South Medford Campus Life

With the end of summer right around the corner, I am looking forward to the start of a new school year. To reconnect with some of the kids that have been away all summer and new kids as they start at a new school. There will be challenges and with God in front of it all we will get thru them.

I look forward to new clubs and new activities. New friendships and seeing how the kids have changed in the last 3 months. I know that there are a few that have had some issues and we have been praying and working with them so that they can overcome them. With God all things are possible. One kid that stands out to me right now is a young lady who I will call Amy. She has had many struggles over the 2 years that I have known her. Her latest is one that will take a lot of love, support and most of all prayers. She confided in me that at the end of the school year she had become pregnant. Her mom and dad separated, and the father of her child doesn’t want to be a part of her life. She told me that she felt like everyone was against her. We talked for several hours about things that she can do. She did tell me that she was going to keep the baby and would have to drop out of school. While I was glad she was keeping her baby and not taking the easy way out by aborting. I prayed with her and told her while I wasn’t happy about her being pregnant, I was still there to point her in the right direction.

Kids like Amy find things to do when they let go of God’s hand and try to find happiness in something they can see and feel. We have the chance to help them find that true happiness. To show them who God is, not just tell them about him. If we do this, imagine what this world could look like.

In Him

Bob

This has been an amazing summer. I have been to 2 camps so far and both of them have been amazing to see God moving in so many ways. The first camp was Junior High camp that was held at Fir Point Bible Camp. The time spent there was great. We had 12 campers in our cabin, and while we may not have been the top cabin at the end of the week, the guys we had were tops in our minds!! One kid stood out in particular, I will call him Jason, he tried and tried to push the limits with us. I had the chance to talk with him one on one and the story of his life is like many other kids. He comes from a broken home, feels like he isn’t important, and lashes out because of it. He told me that he didn’t think God really was there because so many bad things happened to him. We talked for about 2 hours and dug deep into the things that were bothering him. It was amazing to see him open up and to allow the spirit to begin to work in his heart. He tried to hold back the tears and I told him that he could just let it flow. By the end of our time he began to understand that God was there and that God loved him very much. I saw his whole attitude change in that short time and he actually began to smile. At the end of our week he seemed like a different kid. I won’t get to see him again as he lives a long way away from Medford, but we have kept in contact by email. The seed has been planted and thru lots of prayer and people showing him God’s love, he will begin the healing and grow closer to God. There are alot of kids like Jason out there, and you never know when God will put them in your life.

The second camp was just last week. It was at Box R Ranch and was one of the most amazing camps I have ever been to. God moved in so many ways that week and there were 9 baptisms during that time. My son was one of them. The time came for me to baptize him and I couldn’t help the tears of joy. I thought about the relationship between God and us when this happened. I could only imagine the tears of joy flowing from His eyes. During this week every time the word was opened or a prayer was said, the wind blew and would stop when we were done. God’s spirit was moving thru the camp and the kids noticed. They were the ones who pointed it out to us. The whole spirit in this camp showed us leaders that God was reaching the kids of this camp.

As the school year comes to a close, the weather gets warmer and the kids get bored…Take some time to invest in a kid. During the short summer break kids can get involved in things due to boredom and not having anyone to spend good solid time with. The foundations that have been built over the school year can be torn down in a single weekend. Remember that there is summer camps available for a variety of ages and most are very reasonable. If you have a kid that would like to attend one, please let me know. I have 2 that I will be working this summer and both offer alot of solid fun and time with God.

I also have several scholarships available to assist with getting kids to camp. This Friday we will be having our middle school finale that will include games and food!! I need to know ahead of time who will be coming so that I can have enough food for them.

Peace

Over the past few weeks the issue of prayer has been in the news quite a bit. Here in Medford it was an issue that was close to home and something that I was directly involved in. The issue didn’t directly involve the issue of prayer at first, but soon escalated into it. The thing to always remember as a Christian is that people who know that we are one tend to pay attention to our actions and reactions to various situations. In this case it was the reactions that were being watched. One of the kids I know, who I call Trevor, came to me and began to ask me why this had become an issue. As we talked through the situation, I noticed that he was searching for more than just an answer. I explained to him that as a Christian we wear our faith all the time rather than just when the mood is right, and that when we stumble people can make more of an issue of it. God knows we make mistakes and coming to Him and asking for forgiveness when we do is the best thing but also the hardest thing to do. Trevor told me that he thought it was very cool that there were adults being good examples so that the kids could see it.

As loving and caring adults we need to set the example so that those kids and others around us can see the love we have for the Lord. Kids want that genuine example to follow in today’s world and something that is solid to stand on. As we think about the issues that surround us in the world and our own back yard, remember that there are people who are looking to see what your reflecting as you go about your daily activities. When we look in the mirror, do we see just ourselves or do we see the reflection of God there in the mirror. As we look do we remember what we look like when we walk away or do we forget? If we are walking with Him, then that reflection is something that we carry with us all the time no matter where we are and what we are doing. God isn’ t just another outfit that we put on for certain activities. God is something that is embedded in us and seen by all.

