Our interview with YOKE Kid Abby:
When did you start coming to YOKE? In the beginning of 7th grade
How did you hear/know about YOKE? Casey Foster (YOKE Folk) told me about it at church
What’s your favorite part of YOKE club and why? Slow songs because I love to sing and see others praise God
How many camps have you been to? Which ones? 2, Spring Camp and Summer Camp
What’s your favorite YOKE camp? The Spring one
What’s your favorite part of camp and why? The games because they are sooo much fun
What has your leader taught you? My leader has taught me that God will always be there whenever you need him
How has YOKE impacted your life? I feel it has made me a better Christian and has help me be able to tell others about Christ
Anything else you want to tell us about YOKE? YOKE is a great way for kids to get to learn about Christ that may never get to any other way!
When did you start coming to YOKE? In the beginning of 7th grade
How did you hear/know about YOKE? Casey Foster (YOKE Folk) told me about it at church
What’s your favorite part of YOKE club and why? Slow songs because I love to sing and see others praise God
How many camps have you been to? Which ones? 2, Spring Camp and Summer Camp
What’s your favorite YOKE camp? The Spring one
What’s your favorite part of camp and why? The games because they are sooo much fun
What has your leader taught you? My leader has taught me that God will always be there whenever you need him
How has YOKE impacted your life? I feel it has made me a better Christian and has help me be able to tell others about Christ
Anything else you want to tell us about YOKE? YOKE is a great way for kids to get to learn about Christ that may never get to any other way!
Our interview with Abby’s YOKE Folk Casey:
How did you hear/know about YOKE? I was a YOKE kid.
What’s your favorite part of YOKE club and why? Friends of mine attended YOKE after school and invited me one afternoon.
How did you meet your YOKE kid? I went to church with my YOKE kid and after being together through YOKE our relationship just built up from there.
Describe your YOKE kid: Abby is a complete joy. She is always bubbly and ready to do anything. Abby cares for her friends very much and is the one who helps smooth over all situations. Abby loves music and sings all the time. She is out going and just your fun loving middle school kid.
What kinds of things have you and your YOKE kid done together? We have been to the park, Christmas caroling, the movies, shopping, and even to Winter Jams together. Abby is the kid who just loves to hangout no matter what we do.
In what ways has YOKE helped your YOKE kid? I think YOKE has helped to show her that even the smallest things going with her Jesus wants to know about them. I also think that YOKE brought Abby out of the mold of following what her friends do or don’t do and actually being herself.
Anything else you want to tell us about your YOKE kid? Abby is the best.
How many camps have you been to? Which ones? In middle school I attended 3 camps. Superhero, Friendship, and Hillbilly. Know as a YOKE Fold I have attended 3 camps. So in total 6 camps.
What’s your favorite YOKE camp? Any YOKE camp could be my favorite because I love all the different themes and games that goes on with each camp.
What’s your favorite part of camp and why? I love cabin time with the kids. I feel like this time really strengthens relationships and builds new ones
What has your YOKE kid taught you? Abby has taught me to never think you know everything going on inside a middle school kid’s head!
How has YOKE impacted your life? YOKE has definitely impacted my life through my walk in my faith, my attitude toward kids, and my witness to those around me.
What decision(if any) have you made for Christ while in YOKE? I made a decision while I was still in middle school that I wanted to be the example toward kids that my leader was to me.
Anything else you want to tell us? YOKE is a wonderful program that I can personally say is changing the lives of kids and college age students.
How did you hear/know about YOKE? I was a YOKE kid.
What’s your favorite part of YOKE club and why? Friends of mine attended YOKE after school and invited me one afternoon.
How did you meet your YOKE kid? I went to church with my YOKE kid and after being together through YOKE our relationship just built up from there.
Describe your YOKE kid: Abby is a complete joy. She is always bubbly and ready to do anything. Abby cares for her friends very much and is the one who helps smooth over all situations. Abby loves music and sings all the time. She is out going and just your fun loving middle school kid.
What kinds of things have you and your YOKE kid done together? We have been to the park, Christmas caroling, the movies, shopping, and even to Winter Jams together. Abby is the kid who just loves to hangout no matter what we do.
In what ways has YOKE helped your YOKE kid? I think YOKE has helped to show her that even the smallest things going with her Jesus wants to know about them. I also think that YOKE brought Abby out of the mold of following what her friends do or don’t do and actually being herself.
Anything else you want to tell us about your YOKE kid? Abby is the best.
How many camps have you been to? Which ones? In middle school I attended 3 camps. Superhero, Friendship, and Hillbilly. Know as a YOKE Fold I have attended 3 camps. So in total 6 camps.
What’s your favorite YOKE camp? Any YOKE camp could be my favorite because I love all the different themes and games that goes on with each camp.
What’s your favorite part of camp and why? I love cabin time with the kids. I feel like this time really strengthens relationships and builds new ones
What has your YOKE kid taught you? Abby has taught me to never think you know everything going on inside a middle school kid’s head!
How has YOKE impacted your life? YOKE has definitely impacted my life through my walk in my faith, my attitude toward kids, and my witness to those around me.
What decision(if any) have you made for Christ while in YOKE? I made a decision while I was still in middle school that I wanted to be the example toward kids that my leader was to me.
Anything else you want to tell us? YOKE is a wonderful program that I can personally say is changing the lives of kids and college age students.
Our interview with Casey’s YOKE Folk Mary:
How did you hear/know about YOKE? I heard about YOKE when I got to campus. One of my new friends had heard of it from a friend that had done it at Carson Newman.
What’s your favorite part of YOKE club and why? I really enjoy the time before and after club that we get to just mingle with the kids and get to know them better. I also love YOKE theater time.
