YL Capernaum Everywhere

Throughout the summer at Young Life camps, staff and volunteers are loving kids of all abilities. Please enjoy reading about how God is working: Caring for friends with disabilities is one of my greatest passions in life. But no matter how much I love them, how much they make me laugh, how much I enjoy the time I spend with each unique individual, I always carry around this weight and worry that something might go wrong. What if my friend suddenly decides they are angry…. what if the schedule changes… what if they decide it’s time to touch a stranger’s face without warning… what if I can’t understand what it is they are trying to tell me… what if we’re too loud… what if I can’t fix all the problems as quickly as they need to be fixed before we make a scene. It’s hard to explain this worry unless you’ve felt it yourself. Preparing for our trip to Young Life Camp, this weight felt heavier than ever. While I should have been focused on the hopeful anticipation in each of the...

There is a new space at Carolina Point that is making the gospel more accessible for a greater number of people. I was privileged to experience God's extravagant love as I sat in this new space which is the “Quiet” room, named The Sawmill Office. As soon as I arrived at camp, I heard about the new “Quiet” room beside the club room, and I could hardly wait to check it out. I have experienced Quiet rooms at many disability ministries - these are usually rooms that are provided for kids who are over-stimulated in order to give them time out; they are rooms where a student is separated from the activity and from their peers in order to calm down. However, that is NOT what happens with the Quiet room at Carolina Point! No, this room is connected to the activity in the club room but with the ability to control the volume and the lighting in order to meet the needs of the people in the room. As I walked in, I knew I had found a new home! The experience of club hadn’t been working...

Abdullah is a teenager who is blind from Hebron, a 99% Muslim town, who lives in at The House of Hope in Bethlehem, Palestine. The House of Hope provides care and a safe place for people with disabilities as most  are cast out of their families. This is where Abdullah was introduced to Young Life. The Young Life leaders of Bethlehem came to know Abdullah and after seeking him out they were able to lead him into an experience that would change his life. Abdullah went to visit Young Life camp for a day and was able to experience the goodness and joy of the worship songs being lifted to heaven. Although he isn’t able to see the silly costumes of program, the bright smile of his leader or the holy chaos that ensues when a Young Life club is dancing together, Abdullah’s ears have been filled with the heavenly words sung at camp. As he has continued to return to clubs and camps, he’s memorized all of the lyrics to each worship song he hears. Abdullah is truly gifted in his abilit...

We love sharing great ideas like this! Greater Sacramento Capernaum is doing creative contact work in their community, collaborating with a local business, and helping their friends develop their gifts & abilities! They have been bringing their friends to Studio 48 Art Class which meets the second and fourth Thursdays from 3:30-5pm. It is a time for their friends who are creative to tap into the gifts and talents the Lord has given them. They have a few art teachers who help teach their friends different forms of art. Some of the art mediums are drawing, ink, markers, pastels, chalk, paint, watercolor, 3-D art and clay. They work on individual art pieces that they can take home to family and friends and make pieces for their very own art show where their work is displayed and sold. We place a small picture bio next to each art piece with the following information so those purchasing the artwork know who made it. 1. Birthplace 2. Hobbies 3. School attended 4. Favor...