Impact on the Community

My role with Young Life is one of equipping others to reach teenagers for Jesus. I love hearing stories from those I help equip about the impact that Young Life is having in their communities. In a pre-camp meeting, we were sharing about how things were going, and Roberto told the following story about how he had seen God at work the past week. There were two boys who wanted to come to camp, but didn't have the money. Roberto said he would help them sell doughnuts to earn money for camp. All day long they walked the streets of La Vega selling doughnuts. But when they told people why they were selling them, great conversations would occur. Many people who had no desire to eat a doughnut would buy two or three and give them to their friends. After a full day of this, one of the boys remarked that there were so many people they had met during the day who lived without hope. These two kids may not yet have a relationship with the Lord, but they understand the fundamental need we all have for hope.

Roberto Martinez

At the end of the day, Roberto went to the barber shop to get a haircut before going to camp. His barber told him that he had seen him with the two boys that day and wondered why he would spend time with them. Roberto explained his work with Young Life, and his barber told him through tears that if he had had someone like Roberto to walk alongside him in his teenage years, his life would have been different. I was fortunate enough to have not only great parents but other adults that walked alongside me, mentoring and guiding me in ways that my parents could not. Young Life is a relational ministry. We love encouraging the Robertos of this world to build relationships with adolescents who badly need an adult friend to point them in the right direction.