Pray for the world's 100 million street children | Christian News on Christian Today

Pray for the world's 100 million street children | Christian News on Christian Today

Kseniya Simonova presents - Yana Korokhina "Faces" by Yana Korohina "Faces"

This is a must watch video. One of the kids we have the pleasur eof knowing, loving and mentoring was recently given a camera to capture images using her magical eye for photographic imagery. Yana K. Is tremndously talented. The host of this post Kseniya Simonova is a former winner of Ukraine's Got talent TV show. She creates temporary imagery using sand. She presents - Yana Korokhina "Faces" by Yana Korohina "Faces".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlEl56HSUMo

Yana K.

More Time with Less People Equals...

...greater impact!  

(A Message From Rob Browne, Executive Director, YouthReach International)

Think about that.  Jesus invested heavily in 12 who in turn changed the world.  Paul invested keenly in a few young evangelists who greatly broadened the reach of the church.  YouthReach International is encouraging our Mentors, referred to as 12-3-1 Mentors, to follow Jesus' example and do the same as the core of this ministry is 1 to 1 mentoring in the orphanages of Ukraine and Russia.  It is a huge task but it is a worthy task.  Thank you for sharing in it with us.

As said in our last newsletter, last month was National Mentoring Month.  I heard from many readers some of the efforts they initiated to see mentoring become more real to them.  A good friend and local minister in our area and I have challenged each other to invest in people half our age.  At 43, that really means something!  In keeping with that, I had breakfast with a wonderful young man named Mark last week and marveled at the joy and ease of listening to him and encouraging him in the things he is passionate about.  Mentoring does take effort but it is definitely a joy.  Whether in your home country or on a YouthReach International Mission Trip, invest the effort and experience the joy for yourself!

2012 Team leaders Retreat

Much is happening on the ministry front we want to share with you.  On January 24, nearly 50 YouthReach alumni, friends, team members, and team leaders gathered in Lilburn, GA, for a powerful night of worship and fellowship.  Thank you to Tim and Sheila Dunn for hosting us and to Pete McReynolds for leading this worship time. The next day our core team leaders for 2012 gathered for a full day of equipping at Campus Church's "Underground"  in Norcross, GA. Thank you to Karla Crump, Julie Williams, Cheri Raines, Tim and Sheila Dunn and Traci Browne for preparing and serving our meals!  Pictured below are leaders from California, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Georgia.  Please keep them in prayer as they are now training their teams who will go out this summer to stand beside those 12-3-1 Mentors in Ukraine and Russia and invest the effort while experiencing the joy of mentoring orphans and at risk youth.

Two hours before that wonderful night of worship started, our Board of Directors, together with our Executive Team, concluded their first meeting of the year at the 1818 Club in Duluth, GA.  From left to right, Dr. Jerry Strader (Abilene, TX), Wayne Tomlinson (Brentwood, TN), Rob Browne (Executive Director and Director of Russian Operations), Sherriann Hicks (Atlanta, GA), Dr. Andrew Vick (St. Louis, MO), Jim Pack, Jr. (Atlanta, GA), and Tony Morrow (Director of Ukrainian Operations, Abilene, TX) are pictured below.  We are very grateful to our Board for their commitment and service to this ministry. Please keep them in prayer as you also remember our staff, volunteers, Mentors, and of course orphans.  Also, click on this link to read a brief profile on each of our Board Members and see a better picture than below of what they really look like.  They serve quietly and behind the scenes but it is important that you know more of who they are and the passion they bring to our work.

YouthReach International - Board of Directors

In less then 3 weeks we will have completed Mentor Training Retreats in Novosibirsk, Russia, as well as Donetsk and Simferopel, Ukraine.  These efforts are beyond key to our work.  A mentoring ministry is only as strong as its mentors and these retreats are all about developing the depth of our mentor teams in both countries.  Please pray for Mike Neill (College Park, GA) and Margaret Moore (Abilene, TX) as they join me in Novosibirsk, February 24-26, 2012. Tony Morrow will be carrying out the Ukrainian Retreats the last week of February and first week of March.  These meetings are especially key for our Ukraine arm right now.  Your prayers for Tony as well as any encouragement you can push his way will bless our efforts there immensely.  Thank you in advance for them!

