God produces fruit through NW CHICAGO YL!!!!!!!!!!

"I am the vine and you are the branches. If a person remains in me and I in him, they will bear much fruit"

YES!!!!

I feel so privileged to have been able to talk to one of our guys and see him come to the LORD last Thursday the 1st of April on our way to lunch.

I had invited Tae to lunch because he was leaving for 3 months to go back to Louisiana to be with his mom and a conversation sprouted about how he wanted to come back because, "he had things to do." So I obviously asked what he had to do and he went on to say, "CAMP! I want to go to Young Life camp!" I laughed and we continue to talk about YL Camp.

Tae has been also going to the Grace and Peace Community Church youth group called Crossfire and has been hearing the Word of God for a while now, so he's been around church, but had never professed his faith. So, when we talked about camp, I kind of tippy-toed around the "religious" reasons of camp for a while until I could not hold back any longer and asked him, "What do you think about all this Jesus stuff?"

Like most teenagers, he answered, "Ummm, I don't know" hahaha. So I asked him, "Well, let me ask you this: Do you think you're going to heaven?" And he told me that he didn't think so because he sinned to much." So I started to explain that I sin too much too, but I'm still going to heaven. I told him to forget everything that he ever learned about God for a second so that I could start a fresh set of questions.

"Tae, do you want to know your destiny?"

"What?" He answered.

"Well, you told me that you believe that there is a God, and that you know that He created you... Right?

"yea"

"Well, would you want to find out why he created you?"

"I guess"

"OK Tae, let me ask you something. You like football right?"

"I LOVE FOOTBALL!"

"OKAY then. Cool. Let's go sign up for a ballet class."

"What? No way!"

"Why not?"

"Because I hate ballet and would NEVER wear tights!!"

"hahahaha"

"That's what I mean then. You were created to like football and for some reason right now you don't like ballet."

"so?"

"Well God created you in such a way that you would not only like football but also be good at it. And He created you in such a way that you don't like ballet. In the same way, God created you in a unique way so that you could do something amazing in your life. Do you want to find out what this amazing thing is?"

"Yeah. That sounds cool!"

"Well remember how you said you sinned a lot?"

"yeah"

"Well even 1 little sin in your life or my life is keeping us apart from the perfect destiny of heaven and the great destiny on earth that God has for us. And this is so because God cannot be where sin is."

"So I'm screwed huh?"

"hahahaha. No! That's what Jesus came to do. He's the one that can allow you to see your destiny!"

"How? What do you mean?

"Well. When we decide to follow Jesus for the rest of your life, He shows us the way to our destiny! When we are not following Jesus, we are walking aimlessly toward things that have nothing to do with what we were made to do and be like. And a really cool thing about following Jesus and discovering your destiny is that your destiny gets inter-twined with my destiny and other people's destiny. This is because part of our destiny is to love one another and be in community be each other to serve each other."

"I think I get it."

"It's like this. You play football so you know about zone defense right?"

"yea."

"Well with a zone defense what happens when 1 person doesn't cover their zone?"

"The whole thing breaks down"

"Exactly. The same thing goes with both of our destinies. Jesus points us towards each other in community, but when one person doesn't want to server others, the team is weaker."

"oh yeah, I get it."

"So just like in your football team, you got a coach that tells you how to read the playbook and all those x's and o's"

"Oh! The Bible is my playbook for life huh!?!?"

THAT LAST STATEMENT MADE MY JAW DROP!

"Yeah! But sometime you need that coach to explain things. I'm your coach :)"

"COOL!"

"So here's something that the Bible says: Romans 10:9-10 roughly says that if you confess with your mouth, understand in your head, and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ was real, was the Son of God, and that God the Father revived Christ from death, then you are saved. Do you understand that?"

"yeah I do"

"Do you believe that?"

"*nods while smiling* yes"

I WON'T EVER FORGET THAT LOOK

"Then that's it!"

"That's it?"

"yeah that's it! You are now following Jesus and He will reveal your destiny!!!!"

"That was easy...."

"Yeah, that was easy but SUPER HUGE... and that doesn't mean that it will get easier... in fact... in might get harder. Jesus doesn't promise that you football game of life will be easy, but He does promise that if you seek Him out and follow the destiny that He created your for, and that if you finish the whole football game of life with your blood, sweat, and tears on your uniform that you will be in Heaven with Him and with me."

