Go Mad (or on my way!)

Sometimes I am short for words. Those who know me well, know this is a rarity. This is not one of those times, in fact I feel like I have too much to say. This last month has been nothing short of amazing. I feel time flying by me, and I find it hard sometimes to just sit down and smell the roses. The more I work with students, the more I find myself not really wanting to take a break. I took a day off the other day and found myself bored out of my mind. I just wanted to be hanging out these kids I have grown to love.

This last month we had a retreat called Go Mad. To give you an idea of what it’s like, we had around 1,000 students in hotels downtown Ft. Wayne. There were students from Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois. We basically took over the downtown for 2 days. The retreat was a huge event that consisted of an awesome band, incredible mc, and a powerful speaker. This year was the first year our staff was in charge of everything. So it was awesome to see something so big pulled off by the people I work with. We rented out the semiprofessional baseball stadium and had kids playing football, ultimate Frisbee, and every other kind of game on the field and throughout the stadium. We ended the night with a fireworks show. It really was as cool as it sounds!

More important that all the fireworks and the programming were the commitments that were made. There were around 200 recommitments to Christ and around 80 first time commitments. It brought tears to my eyes to see so many kids come forward and profess their love for Christ and more importantly expect his love for them.

After one of the sessions, we had a group meeting with just the students that I had brought. I challenged each student to sit in a chair, in the middle of the circle that we had formed. I encouraged each student to share from their heart what God had been teaching them throughout the weekend. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed. I had over 40 students bear their hearts and souls to this new family around them. I had kids dealing with hurt and pain, and I watched as it was healed and relieved right in front of my eyes. I watched kids ask for accountability from their peers about their relationships with the opposite sex, about alcohol, about drugs, about contentment, and just about everything else I forgot to say. I have never been more proud of any group of students then I was that night. For a moment in time, these kids cared about nothing more than serving Christ and loving him.

I believe that everyone that went to Go Mad was impacted deeply, but now comes the hard part. I have gotten reports of kids falling back into the same habits they had before they went, the same students doing the things they vowed to change. Following Christ isn’t a walk in a park, and I am looking forward to walking along side these kids to help mold and shape them. I am looking forward to seeing these students mature in their faith as they trip and stumble ahead like the rest of us.

Keep praying the students at South Adams. The harvest truly is plentiful right now. God is moving, and big things are happening.

Be Blessed,

Michael Yoder

Matthew 28:19-20

Sludge, Cats, and Friendships

There are a few things in life that I don’t like. Tomatoes, cats, shots, and sludge (the mixture between rain and snow) are at the top of that list. Another thing that really bugs me is surface level friendships. I am not a huge fan of the all to familiar greeting, “Hey, how ya doing? I’m doing great, thanks for asking,” and just moving on to the next person I see. I feel like there is something missing every time I leave one of those conversations. There is no depth, no substance, and it leaves me unsatisfied.

For the first couple months on the job, I was surrounded by surface level friendships with my students. I would walk from student to student just saying “hey” and not really getting much more in than a, “how are you doing?” The conversation would dwindle, and I would move on to the next group. Don’t get me wrong, these conversations are still important, and I do cherish them. They are all apart in the relationship building process, but they aren’t what I’m aiming for. I long for something much deeper.

A relationship can’t grow if it just stays at “hey’s and hello’s.” That’s true across the board, whether you are ten or ninety. So naturally, I wanted to take my relationships to the next level. I have developed plenty of surface level friendships and have started to turn the corner with a number of my students, and it’s been an extremely rewarding. Instead of just talking about the vegetable soup they ate for lunch, I have been able to have in-depth conversations. These conversations have consisted of love, religion, life, war, sports, relationships, and Jesus. I’ve been able to ask students tough questions about their faith, and listen when they share with me their doubts about their own walk.