How did you meet your YOKE kid? I first met Casey her 7th grade year (2005), when she first started coming to club regularly.
Describe your YOKE kid: Casey always had such a sweet heart. You could tell she always wanted to do the right thing by the Lord, and was searching for ways to do that in her life. She was always mature for her age, but knew how to have a lot of fun.
What kind of things have you and your YOKE kid done together? We had a few girls days where Casey and I got to spend a lot of time together. We would go to our house or a dorm and watch movies, have fashion shows, and just hang out. We would sometimes do things as simple as going to MacDonald’s or Sonic after school. Of course, we also got to spend a lot of time together at camp and club.
Has your YOKE kid made any decisions for Christ while in YOKE? Casey was already a Christian when she joined YOKE, but I feel like her relationship with the Lord strengthened during that time. She is also now a college student, and has made the choice to become a YOKE folk herself, impacting the lives of middle-schoolers.
In what ways has YOKE helped your YOKE kid? I think it strengthened her relationship with the Lord. I think it allowed her to see young adults like us living our lives for Christ. It gave her examples of how to live out her faith. She has remained a strong Christian witness throughout high school, and now college.
Anything else you want to tell us about your YOKE kid? I am very proud of Casey and the amazing Christian young lady she has become.
How many camps have you been to? Which ones? I went to 7 camps as a YOKE folk, from 2004-2007. I have been to 5 camps as a YOKE team leader, from 2008- present. I have been to super hero, survivor, hillbilly, mystery, friendship, army bootcamp, and cowboy camps.
What is your favorite YOKE camp? It’s hard to choose. But, I really enjoy hillbilly camp.
What’s your favorite part of camp and why? Cabin time is one of my favorite times because that is when we really connect with our kids. I also always enjoy messy game time on Saturday afternoon.
What has your YOKE kid taught you? Casey has taught me that it’s hard being a middle-schooler today. She helped me see what they are going through each day. She’s also taught me how to be strong in my faith. Her strength as a middle school girl inspired me.
How has YOKE impacted your life? YOKE has impacted my life in so many ways! It has opened my eyes to the needs of middle-schoolers. It has given me a heart to serve them. It has helped me to become a stronger example for young girls. YOKE has given me so many opportunities to follow one of God’s callings for me. Throughout my years with YOKE, I have met so many kids, YOKE folk, and adult leaders who have impacted my life in a positive way.
Anything else you want to tell us?
Sometimes you may not see the effect you have on kids lives through YOKE right away, but so many seeds are planted; and it is staggering the impact you have on their lives just investing time in them. I have had kids and even parents come to me years after they’ve left YOKE and tell me how much our relationship meant to them.
How did you hear/know about YOKE? I heard about YOKE when I got to campus. One of my new friends had heard of it from a friend that had done it at Carson Newman.
What’s your favorite part of YOKE club and why? I really enjoy the time before and after club that we get to just mingle with the kids and get to know them better. I also love YOKE theater time.
How did you meet your YOKE kid? I first met Casey her 7th grade year (2005), when she first started coming to club regularly.
Describe your YOKE kid: Casey always had such a sweet heart. You could tell she always wanted to do the right thing by the Lord, and was searching for ways to do that in her life. She was always mature for her age, but knew how to have a lot of fun.
What kind of things have you and your YOKE kid done together? We had a few girls days where Casey and I got to spend a lot of time together. We would go to our house or a dorm and watch movies, have fashion shows, and just hang out. We would sometimes do things as simple as going to MacDonald’s or Sonic after school. Of course, we also got to spend a lot of time together at camp and club.
Has your YOKE kid made any decisions for Christ while in YOKE? Casey was already a Christian when she joined YOKE, but I feel like her relationship with the Lord strengthened during that time. She is also now a college student, and has made the choice to become a YOKE folk herself, impacting the lives of middle-schoolers.
In what ways has YOKE helped your YOKE kid? I think it strengthened her relationship with the Lord. I think it allowed her to see young adults like us living our lives for Christ. It gave her examples of how to live out her faith. She has remained a strong Christian witness throughout high school, and now college.
Anything else you want to tell us about your YOKE kid? I am very proud of Casey and the amazing Christian young lady she has become.
How many camps have you been to? Which ones? I went to 7 camps as a YOKE folk, from 2004-2007. I have been to 5 camps as a YOKE team leader, from 2008- present. I have been to super hero, survivor, hillbilly, mystery, friendship, army bootcamp, and cowboy camps.
What is your favorite YOKE camp? It’s hard to choose. But, I really enjoy hillbilly camp.
What’s your favorite part of camp and why? Cabin time is one of my favorite times because that is when we really connect with our kids. I also always enjoy messy game time on Saturday afternoon.
What has your YOKE kid taught you? Casey has taught me that it’s hard being a middle-schooler today. She helped me see what they are going through each day. She’s also taught me how to be strong in my faith. Her strength as a middle school girl inspired me.
How has YOKE impacted your life? YOKE has impacted my life in so many ways! It has opened my eyes to the needs of middle-schoolers. It has given me a heart to serve them. It has helped me to become a stronger example for young girls. YOKE has given me so many opportunities to follow one of God’s callings for me. Throughout my years with YOKE, I have met so many kids, YOKE folk, and adult leaders who have impacted my life in a positive way.
Anything else you want to tell us?
Sometimes you may not see the effect you have on kids lives through YOKE right away, but so many seeds are planted; and it is staggering the impact you have on their lives just investing time in them. I have had kids and even parents come to me years after they’ve left YOKE and tell me how much our relationship meant to them.