"COOL! I can already think of other people that should be on the team with me and need Jesus to find their destinies because they are not in a good place. My aunt and others have tried to explain it but I never got it. This is the first time that I actually get why people follow Jesus."

HE MENTIONED A FEW NAMES FOR HIS TEAM :)

I was trying not to start crying. This was so cool!

- - - -

Later during lunch I told Tae that Heaven threw a huge party that day for him since he is now on the team and seeking out his destiny through Jesus. He LOVED it! He said that now, when he talks to people that party, he's going to tell them that if they really want to party, they gotta get to know Jesus. Hahaha. He was so excited!

Since he was very excited about actually understanding about Jesus, I took him to my house, pulled out my Message Bible, write in it, and gave it to him. I told him that the first place to read in this playbook was John because it talked a lot about what Jesus did and who he is. We looked at John 1 and read John 1:14:

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.

I told him that the WORD in John 1 was actually Jesus, so he read it again:

Jesus became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.

He loved reading it because he felt like he could understand it more and realized that he still needed a coach to tell him things like, "The Word is Jesus"

I cannot believe that I had the privilege to be the one that explained this whole thing to Tae. I really look forward to seeing Tae grow in Christ for the next few years as Christ has both of our stories line up for a while. I am truly honored to have been part of this. And as one of our committee members put it, "This is the first kid that came to Christ while you were here, but there's many more to come!! Humboldt Park... WATCH OUT!!!"

Praise God.

Peace

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33 - What has the Lord told you in the past so that today you may have peace today?

As things get harder throughout the year and that dreaded thoughts about ministry come to mind, I am reminded of the one thing that brings me peace in the middle of my storm: I am loved.

I think that the phrase that always soothes, always calms, and always fills me with joy and energy is when I hear Jesus tell me "I love you."

I'm not sure why exactly that phrase brings me all those reactions, but I think that it's because that is what we ultimately want... to be loved and accepted as the people that we are at that moment. To be loved in spite of our errors and short-comings. To feel what a fully-dependent baby must feel when they are completely embraced and taken care of by their father.

In Northwest Chicago Young Life, we have been in financial ups and downs this year. And each time those financial downs have felt like this equation:

fire + storm + hurricane + earthquake + quicksand

and the equation always had this other factor as a multiplier

(fire + storm + hurricane + earthquake) * fear

And... this was an equation for disaster; an equation that nullified faith until I constantly remember this:

(fire + storm + hurricane + earthquake) * fear] <>

In remembering that faith is an action word, I remember that my faith is increased when I act on it. However, I always need to go back to why we are here in Chicago, and that's because Christ called us here. So what is the thing that Jesus has told us that brings us peace? It's that there is no safer place than in His will... and we are smack dab in the middle of it.

A Burden to New Christians... and Old ones as well!

I was reading my Bible this morning in Mark 2 and even though I have had Bible Studies on this passage before, I could NOT get why Christ said:

21No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. ²²And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.

I read it over and over and could not get it. So I prayed about it... and nothing. Then I went back to my desk to look it up on my computer and I got distracted and starting working. However, I feel that the Holy Spirit stopped me in the middle of my "working and doing ministry" (haha) and had me look up the meaning and meditate on it. So I did. And here is what I read in Matthew Henry's Commentary:

That these were early days with them, and they were not so able for the severe exercises of religion as hereafter they would be. The Pharisees had long accustomed themselves to such austerities; and John Baptist himself came neither eating nor drinking. His disciples from the first inured themselves to hardships, and thus found it easier to bear strict and frequent fasting, but it was not so with Christ’s disciples; their Master came eating and drinking, and had not bred them up to the difficult services of religion as yet, for it was all in good time. To put them upon such frequent fasting at first, would be a discouragement to them, and perhaps drive them off from following Christ; it would be of as ill consequence as putting new wine into old casks, or sewing new cloth to that which is worn thin and threadbare, v. 21, 22. Note, God graciously considers the frame of young Christians, that are weak and tender, and so must we; nor must we expect more than the work of the day in its day, and that day according to the strength, because it is not in our hands to give strength according to the day. Many contract an antipathy to some kind of food, otherwise good, by being surfeited with it when they are young; so, many entertain prejudices against the exercises of devotion by being burthened with them, and made to serve with an offering, at their setting out. Weak Christians must take heed of over-tasking themselves, and of making the yoke of Christ otherwise than as it is, easy, and sweet, and pleasant.

