When God calls us places, we often think we know exactly why. Last week during youth group, however, I was clued in to another reason why we have been called to Flagstaff.
Our Wednesday night student ministry fell on the evening of See You at the Pole. I was anxious to hear how many students attended the SYATP events at each of the three high schools in town. One girl said 31 students attended the rally at her high school, a small private Christian school. Another boy said 24 attended at his public high school. Another boy said seven attended at his public high school.
Seven?!?!?
I couldn’t believe it.
I asked him why attendance was so low, and he said it may have been because the school Bible Club hosts the event, and it was not heavily promoted due to only a small number of members in the Bible Club. My first question is, why are there only a handful of students in the Bible Club? The young man said he has relatively no Christian friends who attend his high school.
Second, the young man, telling me why he thought attendance was so low, said, “Plus, probably like 30 percent of the students at my school are Buddhist.”
Buddhist?!?!?
He said one acquaintance of his claims to meditate every day – for three hours – after school in lieu of sports or any after school activities.
The ball has been dropped somewhere in Flagstaff. And I have a sneaking suspicion we can find these same stories across the nation.
I guess I was spoiled seeing 50 to 80 students show for SYATP each year in our little Oklahoma towns. I was shocked to hear of such low attendance at huge high schools here in Arizona.
I promised that young man and several others at our youth group that next year SYATP will be highly advertised at each of the high schools.
There is work to be done in Flagstaff!
Surprise!
I wish I would have recorded the looks on the girls’ faces when our friends from Thailand sprung around the corner last Wednesday night.
Two of our Create International (Thailand) DTS leaders, who are staying in Hawaii for a few months, had an appointment in Phoenix and decided to buzz on up to Flagstaff to see the ministry here and get a tour of Hopiland.
I knew about a month ago they were coming, but I decided not to tell the girls. That was the hardest secret to keep … EVER!!! I knew they would be so excited.
As Sameh and Joanne jumped from behind the partition wall, there was a moment of silent shock and disbelief before both the girls screamed at the tops of their lungs and ran for hugs from both our friends. I let the girls play hookie from school Thursday, and we spent the day visiting Hopi and made a quick trip to the Grand Canyon. We stopped for mutton sandwiches and pinon nuts on the side of the road on the Navajo reservation. How blessed we were to share our love for the Natives with our friends and fellow YWAMers.
Please join us in praying for …
- New and effective ways to tell the Natives in Hopiland about Jesus, plus new resources and trained messengers with hearts for Native Americans.
- New staff members to help with DTS.
- Current and prospective DTS applicants. Those who apply are willing to change their lives dramatically to follow God’s calling. Please help us pray them through this mighty and Christ-centered transition.
- Protection for a team who will be building a new home for a Hopi friend on the reservation. Days have been very warm and dry in Northern Arizona. They need strength and good health to finish the project.
- Final financial provisions to pay for the home that is being built in Hopi.
- Direction for a couple who is serving as mission builders here on base.
- Our youth in Flagstaff (referring to story above and beyond those circumstances).
- Clear direction on a few personal decisions the girls and I must make regarding circumstances in Oklahoma.
- New financial supporters in our time of transition here to Flagstaff.
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