Peace

It is a great time to begin planning on attending a summer camp. Youth for Christ will be having its annual Middle School Camp once again this year. This year we will be attending Fir Point Bible Camp in Glendale OR. This camp is about an hour Northwest of Medford and will be an amazing week of fun and fellowship. Our own Dusty Ratclif from Gold Hill YFC will be the speaker. The cost for this event if reserved by May 31 is $100.00 and after that date $130.00. This includes all meals and activities for the week. The date for this camp is July 12-16 2010. Camp starts at 2pm on the 12th and ends at 2pm on the 16th. If parents would like to come early on the 16th they can attend the closing session at 1pm.

Also the annual golf tournament is coming soon and is a great way to earn some money to attend the summer camp. There will be 2 shifts for this event and the kids will be selling mulligans and monitoring several holes to award prizes to the golfers in attendance. This is a great way for the attendees to see the YFC kids in action. The first shift starts at 6am and ends at noon. And the second shift starts at noon and ends at 6pm. Meals will be provided. The banquet after the evening round can be attended by the kids and always is a great meal. This years tournament is at Eagle Point Golf club.

For further info on either event you can reply to this blog or call me.

Bob Stapp

South Medford Area Director

Recently I had the chance to meet a young man I’ll call Jake. He is an 8^th grader and his life is not unlike most teens. He has had a very tough home life and he seems to get picked on a lot in school. Because of this he got involved with a group of kids that like to cut themselves. I got to know Jake while on a school field trip and we began to talk about the things he liked to do. While at lunch, he started to tell me about his struggles and I noticed the scars on his arms.

He has started coming to club and has since stopped hurting himself. We talk about it still and he continues to open up to me. The recovery will take time and the scars will remain there to be a constant reminder of what he left behind, the life that God helped and continues to help him overcome. There are a lot of kids out there like Jake who need your help to overcome the pressures to fit in and to have meaning.

In our efforts to reach more kids like Jake, we are building a strong foundation with the Ministry at McLoughlin Middle School. As we continue to grow, we are in need of adults to get involved in the lives of these kids. There are new opportunities for volunteers to make a difference by praying for these kids and the ministry or even mentoring a kid or two.

As with everything else our ministry costs money- our budget right now is the equivalent of 160 faithful supporters giving $25 a month. At this time, we need the equivalent of 104 faithful supporters to join our team. Simply stated, your involvement along with others will bring a more stable funding base, which will allow me to focus my energies on reaching more kids. Would you please consider how you could be a part of this ministry and the life changing work we do with kids like Jake.

Thank you for prayerfully considering this.

In Him,

As the new year has started, so has the thoughts of another mission trip to San Felipe Mexico. This year we are required to have a passport to cross the border. I have been telling those interested in going that they need to apply for it ASAP so that they can go on this amazing trip. God has been very good, as He always is, in working ahead of us and preparing our clubs and other ministry. I am still in need of adults to volunteer with the middle school club. We are growing and it is an amazing thing to see the kids each week as they come across the street!!

As the year begins to wind down and a new one begins I have already began to think about our Spring Break Mission trip to San Felipe Mexico. I have mentioned to the kids that the time is near and if they plan on going, they need to have passports this year and the time is now to get them. The Dept. of Homeland Security has said that they are required now and they have 2 options; one being the traditional passport, which takes 6 weeks to get. The second is the passport card. It looks like a drivers license and can only be used for Mexico and Canada. This one cannot be used for air travel but would be an excellent one for the mission trip as it is only $45. The card takes 4 to 6 weeks to get.

The forms can be found online and filled out and printed. If you would like to be a part of this trip the cost is $250 and includes the following:

Hotel stay for the trip down, Time in Mexico, 2 nights stay on trip back in Valencia. Ca, day at Six Flags, Gas.  The kids will need to have spending money for the trip not to exceed $150. So that they can buy food and souveniers during the whole trip. If you have questions please feel free to call me.

Welcome to the South Medford area Blog!!!! This has been a great week and is getting better. Monday nights are High School Club nights at the Campus Life office. This club starts at 7pm and goes until 9pm. We meet every Monday unless it is a holiday or the kids are on vacation. This year has created some interesting issues with all of the Monday’s off that the school district has given them, but we will meet regardless! This is a time to hang out and to play a few games before jumping into small groups.

A new thing for me this year we have re-established our McLoughlin Middle School club!!! We will be meeting on Friday afternoons right across the street at New Song Church. We will be starting at 3:30 and will go until 5pm. There will be snacks available. One of my needs for this is more volunteers to assist in this and to become a part of these kids lives. If you would like to be a part of this please contact me so that we can get you into the system.