My wife and I recently made the move from North Carolina—where we have lived for the past eleven years—to where we grew up in West Michigan. It felt like it was time.
Upon arriving, I decided that working in a formal education setting (I’d been a high school teacher the past eleven years) wasn’t where God wanted me anymore. Instead, I joined up with Youth for Christ, where I will be going into a local middle school to bring kids hope, peace, and hopefully teach some of them about Jesus along the way.
I have such a passion for kids: it’s why I went into teaching in the first place. But educational ethics limited the conversations I was able to have with kids, to impart on them the peace and love that only God can give. And my heart has been broken by the number of kids without peace or hope in today’s age, the kids who find themselves isolated, which was only perpetuated by the pandemic.
To do this, I will be going into a local middle school and simply be present. I’ll be spending time with kids, getting to know their names and their stories, hanging out with them at athletic events and social places after school. Once a week, we will hold a Club meeting, where all are welcome—regardless of who they are—where we will feed them, play games, hang out, and talk about important issues of the day. Our hope is to eventually gain enough trust that we can then begin talking about God and share the gospel. I will also be mentoring kids one-on-one, collaborating with local churches and ministries, and bringing kids to YFC camp in the summer time.
As a part of Youth for Christ, I am considered a missionary. As a result, I need to raise all my own funding to begin the process of working and establishing a ministry site at the local middle school I’ll be serving in. My job right now is to acquire $4,582 in monthly commitments, which will help to sustain the ministry, as well as $3,892 in one-time start up costs. I have been hard at work from June to the end of August, and up to this point have raised 44% of my annual budget. I am in need of your help.
You obviously have visited my site because you are interested in my hobby of writing about Disney. Would you consider supporting me in this way too, as someone who is excited and passionate about this next step in finding my calling?
Giving is simple:
-Visit www.WMYFC.org and click on “Give.”
-Choose “Give Online,” and then “Give to a Team Member.”
-Choose my name (Andrew Kiste) from the drop down menu to ensure that the gift is earmarked for my ministry
-Input how often you would like to give, the giving amount and your bank account or card information. All giving is secure.
If you would like to learn more about this, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email and we can set up a time to chat on Zoom (or in person if you’re local to West Michigan). You can reach me at akiste@wmyfc.org.
Thank you for your consideration! Together we can reach lost kids and bring kids hope in West Michigan!
~Andrew