Run for Kaw Valley Young Life

Well...foolhardy as it may seem, I've decided to run another marathon. Except this time, I am not doing it for the sole purpose of being able to tell people "I've run a marathon, and if I can do it, you can"; this time it is to raise financial support and awareness of a new adventure that Casey and I have taken on in our lives: Young Life Kaw Valley. The end of July, I accepted and began my second job in full time ministry as the Associate Area Director of Young Life in Kaw Valley. The following pictures and posts will detail the successes and hardships of this new adventure and will update you on the progress we are making as an area and as a team as we do ministry and run this race with one another. The actual marathon is the end of March 2008. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Many of you know that the end of July, I took a step outside of my job as Sprint and stepped back into the field of full time youth ministry. After many prayers and talks with my husband, Casey Self, we both decided that it would be a great new adventure for me to say ‘yes’ to the call of continuing to pioneer and grow a brand new area of Young Life in K.C. as the Associate Area Director of Kaw Valley Young Life. Although Young Life has been a nationally and internationally recognized youth organization for over 65 years, Young Life in Kaw Valley is very young, having only a little over two years of a great start with leaders, staff and committee, club, camp and year-round events. I have led for Young Life in Kansas City in both a staff and volunteer capacity since I started college as an 18 year old. I also spent many of those years after college as the director of the high school program at a church in the Overland Park Kansas area named Heartland Community Church. I have worked with high school, middle school and college aged students as a mentor and leader for over 10 years. Learning the culture of families and students in the Kaw Valley area as well as what it is to lead and train an area with committee, a staff of volunteer leaders, students, club, camp, events is a challenging and exciting experience! The Kaw Valley area consists of mid-size school districts in the northwestern suburbs of Kansas City. It has a small town feel in the midst of outward expanding suburbs (thanks to the new entertainment district that encompasses the Kansas Speedway, the Legends Shopping District, Cabelas and Nebraska Furniture Mart). This year we’re continuing to build upon the strong foundation of a Wyldlife program while bringing on new leadership and fostering relationships to begin Young Life in the high school arena. The Wyldlife program encompasses kids from mostly Bonner Springs as well as the Basehor-Linwood area west of Lawrence. The Young Life high school ministry will start in the Basehor-Linwood high school area this year, and will eventually encompass the surrounding town's high schools as well. So far we have expanded our leadership team, we have three campaigners groups started and two more anticipated to start in the spring, and we have had some really great events and clubs with many students in attendance. We had 49 kids go to Wyldlife camp this year and in 2008 we plan to double that number to add another trip for the high school students as well. So far, we are off to a great start!