It really struck me! I am doing my first volunteer training sessions with my first volunteers and when I tend to prepare a study tend to over prepare at which point I need to scale things back. It has been going well so far and I don't feel that I have over-burdened them, but this is such a great reminder that I need to remember that these people, while they are not baby Christians, need to not be over burdened by the homework that I give to them, by the task that I have them do, or by anything that I put on them that Christ has not asked me to put on them.

Then I think of my guys (my Young Life middle school guys). And I think about how they are not yet in Christ, but when they are (AND THEY WILL BE!!!), I must remember to gently help them grow with the patience that Christ had for his disciples. I will be with them for years as Christ was with His disciples and I need to make sure that I am not putting new wine in old wineskins not that I am patching something old instead of waiting for it to be new!

LORD I pray that You be the leader through me. That nothing of me remains in them as it is useless. I pray for the leaders that you placed in ministry with me. That you keep them united in all that they do for you and by you. And I pray for my guys. And I rejoice in knowing that You have great plans for them! And that You will bring them into Your Kingdom when you decide to!!

To find out more about our Young Life Area go to www.NWChicagoYL.org

First Club Night.... Check!

Wow... as I laid there in my apartment, exhausted from a night of programming, music, games, skits, kids and more kids with never-ending candy-infused JR-high-type energy and thought to myself, "This is great!" Unfortunately my wife wasn't able to be there to rejoice in this with me since she's back in Santa Barbara, CA working, but I called her right away to share how the night went.

Can I share a bit about the night with you?

If you're reading this, then I assume you've given me permission... if you didn't give me permission then WHY ARE YOU READING THIS? :)

It was 7 o'clock. The Hip Hop music was loud, the lights were off in the gym and the kids were outside wondering what was going on as they have not experienced the craziness that is a Young Life Club. We snatched a kid (Gio) inside and locked the door to the other kids. They went crazy trying to come in, but couldn't. All they wanted to do was come in a see what was going on in there. We had them just where we wanted them.

Once we instructed Gio to go outside and have them all run in screaming we let him loose. We gave it 30 seconds and let them in. They came in running and screaming into the loud darkness as they got pelted with candy, inflatable balls and more candy. They didn't know what to do except run around, find us (all dressed in military fatigues) and tackle us. It was a great start!

We had a whole military theme that first night. We did this to show them that they were on a mission that night to make it through basic training, on a mission for the next week to bring kids in order to make it more exciting, and on a mission for the school year that end with Young Life camp. We showed them the YL camp video and they could not contain themselves in thinking that they would get to do all the things at camp. A handful of kids throughout the night asked me where they need to sign up to go to camp. Perfect!

So we started with a skit where I was Col. Temper, a colonel that's always mad because a volunteer, Matt Sollie, aka Private Goofs, always messed everything up and was not able to to salute correctly, do a pushup correctly, or anything. We had kids participate and get prizes to encourage them to participate. They all wanted a prize and all wanted to participate.

We move on to a game of duck, duck, goose, which we renamed Navy, Navy Seals. Instead of touching the kids' heads, we gave them a cup of water and on “Seal!” the kids sitting down got wet and they ran around trying to catch the person that got them wet. While this game took place, we had music blasting, and we had 2 of us running around, jumping and diving into the kids yelling things like, “I'm training!” and “get down!” I felt that I might be having more fun than the kids themselves!

Then came Skydiving. This is a classic YL game where we blindfold 2 kids and play a joke on them. We told them that they would be blindfolded and jumping off a table that Matt and I would lift up above our heads. However, the screaming kids and the wobbly table that was only 2 inches high tricked them into thinking that they were indeed up about 8 feet! Haha. When they jumped off they were super scared. Just think back of those times when you think that there was an extra step as you walk down the stairs and how awkward you look and you'll get the picture :) We of course gave them prizes since they were a good sport about it. They loved it.

