YMI has begun! Much has happened in the last month. Here is a little update.
The YMI House. As I have mentioned in previous newsletters, one of the changes to YMI this year is that we have chosen to move our students into an urban, lower-income neighborhood called the Argentine. Rather than spending most of the semester at camp, they live every day serving and caring for their neighbors.
One of the question marks for YMI towards the beginning of the summer was a place to live. Kurt and Emily had been living there and knew of several apartments where our students could live. However, one day, Kurt looked out his window and saw the perfect house.... plenty of room for a family and our YMI students.... and for a great price.
Less than a month later, Erik Leafblad and his family, along with our students moved into the house less than a block away from Kurt and Emily. What a blessing!
Kurt and Emily (and Luke). Several years ago, Kurt and his wife Emily, moved to Kansas City after graduating from Iowa State to be part of Youthfront’s Mexico program. One of the great things about Youthfront’s program is that they believe that the best ministry is incarnational. In other words, like Jesus, they came to live with and around the people they were reaching. They sought to bring the message of the kingdom with humility and solidarity. Ministry was not only about a message proclaimed, but a message embodied.
When they moved back to Kansas City, they became involved in YMI. One of the great advantages to having someone like Kurt working with YMI, is that his passion for doing this type of ministry is absolutely contagious, not only to our students, but our staff as well.
Erik and Amy (they also have two kids, but they are not pictured). Erik and Amy have also had a great influence on YMI. Their passion for alternative forms of education fit wonderfully with the vision for YMI. Erik, who earned his Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, is one of the more intelligent men I’ve ever met, yet he has a great ability to make things that are complex understandable for people like our YMI students.
A day at YMI. So how does YMI look day to day this year? Typically, every Monday through Friday, there is a book discussions in the morning, led by Kurt, Erik, or me. In the afternoons, the students are out building relationships in the community though activities like after school programs, service projects, and other various ministry opportunities.
On Friday’s, we spend a day at Youthfront South. After some discussion in the morning, the students use this day as a retreat from the busyness of the Argentine. They spend time in prayer, study, solitude, and rest.
Mexico. Part of YMI is spending two weeks in Mexico together. On Monday, Amanda, Abi, the YMI students and I will be piling in a van and driving to Monterrey, Mexico. Pray for us as we go.
