You're receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in Youth for Christ. Don't forget to add mail@yfci.net to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox!
LIVING ON THE STREETS SHE CALLED THE HELPLINE
Living on the streets and trying to take care of herself, Rachidi felt sad and abandoned. Born into a Muslim family in Benin, Rachidi lost her parents as a child. Various extended family members cared for her, with her aunt eventually taking her in and seeing that Rachidi got an education.

Rachidi was taught to venerate Islam. She had to attend Koranic school three times a week and memorize chapters of the Quran. It was a tough life, but she felt like she had no alternatives. “I felt like a robot – just doing what I was told without thinking about it.” Still, she did well in school and did her best despite the difficulties she faced.

Then, after a misunderstanding with her aunt, Rachidi was chased out of the family. Homeless and parentless, Rachidi reached out to a helpline and found herself connected to Youth for Christ.

Youth for Christ staff people invited her in, showing her love and care. Eventually she surrendered her life and became a Christ-follower. “I was so excited that day that I even forgot I had serious challenges.”

Though reconciling with her aunt, her aunt arranged for her to live with an Imam in a mosque. Having no choice, that is where she lives today. This “...is where I am currently residing,” says Rachidi, “but secretly serving Christ. When I bow down in the mosque to pray, instead of praying Muslim prayers, I pray to Jesus. Please pray for me to be strengthened and able to stand firm in my new-found faith.”
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF YOUTH FOR CHRIST
We’ve often heard the phrase “act your age”. When you consider age and actions, it’s hard to believe that the vibrant, relevant, youth-focused ministry of Youth for Christ is not actually a teenager, but an organization that, through prayer, provision, and God’s continual blessing, is celebrating 75 years in 2019. The best of both worlds: young at heart with the wisdom of years!

Beginning in 1944 on the prayers of people wanting to reach young people, with rallies in the Chicago area drawing at least 70,000 people and hundreds receiving Christ, and banding together with people with similar hearts around the country, the movement of Youth for Christ was born.

Not long after, Youth for Christ became a world movement, starting with Britain and China. Today, Youth for Christ works in over 100 nations around the world, many of them celebrating decades of youth ministry as well. One of them, Youth for Christ Colombia, recently celebrated 45 years of outreach. “What a joy it is, to be able to say that in spite of so many things that have happened during this time, our work has been sustained and maintained. All thanks to the fact that God has been in the midst of all things,” said Fernando Triviño, current National Director of Youth for Christ in Colombia.

Fernando himself came to know Jesus through the work Youth for Christ was doing at his school when he was a teenager. He, along with thousands of other young people, have met Jesus and had unforgettable experiences through Youth for Christ over the years.

At an early all-night prayer meeting, Youth for Christ founder Torrey Johnson prayed, “Oh God, we want this kept on a miracle basis. We want everyone to know that God’s hand is on this movement. We want folks to see that this is too big and too great for any man or group of men to accomplish by themselves. We want folks to say, ‘God did it!’”
The YFC Prayer Team would love to pray for you and any concerns you may have. Please let us know by clicking the image above.
Your generosity ensures that lost young people have the opportunity to be followers of Jesus. You are reaching young people everywhere.