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Dear MSM Parents,
Welcome to our January Newsletter! If you are new with us each month we send out all the information that is going on within YOCF. Thank you for working with us through all of these changes in the past few months we really appreciate all of your patience and support! Hoping that you all had a safe and enjoyable Christmas Break and New Years! Things are going to look a bit different for our ministry in these next couple months. Make sure to stay connected to our instagram @yoyoyocf and the OCF youtube channel for updates! Check out down below our plans for the coming weeks and the ways we will be connecting with each other, daily, weekly, and updates for future plans.
We have a couple big changes for the next couple months, we have decided with a heavy heart that we will go to being fully virtual until at least Easter. With the spikes of COVID in LA & increased hospitalizations in the area, we think that it is best to cut back our in person meetings for youth. We want to be safe and aide our community as best we can. We know that the mental health aspect of our students has been heavily affected by the distance and that things being virtual is not ideal or can be fully the same as in person gatherings. If your student is struggling please let Ryan or I know how we can come alongside your family and be praying.
With that we have some changes in our program! Some being familiar and some being different. Make sure that you see our new times and ways that we will be providing to connect with your students!
Both Ryan & I are praying for you and your families! Hoping that they new year is bringing in new hope and reminder to represent love in a dark world. "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" (1 Corinthians 13:6). Let us bring this to mind as we look to God for the ultimate love and hope.
With Much Love,
YOCF Staff
EPISODE SHORTS EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT AT 5PM
Starting on January 17th we will be airing Episode Shorts on OCF's Youtube channel at 5pm. This will happen every week followed by time for small group over zoom. The episodes will look different, but still have teaching and an opportunity for us to be connecting with your student and for them to connect to each other.
QUARANTINE QUIET TIME & YOUVERSION STUDY
Staring back up on January 11th, we will be rebooting Quarantine Quiet Time. If you are new this year or don't remember, each day we will post a video to our instagram account of a devotion that accompanies the youversion study that we will be doing. Add YOCF on the Youversion Bible to join the study as we engage in Scripture together daily!
Every week over zoom on Wednesday's come join for the boys Bible Study at 4:30!
Email [email protected] for questions
In addressing the relationship between parents and their teenagers, often the emphasis focuses on helping teens build more trust with their parents. But the truth is that many kids don't trust their parents! What is it that causes teens not to trust their parents? In my experience, most teenagers identify the source of their lack of trust in parents as the result of seeing firsthand that their parents are less than honest with them. Jesus commands His followers, "Simply let your 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no' be 'no'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37.) Let's face facts: no parent is perfect. Still, as parents we are called to live our lives with integrity. Because we serve as our children's role models for life and faith, we need to be very careful in how we live our lives before our kids. Your kids don't need your perfection, they need your honesty, and especially when you fail to follow through on something you said you would do. How can you increase your "honesty" quotient and, as a result, your trust level with your kids?
1. Think before you promise. Ask yourself, "If I make this promise, can I keep my word?"
2. If you can't keep your word, don't promise. It's much better to say, "I'm going to try my hardest to get to your game tomorrow, but I can't promise you I'll make it" and not make it, than to say, "I'll be there for sure!" and not show up.
3. Think before you act. When it occurs to you that you can't keep your word, be sure to evaluate the message it will send your son or daughter. Then, consider how you can minimize the resulting damage if you truly can't keep your verbal commitment.
4. Ask for your child's forgiveness when you fail to keep your word. Don't sweep your failures under the carpet. Face them head on. Apologize and ask for forgiveness.
Honesty and integrity are two vital parts of trust in any relationship. Keeping your word with your kids is always the best policy. When your track record as a parent is one of consistent honesty, trust between you and your teen will grow.