By Drew Curiel, Tri-City City Life Director
There was a boy who used to regularly attend the Teen Center and seemed to always put a smile on everyone’s face. He was a leader and participated in all the discussions about God. However, as he reached High School he slowly stopped coming to the Teen Center. Unfortunately, he started hanging out with the wrong crowd and got caught up doing things he never thought he would. After failed attempts to reach out, we lost track of him as he became wrapped up in his new world.
But as you’ll notice, YFC has a passionate pursuit and we are not quick to give up loving our kids. We continued to pray for him and believed he would come back to the Father. Then, about two years later, he walked into the Teen Center and asked for prayer for some personal situations that were going on in his life.
He confessed to some of the bad habits he’d gotten himself into saying, “I don’t want to be like this anymore.”
Praise God, out of all the places he could’ve gone to, he came here, back to his YFC family. This story shows the beauty, trust, and love that happens when a student builds a relationship with a Christ-centered adult where they feel safe to be vulnerable and their real self. It’s a beautiful example of the prodigal son returning to the love of his Father and the Father calling his children to return to Him.