YL Capernaum Everywhere

by Brad Mowry, Eastern Division Capernaum Coordinator I remember the doctor’s words clearly, “It’s a girl.” My wife said, “Really?!” She was convinced we were having a boy. It was our first child and we decided to wait and be surprised by the gender. Holding Hannah in my arms that morning, I could hardly believe I was a father. I began to dream about all the fun times we would have. I was young, but I could picture growing old and Hannah growing up. I pictured birthday parties, soccer games, prom nights, and someday walking her down the aisle to give her away (to some guy who probably didn’t deserve her!). Five months later all those dreams shattered as the doctor told us, “She has brain-damage and is probably blind.” Like a piece of paper sucked out of a car window, those dreams slipped out too fast to grab them. We moved on without those dreams: birthday parties included only family, there would be no soccer, no prom, no aisle to walk down and no guy – deserving or not – to who...

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 love my friends with disabilities. However, while I have been trying to be Jesus to them through serving, they have ended up being Jesus to me. I’m going to be honest, when I first began writing and thinking through what I wanted to share, I was completely stumped. It had been a while since I had really put myself in a place of stillness and quietness, and lately I’d had a ton weighing on my mind, so on my drive to school yesterday morning I turned my music off for once and just drove in silence. It was in this silence that I realized something for the very first time: I have not been able to truly love my peers like I am called to because I have not allowed myself to receive that same type of love from anyone else. What I mean is: in order to be able to fully pour...

Guest post by Joni Eareckson Tada We are thrilled that Joni Eareckson Tada will be joining us at our YL Capernaum Pre-conference at YL75 The body of Christ in America is in need of some muscle toning, as of late. Confessing our weaknesses to one another – as well as our sins – really rubs us the wrong way. It goes against our American spirit of individualism. We like ‘going it alone,’ being independent and pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps, thank you. Besides, it’s embarrassing to ask for help. And we secretly feel put upon if we are forced to extend that help. Then along comes a person with a disability. It could be a kid with Down syndrome who plops himself next to us in church, or a teenager with cerebral palsy who asks for our help in a restroom. And suddenly, we are confronted with needs, visceral and urgent. If we look away and ignore the need, then we are ignoring the pleas of Christ to recognize ‘weak members’ as indispensable and to look for the gifts in ...

A guest post by Jeff McNair We are so excited to welcome Dr McNair to our YL Capernaum Pre-conference at YL75 You can also follow Jeff at his blog Disabled Christianity I recently had a conversation with some of my university students about friendship. I asked one of them, "What is the name of your best friend?" She responded, "Sandy."   "What do you and Sandy like to do together?" "I don’ t know. We like to watch movies, or get coffee. We generally just hang out." “ Cool! ” I replied. I then asked them all, "Why do you think someone would choose to develop a friendship with a person having a severe intellectual disability?"  Responses related as to how much one could learn from such people, how much they have to give, how their lives impact those around them and so forth. I then wondered aloud. "Why must a friendship with a person with a severe disability have a utilitarian component when your frien...

A guest post by Travis Feaver The other day I had the privilege of visiting students at Selma High who participated in the county's Adapted PE soccer event. These are students who deal with varying degrees of disability.  Often, we feel a lot of emotions around those who have a disability. We often wish we could make a difference, make them “better," heal them of their “plight." But yesterday, I felt feelings of pride and perhaps even jealousy.  I was proud of my friends who embrace life so fully; I was envious of their freedom.  As we work toward starting a YL Capernaum ministry in South Fresno County, I am reminded of one of the meanings of the word Capernaum which is: Village of Comfort. The comfort that we speak of is a two way street. Yes, we provide comfort for our friends, but they also comfort and minister to us. I have found great joy in our friendships.

Another great installment on our friends from South Bay, California (Greater LA) serving in the mission! Summer 2015 has been a monumental and life-altering time for my Capernaum friend Jimmy. A year ago, after returning from Capernaum week at Lost Canyon in July, he and I began to talk and dream about what serving on Summer Staff this summer could look like for him. Jimmy didn’t hesitate at the idea of spending more than a week at camp and serving others just fit who God has made him to be. Camp truly has been a highlight for Jimmy! He and I would discuss all the fun and adventures along with the many friends that we’ve met at camp every time he’d come to club. He has been our camp poster camper as he’s encouraged everyone to go and tells of the great times they’d have there. Through Fall 2014 and early 2015 we’ve had many discussions about getting his heart and his mind ready to be gone from home for 26 days and wondering if the camp was willing to have him serve and what...

Our fourth post in the series on how our friends in Capernaum are serving within the mission! Maggie’s testimony I was born in Thailand; I lived in an orphanage for 4 years. In Thailand their religion is Buddhism and I didn’t hear about Jesus. I moved to America and started to go to church. I loved going to church and praising God. One day I was sitting in VBS, and the pastor said, “If you want Jesus in your life come to the front”. I got baptized June 20, 2003 when I was 8 years old. It’s an amazing thing; every day I grow in the Lord Jesus Christ. At Windy Gap, in 2013 I rededicated my life to Him and I want Him more than anything else. What’s different since you’ve been home from camp? I did not open my Bible often before camp. Since camp I have opened my Bible daily. Every night I read a few verses and the blue book devotion because that helps me get through my day. Every morning at camp, I would ask God to make my day go smoothly, and my devotional helped me get pumped up and ...