There is something I love about a heart-felt conversation with someone. It really enables you to see and understand them in an entirely new way. There is a deeper bond that happens when you share with someone from the heart, and that is exactly what’s been happening the last month. I have quickly found out when people know you care, they feel comfortable to tell you things they normally wouldn’t tell share. This is precisely what I has been happening with students and I can credit nothing more than those surface level friendships I detest so much

I have promptly come to find that ministry doesn’t happen without relationships, and relationships really don’t start without some kind of surface level friendship. The thing I usually don’t like is slowly becoming the thing I depended on.

If I had one prayer request at the moment, it would be this: that God would continue to allow me to develop relationships with students, and that these relations would with continue to blossom into a heart felt friendship.

Thanks so much for your continued support. Without you, none of these relationships, conversations, or ministry opportunities would have any chance of happening. Please keep my school and students in your prayers, and thanks again for all you do!

Be Blessed,

Michael Yoder

Peace (with a side of hate)

So I have come to the understanding that President Obama recently won the Nobel Peace prize.

When I heard this, I didn’t think twice about it, because honestly I don’t care about the Nobel Peace prize. Maybe I should, maybe I shouldn’t.

All I know is that there are apparently a lot more people interested in the Nobel Peace prize then I realized. It seems that a ton of people are really passionate about how the President should not have gotten it.

I have a few questions to those people:

What other candidates that were running should have gotten it over him?

a. –I couldn’t answer that because I would have no clue who else was up for the award. If you know the candidates and have a legit reason why they should have won over the President, I respect that.

Who has won the prize the last 3 years?

b. –I couldn’t tell you the answer because I never followed the event. I couldn’t even tell you who won last year. In my opinion, if I don’t follow the event, I can’t be mad at the outcome. It’s like not voting in an election and being mad at who get elected. Just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me…

Have you ever even watched the ceremony on TV?

c. I’m not talking about flipping through the channels and stumbling across it and watching it for 5 mins. I’m talking about calling your friends over, making popcorn, and making a night of it. I will be the first to tell you that I have never done such a thing.

So what’s my point? What does this have to do with anything?

Here it is:

Are people complaining to just complain?

Are people concerned just because they don’t like the president?

Is it ok to be happy for a guy that got the award, or do we have to criticize and say he didn't deserve it?

It seems to me that people will use any situation to bad mouth the current administration. I don’t agree with everything that is going on, but when is enough, enough?

Why does everyone have to be so cynical. I feel sometimes that the President could turn the country around half of America would still hate him...it's almost as they want him to fail...

I could be wrong...but I just don't think that's right...

Surely we don't "hate" him......

"So, This Is The Start Of Something Good"

Typically I would say that September is one of my favorite months of the year. Fall starts to creep in, the weather slowly changes, and every September 16th I turn a year older. This September lived up to all the expectations and surpassed them. My very first Campus Life kick-off was held a few short weeks ago and in my humble opinion, it was a thing of sheer beauty. I say that, not because everything worked out according to plan, not because we had a perfect night, not because we had the largest turn out ever, but because it was a ton of fun and relationships were built.

The kick-off was held at fellowship point, out in the country where we had freedom to be as loud and crazy as we wanted to be. The evening started out with pizza, pop, and a few short games. That all led up the worlds largest food fight. The group of students was divided into two groups, freshman and seniors vs. sophomores and juniors. The food fight consisted of about six rounds of kids throwing everything from ketchup, mustard, mash potatoes, 720 eggs, and whip cream. If it sounds gross, it smelled even worse. Kids were covered head to toe with the grossest smelling substance that I have ever smelled, and they loved it.

After the food fight, we transitioned to a 200ft long by 9ft wide slip and slide that was spread out down the side of a hill. They proceeded to smother themselves with lard and slide down the hill for the next 40 minutes. There was a fire hose propelling water down the hill, so the kids were flying down it. It looked like so much fun, I couldn’t just sit back and let the kids do it, and so I had to jump in myself. I can honestly say, it was the best slip and slide I have ever been on!

After the night was coming to a close, I heard a number of comments that really moved me. One of the students I over heard said, “this was my first time to campus life and I am so glad I came. I can’t wait to come back next week!” That’s exactly what I am looking and praying for. A student that was never involved is going to start coming and bringing other students to club. Another student came up to me after she won half off Go Mad (our weekend retreat) and said, “I can’t believe I won this, I have never won anything in my life.” This might be hard for some of us to believe, but some kids have never won anything in their lives, and I was so honored to be apart of a student feeling included for what might have been the first time ever.

