A few weeks ago, Leverage Ministries hosted the 2nd Annual Roger Evans Memorial Golf Classic. It was an incredible day of golf with more than 100 golfers and volunteers. This event, along with the faithful support of so many people, allows Leverage to continue reaching the abused, abandoned and arrested youth of central Florida.

Kids like Lamar.

About 18 months ago, I shared Lamar’s story. I met him just a few days before we were leaving for our annual summer camp, and he was uncertain about what to expect or how he fit into the group. Late in the week at camp, Lamar asked if we could go talk. He wanted to share his story with me.

A few months before I met him, Lamar’s mom joined the Army. She told him the day before she was shipping out. She told Lamar, “I probably won’t see you again. Please take care of yourself. If you behave, you can probably stay with your aunt for a while.”

But then he shared his good news with me: earlier that morning after our morning meeting, Lamar had accepted Christ as his Savior. He said to me, “Now I have a Father who will never leave me.”

Soon after camp, we lost track of Lamar. He moved, and none of the other boys knew what happened to him. Unfortunately, that’s not uncommon in our ministry. But I continued to pray for Lamar and that he would remember his time at camp and his decision to follow Christ.

Now I’m going to fast forward a year and a half to the Wednesday night after our September golf tournament. After four months of not being able to minister because of the pandemic, we were invited to resume our weekly meetings at the Runaway Shelter.

As I walked through the door, I heard a familiar voice yell, “Pastor Scott is here! He’s back! I told you all he would come.” I barely got inside when Lamar was giving me a big hug and pulling me inside to meet the other kids. No social distancing requirements were going to hold him back!

After 18 months, it was great to see him again. He told me about all of the troubles he had faced since that summer camp and shared about how he was going to be placed with a foster family. But then he said, “I still remember the decision I made at camp, and I know Jesus and you will never leave me.” 

That’s what Leverage Ministries is here for: to share Christ with hurting kids and to let them know that we’re here for them. 

Please continue to pray for Lamar and the many other teens we reach each week through our Breakfast Club and at the Runaway Shelter. We hope that our other ministries will resume soon as things continue to re-open.  

Your financial support is vital as well. You can give online at www.leverageministries.org/give-now. Your gifts will help us continue this important work with the hurting teenagers in our community.

In His Service,

Scott

Last week, we had the opportunity to take a group of at-risk teenagers to Lake Denton Camp in Avon Park. 

Every summer when we go to camp, one of my favorite things is waking up early and enjoying a cup of coffee before anyone else is up. I find a quiet place, usually down by the lake, and spend time with God before the day begins.  

But last week, as I was doing the very thing I love, I found myself having a pity-party with God. I was complaining about the sorry instant coffee I was drinking, about that one bug that wouldn’t stop bothering me, about how little I had slept the night before and about how I have to field a thousand questions about what we’re going to be doing every hour of the day. To top off this “woe-is-me” morning, I forgot my glasses and could barely see to read the Bible on my phone. 

As I was sitting there, complaining to God and watching the sun come up, a camper named Nate came out of his cabin and wandered over to where I was seated. I signed Nate up for camp the morning we were leaving. I had never met him before that morning, and I really did not know him or his story. Nate started talking about the camp, so I asked what he liked best so far. I was expecting to hear about the swimming, the water slide, the food or being with his friends. I wasn’t prepared for his answer. Nate looked at me and said, “I like the shower the best.”  When I asked him why, he said, “It’s so great. The water works when I turn it on. It’s warm, there’s soap and I can stay as long as I need to.” He went on to tell me about his home and all his brothers and sisters.  How the water is always cold and sometimes there is no water at all.

God really has a way of putting me in my place. Here I was complaining about instant coffee, and Nate was rejoicing about a shower. It reminded me that some of us have so much that w take for granted while there are hurting people — hurting kids — who don’t always have water for a shower. 

Right then, I started to pray for Nate and his family. Later that evening, Nate said yes to Jesus for the first time, along with two other boys. 

The next time you jump into your warm shower, please remember to pray for Leverage Ministries and the boys and families we are reaching every day. 

We are so grateful for your continued partnership. Please continue to pray specifically for the Leverage Ministries finances. Like many organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected us significantly. We are committed to serving at-risk teens in Polk County, and I’m confident that God will provide. 

Serving Him,

Scott Hirdes
Executive Director

“Uncertainty” is a word being used a lot about everything right now.  We are not certain about our jobs, the economy or our health. The list goes on and on. Uncertainty has us asking questions like, “When will all of this end?” and “What will normal look like when this is all over?” 

For many, if not all, of the teens we work with through Leverage Ministries, uncertainty has been a normal part of their everyday lives since long before COVID-19. They’ve had to ask questions such as, “Where am I going to live?” and “What will I eat?” and “Is my mom coming home?” and “Will I ever see my dad again?”

With all of these questions already on their minds, it’s easy to understand how this global coronavirus pandemic has these teenagers so scared. They don’t know what all of this means. It is making their already-difficult lives even more difficult.

I believe God has prepared our Leverage Ministries staff to step in at a time when these teenagers need us the most.

Right before the COVID-19 pandemic caused everything to come to a halt, Leverage Ministries was able to purchase a used 15-passenger van. We had been praying and searching for a van for well over a year. We believe God’s timing is perfect, and once we are able to start meeting again, we will now have our own transportation. We are able to help families with the everyday errands that most of us take for granted — things like getting to doctor’s appointments, the bank or to school for parent meetings.  

Although we don’t know what our ministry will look like over the next few months, we are still making plans for a very busy summer. We hope to be able to meet with multiple groups of teens on a weekly basis.  

Despite our uncertainties, the message we share with these hurting teenagers does not change. We are contacting as many teenagers as possible to encourage them and to continue sharing Christ with them. I am confident that God knows what our ministry will look like this summer, and we are trusting Him to guide our daily steps.

Please pray for the at-risk teenagers that we serve in our community. Very few are doing their schoolwork online. They are scared, confused and don’t know who they can trust.

Also, continue to pray for Leverage Ministries as we find new ways to reach the least, last and lost teens of central Florida and that we would continue to use every open door to point teenagers and their families to Jesus.

In His Service, 
Scott Hirdes 


P.S. Leverage Ministries depends on our generous donors. Like many other ministries and nonprofit organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our resources. Would you consider making a special gift today? If so, please visit https://leverageministries.org/give-now