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NEWSLETTER

Sandusky Valley
2007 Lock In

September 2007

Mirrors
Life with a two-year-old is interesting to say the least. The other day my husband was looking for something in another room in the house. He yelled to me “Hey Babe, where’s the scissors?” I hollered back where he could find them, and didn’t give the insignificant exchange another thought. That is until my son came into the kitchen fifteen minutes later and greeted me by saying “Hey Babe.” I chuckled to myself and quickly corrected him letting him know that I’m “Mommy” to him and only Daddy is allowed to call me Babe. Another time, my son and I were running around in the car doing a bunch of errands. I was tired, it was well past my son’s nap time, and everything seemed to be going wrong. To top things off, just as I was about to turn onto a new street, another car came out of nowhere and cut me off. Well, I am ashamed to say that I said a few choice words that were directed to the driver of the offending car. No sooner than the words were out of my mouth, from the back seat I hear my son say “NO! NO! NO! BAD VROOM!” When I looked into the rearview mirror, I could see him in his car seat, shaking his finger vigorously at the car in front of us and he was obviously very upset. Luckily he did not repeat the words he had heard earlier!

And then there was the other day when he asked me to sit and read him a story. Often, to show that he loves you or is very happy, he will take his hand and rub it up and down your arm, leg, back or face. It’s very cute and can really make your heart melt. This particular instance, he beckoned me to sit next to him on the step leading into our dining room and demanded “Sit. Book.” So that’s what I did, in my ratty old sweat shorts and t-shirt, I sat next to him and began to read the book that he had picked out for me. Halfway through the story, he began to rub my leg in appreciation. Only this time he stopped, mid rub, and replied “Ewww Mommy!” I tried to ignore him and kept on reading the story, but he stopped me by tapping on my shoulder, rubbing my leg and saying “Mommy, EWWWWW!” Point taken. I admit, I was definitely in need of a shave, but I never thought that my two-year-old would be the one to take notice.

Now why in the world would I share these stories with you? Do I have a penchant for embarrassing myself and pointing out my flaws? Well, not really, but these experiences made me realize that I have a living, breathing mirror in my son. The way that I act, the things that I do and the way that I respond to people are all reflected in the way that my son acts. What a scary thought! I can tell you that I now am very careful about the words that I use, the gestures that I make and way that I act towards others. He’s my mirror, reflecting back to me the good, the bad and the ugly. This leads me to ask, “Who are your mirrors?” Are your actions reflected in those that you spend time with? You might be surprised at the mirrors that are around you. Do your coworkers feel comfortable telling you that inappropriate joke? Are your neighbors readily willing to share the latest gossip with you because they know that you’ll listen and add your own thoughts? Or on a positive note, do the teens that we spend so much time with refrain from swearing or putting others down because they know that you would disapprove and correct their actions? Everyone has mirrors that show us who we are and how we act. I urge to consider who your mirrors are and whether you are happy with what is being reflected back to you. I also urge you to be a mirror to those around you, so that you can be an example to teens whose reflections are not always what we would like them to be. By reflecting a positive attitude, following the Word and leading by example, we can be a reflection of the love that God has for the teens in our lives. This month, I challenge you to be Christ’s mirror, leading teens to Him through your example. Let your light shine, and may God’s reflection be bright and strong in your thoughts, words and deeds. –Lavonne

