Youth Speak Out Archives In May 2012 I received the following note from seventeen year old Arindam: It asked me what extracurricular activity was most meaningful to me, and I wanted to let you know it was the youth group. I don't think I valued it as much, when I was there, as I do now. The selfless things we did and the lessons you taught really impacted me ... Click for : Arindam Shares Vito of New York states Dear Teddy, Greetings from the C.U.T.S. (Christians Under the Stairs) Youth Group in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Vito. I am 23 years old and have been here at this group for the past seven years. I think it is always nice to hear from our friends in Uganda or anywhere in the world. I hope that everything went well at the rally you all had on March 24th. My prayers are with you and with all the people of your fine country of Uganda. I'd like to share one of my favorite verses from the Bible which is a part of a favorite passage, thhe Beatitudes. The verse is Matthew 5: 8 which reads, 'Happy are the poor in heart for they shall see God'. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew , chapters 5 to 7 is very special to me. Our group does a lot of local mission work. We go to Hope for the Future, an outdoor soup kitchen on the streets of New York City and have built houses for the poor through Habitat for Humanity. There has also been an annual trip to El Salvador in which we see how it is in that part of the world and we work to try to make it a little better for them. I hope to hear from you again real soon and thanks for your friendship with our ministry. May God bless you and your ministry too. Sincerely, Vito, 23, Deer Park, NY. If you wish to contact Vito, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and Vito will be contacted as to your interest. If you would like, leave your own e-mail address for his direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Vito and Teddy have done. Vito's Vibes : a new section of the website where Vito Racanelli plays the role of scribe for the group giving us an update on past events. Nov. 1, 2009: Progressive Dinner Our progressive Dinner was held on this day. We went to Danelia's for the appetizers, the church for the soup & salad which was cooked by Amy, Cathy's for the main meal, and topped it off with dessert at Chantal's house. At each stop, Tim would read a story from a book called True, which was about people who needed help in their lives. One story in particular reached out to me, & was about a young girl who was beaten & raped by a gang member for a long time until one day she finally stood up to him after she was going to commit suicide. Of course, there was some fun mixed in with the discussion, particularly at Chantal's house( which if you haven't seen yet, is pretty big.), where we played Man Overboard. Also at Danelia's house, something funny happened. What, you may ask? It was Wachel getting wit wy a wabbit( Rachel getting bit by a rabbit.) I also bumped my head on a chandlier. Nov. 8, 2009: Movie Night This was our movie night( boy that's being redundant). We watched a movie called Cry on the Mountain( if you haven't seen this movie or was not at youth group to see this movie on this night, I strongly suggest you rent or buy it and watch it.). It's about a young boy and his parents that are going through a divorce and the father, knowing his boy would be upset, took him on a kayaking trip to Alaska. They start off on rough terms but as the movie progressed, they grew closer together. At one part of the movie, the father takes a nasty spill in the river. The boy runs to get help, & gets it in the form of a man named Johnathan, who lived alone with his dog Jake. I don't want to spoil it for those of you who didn't see the movie, but I'll just say that everyone learns a valuable lesson. Also, a quick reminder: On November 21, we will be going on a hike, so make sure you are at the church early. Tim will remind you on Sunday, so save the date. Novemeber 22: Thanksgiving Dinner Details of activities to be done in youth programs like the olympics and those described above are found in ... Not the Same Old, Done-it-before Youth Meeting (the book)

