Archive for April, 2009

You’d think from the title that I just received a $1,000,000 check or keys to a new car…but it’s much better than that. One of our Keithly Campus Life volunteers, Daniel Wolbert, just walked in our office carrying a Husky basketball signed by every member continue

Ok, I finally made the jump and am trying out this social connection phenomenom called Twitter.  What pushed me over the edge? I had lunch with continue

Yesterday afternoon, I was at a complete loss. How do I communicate with these kids?  They won’t understand a word I’m saying.  I feel really out of place.  These thoughts were running through my head as I joined Mike Olson, our Deaf Teen Quest (DTQ) director, at a small group gathering with 4 deaf students from Mount Tahoma High School during the weekly gathering of DTQ, a ministry of Tacoma Area YFC.

It started like any other kid/youth group/Campus Life gathering continue

I had breakfast with one of our financial ministry partners this morning and he asked me, “How is YFC doing with the state of the economy?”  I chuckled a bit when I began to answer  because it seems I am in a tug of war. Let me explain: yes, the economy has impacted Tacoma YFC in significant ways–we’ve had to cut back across the board on compensation, benefits, and we’re more vigilant than ever on the expense side of our budget.  Like many other businesses, we’re looking for creative ways to run “leaner” while not sacrificing our ministries to kids.

I chuckled because on the other hand, ministry has NEVER BEEN BETTER!  Foster Care is continue

Sometimes our foster parents go way above and beyond to love a child, and it’s that extreme love that causes onlookers to occasionally raise an eyebrow to the amount of sacrifice and time that is given away. One of my families is an extreme example of God’s unconditional love. A few months back a baby was born and placed on my caseload who had extreme medical fragility. He was born with a dead bowel, a rare condition that requires an eventual transplant, and an ostomy bag that needs to be tended to several times a day, frequent blood transfusions, and a huge amount of doctor’s visits. In order to make it onto the transplant list, he had to be placed with a foster family who would love him and help him to thrive. We found an incredible family to take him in, and take on all of his medical struggles.

The last few weeks, this infant has gone through a surgery to reconnect his bowel to his esophagus, after having been out of the hospital for almost a whole month. Due to a few complications with the recovery of this surgery, he’s stayed in the hospital much longer than expected. The sweet, tender-hearted foster mom has spent nearly every night over the last several weeks in the hospital with him, and all day long, along with her elementary-age homeschool kids and often foster dad. This family has accepted, taken on the ups and downs of such a huge medical problem, and chosen to love this little guy through it all. I asked the foster mom today, how she was doing, and if she was exhausted. Of course she can’t deny wearing out physically a bit, but it was her spirit that just inspired me. She told me, she wouldn’t have it any other way, than getting to love on this little boy. She wants to just give the love to him that he needs. She reminded me of a song by Stephen Curtis Chapman called “Something Crazy” where he quotes “It’s crazy when love gets a hold of you. And it’s crazy things that love will make you do.” This love only comes from one source, God, and although people might think she is crazy for giving the love away she does, when you’ve experienced the love of God, you really don’t have a choice but to give it away.

I just received the following letter on Facebook from one of our youth who has been touched and has had her life changed by the love of Jesus Christ, shown by the many leaders who have loved her and shared Christ with her. She is very involved at Sozo and Late Night, and is now one of the Student Leaders at Sozo Kids. I remember first meeting her two years ago…she was a middle school student who was very angry, depressed, and reserved. She had such low self-esteem, and didn’t like to talk to anyone. Now she is such a dynamic leader, is so quick to serve, and has purpose and vision for her life! She is so hungry to grow in her relationship with Christ! Here is one more testimony of a life through the ministries of Tacoma YFC.

-Doug Jonson

Sozo Coordinator, City Life

She wrote:

So… sometimes I have these crazy thoughts. Anyway…it’s late and I was thinking about my family and it just makes me think about how much i love them, you know?? Anyway I say that because I don’t always know how to express it!!

But mainly I am just thinking about my testimony. I am thinking about all the things I have done in life and how i would probably be dead from a overdose or just too much alcohol! I am so thankful that God put Chrisy Wachtler in my life and Katie and Doug. I am just really thankful. I am also so thankful for the Herzers. I love you guys. I mean I am glad and thank you guys broke down my crazy tough walls. Anyway God has just been showing me how to appreciate the little things in life. A lot of you don’t know that recently

God has been showing me visions of children and how I am going to change their lives…so crazy just to think about those things!  But I am just like, “Praise Jesus!” …cause I am going to do that!! So i just wanted to share that with everyone!!

GOOD NIGHT!!

Last week I had the privilege to go on a 4-day roadtrip to Leavenworth/Wenatchee with 4 of our core youth from Sozo. I can’t even begin to tell you how fruitful our time was. In 4 days, we went Snowshoeing, Fishing, Go-Karts, shopped in Leavenworth, played Wii bowling, tennis, Disney Scene It, and Laser Tag, did a service project, and had many Bible Studies (planned and un-planned). During our trip, we stayed with some close friends in Plain and Leavenworth, enjoyed awesome fellowship and partook of great food (a lot, did I mention a lot – with 4 teen boys).

