I never would have thought that I would lead a bunch of rowdy middle schoolers to Jesus, but I am incandescently happy to be a WyldLife leader because it means something big and has purpose. WyldLife is almost always overlooked by its big brother YoungLife, but that's what makes this ministry purpose filled -- middle schoolers too are often overlooked and misunderstood.
WyldLife is all about meeting kids where they are, accepting them for who they are now, and guiding them to who they will become. As a WyldLife leader, we understand the emotional and physical change happening. We know what its like to experience middle school and feel alone, mistaken, ugly, abandoned, suicidal, or whatever it might be. That's why WyldLife is an amazing mission to reach kids and it's definitely needed in every town across America.
Middle school is usually never the best time of your life unless you are --- wait a second that's not right because middle school is awful. It's accurate for almost every Millennial that middle school was the worst and most awkward moment of your life.
Maybe for yourself middle school was the time your parents finally decided on a divorce. Maybe you were belittled and bullied by all of the popular "more beautiful" kids. Maybe those years were a time you made questionable decisions from boys, clothes or whatever else that might be.
Now middle school is just like all of those moments of your pre-teen years, but probably worse with more white noise and hazardous harm from the access to anything on the Internet. Boys and girls around the world are searching for their identity from an introduction to sports, music, academics, and friendships. Most of them stumble around trying to wear these different attributes of identity. Middle schoolers make decisions that will guide their life and sometimes not in the best direction. Even if kids are going in the right direction WyldLife offers a safe place for friendships that will last a lifetime.
The craziest part of this all is you don't know what all is going on in the life of middle school kids and sadly sometime parents have no clue the pain or embarrassment going on in their lives, but as leaders we reach out a hand and a voice by sharing about our identity founded in Jesus.
Do Something is an organization that focuses on young people and social change. On their website it says, "by the 8th grade, 28% of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 15% have smoked cigarettes, and 16.5% have used marijuana." Could you even imagine? Maybe that doesn't seem like a lot, but realistically its sickening that our age has to have percentages even that low.
Wyldlife leaders are needed. Mentorship is something everyone should have -- especially from someone older and more experienced in life. These kids need you in their life, but more than anything middle schools across America need to know about Jesus and the life He offers.
