Death brings pain no matter what the circumstances, but when it strikes a young person it can be devastating. Our hearts are breaking today for the family of a teenager who died this week after football practice at Ft. Campbell High School. This young man was only 16 years old, well loved by family and friends and a member of Ft. Campbell’s Club Beyond. We are so thankful for the ministry of Gil and Patti Carter, who lead Club Beyond at Ft. Campbell and were immediately available to counsel with teenagers and families, in the midst of their own hurt. Gil and Patti are in place in that community because of the faithful support of people like you, who see the need for ministry to military teens. I know that at military bases across the country, ministry to military teens is happening on a daily basis. It is that daily work that earns us the right to be in the middle of great tragedy and speak the name of Jesus in tough situations. My role is to support people like Gil and Patti, and help them reach as many teenagers as possible through the ministry of Club Beyond.

We spent a few days in Southern California after my mom’s memorial service, and one afternoon while eating lunch I struck up a conversation with two ladies sitting nearby. (My kids look at each other and roll their eyes when I do this but it hasn’t stopped me yet). They asked where we were from, which leads to the almost inevitable question of “what do you do?” I always enjoy sharing with people about the ministry of YFC Military Youth Ministries. Many people have some connection to someone in the military, so it resonates with them and they are excited to learn more about it. It turns out that these ladies were married to men who had served in the military many years ago, and they were revisiting some of the duty stations where they had lived. Before they left they slipped a bill into my hands, and said, “we know it’s just a drop in the bucket, but we want to help any way we can.” What a great reminder that God can use any situation to further His work! We are so excited about what God is doing through the ministry of MYM and glad to have an opportunity to share that with others.