Teddy of Uganda, East Africa states Hello Tim, I greet you in Jesus' name. Hope your all fine,send my regards please to all the youths you serve with in the ministry.I always get over joyed when I see fellow youths serving the Lord because we the youths are the tomorrow's leaders,so Tim thank you very much for opening your heart to serve with the youths,may the Lord bless you abundantly! Sorry for taking long without replying but it is because of books at University.Otherwise, we love you so much.Thank you for the much love you have for the youths and reaching out to the youths nation wide. Greetings from all Commissioners. " Teddy-Commission International Ministries, Uganda. If you would like to reflect on your own youth group and its program as Kelly has done, please write to TimFerguson@Christianyouthgroup.org or to Mountgote@AOL.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Monica of Uganda, East Africa states Dear Friends, Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ whom you serve so passionately. I am highly honored to write to you and I believe this is nothing but the working of the Holy spirit bringing us in a close relationship. When I learnt of your interest in Uganda, I blessed the name of the lord because he alone could have impressed it upon your hearts. My name is Monica Apoo, a law student in my final year at Makerere University and serving the Lord in Commission International ministries. I love the Lord Jesus and am wholly devoted to him. Am also a prayer leader in this ministry. I enjoy intercession as calling and I desire to see our young generation transformed and subjected to Christ. On the 24th march, we are going to have the "Awakening Prayer Revival" at Makerere University where many young people from over Eight Universities will come together in unison and cry out to God for revival among the youths and the nations as a whole. We shall also be praying and fasting through the month of march. Am glad to be a part of the Thirty Hour Famine event you are having and will be in accord with you. Besides the above, I enjoy worship, reading and writing, outreaches, making friends and having fun in the lord. I also hail from the northern part of Uganda, a war torn area where people have for over 20 years lived in camps, depending on humanitarian aid. Every area in Uganda needs God's intervention however and I believe Uganda shall surely be saved. Please write to me and inquire of anything that could be of interest to you in line with our ministry, or any other subject. I will gratefully reply to them all. Otherwise thank you for writing to us, I believe it's a divine connection. Convey my love to my brothers and sisters serving the lord with you. May the Lord be with you always as you continue in his service." In Christ, Monica Prayer Leader If you wish to contact Monica, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and Monica will be contacted as to your interest. If you would like, leave your own e-mail address for his direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Monica has done.

Michael of New York states To all my friends in Uganda, Greetings from Central Islip, Long Island, New York. I must say I feel honored to write to all of you; unlike most of my friends, I choose to write to each of you together in one general letter because you are all equally important to me. We have been learning about your country and its struggles. My name is Michael Angelo Colon. I am not sure how you state your names; if the name people call you is written first or last in your letters - as for me, call me whichever of my three names that you would like. What amazes me about all of your writings is that we know so little about you in this country and we are doing so little to help. Unlike your country, young people here complain about going to school! They sometimes skip classes when there is no good reason to do so. I wish the students in this country's schools would be as grateful for an education as all of you are. What really matters!! We must act to stop hungar, war, disease and other misfortunes. Our donation a few weeks ago, I hope, will do a small part to help. All of you in Uganda are real heros! Through your inspiring words, maybe more people will join together and, with God's help, end war and hungar and disease around the world. Sincerely, Your friend, Michael Angelo Colon If you wish to contact Michael, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and Michael will be contacted as to your interest. If you would like, leave your own e-mail address for his direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Michael and many others from New York and Uganda have been doing.

Teddy of Uganda, East Africa states Dear Tim and Christian friends, Warm Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Thank you very much for choosing to serve the Lord. I am called Teddy, a member of Commission International Ministries as well as a University student persuing a Bachelor's Degreee in Law at Makerere University Uganda. I enjoy serving the Lord as well as concetrating on my academics. I love mission work as it is the Lord's heart-Beat. Here in Uganda, if Iam going for a mission, i carry things like my clothes that are decent for a lady, beddings and other personal effects. We usually hire a mission truck though it is always very expensive. We also sometimes carry our own own foods as the people we minister to are so poor to feed us like for a week. But despite all these conditions, it is fun and interesting to see souls come to the Lord. Hope to hear from you and thank you for your friendship with our Ministy. May God Bless you and your Ministry! Teddy Byaale Commission International Ministries. If you wish to contact Teddy, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and Byaale will be contacted as to your interest. If you would like, leave your own e-mail address for his direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Teddy has done.