Once Skydiving was over, Private Goofs grabs the microphone and starts telling his “military stories” and in the middle of that I chuck a rubber ball from behind the crowd and smack him really hard. Private Goof falls and the machine gun sound blasts off of the speakers. All the leaders yell, “get down get down!” as we grabbed youth and pulled them to the ground. We directed kids to low crawl to two different sides of the gym in order to get them to play Prison Ball / Dodge Ball. The only 2 things that were different was that when you got hit, you staid dead on the spot. All this happened while the leaders continued to run around and dive into “fox holes,” screaming military type commands and doing emergency field treatment on the wounded soldiers. It was great. Kids yelling for us to heal them, kids running all around trying not to get hit while trying to not step on us and other fellow team members.

We then calmed them down... at least a bit... since we wanted to remind them about the missions. Once private Goofs reminded them of the missions and gave them more candy (sorry parents for the super hyper kids that night :-) ) he introduced me as Pablo instead of Col. Temper and I gave the talk. The kids listened and I know that 2 of those kids heard of Jesus for the first time. We have a pretty diverse group as we have some church kids, some kids getting to know Young Life, and some kids that have never heard of Jesus nor want to. But they were all there listening intently because we have started to be their friends and they care about what we say.

I am really excited about next week, more contact work, and bringing more kids to Christ. Please pray that the LORD reveals Himself as He gives us vision as to how to integrate church and un-churched kids together into Young Life. Please also pray as we plan out our first Benefit Dessert this upcoming November 16, 2009. And also please pray as we seek God to give us vision of how this ministry in NW Chicago YL Humboldt Park - Hermosa should look like.

Thanks to you guys for all of your prayers and for taking the time to read this.

Blessings,
Pablo Otaola
NW Chicago YL
Area Director

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.

Young Life in Humboldt Park Update!

Summer Camp is over for 2009. Praise God for the lives that are now His!

Now we're planning for Young Life this next school year (09-10) and it will be an amazing time where our team gets centered on Christ and begin to love one another as brother and sisters. We are looking forward to our prayer and planning nights as well as our first Club for Jr High on October 5th and our first HS Club Oct 6th!

Please pray for us as we seek his Face in planning themes, skits, games, and events. Also please continue to pray for us as we being to do Campaigner (Discipleship and Bible Study) meetings with the kids that are now in the Kingdom because of camp! And, please continue to pray as well as we seek financial partners in our ministry. If you feel led to partner with me in any way, please call me as I would love to share the great things that are happening in Humboldt Park / Hermosa! Please private message me for my phone number.

Blessings to you all and a special thanks to people that are partnering with YL already!

Pablo
pablo@nwchicagoyl.org

Gun Shots - NW Chicago - Humboldt Park

Anna and I experienced gunshots in the block for the first time just a few hours ago. The police is still hanging out in case of some sort of follow-up. We were watching TV and we heard 4 pops followed by 3 more pops. I looked out the window and there were some young people running around asking, "Where'd they go?" while another said, "I don't have my gun!"

It was all fast and just as fast was the police with about 7 cars and an ambulance. We are not sure that anyone got injured as the ambulance came and went rather quickly, but it could have been that quick because they were rushing someone to the hospital.

We were surprised to not be alarmed. More curious than anything. I know that being on the third floor makes us feel more secure, but above all of this I know that the peace that a person has when they are in the LORD's will is incomparable with anything else.

There is no safer place than where the LORD has placed you.

Chicago YL Update

Hi guys,

Wow, I feel like I can finally slow down a bit. The last month has been extremely busy as I was preparing for camp at Timberwolf Lake in Michigan.

It was a great start to the month as I started with 10 kids signed up for camp. The week before camp, however, every one of those kids canceled and I felt a bit (more than a bit) down. It was definitely a time where I needed to get on my knees. And God answered!!

I was super blessed to have 10 kids from GAP Community Church come with me as well as Irais - a GAP Jr. High Volunteer Leader. Of the 9 kids that were not saved that went to camp, 6 came to the LORD! Praise God!

Now I am starting to contact the kids again to have a continual relationship with them. Today we'll play basketball and hang out a bit. As the Summer winds down, we'll do some paintball, basketball, video game nights, lots of food, and some on-on-ones for me to get to know them well.

