If there’s one thing that I, the Senior Editor of Inspire a Fire, can relate to, it’s these kids. Within the videos you’ll find below, the kids tell of what it’s like to be a military kid and what Cadence Student Ministries does for them. One of the challenges of being a military kid is having to move every three years as their parents’ tour of duty ends and it’s on to the next one. Although we are not a military family-my husband works in construction-we do move every two to three years. Which means our children have to make new friends, adjust to a new school, and meet a new youth group every two to three years. This is never easy. Fortunately for these military kids you’ll hear from below, they have someone who can help them make these adjustments. Join me as we find out about Cadence Student Ministries.
The uncertainty military youth feel and their longing for meaningful friendships and lasting truths immediately place Cadence Student Ministries (CSM) youth leaders in a position to influence these students and their futures. These leaders serve the on-base chapel as a youth pastor would serve a church in the US, equipping the local parishes and program volunteers to minister to their community’s youth, starting with the youth in the chapel, by building a safe community for them, equipping them to minister to their peers, engaging them in a meaningful relationship with their creator, and empowering them to use their gifts to minister wherever they go.
Jim’s Testimony
Military dependents are learning that while they may not always have opportunities to share the gospel with other nations, there is opportunity to share Christ’s love with other students living right where they are. One student in our ministry had two sisters attending. The younger sister gave her life to Jesus during our spring break trip. Then this past summer she went with on the Cambodia mission’s trip and was able to share the gospel during the VBS outreach program. Her older sister attended youth group but had yet to give her life to Jesus. As she was flying to the States, she had a moment where she really felt like God met her. Needless to say we had prayed diligently for her. One evening after youth group, she spoke with us to ask what she needed to do to continue to grow and stay close to God. We started asking her about the obvious first step of surrendering to Him. Her answer was, “Yeah, I did that the first week of school with [another student].” God used sisters and a fellow student to draw another to Him. The story did not end there – when she got back from Cambodia she challenged her dad to read the “Crazy Love” book we used on the trip. They read the entire book together and discussed the chapters. While I don’t know where her dad stands, she thinks he is a believer. As a family they have started helping at a local orphanage. Now the sisters are praying for their older brother. Praise God for students who are sensitive to God’s leading and bold enough to share their faith with their friends.
