June Update

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything with specifics about what I’ve been up to. The last month or two has had me stepping into some cool new things, so I figured I’d take a few minutes to share some of that!

In early May I had to opportunity to travel to Edmonton for a week. Earlier in the year I had been noticing a bit of an unsettling feeling. Not strictly loneliness or isolation, but certainly pulling on a similar thread. As I tried to get a sense as to where that feeling was coming from, I was reminded that when there is something new and exciting in your life (like a new job, another child on the way, buying a house, etc…), you naturally want to tell the people closest to you. When you run into someone at the grocery store or see your friends at church, you say, “Hey! Guess what… Let’s grab lunch or a coffee sometime and I’ll tell you more about it.” What I had been realizing was that as much as we have developed a number of amazing relationships here in Ontario, the fact remains that the people who have known me the longest and known me the deepest… nearly all of them live in Edmonton. There is virtually zero chance of me casually bumping into any of those people. So in the midst of that, I was starting to feel a bit lonely. Not to mention, I don’t really have a “team” in this new role, and any expression of team that I do have, well, they’re in Tijuana, MX, three time zones away! So again, there’s a propensity for me to feel isolated in what I’m doing. These are exactly the things I was addressing in my “Friendship” update last month.

In May I had the opportunity to go to Edmonton for a week. When people asked what I was doing there, I was able to say I was there mostly just to crank up the friendship dial! And did I ever do just that! Even as an extreme extrovert, I may have pushed the boundaries of how many people one can visit in a one week time frame! It was so good though! So great to connect with so many people I haven’t seen in a long time! What a gift! Thanks to a very good friend who helped make it possible!

While I was in Edmonton I also had a few chances to really connect with the people of Central Baptist! I got to attend and help with some prep for the Central Youth Mexican Fiesta Fundraiser as well as attend Sunday services at Connors Hill site. Central was also gracious enough to host a special evening simply to “Connect with Jud.” It was so cool to see and connect with so many people who were so dear to me during my time as a pastor at Central. Again, what a gift!

Upon returning home, I had to change gears quickly. I had just under 3 weeks to prepare for my next trip that would take me to Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico again. I was going to be going to Ensenada to speak for a Mission Adventures group what would be coming in early June and had 6 speaking sessions to prepare for!

Then in early June I went to Tijuana for a few days to participate in a YWAM conference dedicated to praying for and considering how YWAM is to serve Generation Z. Even though I wasn’t able to attend the whole conference, it was really cool to hear about the work that is being done!

After a few days in Tijuana, I went down to Ensenada for a week of Mission Adventures (MA). MA is the week long youth missions trip that YWAM does. I was there to be the speaker for the week and to serve and support the Ensenada MA team however I could. What an incredible week! Absolutely incredible! There were three groups there at the same time and it was absolutely amazing to see them step out and serve and seek Jesus in such intense ways!

One Story from MA

There was a group from Alaska that spent one of their days serving at a Boys Rehab Center. Most of the young men in this drug/alcohol rehab centre were between 14 and 24 years of age. They were they either because they enrolled themselves or because their families had made arrangements for them to be there. Either way, they are there for a few months, seeking to get clean from substance abuse and find a healthier way to live. It is a faith based rehab centre, so the students were able to not only serve in some practical ways, but share their testimonies and spend some time building relationships with these young men.

Again, this is a faith based facility, so they would have been used to hearing stories of Jesus and scripture. So when these high school students from Alaska showed up and share about who Jesus is and the ways they’ve seen Him active in their lives, even though their lives look NOTHING like the lives of these young Mexican men, their testimonies had a profound impact. Upon hearing about how Jesus has made such a tangible difference in the lives of these Alaskan teens, 5 or 6 of the Mexican boys told their staff they wanted to get baptized!! Wow! The staff who have been journeying with them for their time there were excited to find a way to make it happen! Since they were quite a ways inland and far from the ocean, and there was not near by body of water, they had to improvise. Their best option was to scrub clean a huge “roll to the curb” style trash can and baptize them in it using margarine containers full of water to dunk over their heads!

What an incredible story! I’m believing that Jesus is and truly will continue to make a radical difference in the lives of those young Mexican men. And I can assure you that even that very day I was able to see a confidence and a renewed passion welling up in the Alaskan teens as they saw Jesus use their stories to bring about New L I F E in others!

It was that story and others like it that had me nearly giddy the whole time I was in Ensenada! I just kept finding myself saying, “WHAT?!? I get to do this!! THIS! This is what I get to be a part of! How cool is this!!”

Amazing! So fun!

As I wrap this update up. I want to share one more story/bit of information.

A few weeks ago I was scrolling through some social feeds and saw a post from Fuller Youth Institute that nearly took my breath away. It read…

A 2023 survey conducted by the Youth Cartel reveals that 41% of youth workers are either considering stepping out of ministry or have done so in the past two years. Let’s pause to that sink in for a moment: almost 1 of every called, equipped, and gifted youth leaders is questioning whether they’re able to sustain the ministry pace or expectations.

Let me tell you. That breaks my heart! It’s been a hard few years for everyone, and those who dedicate their lives to living life with young people are no exception! But to think that nearly 1 in 2 youth workers are considering leaving the ministry or have recently. Wow. What a heartbreaking reality. As much as this stat saddens me, it also gets me extremely fired up for what I’m feeling called to. I don’t remember the last time I felt so convinced that the very thing I’m trying to do ABSOLUTELY MATTERS!

YWAM has invited me to be on the front lines of caring for and supporting youth workers! A growing community of people in my life and stepping up to support me and empower me to spend myself on behalf of those who are in the trenches of discipline young people! And as you can see, it matters! It matters a LOT! I’m so excited to be able to sit across a table with a youth pastor and tell them, “You are not alone!” “Let me be in your corner!”

I’m so excited to have the opportunity to use my passion and the skills I’ve developed to be able to serve youth workers and the Kingdom in this unique way!

Thanks for taking the time to read this brief update.

More to come!

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