East Side Young Life: Update Report

Dear Friends,

I cannot express how overwhelmed, encouraged and humbled I have felt over the last four weeks. God has not only been faithful but has confirmed my call to the East Side of Santa Barbara. God has provided our goal of $20,000 and my position on Young Life staff is secure for the remainder of the year!! Our goal now is to raise the final $10,000 over the next few months for me to be fully funded for the fiscal year. If you would like help me reach my next goal, click the online giving button to the right.

I cannot thank you enough for your prayers, support and financial gifts that made this possible. I wish I could do more to thank each and every one of you who have prayed and supported this ministry since its start over two years ago. In those two years God has done some amazing things in my life and in the lives of kids on the East Side. It is a tremendous privilege to be able to walk along side some of these kids and to be with them as their hearts are changed.

YOU are a HUGE part of making those changes happen!

My wife and I thank you whole-heartedly for your generosity and love you have showed us! I cannot wait to see what God does in 2010. Happy New Year and Thank You!!

In Christ-

Felipe Contreras

Cookies with the girls...

I got to do something with them, that they haven't ever done before! (I love it when that happens!) We made sugar cookies and frosting from scratch. Here are some pictures for you!

Denise in the blue and Jenny in the white.

Other girls came by the time the cookies were cooked and cooled...just in time to decorate! I forgot to take pictures when they were here though.



Above is some of our finished results. (They called these ginger bread men "Felipe and Kelly") The others aren't shown because the boys showed up just as I was taking this picture...and just in time to eat! They didn't last long. What a hit! But we now had 12 kids in the house. Felipe pulled out the "Apples to Apples" game making it the second of the "firsts" for the night.

Great night!

WYLD LIFE!

Here are is a video from Wyld Life Club!! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!

Dear Friends of Young Life,
Merry Christmas! I hope this letter finds you well during this season of thanksgiving, remembering the birth of our Lord Jesus and to the start of a new year!
It’s been a little over 2 years since I accepted the call to Young Life on the East Side and God has shown up in BIG ways. One is that HE has provided people like YOU, who are reading this letter. I am so thankful to know that you are praying for me and all the kids we are walking with. It’s because of your prayers and God’s answer to them that kids are entering HIS kingdom.
You may remember me talking about Angel. I met Angel the first month I started greeting kids on campus. He was in 8th grade at Santa Barbara Jr. High and he was one of the kids that would always meet me on Fridays to grab a slice of pizza. To the kids I was the “pizza guy” who randomly showed up at lunchtime to hang out with them. It wasn’t so random. I was there with a purpose. I was there because I cared about them and wanted Jesus Christ to be a part of their lives. Since then I have learned so much about Angel who is now a sophomore in high school. He has not seen his mother since she was deported to Mexico over two years ago. She was addicted to drugs and ended up being arrested and deported. His father was an alcoholic and also used drugs; as of today Angel has not heard from his father for several months since he was also arrested and deported. About one year ago Angel was involved in a nearly fatal gang related stabbing. Angel belongs to a gang and was chased down by a rival gang member and stabbed from behind. He had a collapsed lung and nearly died because of it.
His journey in life has not been easy and since that stabbing it has been even harder. He was put on probation, violated his probation, was then sent to Juvenile Hall, and now he is currently at Los Prietos Boys Academy for 6 months. I know God has a perfect plan for him. I feel that being away from his gang life will open up the doors for God to work on his heart. I will continue to visit, encourage, and love him.
The photo above is of Angel and me the first time I went to visit him at the beginning of
Nov. He has a great smile, one of a kind. During these visits I can bring him food and I asked him to give me a list of his top three favorites. His number one was my wife’s potatoes! My wife was blessed to hear that! Hopefully he will earn the privilege to be home on Christmas Day with his sisters. Please pray for Angel and that he will be able to choose Jesus and not the gang life.
Ruben is another kid who I’ve known for almost 3 years now. I have
seen him mature and grow in his walk with Christ so much. Last summer he spent one month with me at Malibu, a Young Life camp in Canada, washing dishes! That month changed his life. You might have heard his testimony at this year’s Young Life banquet. I am so proud of him and thankful that God took hold of his heart and life! I am excited to walk alongside him the rest of his high school career and beyond. God has big plans for Ruben!
It is a joy to be able to be in a relationship with these two young men. Each are on different journeys but both know that God loves them so much that He sent His only son to die for them. Every kid should have the opportunity to know that!
As you know our country has been hit hard with the condition of the economy. In light of this situation there have been many blessings that have come with the ministry and of course the privilege of talking to kids about Jesus. But now the reality is that the economy has affected my position on staff. It’s not easy to find the words to write this… Since May I have been on 75% salary and now I’m faced with the possibility that Young Life will not be able to support my staff position because of loss of income. I need to raise $20,000 by the end of the year in order to remain on Young Life staff. This is a job I have loved for the last two years, and I know if it is God’s will He will provide. I need to trust that HE has everything in HIS hands. Please consider a one-time gift or a monthly pledge. Thank you for those of you who already have made a gift or pledge, I am truly grateful. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
A best friend and mentor of mine reminded me of this verse: Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Blessings,

Felipe Contreras


HIGH LIGHTS

Two Clubs on the East Side.

