Students enter a deeper relationship with God through NYC

BUSBY, Alb.-On May 18-21, 2023, 187 youth gathered at Camp Nakamun in Alberta, Canada, for the Native Youth Conference (NYC). The students came from 17 communities and four provinces. Students were joined by 40 chaperones of varying ages.

"The mission at Indian Life Ministries is to restore hope, healing, and honor within Indigenous communities across North America through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ," said Todd Wawrzyniak, director of Indian Life Ministries. "Being part of the Native Youth Conference is a way in which we see the mandate being fulfilled. It was a tremendous blessing to see the youth at camp, smiling, joyful, playful, engaged, making friendships, asking for prayer, accepting Jesus!"

NYC started in 1992. When asked why the NYC was started, one of the founders, Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (NEFC) director, Kene Jackson said, "We saw a tremendous need for spiritual ministry among native youth. When you look at the percentage of native population, the youth make up 75 percent of the native populus under 25. Boy, do we really need to reach our youth."

"NYC is important because it provides opportunities for indigenous youth to have fun and meet other indigenous youth, and at the same time receive the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ," says Jeff Caouette, chair of the NYC planning committee.

The young people listened intently to keynote speaker Cliff Bird, a former pastor from the Montreal Lake Cree Nation who trains others in suicide prevention, First Nations abandonment recovery, and other issues, as well as assisting First Nations in creating substance abuse treatment programs. The Holy Spirit used the words of Bird and the music of the Enderby Worship band, and many gave their hearts to Christ. "We stopped counting at 50," says Krystal Wawrzyniak of ILM.

Students also were given tools to live more effective Christian lives, and many received other spiritual assistance and made fresh commitments to Christ in different areas of their lives. Some just enjoyed the opportunity to worship the Lord with other people their age from across the nation.

Participants also had opportunities to enjoy activities such as outdoor games, horseback riding, zipline, grafitti wall, paintball, a talent show and other pastimes.

When asked why he gives his time to help make sure the kids have a good experience, Caouette says, "I choose to serve because I love to watch the youth have fun and remember what it was like for me at their age. There was nothing like this at that time. It provides me the opportunity to be involved in the Great Commission. My favorite part is during the worship times. To see the youth worshipping the Lord so freely. It's amazing-I don't recall ever seeing this kind of worship anywhere in my Christian walk."

Krystal Wawrzyniak encourages other people to get involved in the NYC ministry. She specifies, "First of all, pray. Pray for the youth; those who chose to follow Jesus need prayer to continue their walks as they come from communities that aren't always the best situations."

Wawryzniak says those who can help provide finances so more students can attend can go to Indianlife.org and click on the donation page. She said that 100 percent of NYC-designated donations go to build NYC 2024. Adults can also learn more about how to help at the event by emailing: nativeyouthco@gmail.com.

Todd Wawrzyniak adds, "Krystal and I are thankful to be on the committee and, Lord willing, look forward to NYC 2024!"

NYC inspires student to write song

On Saturday evening at NYC, students enjoyed a talent show. One of the performers was Isabel Carter, from Manitoba, who wrote a song about her experience with NYC. ILM talked to her about her experience.

Q: What inspired the song you wrote?

I usually like to write songs on trips, and was inspired to write this at NYC. The lyrics were a result of what I had heard at the camp about our identity in Christ and who we are to God. In today's world, the importance of who we are to God I feel can be quite diluted, and we forget how loved we are by Him.

Q: What does the song mean to you personally?

The lyrics are words I personally need to remember, and making sure others know how precious they are is something that I always want to strive for. Also, getting to write the song with my good friends Charlene Fenner and Tanika Spence was such a fun time and an amazing memory to hold onto.

Q: Why is NYC important?

This was my first time going to the Native Youth Conference, and it was such a different experience than I ever imagined. It gave me a new perspective on life and has shown me how God can work with and through people's lives in many different ways. At times during the event I definitely felt overwhelmed, but there were also times when I was at peace and was able to really connect with so many amazing individuals.

Who We Are

Lyrics by Isabel Carter

Verse 1:

We often wonder, and sometimes waver

On who we think we are. But there is one

Thing that's true and trusted, the way God

Knows our hearts.

Bridge:

In the darkness, there is light; you are

Always by my side.

Chorus:

I am chosen, a child of God, descendant

Of the king, a new creation, held, and called

To light up everything. Freed and forgiven,

He knows my name and cares for every

Breath; that is who I am, that is who I am.

Verse 2:

I know there's trials and temptation, but we

Can overcome. Put down the pressure, of

Being perfect, remember you are loved.

Bridge:

By the God who knows all things, he is

Righteous and esteemed.

Chorus:

You are forgiven, alive through Christ who

Died for all your sin. You are so precious,

Your worth is more than gold or anything.

He's always waiting, with open arms to

Catch you if you fall. He's there through it

All, He's there through it all.

Chorus 3:

We are adopted. He's the shepherd, we are Sheep.

Love everlasting, he makes us strong

Though we might think we're weak. I know

He's working in me every day. Now there's

Nothing left to say, nothing left to say,

Except that God makes no mistakes, you're His masterpiece in every way.

Generation Hope joins NYC

Generation Hope, also known as Gen H, is a planned YouTube channel for First Nations youth and young adults. Tribal Trails, a department of NCEM (Northern Canada Evangelical Mission), has done a great job at sharing Jesus and His truths through testimonies and Bible teaching for all those who tune in to http://www.tribaltrails.org. Tribal Trails has wanted to reach the youth for quite some time and has been waiting for God's timing to start a branch that is now known as "Generation Hope."

There is such darkness in the world, and young people are more depressed than ever, but there is hope. Jesus Christ has died on the cross to wipe away the sins of all people who put their trust in Him, and because of that, He has brought light into the darkness! Through social media highlighting young people's testimonies, we aim to share this light and hope to the next generation!

On May 18–21 2023, Generation Hope hit the road to head to NYC. We took a van full of camera equipment and set up a studio in the main building! We were able to share our passion for Jesus and the hope we find in Him at some of the session times. We ended up getting four interviews and some fun footage for the YouTube Channel and heard some great stories of how God is working in the lives of youth today.

At NYC, we especially enjoyed the evenings. We went out with the Connect Group-a group of Bible college students who were at NYC to help youth work through what they were learning. It was great to talk to the smaller groups in their cabins and we had some great conversations.

We were able to dive a little deeper into what the main speaker, Cliff Bird, was talking about when he talked about abandonment. We were then able to point the youth to the true comforter, Jesus.

We had a great time at NYC this year and are very excited to go back in the future! Lord willing, Generation Hope will be launching in 2024, so be sure to follow our Instagram and Facebook to get some behind-the-scenes content before the launch!

~Linsey Blodgett, producer

Instagram - @newgenerationofhope

Facebook - Generation Hope