Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Developing Global Leaders - It takes people to change people


Excitement
·      109 DGL students discipling nearly 500 teenagers
·      4th class of Freshmen under review
·      1st class to graduate in 2013
Challenge/Prayer Need
·      Identifying candidates in developing ministry areas
·      Funding 20 new DGL students in 4th class

Current Total Students
109
Current Fully Funded
90
Current Partially Funded
8
Current Not Funded
11

A Sponsor’s Story – Mark Thannisch – Austin, Texas
In December 2011, my good friend, Curtis Olson, and I were visiting and I asked him how things were going at his new job at Young Life.  I have known about Young Life most of my life but never have had a chance to get involved  as there was no Young Life group in the small East Texas town where I grew up.  Curtis said that things were going great and asked me what I was doing on January 9th.  I couldn't come up with a conflict so he invited me to join him on a trip to a leadership training in Nicaragua.  Much to his surprise, I called him the next day and told him that I would meet him in Houston and fly with him to Managua.  I really didn't know where all of this was taking me but there was never a doubt that I was supposed to go.  The Lord works in strange ways!

Hermes - Business Major
We arrived and the next morning met up with Dan Jessup and the staff from Colorado Springs for breakfast.  We heard a moving testimony from Douglas who related how God had transformed him through Young Life from a gang leader to a Christian, young life leader and attorney.  The light began to flicker.
We made our way to the camp where the leadership conference was being held.  It was a beautiful place high in the mountains, greeted by 200 leaders and staff from all over Central America.  I must admit that my Spanish is poor at best, but the language barrier could not hide the fact that Christ was at work in these leaders lives.  After a couple of days, the light came on.  I realized that these young adults were being held back from breaking the cycle of poverty that they experience because no one had taken a personal and financial interest in lives, education and spiritual development.  I talked to Curtis about my thoughts and he told me that Young Life has a program called Developing Global Leaders that provides university scholarships to Young Life members around the world.  I asked him to help me find a student that I could sponsor.  Well, the Lord has brought Hermes and me together and he now attends a university in Nicaragua.

I appreciate the fact that Young Life, aka Vida Joven, is able to make an impact on the lives of youth one at a time.  All it takes is for people like me to slow down long enough to hear and experience the story. 
Thanks, Curtis for having enough courage to ask me to go. 



If we can answer any questions you may have, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We are honored to receive your prayers and support.

Dan Jessup                                                 Curtis Olson
VP, Latin America                                       Development
w. 719-381-1814                                         w. 719-381-1744
djessup@sc.younglife.org                         colson@intl.younglife.org

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