Next month's activities include Chick-fil-A SERVE Seminars in Novosibirsk and Tomsk, Russia, as well as a team from Greater Atlanta Christian School going to work alongside partner church, Tomsk Christian Church, in Tomsk, Russia.

An upcoming announcement about our spring fundraising dinner in Nashville, TN, on May 5, is just around the corner.  In a sense, I am burying the headline but you will hear more about this in the coming weeks.  Those of you in middle Tennessee, please save Saturday, May 5, at 6 p.m. for a very special evening with YouthReach International in Franklin, TN.   More on that in an email all by itself.

Finally, are you interested in serving on YouthReach International's Prayer Team?  It kicks off tomorrow and a few places do remain.  Please contact Tony Morrow (tony@youthreach.org) immediately if you desire to stand with our ministry in this way.
Please refer to the Latest News page on our website for prayer requests, praise reports, and online resources.

With sincerest thanks and deep appreciation for you all, I am,

Rob Browne
Executive Director/Director of Russian Operations
YouthReach International

Request from Tony Morrow -Ukraine operations Director at YouthReach International

Hello Everyone :)


Many of you have (and continue) to pray for the Morrow's and the wonderfully challenging work we are blessed to be a part of with YouthReach International in Ukraine.  Thank You!!!!


The Board, Staff, Mentors, and Short-Term Mission Volunteers at YouthReach International know we need the prayer support of many as we strive to exemplify Christ to the orphaned children of Russia and Ukraine.  With this in mind, I would like each of you to prayerfully consider joining YouthReach International's Prayer Team.  The document which I have attached to this e-mail briefly (but clearly) describes the responsibilities of a YouthReach International Prayer Team Member.


I am encouraging each of you to read this document and to prayerfully consider becoming a part of YouthReach International's Prayer Team.  If you have any questions regarding this request, please do not hesitate to contact me.


Once I have received responses from all who would like to be a part of this very important ministry, I will develop a contact list and begin sending weekly prayer requests to our YouthReach International Prayer Team Members.  This weekly communication will also provide updates as to how God is answering our prayers.


Thank you so much for considering this request!

Tony Morrow
Director of Ukraine Operations
Youthreach International
(325) 439-0501
tony@youthreach.org

YouthReach International

Prayer Team

James 1:22
“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”  


I Thessalonians 5:17
“Pray continually.” 


YouthReach International Lifestyle Commitment 
The board, staff, mentors, team leaders, and team members of YouthReach International strive to:

• Read the Word of God daily
• Do what God’s Word says daily, and
• Pray continually

The YouthReach International family strives to live out a Reading, Praying, and Obeying Lifestyle so Christ is exemplified in every area of our lives and ministry.


YouthReach International Prayer Team Commitment
YouthReach International seeks individuals who are willing to live a Reading, Praying, and Obeying Lifestyle and who are committed to praying daily for the advancement of God’s kingdom through the YouthReach International ministry.


A YouthReach International Prayer Team member is a person who commits to:

• Reading the Word of God daily
• Asking God to help them do what they have read daily
• Praying continually
• Maintaining a clear understanding of the YouthReach International Ministry
• Fostering a passion for the advancement of God’s kingdom in and through the YouthReach International ministry and,
• Praying consistently for prayers received from Tony Morrow the YouthReach International Prayer Team liaison 

Please contact Tony Morrow at tony@youthreach.org if you are interested in becoming a member of the YouthReach International Prayer Team

January 2012 Update

Greetings! Great things are happening with the team and Youthreach International. Even as I write this entry our mentors Arthur Kazaryan, Nastya Skovorodnykova, Violetta Alimova, and Elvira Sharipova are wrapping up the January birthday program at the Detskyi Dom in Simferopol. This was probably more challenging than in past visits as there is a blanket of knee-deep snow in Crimea. i know they blessed the children there with their visit.


Here’s a quick team update for the last month.

