Dear Partners & Friends of HYC,
HYC needs you today more than ever.
There are still a handful of partners like you that have supported HYC for as long as I've been alive. Some have invested years of your life, thousands of hard-earned dollars and a good amount of time praying for the ministry. There is a part of me that's reluctant to share this because it doesn't express the views of a confident leader who knows exactly where the ministry is heading - but that’s what I’m doing.
When I took over HYC nearly 13 years ago, the first 10 months were terrible. I hated the job. If I could have quit, I would have quit. The decision to accept the role came largely because of my dad’s declining health and age. The finances of the ministry were in pretty much the same shape as he was and while I'm not a financial guru, I was smart enough to look at things and realize if he kept up at the current rate it wouldn’t be a pretty picture.
So, I took over. You may ask if prayer was involved in this decision? Most definitely, along the lines of "Dear Lord please don't make me do this!"
As I walked around the grounds days after taking the reins, I knew the concept of vision was vital for the future but at that moment my only vision was "get out of debt.” There was a lot of “cut this, cut that, no more of this and no more of that,” in the early stages but the next summer when the staff showed up to serve, a remarkable love for the role I had assumed began to work its way into my heart.
A month or so into that first season, a vision for what God would do came into focus not only for me, but for Lora as well. There was much to be done, but year after year God increased our perception of what He wanted - not only getting out of debt, but raising money to renovate Miracle Building, Rec Hall, Sweet Shop, build an activities pavilion and more.
Because God has answered so many of your prayers in making those things happen, my request of you this month for HYC can be wrapped up in one word- “vision.”
To be real with you, these past four years have been difficult. My dad passed away, the Miracle Building collapsed, Covid hit, and camp was canceled for the season, a large group surprisingly pulled their support for HYC and the Board of the lake in Eckerman chose to terminate a partnership with HYC that had worked for 60 plus years.
The events of these past months have made it really challenging to adhere to the "dream big" mindset I’ve often spoken of through the years. I struggle to understand why a place would close the door to a ministry that in the past 10 years has seen over 200 kids accept Christ as Savior, but for that same reason, I cannot wrap my heart around the idea of simply shutting HYC down (even in those moments when my head says otherwise).
And, while the road hasn't been easy in recent months, there have certainly been blessings and plenty of evidence of Gods leading. He provided an open door for HYC at Bambi Lake, within days of knowing we would need a place to land. Even last week improvements were being made to accommodate us in the months to come. We've continued to receive financial support through the end of 2022 that allowed us to end the year on budget; we have close to 20 young people ready to work with us on staff for 2023 and the program is set for a full schedule this summer. So, while I'm not overly concerned with the temporary vision being that of surviving, we serve a God who has kept Hiawatha thriving! I’d rather not “camp out” in survival mode too long. With that in mind, I’m asking you to join me in praying for the work to get done, for the finances to come in, but more importantly, for the vision…our vision…to be revived again.
Grateful as always for your financial support, but especially, this month, for your prayers.
Sincerely,
Craig