Youth For Christ!Some of my most cherished memories are from the years I spent with Youth For Christ. I was in high school when this international Christian youth organization began its work in Trinidad. It immediately captured the hearts of many of us who were Christian teenagers who , until that time, believed serving Jesus was a bunch of rules and regulations we hated. It brought to us an excitement for our faith through Saturday night rallies filled with music, movies, Bible teaching, competition, international speakers and just fun. It both guided and challenged us to excellence. Led by Jamaican born Keith Rowe, we never would even think of missing a YFC meeting. I sang with my cousins and with Donald Ryan who has gone on to become famous for his music. Above all, we shared a fellowship, unrivalled by anything I have experienced since. During my recent visit to Trinidad it was such a joy to meet with (above photo)Herman Brown and his wife Ruth Ellen and (below photo) Keith Telesford and his wife Marilyn and Garth Thomas. We sat on my aunt's veranda and shared memory after memory. Tears filled my eyes when Garth said he prayed for me and others from YFC days twice a week. Now I will do the same. As I travelled around the world I often met other Christian leaders whose lives had also been changed through Youth For Christ. I recall sitting in the home of Dr. Billy Kim from South Korea as he talked about YFC and his leadership and we talked about different leaders we had known.
Without a doubt YFC saved many of us for the cause of Christ and when we think of great leaders like Billy Graham and Leighton Ford and Billy Kim, Gerry Gallimore, we see the huge effect of this wonderful ministry. It is one for which I will always be grateful and I hope I have a chance to meet again to relish those memories with my YFC friends.
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