One of our goals for 2021 was to inspire our teens and families to neighbor well. Serving others is a gateway experience for many other positive outcomes for young people – it helps them develop empathy and it helps them identify and develop their own gifts and talents.
But those young people who want to serve others and affect change in their community don’t always know what to do, which is why it was so important for us to provide opportunities for them to reach their peers and neighbors.
Since the beginning of the year, they have done several service projects to help others, but our team really wanted to do something specifically to reach other youth. They decided to plan a rap concert that would attract the interest of teens in the community. At the concert, we’d share about the different activities they could get involved in as well as give them the opportunity to hear from some of the youth already in Roots & Wings program.
In order to really prepare for this concert, we asked the teens in our youth groups to go out and flyer the community. While they were handing out invitations, they should look for opportunity to share the gospel through their own personal stories of how God has worked in their life. Many parents joined in to help spread the word, and it turned into an impactful event in and of itself.
The night of the concert, two of our preteens, Alexis and Yoana, bravely shared their testimonies of what God has done in their lives. Alexis’ dad, Daniel, followed his son’s testimony, sharing how God helped him overcome a troubled childhood that led to a lifetime of drug abuse and restored his family.
We felt the Holy Spirit move strongly that evening and we pray that the seeds that were planted on Friday night will take root. We know the enemy has a strong hold on the youth in this community, but we also know that He who is within us is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
Please help us pray for the youth in our community, and pray for the youth of Roots & Wings. We love seeing these moments of increasing mindfulness and maturity in our young teens. Pray that they can remain firm and we can better prepare them every day for the battles they face outside our walls.
If you would like to support one of our young teens on their journey, please consider becoming a child or monthly sponsor. They, and we, would love to have your support.