John of New York states Dear Mulangwa: I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the United States. I am excited to be writing to you. My name is John Gower and I was born on March 20, 1991. When I first joined this youth group, I didn't know what to expect but, when I did start going, I learned a lot of things about myself, the group and more importantly, God. Besides the Thirty Hour Famine we do Hope for the Future, an outdoors soup kitchen which helps feed the homeless in New York City. When we see how poor these people are, it really gets to us. When I heard about your war, it got me so angry since we hear about a war in Iraq everyday and that has been going on for about five years. But your war has been going on for twenty years!! I felt like I had missed out on what was going on in the world. Your war sounds really bad and I feel like I should do something about it but I know I can't. It seems like no matter how old you are (very young and very old) you are affected by it. Besides my youth group I go to a Catholic school. I am on the crew team, which is rowing. When the team has a day off, we play football. I really enjoy crew. If you have any questions about my youth group or the U.S.A., feel free to ask. God bless you and your people. John Gower,16, Commack, NY If you wish to contact John, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and John will be contacted as to your interest. If you would like, leave your own e-mail address for his direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Mulangwa and John have done. Message to John and others: you may feel you can do little to help but this is not true. You can write and encourage Mulangwa and his friends and you can pray that God will be with them in the tasks that lie ahead. John's youth group, Christians Under the Stairs, will be praying for Mulangwa and other friends from Commission International Meetings at their youth meeting this evening, March 18, 2007. Let's remember the big rally for university students in Uganda on March 24, 2007

Mulangwa of Uganda, East Africa states I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and thank you for the great work you are doing in the Kingdom of the Almighty God. I am so excited to be writing to you this letter and to be able to exchange ideas with your team. My name is Mulangwa Godfrey from Commission International Ministries I was born on the 6th of November 1981 in a catholic Family and in 1987 my father divorced my mother, took custody of me and from then, I never again saw her but only heard about her death. When I accepted Jesus in my life, my father did not like it and it's because of all I went through without my mother that I found life without Jesus Christ impossible and it's at such a time that I discovered him as a father to the fatherless and the mother to the motherless. In Commission International Ministries, I am in the department of Transport and Machines. I am so exited to here that you are learning about our country Uganda and I know that this is a divine connection from God. Because the same period you declaring the 30 hour famine, it is the same period we are also setting ourselves apart for the month of march so that God can do great things on 24th march for that day we are having a power packed prayer day in our biggest university Uganda is a nation that needs God. For over 21 years, Uganda, especially the northern part as seen no peace due to rebel activities and the people in these areas live in untold sufferings in the camps. One of the persons who began the war is Alice Lakwena, who just died a month ago while in exile in Kenya. Am quite uncertain of the cause of her death. But the northern part of Uganda and also the entire country needs prayers. Currently, the government and the rebels are having peace talks, pray with us for its success so that peace is restored. We believe that God will here the cry of his people and set them free and that Northern Uganda will be in peace again and the people who were displaced will go back to their land and enjoy their land. May God bless your ministry for choosing to learn about Uganda and I pray that God will here your prayers and bless all that you do. Please send my greetings to all. I am waiting to here from you Mulangwa Godfre', Uganda, East Africa If you wish to contact Mulangwa, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and Mulangwa will be contacted as to your interest. If you would like, leave your own e-mail address for her direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Mulangwa has done.

