“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1st Timothy 4:12
For the third year in a row, FOCUS Ministries was blest to have an exhibit booth at the recent IGNITE Youth Leadership Conference in Oswego, IL. What a JOY to witness more than 1000 students and their youth group leaders and parents celebrating God’s faithfulness and digging in deeper to know Him more.
Some of the students who stopped by our table remembered us from previous years and were so happy to see us again. Some of the youth were surprised to see an exhibit about healthy relationships amidst the usual sponsors for Christian colleges and Bible camps. We felt welcome and enjoyed much traffic to our booth due to the location right next to the IGNITE merch store.
There are so many stories from the conference…
One young man stood at our table, looking at our brochures, stickers and booklets, realized that we are specialists in ministering to those who are hurting from domestic abuse and violence. He asked for prayer. He said he has experienced abuse in his home and his family and NEVER EVER wants to treat his girlfriend like that. We were so blest to pray for him right then and there.
There was another student with his friend and his youth group leader who looked at the material on our table and immediately pulled out his wallet and said, “I want to support this!” He pulled all the quarters and change out of his wallet and handed it over to me! When he saw my face and how moved I was by his generosity, he asked, “Can I pray for you?” With tears welling up, I nodded yes. He held both of my hands over the table and prayed earnestly and passionately for our ministry. When he looked up from his prayer, he saw I had tears in my eyes and offered a hug!
This kind of love has never happened at any conference I’ve attended in the past and I was so moved…I had to excuse myself and run to the bathroom for a private cry.
It was so wonderful to see familiar faces and meet new students and exhibitors, including Rob Roozeboom from RISE Ministries who was at the conference as a speaker and personally invited us to come to the music festival he’s organized each June for twenty years in Sheldon, Iowa. His story is amazing, and I highly recommend his book, Broken Still Chosen.
We are so very thankful for the Lord’s provision which allows us to participate in this important conference to help teens recognize that they are precious in the eyes of the Lord and that He has wonderful plans for their lives. We are thankful for your ongoing support of FOCUS Ministries as we reach out to the next generation of believers in Jesus the Messiah as they are even now being transformed into loving and faithful leaders for our churches.