Everywhere I go and everyone I engage with, I keep seeing how God has prepared the way for this ministry. It is really incredible how well kids are responding and how excited they seem to be about reaching the school and the community. It’s really encouraging to even have adults coming up to me now complimenting the ministry and seeing them get excited about what is going on.

Thank you guys so much for the prayers and support. The kick-off happened because of yours prayers. The kids are coming to club because of your prayers. Kids are opening up because of your prayers. This ministry is able to work because all you are willing to support in whatever way you can. Please continue to do what you are doing, and we can all watch God move together.

Be Blessed,
Michael Yoder
Matthew 28:16-20

I Made TV! (3 weeks in a row!)

4 Year Old High School Lunch

There is nothing quite like walking back into the school you grew up in, seeing all the teachers that taught you as a student, going to eat lunch in the cafeteria, and talking with new students you don’t even know. I can understand how this can be scary for some, but I must be weird because I get some kind of rush out of the experience. I guess what fuels me is my goal of reaching every student in the school. When I walk into the school and see the hundreds of kids, I am struck with how big my goal is, but also how big my God is.

Some might think these goals are way out of reach, or that I’m setting myself up for failure. A wise man in Nappanee, Indiana is known for saying, “a surrendered life is an empowered life, and an empowered life expects the miraculous.” I have come to realize that if I have my life surrendered to God, I have no reason to expect nothing less than the miraculous. If God wants to reach the entire student body of South Adams, it’s going to happen. I am just thankful that I can be along for the ride.

Over the last three weeks, I have had the privilege of leading devotions for the football team. This has been such a blessing. I have gotten to know a lot of student leaders through this whole process and have seen my relationships with the student’s develop as a result. Last week after the devotion had ended and it was just me and another student in the room, he came up to me and put his arm around me and said, “Michael, I am super excited that you are our campus life director this year. I am looking forward to going through my senior year with you.” This student made my entire week and didn’t even know it.

This is the way my entire experience has been like so far at the school. I have been welcomed with open arms from the administration, faculty, and the students. When I walk into the school, I am always greeted by different sets of teachers and students who want me to come and talk to them. I really never expected it to be such an easy transition. I can’t credit myself, even though I would like to, but it really had nothing to do with me. I know that God has prepared a way for me, and as a result of your prayers, things are flowing really smoothly. I am just trying to be a surrendered life and I am talking great assurance that an empowered life expects the miraculous

Thank you so much your continued support of the ministry. I wish you could be there when I get to laugh, live, and love for the students. There is really nothing like it. Keep the school and the students in your prayers, and if you remember, I would really appreciate your prayers as well. Thanks again.

Blurred Vision

I am in the middle of our Midwest Conference retreat, all the way in Michigan somewhere. We are at a place called Camp Geneva. I must say, so far it's been awesome. I have been able to focus and refocus.

This morning we talked about our focus for our ministry, and I am excited to get back and

1. Find leaders

2. Meet with leaders

3. Cast vision to the leaders

This morning I was able to sit and brainstorm about what I feel God is telling me my mission and vision statement should be. I don't know if that is exactly what we were supposed to be doing, but that is what I got out of the session and what I did.

So, here we go.

Vision Statement: (what I want to see happen)

Reach the reached, unreached, and the unreachable

Reached are the kids that already know the gospel, but are lukewarm.

Unreached are the kids that have heard the gospel, but haven't made a life commitment

Unreachable are the kids that are viewed as hopeless. They are the outcasts and misfits.

Mission Statement: (how we are going to do it)

Reproduce leaders who reproduce leaders

This is what biblical leadership looks like. Taking the words of Paul as he says, "follow me, as I follow Christ." We are to make disciples that will make disciples. This will (in theory) result in a multitude of disciples being made.

I'm super excited...I'm pumped...

Now I just need some more leaders......