A Note from Andy - August
As I write this, I’m sitting at my desk a little groggy after a very late night on the corner of Broadway and Commercial in the Vancouver East Side. You may not know this, but that area is one of the centers of the sex and human trafficking trade in the Lower Mainland. As our workers in the area have discovered, it’s very easy to walk along the street and have a 14 year old boy offer to arrange sex with a 12 year old girl. As you read that, you may recoil and think “that’s not OUR city” but sadly, it is.
Creative World {an arts + justice festival}
GVYFC/Youth Unlimited is proud to be a sponsor in the Creative World Arts & Justice Festival. Creative World is a grassroots celebration, festival camping-style, of God's heart for those on the margins and for justice. Combining worship, bands, musicians, speakers, workshops, art and discussion around themes of justice, the vision is for a Greenbelt-type event that brings folks together from across the spectrum of faith and socio-economic backgrounds.
Joy
Each time I sit down to share some of what’s happening at Lifeteams with you, something else happens and I don’t know where to start! Over and over in the last few months we’ve been reminded that our God never stops working – we just don’t always recognize His hand. Recently, however, his fingerprints have been so very evident.
We see God’s finger prints on the hearts of individual kids who are giving their lives over to Jesus. One young man was staying at a shelter for homeless youth when he became friends with a Lifeteams student who is serving at the centre twice a week. In a prayer time Rob had challenged the students to be a true friend to the young people they worked with by telling them a story about Jesus that week. Ryan took the challenge to heart, and in a conversation with this young man, Ryan introduced him to his best friend – Jesus. The young man listened intently and became more and more excited with what he heard. At the end, he knew that in the middle of all the instability of his life, he needed a saviour. After the conversation Ryan offered to give him a ride back to the shelter and he said, “No way – I’ve got so much joy inside me right now I just can’t be still! I’m running all the way back!”
Look Where I am Today
Time passes; youth grow up and move on. A few months back I bumped into a former student I worked with. I hadn’t seen him in years. We reconnected right away. He told me the stories of what had happened to him over the years. He explained how he gave up drugs and alcohol. He shared about his new life and his three kids. He told me about his new role as a mentor for First Nations youth. It was fun catching up.
New Lifeteams Website
Know someone that could benefit from 8 months of experience-based learning in a soul shaping environment? Lifeteams provides a place for God to impact young adults while they are impacting the world around them. Check out the new Lifeteams website at www.lifeteams.ca
School Supplies for Rwanda
Unlike Canada, schooling is not free in Rwanda and what there is, is often not of a high standard. Unfortunately it is way beyond the cost of poor Rwandan families, which means that kids from the poorest backgrounds are never given the chance to escape from the poverty that surrounds them. It is for this reason that Greater Vancouver Youth Unlimited has partnered with Kigali Christian School.
"Illuminate" Program in the Langley Times
Program aims to help youth find work
Seeing a different side of her school was a real eye-opener for Liz Chan. Chan was curious when she saw some adults — not the usual teachers — were in the hallway at R.E. Mountain Secondary. The group, the Langley chapter of Youth Unlimited (YFC), was at the school working with at-risk students.
2010 Tax Receipts
Tax receipts are coming your way. Thanks so much for your faithful support in 2010 and joining with our team to help transform a generation.