Dear Leverage friends and supporters,

Recently, I was talking with one of our Breakfast Club students, and I’d like to share our conversation.

Adam asked, “Pastor Scott, why do you like Christmas so much? You start talking about it in October and you don’t stop until January. If you had gone through what I have gone through at Christmastime, you would see things differently. During Christmastime a couple of years ago, my dad was deported back to Mexico, and my mom was sentenced to prison. So why I should like Christmas so much? I guess I like Christmas a little bit, but just not nearly as much as you do.”

I looked at the student sympathetically and asked him if I could share my own story.

I said, “A number of years ago, a couple days before Christmas, my mother-in-law was in a serious car accident. She underwent multiple surgeries, spent Christmas in the hospital, and died a few days after Christmas. A couple years later, right before Christmas, my dad passed away. Two days later, my wife’s dad passed away. That same year, in January, one of our ministry staff member’s father passed away—a friend of mine. So the way I see it, I am ahead four bad times at Christmas to your two.”

He looked at me in disbelief. “REALLY?? Then would you please tell me why you like Christmas so much? It seems like you have had nothing but death and disappointment. At least my dad and mom are still living.”

“Adam, you asked me why I love Christmas so much,” I said. “It’s because of what the Bible says in Luke 2:11: ‘For unto you [you, Adam, and me, Scott] is born this day in the city of David a Savior.’ Christmas is about our Savior being born so He could die and take away my sins and yours. Because of Christmas I will be able to see my mother-in-law, my father-in-law, and my dad and Joe’s dad too. This is because each of them trusted Christ. They will enjoy each Christmas in Heaven with Jesus, and that is where I will also enjoy Christmas after I pass from this earth.”

“Wow,” he said. “I really thought nothing bad ever happened to you. I thought bad stuff only happens to us. You know, Pastor Scott, we really are not that different.”

Friends, would you please continue to pray for Adam and the many other youth like him as we share the true meaning of Christmas them in the upcoming weeks? Pray they would be open to the gospel and will trust Jesus as their Savior this Christmas.

Would you also be willing to include Leverage Ministries in your year-end giving so we can continue to reach the abused, abandoned and arrested youth of Central Florida? You can give a gift online at https://leverageministries.org/give-now.

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

In His Service,

Scott Hirdes

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

 
Not long ago, I was taking Kasey, one of our camp boys, home. As we got to the front of his neighborhood, I noticed three police cars with their lights on. Kasey said that happens all the time because the church by his house is letting out and the police are directing traffic.
 
Kasey told me that a lot of the people in his neighborhood attend that church, along with his older brother and several friends. He was excited to share all of the good things the church does in the neighborhood.
 
Sounds encouraging, right?
 
But it broke my heart because the “church” Kasey was talking about is an Islamic Mosque. On any given day, anywhere between 500 and 1,000 people attend — including Kasey’s own family. The teachings of Islam are dangerous, and it is disheartening to see how many in the community are being influenced by a false message that goes against the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
My cousin who is the Executive Director of Bangla Ministries Worldwide faces this threat every day in Bangladesh, but now we in central Florida face a very large and active Islamic threat as well.
 
In Colossians 1:13, Paul writes, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”
 
Leverage Ministries is working to push back against the darkness of not only the Islamic movement we continue to face, but against the daily struggles our young people face every day.  For example, recently at one our ministry sites, a young girl told our volunteer that she was raped by her father and now has nowhere to go.  Another young man told me that when he turns 18 in less than a week, he won’t be welcome home again and doesn’t know where he will live.
 
I encourage you to continue praying for and supporting ministries like Leverage Ministries, Bangla Ministries Worldwide, and many others as we stand shoulder to shoulder to bring light to a dark world and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to those who need it.
 
In His Service,
 
Scott Hirdes
Executive Director, Leverage Ministries

Dear Supporter,

With spring break behind us and the days getting longer, our ministry focus has turned to summer camp. 

Recently, I ran into a young man named Charles who was part of my ministry many years ago. I hadn’t seen him for several years. He’s now married with four daughters, and he was excited to introduce me to his oldest daughter who is in middle school. 

I was surprised when she asked, “Are you Pastor Scott? My dad talks about you all the time. He was just telling me about camp and seems to have another story just about every day. Sometimes it’s hard to believe all the stories!” 

Charles looked at me and laughed, admitting that the stories may have gotten bigger and more exaggerated as the years went by, but then he said this: “Pastor Scott, camp changed my life. It was during the time at camp, away from my friends, that I made a decision to follow Jesus.”

He asked if we still took kids to summer camp, and when he found out we still do, he said, “Camp changed my life. I don’t have a lot of money but I would like to be the first to make a donation so others just like me would have the opportunity to go to camp.”

What a touching moment to stand there with a former camper and his daughter, hearing the impact our ministry had all those years ago. And how Charles committed to helping future at-risk teenagers have the same life-changing experiences.

Would you be willing to join Charles and give a special gift to help us continue to take at-risk kids to camp? You can give online at www.leverageministries.org or by mailing a check (payable to Leverage Ministries) in the envelope provided. 

In His Service,

Scott Hirdes
Executive Director