Tayna and Ariel of New York states: Dear Caroline and our other Christian friends, Greetings from our youth group, CUTS, which stands for "Christians Under the Stairs". My friend and I grew an interest in your letter/story and wanted to learn more about you and your spiritual life. My name is Tayna Gebhardt and my friend's name is Ariel Durgano. We are both 16 and are fortunate enough to be attending the same high school, 11th grade. We have been members of this youth group for five years and we both agree it has had a tremendous positive impact on our lives. Here in our youth group we learn important lessons such as "What would you have us do, Lord?". We think God would have us spread his word and put our faith into practice, which is what the 30 Hour Famine is doing. We noticed that you mentioned the date that you gave your life to Christ. Personally, we cannot recall the exact date but I (Tayna) remember it was probably about when I was eight or nine one Sunday morning in Sunday school. I (Ariel) like my friend, Tayna, can't recall an exact date but I was born participating in the Presbyterian faith. Even though I was born with my life dedicated to Jesus Christ, I specifically remember completely devoting myself after two events. The first event was when I went to Hope or the Future. This program allows young kids and adults to go to New York City and distribute food items, both packaged and hot, freshly made food to those in need. The first time I went I smiled at every single person and they were touched. It fascinated me that a single smile could trigger a sense of hope and happiness. Since that day, I have devoted a lot of my time to people in need, especially children. When I am in college, I will be studying child psychology/therapy and minor in education. The second event that brought me close to God was during my time singing in the church choir. We were singing "Here I am, Lord" and to this day it is the most inspirational song and the most enlightening piece of art that I have heard. It always reminds me of my father. My father is studying to be a minister and intends on marrying me off :). Helping people has become a dominant theme in my life and my only goal is to help as many children mentally, emotionally and physically as I can. Very soon I will be going to El Salvador with my family and several other youth group members as well as our youth advisors to deliver needed supplies and work with the children in that country. I'm very excited about this trip this summer. Both of us want to say that our faith has grown from our Youth Group experiences. We are excited to hear about your culture and yourself. Congratulations on the book you are writing. If you would like we could ask a member of our congregation for her insight on the book's subject matter. We think it is wonderful and an important issue to address. Please write back to us through this website. " Tayna, 16, Commack, N.Y. Ariel, 16, Dix Hills, N.Y. If you wish to contact Tayna and/or Ariel, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and Tayna and/or Ariel will be contacted as to your interest. If you like, leave your own e-mail address for their direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Tayna, Ariel and Caroline have done.

Caroline of Kenya, Africa states: Dear Friends, I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and thank you for the tremendous work you are doing in the Fathers? kingdom. I am so excited to be writing to you this letter and to be able to exchange ideas with your team. My name is Nakato Caroline from Commission International Ministries. I am the first born in a family of five children. I finished my degree in social sciences and social work in 2005 from Makerere University. I gave my life to Christ on the 31st of July 2001 and have been walking with Christ since then. Since I am from a staunch catholic family, my parents were very cross with me when I got saved and I went through serious perfection from my parents. But the lord has been good to me and he has been changing them slowly to accept my decision of salvation. In Commission International, I work as the secretary and I also lead the Ladies team called ?Ladies of Destiny.? In this department we handle many young ladies? issues helping them to discover their potential, reach their destinies, and value their values and live purposed driven lives. Love to preach the word of God and I also do Gospel creative dances with our Dance team called Cimafrica Gospel troupe. I also love writing and currently I am writing my first book for the ladies called,? Do Fallen Daughters Rise?? I would be so interested in exchanging ideas with however is in charge of ladies in your ministry. I love reading, adventure and traveling, movies music and making new friends. In Commission international we do a lot of work amongst the youth in Universities, colleges, schools, and churches. Ministry here is challenging and there are many things to learn everyday even as we serve. Thank you for your interest in our country and especially our youth. I think it is a great idea to work with you and to exchange ideas with you. I pray you send my greetings to all your team and I will wait to hear from you eagerly. May God Bless you mightily. In Jesus, Caroline Nakato If you wish to contact Caroline, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and Caroline will be contacted as to your interest. If you would like, leave your own e-mail address for her direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Caroline has done.

Michelle of New York states: What I like about youth group is how very different people come together with one single and better vision for the world. I love how mission oriented our group is- between the Hope for the Future soup kitchen we work at in New York City to the Thirty Hour Famine to our donations to our eight year old friend in China, LuLu Xu. In addition I enjoyed hearing the stories of our two youth members who did a mission trip to El Salvador. While we can always improve our spiritual characteristics as a whole, we are closer and closer to becoming nothing but children of the light because what we do in the Lord's Name we do together. Like Jesus says in the Gospel according to Matthew, "Whoever does what my father in heaven wants him to do is my brother, my sister, and my mother". Even though we tend to get a little cliquey (which is only human nature) I think because we are like family,and that's what keeps us coming back every week." Michelle,17, Bay Shore, N.Y.

