Tatum has been coming to 71Five City in Grants Pass for almost 2 years now. At the beginning of Spring, she told me she was going to be missing club for a few months. I was saddened by this, but, when she said that it was to study for her GED with a goal of graduating this summer, I was ecstatic! Tatum had been struggling for some time, as many kids have since Covid-19. She fell behind in her studies and had to attend school for an additional year after her senior year. Not only was she feeling hopeless, but she also felt defeated. The GED program gave her a new avenue to a positive outlook for her future.

 

By the beginning of Summer, Tatum had missed several clubs, but we stayed connected and she was able to attend many of our other activities. She helped with some volunteer work cleaning up trash at a local event and was a high school leader at our 71Five Middle School Camp. I was so delighted to receive an invitation to Tatum’s GED graduation and felt honored. As I looked upon those who attended, I was surrounded by her family members. That’s who we become when we build relationships that lead to hope in the lives of our youth. We become family… brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for doing your part in the 71Five Family by helping Tatum reach one of her dreams this summer.

 

 

It was an ordinary night at club when two boys walked through the door. With them, a girl I’d never seen before. I thought to myself, this girl is running with the wrong crowd. She and I engaged in small talk and shared a couple chuckles before she leaned in and whispered, “Can I talk to you privately for a minute?” “Sure,” I said as I stood up, walked around the corner, and found a quiet place to talk. No sooner than I sat down, she asked me “Is abortion a sin?” I didn’t respond right away due to the intensity of the question. She continued, “because I had one when I was 15 years old, and I don’t know if what I did was the wrong thing or not.” Pausing for a moment of thought, it prompted me to not answer but ask a series of questions. “Will my answer change how you feel about the decision you made? Will it alleviate the burden you carry?” Then I asked, “do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?” She replied, “No.” I responded, “Does it really matter if something is a sin or not if you don’t believe in God or have a relationship with Him?” Again, the reply was no. “Would you like to have a relationship with Him?” “Yes!” she exclaimed. We then prayed together as she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior right then and there. I explained to her that she can’t change the past, she can only make new decisions for her future with Jesus as her guide. I said, “His Word will let you know if something is right or wrong, He’ll encourage repentance, bless you with His grace, guide your path, and trade your pain for joy.”

 

But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:18-20) This girl was seeking a yes or no answer and had no idea that another existed. The answer we give to young people should always lead to Christ. When the significance of Christ matters, only then will the “yes and no” always lead us towards our Savior. At 71Five, we desire that young people leave with more hope than when they arrive by engaging in safe conversations and trusting relationships that point to a loving Savior.

 

I received a text from Trevor just before middle school camp. He’d stopped coming to club and wasn’t really plugged in to begin with. The text read, “I sort of got in some trouble and was wondering if you had any volunteer opportunities?” Within an instant, the Lord prompted my heart to invite him to be a leader in training at 71Five Camp. I hesitated to respond but after praying, I was confident in what the Lord encouraged me to do. When I responded, he anxiously replied “Ok, I’ll go.” My hesitations and worries were blown out of the water as I saw the Lord at work in his life. Many of the student’s most memorable moments were a direct result of Trevor’s leadership, compassion, character, and love. It was on the last day of camp he rededicated his life to Jesus and as it came time to part ways, Trevor was excited to get back into club, his church, and begin rearranging his priorities.

 

Unfortunately, when we returned, I didn’t hear from Trevor for over 2 months. I reached out to him several times with no response. When our 71Five VoTech training was to begin a new session, I reached out relentlessly with the same result. After training had already begun, the Lord was still urging me to pursue Trevor. He reminded me that He pursues us always, even when we don’t respond. In the 11th hour so to speak, Trevor reached out to me. He’s now enrolled in our program, living at 71Five VoTech housing, and doing extraordinarily well. I’m looking forward to writing about the next chapter of Trevor’s story as God continues to use 71Five to pursue relationships that lead to hope.

 

We meet new faces weekly at 71Five and first impressions aren’t always pleasant. Youth often come with preconceived notions of how this “club” works. There will be authority, rules, and the whole “God” thing. Along with the preconceptions, they’ve already decided they will be rejected and labeled as one of “those” kids. My first impression of Taylor as he entered the room reminded me of Taz from Looney Toons. Throughout the next hour, my initial observation was verified. After addressing him about several instances where boundaries were pushed, Taylor was beckoned to the “principle’s“ office. I confronted Taylor about the “chaos” that surrounded him and how I know there’s pain bottled up in there. He agreed his behavior was chaotic and was quick to respond with the habitual “sorry.” I told him I appreciated his apology however the next time I wanted it to come from his heart; I wanted to have a relationship with him, one where he cared for me as I have cared for him. I ended the conversation with “I can’t wait to get to know you better and I’m looking forward to you returning next week.” I sealed our meeting with a hug before he walked away mystified by the ‘irregular’ encounter.

 

At 71Five City, when a student is called to our “principle’s” office, they are shown the basic principles of God’s way as mentioned in Hebrews 5:12 (milk vs. meat). Thank you for bringing hope to kids in words and actions they can understand.

 

During the lesson, there’s always one kid who raises his hand. He doesn’t raise his hand because he has a question, he raises it because he wants to share his contradictions. His name is Jeffrey and he’s an agnostic. Jeffrey has been attending club and field trips for over a year now. Even though he doesn’t believe in God, he loves everything about 71Five and always participates in our activities. One day at club I pulled Jeffrey aside. I told him, “Instead of spending all of your time trying to disprove there’s a God, you should shift your focus to trying to prove that there is one.” He just shrugged his head to confirm he heard me. Several weeks later while sharing the lesson, sure enough his hand went up but I didn’t call on him. After I finished he came forward to talk to me. I said “I know, I know… You’re going to try to disprove there’s a God.” He responded, “No, I’m passed that.” I asked him, “Passed what?” He said, “I’m passed trying to disprove there’s a God. I believe there is one now. I actually took your advice and now I want to learn more.” I looked at him in disbelief, told him I was going to cry, gave him a big hug! I invited him to bible study, and he said yes.

 

As 71Five leaders encourage young people, hope is offered through a relationship with God that will make an eternal difference in that young person’s life. Thank you for making this possible!!