I will be sending out a newsletter by mail in the next 2-3 weeks as well as a quarterly newsletter. Both the online newsletter and the snail mail newsletter are different. If you want to be included in either of those, please send me an email to pablo@nwchicagoyl.org with your email address and mailing address.

I can't wait to tell you guys all about it!

Please continue to pray for these kids as I disciple them and the kids that will be joining the Kingdom soon!

Blessings to you all!!!

Chicago Young Life Update

Hi friends,

Sorry it's been a while since I updated you guys. I promise to make it more often now that things are getting a bit more settled.

So I have some exciting news! We're going to camp!! I was able to talk to some donors and the price per kid went down from $320 to $100!! Thank you God and thank you donors!

So yeah, I'm going to camp, but with who?!?!?!?!

Well, I'm so thankful also because I've been meeting parents and kids and have had great success! Every child and every parent that I've spoken to is really excited to be a part of what is happening and what is going to happen. So far, I've met with the following kids that I'm sure you'll get to know over time :)

- Nathan Roman
- Hector Hiraldo
- Joseph Ruidias
- Justin Ostoaiza
- JJ - Justin's cousin who will also likely go to camp!
- Eric Castillo (I'm picking him up to take him to Portillo's in a bit :))
- Eduardo

There are 3 kids that I'm still meeting this week, but everyone above I've had a chance to meet him, parents, and some even hung out with me (or I with them) in the last week.

I'm also excited because are so willing to hang out and do things. Maybe it's because they are SUPER bored now that they are out of school, but I'd like to think that at 29 (almost - Aug 2) I can still relate to kids :)

We've played basketball and will do so again next week. And we'll also go to a public pool next week as well. We already have plans of going paintballing, to Great America, and other fun stuff.

I've really enjoyed meeting the mothers as well (I have only met 1 father) because they are so protective of their sons and they are so willing to bring me into their lives as help for the time that they cannot be with them. I've spoken in Spanish with most mothers even though most are bilingual. They immediately heard my Argentinean Spanish and knew I was not Puerto Rican. haha. Most Latino's here are Puerto Rican and the Argentinean accent is like comparing US English with English from England.

I'm still speaking with donors and attempting to connect with more people. Anna and I have not yet found a permanent home church to go to, so we are still in need of a church community, but we are happy to have good friends that we knew from before. Anna is also starting to seriously look for jobs this upcoming week as we need her to find something by, at the latest, middle of August.

Thank you guys for your thoughts and prayers.

More to come soon! I want to introduce you guys to my kids one by one with pictures and video :)

Blessings!
Pablo
805.698.1615

Young Life Online Donation

Hi Guys,

I just found out how to give online "one time gifts" or "recurring gifts" to my Young Life area. if you are interested, please look below.

Here's how you do it:

1. Open up Firefox because Internet Explorer crashes.... bummer!
2. If you do not want to do Firefox, or would rather call a person, please call (877) 438-9572
3. Go to:
1. https://giving.younglife.org/starthere.aspx
4. Choose "Recurring Gift" or "One Time Gift"
   
5. Fill out your information up top
6. Under GIFT DESTINATION
1. Type in the amount
2. Click on "A Young Life Area Ministry"
3. Click the green search button that appears
4. A pop-up window opens
5. Type "Chicago" in the search box
6. Hit the go button (pressing enter doesn't work)
7. Our area is IL31 (it should be towards the bottom). It says:
1. Northwest Chicago - IL31 Urban Office
   
   Northwest Chicago
   2100 N Kildare Ave
   Chicago, IL 60639-3660
   (773) 489-5949
8. Hit the orange "select" button for the corresponding area
9. If you are paying by direct deposit from your checking, then choose a date next to "EFT"
10. If you are choosing a credit card, then choose a date next to Credit Card
7. Under PAYMENT INFORMATION
1. Choose one of the payment methods
2. A new part under PAYMENT METHOD appears
3. Fill in your account info
4. Click submit
   
8. You can then create a profile so you can log in easily next time if you want :)
9. If you have any questions, please give me a call or you can call the phone number for Young Life Giving - (877) 438-9572

Thank you guys for caring about us!