YL Capernaum Everywhere

Ben Summers, one of our YL Capernaum served on summer staff at Trail West this past summer.  Here is his reflections about his time. Describe what a day looked like working with the ODC? “I work hard with them. Pick up trees and put them in a truck. We raked in the gravel or mulch or the road. We moved furniture. We took trash runs in the truck to the dump. We pour [the trash] out. I help Jacob, Griffin, Jackson, James, Pat. We work, help them work all day. What were other ways you helped around camp when you finished your work? “Will and Hunter, We clean the Jeeps.” “I help [Pits] clean dishes and put them in the Hobart.” “We fold the towels, sheets, bed covers [with the Tawashies]” What did you do to have fun or relax? “Dance in the Pits and Laundry Room. Take a nap. Get Ice Cream. Sing in the club room.” What is one of your favorite memories at Trail West? “Dancing on the basketball court, square dancing.” This summer, you learned how to have a quiet

A guest post from Kaitlyn Ousley… At the start of summer, 9 of our Capernaum friends and 5 leaders piled on a bus to Carolina Point - ready and expectant for the week ahead. Carolina Point added a new slide - a steeeep slide that spits you into the lake right in the heart of camp. A few of our more adventurous friends couldn’t wait to go down. So we changed into our bathing suits, lathered up the sunscreen, buckled our life vests, and climbed the steps to the top of the slide. Most dove right in, screaming in sheer delight on the way down. They went over and over and over and over again. But Randle stood back. She wasn’t so sure of this big slide. She said, “I want to. But I’m scared.” Fears are so real. Some fears are healthy, they help us know when we need help or what to stay away from. But sometimes fear is unhealthy, it sneaks in and tells us lies about ourselves like “I can’t do it. I’m not good enough. I’m not brave enough.” Sometimes, fear stop us from being who God cr

Reggie had an amazing week at camp! He has been to other summer camps for kids with special needs, but had never experienced anything like Young Life camp! He felt very loved by his leaders and enjoyed those relationships. His mom said he has never been around adults that were so much fun; she added that he couldn't believe his leaders weren't teenagers themselves. As the week progressed, Reggie began to come out of his shell more and more. For example, during the first few clubs, he wanted to sit during the singing and dancing portion. By the end of the week, he was on his feet dancing with all the rest of us. I saw a visible transformation in his self confidence, and in his comfort level with his leaders and friends. Reggie especially liked hearing Lori speak during club. The illustrations she used really helped him to understand the messages about Jesus and God’s love. Once we returned home, Reggie’s mom told me that he's been talking with her about what he

Here’s another incredible post from one of our friends in Capernaum who spent his month thriving at Carolina Point! He and Mike (who shared his story in our last blog) served together in the dining hall for the month and both experienced Jesus in sweet, rich ways! Carolina Point is a place where I have opportunities to meet new people, gain independence and expand on my relationship with God. This year I made a new friend named Mike. Mike was a part of the work crew as well. He stayed with me throughout the day and would assist me when needed. Each morning we began our day with a devotional and quiet time with God. Even though I was away from my family for a month , Because of the friendship I made with Mike I didn’t miss them very much. We were a part of the dining hall work crew. Our job meant we served at breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. For fun we went swimming, rode go carts, we went down a water slide, and we talked. We talked a lot about personal feelings and life

Blog by Mike Nicastro https://mikethoughtsblog.wordpress.com/author/mikethoughtsblog/ It was the end of week two in the late afternoon, and Sam and I were slowly making out way up the ramp to Goldbricks on our way to dinner. He turned to me and said, “Well, it’s been really fun being a server these past two weeks!” I asked him what he meant by that, and he said, “Well, now that the Capernaum weeks are over, I guess I won’t be a server anymore.” I exclaimed, “What are you talking about?!! You’re a server all four weeks of camp! Why would you think that just because the campers will no longer have disabilities that you wouldn’t continue serving them?” After processing that for a moment, he lit up with his classic cheek to cheek grin, that can only be labeled as a Sam McKamey smile. He didn’t say anything other than the word, “Oh,” but the rest of the way to the dining hall he kept that silly jubilant grin stamped on his beautiful face. The following night Sam served his fir

During our Capernaum Pre-Conference at YL75, we had the privilege of hearing from Joni Eareckson Tada! Joni spent her time with us digging in to the heart of our mission. Joni has advocated change for people with disabilities in our world and shared with us about how many of them are so impactful- impactful as task changers. They have forced ramps and ADA bathrooms and things of the like, but Young Life Capernaum is a heart changing movement. Sure, in the end, we work with our YL properties and churches in our areas for task changes but ultimately, we’re in it for heart changes! Jesus, with all of his significance, seemed to be in it for the same reasons. He chose, quite often, to be around those with weaknesses. He avoided the powerful to be with the weak. He showed us what it truly meant to consider others better than ourselves and He cast a great vision for us. Be encouraged as you listen, lean in and find yourself reminded of what it means to co-labor with our friends

“THRIVING” - a word I like to use to describe YL Capernaum Ministries. Our ministries are growing and thriving, and the individuals who are participating in our ministries are growing and thriving. What do I mean by thriving? Peter Benson describes it this way: “Thriving is about communities where people feel and know that they are persons of value and worth; that they have something unique to offer the world; and that they have the courage to act on their gifts.” Let me share a letter we received from one of our high school buddies that illustrates people who are thriving in Capernaum: My name is Avery and I am a junior in high school. I first started attending Capernaum as a buddy just at the start of this year. When I first started attending, the motivation was definitely because I wanted to be able to be like Jesus through serving. However, my Capernaum friends have ended up showing Jesus to me. Here’s what I’ve realized: throughout this entire year, my Capernaum friends have

“THRIVING” - a word I am using to describe YL Capernaum Ministries this summer. Our ministries are growing and thriving, and the individuals who are participating in our ministries are growing and thriving. What do I mean by thriving? I recently read this description written by Peter Benson: “Thriving is about communities where people feel and know that they are persons of value and worth; that they have something unique to offer the world; and that they have the courage to act on their gifts.” Let me share one example of one of our high school friends who is thriving as described by his YL leader: “Willie has been attending YL Capernaum for the past two years and was finally able to attend camp this summer. We went to Washington Family Ranch Young Life camp about a week ago, and Willie quickly became everyone’s friend. Willie is one of the most joyful kids I know. He wasn't afraid to do anything. He did the ropes course, giant swing, and even drove his own canyon car. He lov

As we all continue to looks towards transitioning our older friends into something that allows them to be a part of lifelong ministry, we wanted to share this encouraging story with you…. Thanks Tallahassee, we’re excited for your friends! Overall, the transition went way better than we could have imagined! With a lot of prayer, planning, and help from ‘on-board’ parents, I really felt that most parents and friends were able to see the heart behind it. In the initial stage of planning, it was important to us as leaders that we give our friends and their family a place to go after the transition- we didn’t want to leave them ‘high and dry’. We know that, unfortunately, there are not too many options for community for people with disabilities after the age of 22. That being said, we decided to reach out to the local church that allows us to use their space for club. This church is one of the few in our area that has a disability ministry (sadly), and the only one who caters to adu