYouthFor Christ Pres- ident Dan Wolgemuth. “These very tangibleneedsof kidsacross thecountry include foodandshel- ter, as well as the intangible but crucial realities of hopelessness, fear and despair. Around the country,YouthFor Christ staff and volunteers are reaching out — one kid at a time, one family at a time — to make a real difference in their lives, not only now during these unprecedented times, but for eternity as theymeet Jesus on a personal level.” Much of the face-to-face in- teraction may currently be on hold, Lovins said, but “meeting felt needs” remains the goal. For example, one Miami- areaYFC representative still has an in-person presence at one of the detention centers because he is working in the essential mental health arena, while YFC teams in Dade County are get- ting food to kids and their fami- lies. Last month, YFC City Life programs provided Easter bas- kets to drop by houses, and today, twice a week, the teams are organizing meal pickups at the YFC City Life site, especially for breakfast and lunch, which families are accustomed to re- ceiving through now-closed schools. “These are some of the hardest neighborhoods hit — in any crisis — because of the lack of resources,” Lovins said. At another detention center where YFC ministers, staff were granted permission to continue mentoring sessions with the girls as well as lead weekly devotion- als on topics such as anxiety, cri- sis and hope. “So they can still meet with their mentors and go over their curriculum every week, which is miraculous,” Lovins said. Technology has played an enormous role in how YFC in Greater Miami continues to con- nect with kids. Within the first week of stay-at-home orders, young YFC staff were producing lively, educational, relatable, in- teresting—and “hilarious” — In- stagramLive videos, Lovins said. These connections through online efforts have opened doors to engagement between fellow staff as well as with kids who might have never interacted in person with YFC before COVID- 19. For instance, aYFCCampus Life intern who accepted Jesus as her Savior through Youth For Christ three years ago recently joined a Zoom Bible study to tell her personal story and share how the group hasmade a differ- ence in her life. Nationally, Youth For Christ is telling inspiring stories like these through #YFCBeTheStory, an initiative to help spread the word across the nation about howYFC chapters are making a difference in their communities. This spring’s #BetheStory event for theGreaterMiami Youth For Christ will be available on Vimeo through June 30. Youth for Christ has been a pillar of missional ministry since 1944, when the Rev. Billy Gra- ham served as YFC’s first full- time staff member. Learn more about Youth For Christ at itsweb- site, www.yfc.net, Facebook and Instagram pages, Twitter feed @yfcusa or on Vimeo. #YFCBetheStory: Reaching Kids on a Personal Level Is Still a Priority GiselaEgea (17 years old), a senior at South Miami Senior High. Gisela’s grandmother was in the hospital when quarantine started and has been unable to work as a house keeper, somoneywas raised by a YFC teacher sponsor, which has kept them fed this entire time.