God Called Me Back to Cactus
by Levi Havens (YiM 2016)
It was May (2015) just before the regional quiz for teen bible quizzing, and the quiz-off to go to nationals. If I made it to nationals I wouldn’t be able to go on the ride up to NYC (Nazarene Youth Conference). I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to do, so I prayed that God’s will be done. I ended up making it to nationals.
At every big event there is a speaker, although I can’t remember what the speaker’s name is, I do remember what he said. He said that he didn’t know why God wanted him to talk about what he did, but he knew that someone needed to here it. He talked about a teenage boy and how he had to flee his country, and was a refugee, and how he ended up in a Nazarene refugee camp. He came to know God and when he went back to his country he started a church.
I knew then that God wanted me to do something with refugees. I didn’t know what though. I arrived
at NYC, and one of the days I saw the YIM commercial for Cactus, TX. I started to cry, because I knew that was where God was telling me to go. My church ended up going on a week long mission trip to Cactus in March. I didn’t feel that I was done; that there was still more for me there.
I talked to Vito (NCMC director) about it, and he talked to Kenny Wade. I ended up signing up with Youth In Mission. Even though it was late and a lot had to be done in a short amount of time, Kenny made it work. I flew into Indianapolis, and went through YIM training camp (early June), and then it was off to Cactus.
I spent about two months in Cactus helping to run a summer feeding program for kids. Midway through my time there I was really dreading leaving. I had fallen in love with this little town and all of the people in it. I was given the opportunity to come back for a year so I went to YiM reentry camp (late July) in Indianapolis and then flew home.
After a month and a half I returned to Cactus. When I got back there was a feeling of being back home. Since I’ve been back I’ve started to teach an ESL class, help and sometimes lead an after school program, and coach a kids soccer team, along with anything else that pops up from day to day.
In the time from May till now God has taken me from a recently-out-of-high school-teen with no real direction in life, to someone with direction. He put me in a place that I love and he used Youth In Missions to help do it.
Do you know young adults like Levi? Recommend them HERE.
