The Love and Acceptance I've Been Searching For...

From the Desk of the International Director

Together we are making a difference. Attached to an email I received was a quarterly report from one of our staff. The note he included speaks for many of us:

“I love what I am doing! I feel so privileged to be able to serve these amazing Youth for Christ missionaries around the world. Together we are making a difference. Thank you so much for your support!”

We can say that of you, too. We love that you are a part of this with us.

Your prayers and support are helping thousands of amazing Youth for Christ missionaries around the world reach young people. You can read about some of them and what they are doing in this month’s EVERY emails.

We are so grateful for your support.

I hope you will be encouraged and blessed as you read through this sampling of what God is doing around the world through Youth for Christ, through you.

Truly, together, by the grace of God, you and the worldwide family of Youth for Christ are making a difference. Blessings to you.

The Love and Acceptance I’ve Been Searching For

“I will never forget that day,” said Narjes, a young woman from Basra, Iraq. “My heart was overwhelmed as we prayed together. I felt a comfort and calm that I have never experienced before.” Narjes is tearfully expressing what her first worship experience was like, a significant moment in a journey with God that began and is being nurtured through Youth for Christ.

In this nation with a long, rich, and embattled history, today young people like Narjes and her friends are growing up amid many social and economic problems. Spiritually, there are very few Christians to reach out to them. Christians are a very small minority of the population and have faced persecution for hundreds of years. This has intensified in the last two decades. By many estimates the Christian population has diminished since 2003 by more than 80 percent. Hundreds of churches have been destroyed as well as many ancient Christian sites and artifacts.

Narjes began following Youth for Christ on social media. She began sharing some of her anxieties with Youth for Christ staff there online, and now Narjes is regularly attending church.

“I thank God for your Instagram page!” Tamara exclaimed. It was there she began interacting with Youth for Christ and began sharing the challenges and harassment she was facing from someone close to her. After attending a Youth for Christ event, she expressed curiosity about church and knowing more.

“I have found the love and acceptance that I’ve been searching for,” Tamara said.