StoryLetter October2024
Don’t forget about our Give Joy Auction happening on October 19th at the Kitsap Conference Center. It is going to be an incredible night; we will be hosting a raffle, dessert dash and live auction. All proceeds are going towards our youth ministry and outreach programs.
Join us for a night of fun! More information can be found at the bottom of this email under ‘Upcoming Events’.
Ministry Stories
The most rewarding aspect of having volunteer leaders is witnessing them develop their own personal connections with students.
Last week, during our discussion about how drop-in time went, one of our volunteers, Chuck, shared a heartwarming story. He had a conversation with one of the teen boys, Andrew, who was wearing a cross necklace. Chuck took the opportunity to share his own journey with Christ and the conversation led to scripture.
Not many of our students come from a church background or come to us already knowing the Lord, but we love it when they do. It gives us a wonderful opportunity to encourage them on this journey. Students like Andrew can also become a light for their peers, many of whom are not on the same path.
Cassandra Jameson
Bremerton Area Director
We have a student named Gavin who has been to the Underground since the middle of last school year. When he first started spending time with us, he was shut off and a little rude.
When summer hit, Gavin joined us at camp and was able to spend more time with the team and get to know us. He also joined us for other summer events and activities.
Little did we know, Gavin had a very impactful and challenging summer that changed his entire living situation and forced his family to start brand new.
Gavin felt comfortable enough to tell me about it and hadn’t shared with anyone else because I was his “Bestie.” After sharing with me, Gavin has been open and goofy with us. We can see his kindness shining through.
I recently had a conversation with Gavin’s Dad, who told me, while he is not a Christian, he does greatly appreciate the values we instill in his son. It was an amazing conversation and I got to know the family and their situation so much better.
Being consistent with these teens is incredibly important, all I had to do for him was be there!
Stephanie DelValle
Central Kitsap Area Director
I finished the day talking to a student who was telling me he only took a Bible last week so he could set about disproving it. I listened to Jackson and offered a few of my thoughts to which he said something incoherent, the way only a 6th grade boy can do, and ran off to play basketball.
I spent half my career working with students who knew Jesus and went to church. If they didn’t know Jesus or the church, they at least knew how to speak and behave like they did. Working with students that are only there for the food and because there is an adult that cares for them is a game changer.
As I listened to Jackson trying to disprove the Bible, I realized that this kid knew I believed every word of it. Jackson knew why I was there and still worked on pushing my buttons. I found myself not feeling as though I needed to defend God or the Bible, but I felt honored that Jackson felt safe enough to push on something he knew to be important to me. I felt that I could trust that God and His word could defend themselves while this student continued to come and hear what we had to say, trusting that we cared for him.
Bart Lesco
Executive Director
