“What does a win look like at YOKE?” The question came again this week from someone considering investing in our mission. As our mission statement says, we want to help middle school students “discover their identity and purpose in Christ.” We’re convinced that purpose involves extending the rule and reign of Jesus through our service to others. In other words, we want to see kids become followers of Jesus who are committed to helping others also follow Jesus.
One of the most obvious ways that we see that is when our YOKE Kids grow up with the desire to be YOKE Folk themselves. That’s our “win” and it’s why we’re so committed to developing leaders. We want to see YOKE Kids become YOKE Folk and YOKE Folk who are ready to lead teams, and team leaders who are ready to join our staff, and on and on.
This summer we caught up with Mya Cole, a YOKE Kid from Jefferson Middle School, at one of our summer neighborhood events. She has begun that journey herself. Though she’s heading off to Jefferson County High School in the fall, she wants to stay connected to YOKE in hopes of being a YOKE Folk herself someday soon. Here’s what she had to say:
Why is YOKE important to you? YOKE has really nice leaders that are always positive and they’re always there for you when you need them. I also appreciate the chance to meet new friends.
What’s your favorite part of YOKE? Everyone is so sweet. They really treat you like family. I also love YOKE Camp, obviously.
What’s something that you’ve learned from YOKE? At camp last year Madjoel shared his own story. He had some rice that he shook and it represented how something bad in his life had really shaken him. It was encouraging to me that he would share something bad that happened in his life and it made me realize that I’m not alone.
Why do you want to be a YOKE Folk? I want to help other kids learn how to follow Jesus like my YOKE Folk helped me. I hope to be a positive influence in someone else’s life.
We’re excited to see Mya grow in her relationship with Jesus and thankful to be a part of the journey. We have a feeling she’s going to be an excellent YOKE Folk!