Friends,
#BTheInfluencer
You may have seen this hashtag on our posts over the last several months and wondered about its meaning. 

In social media, influencers will often have some sort of specialized knowledge, personal experience, and/or insight about a particular subject. This gives them credibility and authority as they promote a particular brand, location, or service. 

When it comes to influencing others for Christ, personal experience and insight are vital. 
As a teenager, I can remember being significantly influenced by Marge Caldwell’s walk with God. She was a senior adult in our church who loved students, and loved to talk about how we could have a real ongoing conversation with God throughout the day. Her personal experience with Jesus INFLUENCED my life as a 10th grade student. Reach Out’s mission is to equip and multiply leaders (whether they are 22 or 82!) who influence the younger generation to follow Jesus…just like Mrs. Caldwell’s influence on my life.
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As we begin 2022, my prayer is that God uses Reach Out to glorify Himself…as more and more youth around the world discover the influence Jesus can have on their today and their forever! Regarding this idea of influence, the newsletter this month invites each of us to consider:  (1) a question to contemplate; (2) a few stories to inspire; and (3) several specific prayers to pray. 

A Question to Contemplate: How has your life changed (is your life being changed) as a result of Jesus? 

This year, may we join together as a community of faith, committed to stepping into opportunities God opens to us where our changed life might influence the life of another.
"You are the salt of the earth...you are the light of the world -- like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden...let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:13-16 (NLT)
A Few Stories to Inspire:

RUSSIA

Pasha Koryakin (our country leader in Russia) – “In Kaliningrad, the youth of local churches are being trained according to the strategy ‘Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry’". It is a great inspiration and blessing to invest into the younger generation, to see their eager hearts, to witness how they grow and become people of influence in their generation! It is especially joyful that this time the guys we taught a few years ago are teaching with us now. They are passing on their successful experience to the younger ones!”
UKRAINE

Christina Oleksyuk (our country leader in Ukraine) hosted an Eagle Leader Retreat at the end of last year.  
 
Christina – “We shared our struggles and difficulties, and prayed for each other, our ministries, and for the younger generation in Ukraine.
 
They left the retreat motivated and focused on Jesus, renewed in helping others who we are leading and influencing for Jesus.”

Click the picture below to see the video Christina shared with us!
MALAWI

Billy Banda Kamphata (our country leader in Malawi) recently updated us on how God is using Reach Out Youth Solutions in his country. 

In 2021:
10 JFYM Forums occurred, and leaders were trained.
Over 1,000 were saved.
137 were baptized.
Many young men and women have been commissioned into ministry this year in Malawi.

God is using our team to spread the Gospel literally from village...
...to village.
Billy also told a story about a young man named Zephaniah. In 2015, Zephaniah visited Billy's church for the first time. He was an orphan from a remote village, and had traveled to the city to try to further his education. He had been sleeping in the bus depot and bathing in the river. Because of the influence of Joseph Chiteri (another Reach Out Leader) on Billy’s life two years earlier, Billy stepped into Zephaniah’s life.

Billy and Zephaniah

“I was compelled to take a fatherly role and help him wherever possible…now Zephaniah has completed his university studies and is seeking a job in secondary education. My joy is not only in his academic success but also in his maturity in the Lord. He has become a powerful preacher of the Word and a dedicated young Christian who is definitely going to influence his world.”
Several specific prayers to pray – I invite you to print out the “printer friendly” page of our prayer requests for this month and place it in your home, office, or Bible, so you are reminded daily to join with us in prayer for those who are on the front lines around the world influencing the next generation for His glory. 

#BTheInfluencer this month, as you pray for Reach Out, as you invest financially in this work, and as you invest your life into the lives of others!

Jesus is Lord,