Our next in the great updates from our friends serving in the mission.  Meet our dear friends Nick and Ben.   Last summer, when we were serving at Carolina Point, we met a dynamic young man named Nick. Nick had been in a horrible car accident earlier that year, losing his leg and having a series of other injuries.  We had great conversations throughout the week and he had already been helping some in his Capernaum club back home.  We started the conversation then about him serving as a coach this summer for a Capernaum friend.   After months of preparation, Nick (from Florida) and Ben (from Tennessee) were paired together to serve at Carolina Point for a month in ropes.  They were responsible to get campers, over the course of the week, up to the top of the Canopy Course (multiple zip lines) while also making sure they had all of their needed gear.  Nick drove the truck and Ben ensured that everyone was set up.  This meant that the two of...

Alex and Solveig! Our friends in Capernaum are serving within the mission of Young Life.  Each time we hear the stories about the beauty, richness and joy involved, we jump for joy!  We can't wait for you to see this video of our friends, Solveig and Alex, who just finished serving on Work Crew at Carolina Point! Enjoy! Alex and Solveig from Carolina Point on Vimeo .

A guest post by Molade Olubowale, originally posted on She Who ...  So let me start off by saying that when I say this week was the best week of my life, it is NOT an exaggeration. Sometimes you feel like you get glimpses and brushes with God but this week for me and God was FULL on.  I was reminded this week by my leaders that we are all Jesus with skin on, not in the sense that we are called to be heroes but in that we are called to be a light. These kids showed me what it meant to be Jesus with skin on, they showed me genuine love, they showed pure joy, and an unexplainable excitement for life that honestly a teenager like me does not have all time. When I say this week has changed me, do not get confused and think I mean that I saw these kids and their disabilities and realized how blessed I am and I was humbled. It is the COMPLETE opposite. This week I saw MY shortcomings, compared to these amazing kids. I saw my lack of life, I saw these kids wake up every morn...

Ain't no Mountain High Enough meets Amazing Grace... Enjoy this amazing video of one of our friends at Frontier Ranch being carried to the top of the mountain!

A guest post by Taylor Johnson... Two years ago I went to summer camp at Carolina Point-a Young Life Camp which lies on the border of North and South Carolina.  While I was a camper there the Area Director of Memphis Capernaum, Susan, was there as a head leader.  Susan knew my area director so at the end of the week she asked me and another girl if we would like to help her out at Memphis Capernaum's fall weekend camp.  Me and the other girl both said "Sure! Why not?" We both had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but we were so stoked!  September rolls around and we are finally on our way to camp!  At this time in my life I had had no prior experience with students with disabilities, so to say I was nervous would be a dramatic understatement.  Once we got there we got thrown right into it!  We were able to build relationships, love on them, and point them towards Jesus.  We only got to spend two days with th...

Well, we posted about the great Art Show happening in Wichita, KS and then this video came our way! Check out this sweet video of Savannah, a traditional YL friend, creating a picture of three of her Capernaum friends that was auctioned at the Art Show!

A guest post by Nkosi Sampindi... We have only had Capernaum ministry in Zimbabwe for almost a year now. It really has been both eye opening and life-changing specifically for my wife and myself. I first got the challenge to reach out to kids with disabilities in January 2014 when I was asked the question of "are you really going after ALL kids?" On reflecting on this I realized that although I've been in Young Life for a while I had not been deliberate about reaching out to any kids with disabilities and had also not encouraged members of my team to do so as well. Fast forward a year later, to today and my wife and I have connected with a lady who is a teacher called Esther Moyo at a special school called Riverside Collegiate for kids with mental disabilities or learning disorders and we have started doing contact work, club and sports at the school. We learned early on that this was not going to be contact work and club as we were already used to because we ne...

What can you do in your area to build momentum?  How can you give the community a chance to "come and see"?  How can you include new folks in what you are doing?  How can you give your friends in Capernaum the chance to do something they never thought they could do? The answers are unique to every area, but many areas of YL are doing an amazing job at this.  One great example is what happens every year in Virginia Beach!  They host their annual Surf Camp.  It's a one day event that involved hundreds of people.  It's unique, it's team building, it's exposure, it's awesome! Virginia Beach staff and leaders invite kids and families to come out to the beach.  They rally hundreds of volunteers and surfers to help out both in and out of the water.  The day is packed with excitement, with cheering and with people experiencing the gospel.  The goal is simple:  "come and see".  One day that build momentum, creates me...

Another installment to our buddy lessons... How He Loves Us Intro Question How do you worship God? Scripture Mark 12:41-43 Jesus watches the crowd give their offerings at the temple.   Many rich give and also, a widow approaches the offering table and throws in two coins.   Jesus commends her gift. What do you think the crowd thought about this woman? How did the rich people view what she had to give? How did Jesus view what she had to give? What do you think the disciple’s response was to Jesus’ teaching? Video Joe and Ryan at Castaway 2014 from YL Capernaum Ministries on Vimeo . Discussion Questions What surprises you about this video? Would you have the courage to sing in front of hundreds of typical high school kids if your voice sounded like Joe’s? Why do you think he was confident enough to get on stage? How is Joe similar to the widow that we read about in Mark? Response Tell us a...