From the Desk of the International Director

Dear friend,

As I reflect on Youth for Christ around the world, I am continually amazed by God’s faithfulness.

We have just concluded our General Assembly in Kenya, bringing together leaders from across our global movement. Worshiping, praying and learning together reminded us that while our cultures and challenges differ, we share one calling: reaching young people everywhere with the hope of Jesus.

From the Dominican Republic to Germany, Nepal, South Sudan, Jordan—and far beyond—God is at work. Thank you for being part of a worldwide ministry where we continue to witness lives changed and the Gospel advancing.

Serving Christ together,

Dave Brereton

International Director

When the Voices Changed

“They told me negative things, and I believed I was someone incapable of doing anything right.”

Before joining Youth for Christ Dominican Republic’s soccer academy, Liam struggled with depression and allowed other people’s opinions to shape how he saw himself.

“Everything was always wrong,” the teenager remembers.

Then Liam met someone through the academy who began teaching him about the Bible—and about life. One lesson especially stayed with him: “Don’t let yourself be carried away by what people say or become sad, because God knows that He loves me.”

That relationship pointed Liam toward Jesus.

“That person helped me much more than I expected,” he says. “My life changed from one moment to the next. I couldn’t believe it.”

Youth for Christ Dominican Republic uses soccer and other relational ministries to meet young people where they are, build trusted relationships and introduce them to Jesus.

Liam remembers the problems he carried before coming to the academy, but today his story sounds very different: “When I accepted Christ, my life changed a lot. Really, a lot.”

The voices that once told Liam he wasn’t enough no longer have the final word. He is discovering what can happen when a young person knows he is loved by God.

From Refugee to Leader

At the age of 10, James Ochuho fled South Sudan with few clothes—and no shoes.

Civil war had torn through his homeland. Separated from his parents, James arrived at Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, where he would spend years without seeing them.

But there, a pastor kept visiting and sharing the hope of Jesus. At 15, James found the courage to respond.

“In a refugee camp, now I had found refuge in Christ,” James remembers. “I was willing to sacrifice and do anything for Him.”

That refugee camp became an unlikely training ground. James began serving younger children through Sunday school, choir and Bible study. Years later, leadership training and mentoring through Youth for Christ helped prepare him for something remarkable: returning to serve the nation he had fled.

Today, James is National Director of Youth for Christ South Sudan.

In one of the world’s youngest nations—nearly half the population is under 15—Youth for Christ South Sudan is reaching young people through schools, street ministry, sports, media and leadership development.

The barefoot 10-year-old refugee could not have known where his journey would lead. But God did.

Today, James is helping a new generation discover the same hope that once found him in a refugee camp.

The prayer team would love to pray for you and any concerns you may have. Please let us know by clicking the image above.

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