Reaching a World Within Chicago's Humboldt Park

Humboldt Park is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the USA. It seems that people of all major ethnic backgrounds have their fingertips somewhere in the area. In such a diverse place, I have the opportunity to see the multicultural face of God in every Club, group outing, and while at school doing contact work. I would have missed out on all this, however, if I was never introduced to Tony Gonzalez and the Latino Student Staff program in Young Life San Francisco, CA.

I was introduced to Young Life and Tony Gonzalez in September of 2006 and he plugged me into the Latino Student Staff (LSS) Alpha 1 group. Being part of the Alpha 1 group in the Latino Student Staff program, I'm sure I experienced LSS a bit different than Ben Zayas Jr., a current LSS Alpha 4 staff member in my area. I remember seeing the program form as Tony introduced all of us interns to each other in Phoenix, AZ. As a YL staff member directed a seminar that weekend, I felt that my heart softly jerked tears out of my eyes because the practical incarnational methods of ministry that were taught to us Latinos were ideal for our Latino kids.

Now in Chicago, that methodology, theology, praxis, and wisdom learned through Tony and LSS program are tools that I rely on while ministering to these mostly Latino kids. Today, I am the Area Director of an area that reaches 60 kids weekly through contact work at 5 different schools, Club, and campaigners. These kids are mostly Latino, but I also have weekly contact with African American, Asian, and Caucasian kids as well; not to mention a couple handfuls of kids whose parents are of two different ethnicities.

I came on staff last summer and I was able to take 10 kids to camp with 9 of them accepting Christ as the Savior. This year, my goal is to take 60 kids to camp and I pray that the God welcomes the same 90% into the Kingdom.

I love my job. I love my kids. I love knowing that I am exactly where God has called me. And, above all, I love God, and how He is allowing me to see more of Him as He reaches these kids through me.