55 kids from the east side at WyldLife club every week.

Latino Leadership Experience: 11 students from SBHS. These are kids who have leadership gifts and potential. It is a year long discipleship and leader training experience.

10 volunteer leaders who are investing in the lives of kids at SB High school and Jr. High.

A Strong Campaigner Group (Bible Study) for both guys and girls

GROWTH!

In His Time...

Over the last two years or so, I have had many "firsts". Tonight, I added to the list.

On October 30, 2009, a friend of our Young Life kids committed suicide. The kids have been rightfully upset and as always so supportive of one another. (I love how much they love and stick be each other.) Tonight, they had a rosary to pay their respects at a house here on the east side. The boy was a part of the east side gang so all the gang related people were there along with friends and loved ones. ...and then me. It wasn't my original plan to be there. I offered to take two kids to get some candles, but felt like I should stay to just be with them. Once I was there, I saw about 8 of our regular Young Life kids in the mix. They easily picked me out being the only "white person" there. It was hard not to look in my direction too since I apparently sat next to the only 4 drunk people there. They kept singing drawing more attention, unknowingly, to themselves.

They had chairs everywhere. People were overflowing all the way around the house and out to the street. They must have rented the chairs along with the port-o-potty in the front of the house. The woman leading the outdoor service stood in front of the memorial table as she went through the rosary. I stood there clueless with no Catholic background (again) and not nearly enough Spanish and just tried to be respectful. I watched my kids one by one begin to cry as the last song was sung. I could only understand half of the words...something about "into your hands". The tune reminded me of a song that we use to sing when I was little:

In His time, In His time
He makes all things Beautiful in His time
Lord, Please show me everyday
As your teaching me Your way
AND I'll do just what you say
In Your time.

In Your time, In Your time
You make all things beautiful in Your time
Lord, my life to You I bring
May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing
In Your time

It made me pray for the kids that were there. "God, take care of your babies... your children. You make all things beautiful in Your time. Help them to see Your plan in all of this. That YOU are faithful."

Towards the end, one of my girls (Jenny) that I was with caught one of the drunk singers taking a shot. If you know me at all, I have a hard time being serious at these sort of things. I told Jenny that I was going to be "the first to buy their cd when it comes out..." I know, Felipe...leave it to me to say something like that. I couldn't resist.

-Kelly

P.S.
We have been married 6 months.

Greatest Day of 2009! May 2nd!

Club and 5 Months of being Married!

What a busy start to the school year!! We have Young Life on Monday nights and Wyld Life on Wednesday nights. Its been such a great start and I can't wait to see what God is going to do in the lives of some of the kids. Wednesdays are always long days for me, in a good way. Tucker (An amazing leader from Westmont) and I have campaigners (AKA:Small group, bible study) with 4 young men and we are going through the Gospel of John. Its been interesting and exciting to read it along side them for the very FIRST time, for them. They are reading the bible for the first time! they are asking questions! They don't give me the typical church answers! Please pray for these young men who are just beginning to learn about Jesus. They come not only for the pancakes and waffles we make but to learn about HIS word.

Here are a couple photos from our first few weeks of Club.

Tonight we had club at Taco bell! It was all you can eat for $3! We had about 45 kids eating tacos and burritos till they could eat no more!Here are some of our leaders and kids showing off their Muscles and FAT!

The kids pimped out the leaders rides!!
(aka: covered our cars with caution tape and foil paper)

Please pray for those kids we spend time with! Club and all the fun that comes with it is just a small part of what we want for these kids. We want them to know they have a God who loves them and that their life could be different. It could be how God intended it to be full of LOVE!

Please Pray for the Young Life Banquet next week. It is an important time for the Young Life ministry.

Please Pray for the Latino Leadership Experience and the 19 high school students who will participating from Santa Barbara and Oxnard. We will meet once a month till May 2010!
This is our Mission Statement: The Latino Leadership Experience exists in order to develop and cultivate the leadership skills of the Latino youth of the Gold Coast & Central Valley Region. We believe by the empowering of the Latino youth through this experience will serve to enhance their confidence, give them an identity, cast vision in their lives, and most importantly give them a Christ centered meaning that will lead them to become valuable leaders in their communities.

Please Pray for Angel. He as been locked up in Juvenile hall for the last three weeks. He will be sent to boot camp soon. Pray that during this time he will think about all the words he has heard, all the love he was given and most important that he would turn to Jesus. Both his parents are deported and only has his older sisters to look after him.

Please Pray for Carlos. He does not go to school in town anymore. Pray for protection. Pray that I would get opportunities to spend one on one time with him. Pray that God would change his heart.


Let me share that this month my wife and I celebrated 5 MONTHS of being married! I know, I know it sounds like a long time but really we are still newly weds. We have been learning so much about being married. It not only has been hard at times but so wonderful and beautiful. We are falling more and more in love with each other every day!

Thank you to all who pray for us and our ministry!