• Christy Blazer and I went to Beaty Swamp Community Church to provide a report on the December camp. BSCC is Christy’s home congregation in gracious and growing Monroe, TN.
• Linda, Christy, and I presented to the Donelson Church of Christ combined Bible class. Linda and Christy told those attended about how they were led to go. They each said that they felt their main role was to be there for the children, play, hug, love and support the efforts of our 12-3-1 mentors.
• June 2012 team is registered. Haley Harrell (Nashville) and Jordyn Harry (Panama City Beach, FL) will join me in June.
• Joel and Haley attended the YouthReach International team leaders retreat. Funding efforts are well under way and team meetings will begin soon.
• Haley and I in addition to all team leaders will be participating an “Read, Pray, Obey” scripture study as a part of our spiritual preparation.
• Nastya Skovorodnykova visited the kids at the Detskyi Dom to deliver some cards and gifts
• 250 pairs of socks and girls tights were collected and shipped to the Detskyi Dom from one of the home church groups at Donelson Church of Christ.

Please continue to pray about these things:

• Read, Pray, Obey: Team preparation begins this week. Pray that God will give us eyes to see, and ears to hear what his word will reveal to us - May we have the desire to read His word everyday, pray about what we have read, and then do what it says.
• Mentor Retreat: Our team mentors (Nastya, Marizza, Masha, Violetta, Elvira, Arthur, Anya and Vika) will be attending the YouthReach International - 12-3-1 Mentor's Retreat at the end of February. Led by Tony Morrow and Rob Browne, the retreat will be held at Commonwealth International University (CIU). Many of the mentors from team ministering in the Donetsk region will be traveling to Simferopol. Tony Morrow (Dir.-Ukraine Operations) is leading them in a "Read, pray, Obey" in a 5-week study of the book of James.
• Team Funding: Always this is probably the most stressful part of what we do. Not only that but it makes us uncomfortable to ask. Pray that God is preparing the hearts of those He has chosen to be generous and that we are able to meet our funding deadlines of 50% by March 1 and  100% by April 15. May God reveal the blessing to those sending us.
• Soil preparation: We are a seed-sowing ministry; one that does not predetermine which kids or mentors will be most receptive to the message before sharing it. We will share the hope and love of Jesus Christ with all those that the Lord puts in our path. Pray that the hearts and minds of the Chidren, our mentors, the orphanage staff personnel and those we meet on the way will be receptive.
• Travel: This year one of the most popular professional soccer tournaments worldwide will be hosted in Ukriane - The European Championship or Euro-Cup. A huge influx of travellers and soccer enthusiasts will be flowing into Ukraine at the same time we are. The demand for air and ground transport (trains, cabs, etc), lodging, etc will be challenging. On the bright side....there will be a festive atmosphere throughout Country. pray that God will make our way smooth and straight.
• Central orphanage: Please continue to pray over Anya G. and Vika V. working in the Central Orphanage for Girls. They are in need of funds to purchase fire extinguishers, light bulbs and many other physical needs at the orphanage are required or else heavy fines will be imposed. Drunkenness, fights, promiscuity among the girls living there is a daily occurrence.
• Georges & Laverne Carillet @ Commonwealth International University: Georges and his wife Laverne have been serving the kingdom for many years in Simferopol. They have been sharing the gospel of Christ through student organizations and Bible degree coursework at CIU. Currently they are struggling with obtaining long-term visas and land-lease issue with the university. Please pray that these are resolved.

Support our team: www.youthreach.org/2012summer

Click "Sponsor a missions team member", enter the name of the person, complete the form. Easy!

Sponsor one of our kids! Here's a challenge -brownbag your lunch just 1 day each week. By the end of the month you'll have enough to sponsor one of our kids. That's right! For under $40 you can make a difference. Click here learn more.

Cherry On Top

Lately it seems my daughter Emily is growing up at an exponential rate. Seems just not too long ago we were having tea parties in her room. No, I didn’t have to dress up. But poor Teddy-teddy and the others did. I remember playing a Winnie-the-Pooh game similar to musical chairs.

Emily and her friend Lexi @ Keith Urban concert.
It was Emily's 16th birthday.

I can’t mention here all of the ways she makes me proud. It’s a thousand ways every day. My son Ethan too…but that’s a different subject for a different day.

Nowadays she’s all about studying, friends, and lately, dances.Dances. Yeah. High school homecoming in particular.