Times like these are so important for many of our kids for several reasons…1) Fun is an essential need that cannot be neglected in urban ministry.  2) During these trips, experiential bonds are formed that cannot be replicated during weekly Bible studies or youth events.  3) Relationships formed on these trips really strengthen their relationship with Christ and really graft others into “the family.”

It was so encouraging to reflect the first night as we were staying in the home of the man who was our guide on a 50-mile whitewater kayaking trip on the Owyhee River two summers ago. Kainen, De’Marko, and Patrick were all on that trip, and it is so encouraging to still be running with those guys. Even more encouraging, however, was looking at where those kids were 2 years ago, and to see the growth that they’ve experienced since. It was so encouraging to see that our investment has born great fruit! Every single person we had contact with was blown away by the manners, the fun, the confidence, the initiation, and the maturity of this group of young men!

We also brought one of our newest “family members,” Devan, who gave his life to Christ last summer when we went to Warm Beach Camp. At times he felt a little left because the 4 of us who have been running together for the last 2 ½ years have experienced so many adventures and life-changing times together. But we always responded the same way: “Don’t worry Devan…you’re in the family now, and think how many stories you’ll be sharing 2 years from now. You’re in the family now, and you’ll be saying the same thing to new people getting grafted in.”

Devan commented many times on the trip: “I never new friendship could be like this! I always thought my gang were my friends, but they didn’t really love me. You guys really love me. This is what real friendship is like!”  Doug Jonson, City Life: SOZO

“Police Say Teen Gang Members Responsible For Brutal Attack In Tacoma” This was the headline on the Q13 Fox News last Thursday, April 2. The article went on to read that the two youth broke into a man’s home and beat him so brutally that they almost ripped his leg off.

This article especially grabbed my interest because I knew the two youth who were accused of this crime. They frequent Remann Hall, and have regularly attended Late Night and Sozo over the past 2 years, even recently. In fact, I was riding in the backseat of a van with the both of them on the way to a movie less than a month ago. But unfortunately, they were already deeply entrenched in gangs and violence when we first started Sozo a two and a half years ago. I still believe that God has a plan for their lives, and that they are not too far gone, but at times it seems awfully hard to hold on to.

This is why we started Sozo Kids.

The 7-year-old sister of one of these boys has been regularly attending Sozo Kids for over a year. “Valerie” has not yet been corrupted and hardened by the life of gangs, sex, drugs, and violence. Instead, she has a purity and an innocence that has been preserved up to this point in her young life. She is so sweet, and loves to help serve each night with the registration at Sozo Kids. Two months ago, one of our leaders enlisted two stay-at-home moms to adopt Valerie in prayer. Since they started praying for Valierie, she has started smiling more and seemed much more out of her shell. It was so fun to watch her last Friday having so much fun and full of joy—she is so much more joyful than a year ago when we first met her. She also brings more friends to Sozo Kids than anyone else—I don’t think there has been a week since January that Valerie has not brought a new neighbor kid with her.

When I look at the contrast between Valerie and her older brother, I have a greater understanding of what the word “Sozo” means. Sozo is a greek word, and the literal translation of the word is: to deliver, to make whole, to heal, to preserve, to protect and salvation. This is exactly what God is doing in Valerie. He is delivering her from a life of destruction and pain, He is healing her from injustices she’s experienced and making her whole again, and He’s preserving in her an innocence and purity, and by his grace he is protecting her. What a privelege it is for us to have the opportunity to mentor her and walk with her for the next 10+ years (God willing). Without SOZO Kids and other programs like this, Valerie would not have the chance to avoid a life like her older brother. It is likely that when Valerie makes it to high school, she will not be like one of the hardened and angry teen girls who is jaded and down a path to destruction. Thank you so much for standing with us to reach girls like Valerie. Doug Jonson, SOZO

Things are progressing at break neck speed on the project and it should not go without saying that I am feeling a bit under the gun (enough clichés for an opening sentence right). Please be in prayer for the pending fund requests that we have before several organizations right now. Even though these are HUGE amounts of funding I am not worried or concerned even if the answer is “no”. I believe that God has brought us down this path and will not allow this project to fail.

Ministry is going great. Every week we have more kids, new kids and old ones coming back. Last week Mike returned for the first time in 6 weeks. Mike was caught steeling from me and we had to send him out. He was shamed and embarrassed, but it was cool to shake his hand and talk about forgiveness last Sunday in my driveway. I told him that he just needed to be asked and he would be forgiven. So cool to see him back. For weeks I watched him cross streets to avoid me and duck away hoping I would not see him. Every time I did see him I just prayed that he would know reconciliation with me so he could start to know reconciliation with God.

Below is a link to watch a video update about the construction project. It is so close to being done, I can see it now. Please pray for the building, favor with the city and with our contractors. In addition to the large funding requests please pray that individuals and churches would continue to bless us with support.  Dan Livingston

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