years in the making

For the past four years, I've been leading Young Life at Saline High School. When I first became a leader, I was advised to focus on a core group of 8th graders who were active in Saline WyldLife. This allowed me the opportunity to build relationships with them as they navigated their high school years.

Our initial gatherings were small, with conversations revolving mainly around football, and discussions about faith covering only the surface-level fundamentals of Christianity. Over the course of the next four years, I witnessed significant personal and spiritual growth among the boys of Saline through our consistent text conversations, weekly clubs, fall weekend retreats, and summer camp trips.

During our recent Fall Weekend outing to Timber Wolf Lake, the evidence of this growth became apparent in our conversations. We delved into topics such as their struggles with anxiety, the complex relationship they had with sports, and uncertainties about life after high school. Throughout these discussions, they sought to understand how their strengthened relationship with Jesus could impact their thoughts.

The tone and subjects of our conversations were notably more mature than I had with their 8th-grade selves, and witnessing their growth made me proud. After the weekend concluded, I received a text from one of the boys: "Thankful for you, man. Thanks for giving us a great time at camp, I'm already looking forward to Summer Camp!"

— Jack Long, Saline Young Life Leader