I am oblivious to the weeks of preparation, ordering, shopping, etc required until a some crisis comes along. Take women’s shoes for example. Now, I’m not real proud of this but I seem to have had the knack for finding the right women’s shoe for this occasion.

At home, I sort of sit by like a piece of furniture trying to stay out of the way while she and Linda are searching on-line for the perfect dress. I watch as stress-levels max out when it hasn’t arrived the day of the dance - discover it’s lost in shipping. They rush out to buy a replacement and arrive home to find the original in the mailbox while they were out. The Crisis shifts from “What am I going to wear?” to Which ONE am I going to wear?”

Homecoming 2012 - the gratuitous
photo with dad

But the joy I get out of this is waiting in my chair in the living room when she emerges from her bedroom. It really leaves me breathless is that my little girl is so stunningly beautiful. God is changing her before our very eyes.

The other joy I had was picking her up afterward. Don’t get me wrong, it was full of similar stresses as preparing for the dance such as “Post-dance parental pick-up traffic” and “finding each other in the parking lot by cell phone”.

We didn’t say much. But I relished the 10-minutes just riding in the car with her all decked out in her new dress, hair, make-up, shoes and all.

So, I’ve been thinking. Recently I started reading the One-Year Bible. I’m just getting started so you can as you can guess I’m reading a lot of the Book of Genesis. In reading the creation story I came to the part about God creating Eve.

As I read I got the idea that God’s creation is sort of like an ice cream sundae. You take an empty bowl (a void) and you fill it up with all kinds of good stuff! Scoops of different flavors of ice cream, top it with chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, fruit and nuts (Ok, you can skip the nuts if you like) then whipped cream, and on the pinnacle of the sumptuous heap of ice cream….a …bright…shining…cherry.

Like an epic symphony building, building, BUILDING until the crash of the final….wait scratch that...the final “TING”…of the triangle. The perfect endnote.

So this is what Eve is like; the cherry on top; the final “ting” at the end of the symphony.

This is what I hope us guys remember; us men, boys, boyfriends, dads, husbands, brothers, sons. Let’s all remember that they; women, girls, girlfriends, moms, wives, and sisters are the final note in the masterpiece, the crescendo of all that is good..

I hope I can remember always that the women in my life represent the pinnacle of creation and that I can treat them as such.

The cherry on top.

YouthReach International 

ORPHAN OUTREACH OPPORTUNITY

UKRAINE - JUNE 2012

TeamSim is currently seeking volunteers (high school juniors +) to join it’s Nashville area Orphan Outreach Team for it's June2012 trip. 

The team will travel to Simferopol, Ukraine leading a short-term outreach ministry for institutionalized orphans and at-risk children. 

The team will  host a 10-12 day Bible camp and outreach for children  in two orphanages, ranging in age of the children range from 5-17. 

YouthReach International volunteer team-leader Joel Butts has been leading local Nashville area teams to Ukraine since 2006.

The team will be comprised of 4-6 US members and the same or greater number of local English-speaking Ukrainian Christians called “12-3-1 Mentors.” YouthReach Int’l uses Jesus’ biblical model of discipling: he led 12, drew close to 3, and loved 1. 

Team and mentors use this model to teach and disciple children. Mentors continue the ministry to long after US team members return home by regularly visiting the children. In this way, life-changing relationships are cultivated and grown. US team members in turn communicate with mentors to provide encouragement, prayer support, and edification throughout the year .

Proposed trip dates: June 5-19 or June 12-26

YouthReach will select the best option as fundraising is completed and plans are more firm.

Registration (due January 27): Online - $250 deposit and completed forms required

Funding: Each team member must raise $3350

- 50% of funds are due by March 1* 

- 100% of funds are due by April 15*

*missed deadlines could mean removal from team. Donations are non-refundable.

Mentors funding support: The US team is responsible for raising support for it’s mentors ($450/mentor). The individual funding amount above includes funding for one mentor per US team member. Typically a 1.5 or 2-to-1 mentor-to-US member is preferred. Additional fundraising for extra mentors will be determined as mentor prospects are identified.

Team Meetings will begin first week of February.

Contact Joel for requirements and more information:

615-429-3320 / prophet1961@bellsouth.net

http://facebook.com/joel.butts.1961

For more information, visit: www.Youthreach.org