Vito of New York states Dear Dishon and other Christian friends, Greetings from the Christians Under the Stairs Youth Group in Deer Park, N.Y. My name is Vito Racanelli. I am 23 years old and have been coming to this youth group for the past seven years. It has been a special place to come as we have so many different kinds of people that come here every Sunday night. What I've learned from youth group is the fact that no matter how tough your life is at times, you can always look to God to guide you through the many hardships you may face. Like you I am also into music, soccer (football in Uganda), hanging out with friends and going to the movies. I like doing the 30 Hour Famine because I get to meet new people and learn about other countries like Uganda. I think it is sad that a war has been going on in your country for 20 years. I hope there can be a peaceful solution to all of this fighting soon. Anyway I and my Youth Group friends would like to learn more about you and your country. Write back to us at this website soon. Be confident that we will remember your March 24th event in prayer. May God bless you and your group's ministry. " Vito,23 ,Deer Park, N.Y. If you wish to contact Vito, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and Vito will be contacted as to your interest. If you would like, leave your own e-mail address for his direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Vito and Dishon have done.

Dishon of Kenya, Africa states: Dear Friends ... I am Dishon Idagiza from Commission International Ministries [Kenya].I have been born again for over 9 years and since then, have not regretted why I made that important decision. I hail from a very humble background where I happen to be the first born among seven other siblings. Life was never easy since my parents did not have income to afford even the most basic of our needs. I will never forget the day when I was sent out of school for non payment of school fees only to return home to find my siblings out of school for the same reason. From that day, life was never the same again. Our condition as a family only worsened to the extent that we didnít even have food. But, through all these experiences, I bless the name of the Lord. Had it not been for Him, we would have perished. It was due to this that the Lord opened my eyes to see that the whole of Africa is suffering from poverty. God birthed and anointed me with the power of Praise and worship and with my experience, I see God as the provider, redeemer, deliverer and savior. My passion is therefore to see Godís people, especially the youth return to the loving arms of the father even through the roughest situations. When I got born again I got involved in Music. At the moment I am the praise and worship leader in Commission International Ministries in both Kenya and Uganda and I give God all the Glory. From the time I joined C.I.M. I have seen God doing great and wonderful things especially in the mission field. I have seen God healing, saving souls delivering the demons possessed and proving to the needy that, He is surely JEHOVAH JIREH. We reach out to Universities, schools and holds crusades, Revivals, Conferances etc. I love listening to music, watching football and dancing I am looking forward to hearing from some of you and perhaps oneday seeing you guys in Africa. Africa is ripe. Please write to me about anything you would love to know about our ministry and any other subject. I appreciate your writing to us as the family of Commission. God bless you." In Christ, Dishon, Kenya If you wish to contact Dishon, please send an e-mail to: testimonials@christianyouthgroup.org. It will be posted on this website and Dishon will be contacted as to your interest. If you would like, leave your own e-mail address for his direct reply. Let's all start sharing with each other as Dishon has done.

Ariel of New York states "I love the people and the vibe I get from this youth group. It is a very humble and warm atmosphere. I've learned everything from the Word of God to treating people the way God would be treated. This youth group would help me grow as a Christian young woman because the people here are just so wonderful and considerate and so understanding. Ariel, 16, Dix Hills, N.Y."

Kelly of New York states " Our Christians under the Stairs group is something I definitely look forward to every week. We do so many different, fun and interesting things. I really enjoy it. I really like the fact that we participate in many different activities such as Hope for the Future , an outdoor soup kitchen on the Lower East Side of Manhatten and Christmas carolling at the homes of shut-ins and nursing homes. There is always something to do that keeps us busy. I've learned so many things while paricipating in Youth Group. It is like a second family where I don't have to worry about what people think of me. Going to Youth Group has definitely made me a better Christian. I now know what God wants me to do. Kelly, 16, Wheatley Heights, N.Y."

Vicky of New York states " May the poor be blessed with riches and the homeless a place to own and the children who have seen the light, save children of their own" are lines from a poem, I wrote after attending our youth group's prayer walk last Sunday night. I like the idea that there are people I can relate to here at youth group. I've learned about angels and God more since I began coming to youth group. Is there anything that could be better? I'm trying to think of a suggestion but I can't think of anything negative in our group. " Vicky, 13, Deer Park, N.Y.

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