OFF TO A GREAT START!
This month several of our clubs kicked off the school year with their first meeting. It’s always exciting to start fresh and see teens that have been gone during the summer break. During the first meeting there’s always lots of hugging, hi-fiving, and laughter. Stories are shared, people reconnect and the overall mood is one of new beginnings, fresh starts and excitement over what the rest of the year holds for us. This year, Northern Ohio Youth for Christ hopes to carry this excitement on throughout the year by providing teens with down to earth, youth friendly topics that will show them the way to Christ. One way that we did this was by bringing Joel Penton, former OSU defensive tackle, and his ministry partner Ryan Holliday, to the first Campus Life meeting in Brunswick. Joel was a member of three Big Ten championship teams and one national championship team. He played 38 straight games for the Buckeyes, and in his senior year recorded a sack in the 2006 victory over Michigan, which gave Ohio State their first Outright Big Ten Championship since 1984. Despite this impressive football resume, Joel says that his biggest accomplishment has been giving his life over to Christ.
During the presentation, Joel spoke to the kids about the temptations he faced as a teenager, his drive to be the best, and placing importance on things like football, being named All-American, and getting a full ride scholarship to OSU. But, he pointed out that even though he achieved all of those things, there was still a void in his life, a void that could only be filled with Christ. Joel’s message to the teens was “Stand Your Ground. Don’t Back Down.” He related to the teens the difficulties that they face in making a commitment to Christ, but that by standing their ground, Christ will reward them with blessings and eternal life. To emphasize his point, Joel brought Ryan Holliday an accomplished piano player, vocalist and song leader to play songs that complimented Joel’s presentation and touched the teens in a powerful way. At the end of the talk, Joel challenged the teens to take a stand for Christ, and invite Him into their lives. It was an exciting experience and the teens truly related to Joel and Ryan and were eager to meet with them after the meeting to talk. Please pray that the seeds that Joel and Ryan planted continue to grow and that God will use these two special men to make a difference in the lives of the teens that they encounter.

YFCNO Institutional Ministry in Sandusky County Ruben Rendon has been spending Sunday afternoons at the Sandusky County Juvenile Detention Center for the past 15 years. Ruben, a Chrysler retiree from Fremont, provides a chapel service for from 10 to 20 teen boys in the Center. At the same time, Deb Yeagle, a Port Clinton Middle School teacher from Lindsey, meets with the five to 10 teenage girls in the same facility. Randy fielding, a business owner from Fremont, also helps Ruben with the boys. “I was privileged to lead three boys to Christ earlier this month,” reported Ruben. “I just wish I had more than an hour to talk with them. They have so many important questions about being a Christian,” Ruben added. Ruben is excited about a new follow-up program he will be trying this fall with another volunteer, John Roush, an Air Force retiree from Fremont.	Reuben greeting the teens in the center
They will be offering the teenager boys a pizza supper with Ruben or John after they are released. “Business cards” with Ruben and John’s phone numbers will be given to each boy as they are released from the detention center. Once out, all the boys need to do is call either Ruben or John and “cash in” their business cards. This will allow the boy and a friend the opportunity to have pizza with the men and continue the fellowship that began while incarcerated. In addition, the two YFC volunteers will also be offering a Bible study for the boy “graduates” of the Center. There will also be a similar program for the girl “graduates”. When someone expresses sorrow to Ruben about the teens having to be incarcerated, Ruben is quick to point out that all the kids in the Center will hear the Gospel while they are there. “You can’t say that about every teen in public school,” he adds. During the week, John shows Christian videos and talks to the boys about Jesus each Tuesday afternoon. Lisa Freeman, a stay-at-home mom, talks to the girls on Wednesday afternoons and host a bible study for the graduate girls at her church on Fridays. It is at these meetings that relationships between the teens and these mentors are strengthened and that the power of the gospel is revealed.
In order to help facilitate these so important meetings, the women of the Fremont First Presbyterian Church have offered to purchase teen study bibles for each individual in the Center. It is through their generosity that these teens are able to come to a better understanding of the love of Christ and the paths that He has laid out for them. Many of the teens involved in this program have read their bibles cover to cover! It is amazing how God uses the decisions that we make in our lives to lead us to Him. Although we hope that all of our teens that we minister to are able to stay out of the prison system, it is so wonderful to know that those who do become incarcerated are getting the opportunity to meet Jesus personally and form relationships with caring adults who become their mentors. The power and love of Jesus Christ can overcome any challenge. If you would like to have more information on, or would like to make a donation toward the detention center ministry, please contact the office at 330-273-5794.	John talking about Jesus with a group of teen age boys in the Center.