The Whole World, Together

Meet Luis – Puerto Rico

God is using nearly 60,000 Youth for Christ staff and volunteers, in over 100 nations, to raise up life-long followers of Jesus. Meet one of them, Luis Mercado, who is celebrating two years of serving with Youth for Christ Puerto Rico.

I am thanking Jesus this morning for what has been two years of what I can only describe as one of His best gifts.

After COVID hit, I found myself at the feet of Jesus. My whole perspective just shifted upside down, and none of the things I aspired for in previous years really had much meaning. It was almost as if I was restarting from zero and didn’t really know where to go. For the first time in my life, I was really finding myself, through my new life in Christ.

One of the many questions I had in my mind constantly after surrendering was: “What do I want to do for the rest of my life?” And then ministry came!

I found myself at the Youth for Christ site doing rookie work in construction and learning about social media, but what has made it all so breath-taking has been God’s goodness. Seeing Him pour out love to the youth, seeing Him transform my own life as the buildings at the Youth for Christ camp also come to life, feeling for the first time fulfillment like I have never felt before.

I’ve had to let go of a lot of things as I’ve followed God into this crazy walk. I had to let go of:

my plans for the future
resentment I was holding onto
my performance and ego
fear and anxiety
what people thought about me
my superficial wants
some of my friends

The last two years have not been perfect, I’ve probably seen the most ugly things in my life since giving my life to Him. But I’ve also seen His goodness and that has undoubtedly outweighed every other thing. I’ve witnessed Him as the God of the hills and valleys over my life, and I can’t wait to see His goodness over today. And when tomorrow comes I can only hope that I praise Him in the highs and the lows, because He’s worthy of it and He’s worth it.

I lost my life and then I found it in Him! Here’s to many more years of seeing Him move!

Click here to learn more about what God is doing in Puerto Rico through Youth for Christ.

Bringing the World Together

Ukraine and South Africa share a meal. Northern Ireland, India and Guatemala pray for one another. Canada, Sudan, Romania, and Kyrgyzstan sit together in mission-focused workshops. Young and old from nations across the planet lift their voices in song and worship together.

A fantasy? Coming this October, it will be a reality for the worldwide family of Youth for Christ. General Assembly 2023 will be held October 19-25 in the Netherlands.

Bringing together nearly 1000 of Youth for Christ’s national leaders and young leaders – the next generation of leadership – GA will be a celebration of what God is doing, an opportunity for training, fellowship, inspiration, and a time of recommitment to the vision of reaching every young person for Christ.

“At GA we will celebrate the goodness of God. We will celebrate how God provides for us. We will celebrate the mission that God continues to move forward without ceasing,” said Dave Brereton, Youth for Christ International Director. “Please join us in praying for God’s blessing on this gathering.”

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