Canada

Yvette has worked with CEF of Ontario since 2008. She views the children she works with as her very own . . . and they know it. But sometimes she wonders if all the time she’s invested has made a difference.

Yvette’s ministry started with a co-op for families suffering from domestic violence. She still runs this program along with two after-school tutoring programs and two Good News Club® programs. Because high school students in Canada are required to do 40 hours of community or volunteer service, some kids use Good News Club as a way to fulfill that requirement. “It warms my heart to see kids I mentored at the ages of 6–12 come back and want to serve their community by helping me,” she said.

“It warms my heart to see kids I mentored at the ages of 6–12 come back and want to serve their community by helping me”

Two young men who were difficult to handle as boys came back mature and ready to serve. They held posters, participated during songs and sat with the children. The way they kept rambunctious boys busy during Good News Club was a great help.

One young lady developed a passion for God and recently asked if she could attend church with Yvette. “We have lovely Sundays of going to church and out for lunch together,” Yvette said. “She asks me all kinds of questions about God and the Bible.”

Yvette’s influence on these children doesn’t stop at club or church. A young man from a Hindu background came to Christ in one of Yvette’s Good News Club programs and continued to enjoy the programs offered to older children. He suffered from sickle cell disease and spent much of his time in the hospital before he passed away. Yvette visited him during one of these hospital stays. They talked about Good News Club and the Bible lessons taught there. The brave 18-year-old knew Jesus was with him and he had no reason to fear. Yvette said, “I am so glad I got to spend time with him. I am honored that God used me to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him. I know he is with his Savior now.”

So has Yvette’s service made a difference? She can respond with a confident, “Yes!” as she has seen children grow and mature and their lives changed because of the love and Good News she has shared.

While overall, Canada is a well-off country, it ranks 25th out of the 41 richest countries in global child and youth well-being. It’s among the bottom half of those countries for bullying, unhealthy weight, neonatal mortality, teen suicide, and child homicide.

One in five of young people in Canada live in poverty. Fifteen percent of young people are regularly and repeatedly bullied, and one in four are obese. In addition, a near quarter of Canadian youth experience concerning mental health symptoms more than once a week.

CEF in Canada has been reaching boys and girls for over 75 years. Their desire is to support the local church by partnering with them through club ministries, camp ministries, 5-Day Clubs, and Vacation Bible Schools. They also provide teacher training for the local church and raise up young people through the CYIA Summer Missions program. Their ministry is driven by a network of over 300 volunteers and countless prayer and financial supporters.

Canada

Sources: Central Intelligence Agency: The World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/); Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org/); World Data Atlas (https://knoema.com/atlas)