Dear Friends,
We have not signed up for something easy, have we?
As you know, on June 14, the Young Life IT team identified suspicious activity on certain computer systems. Out of an abundance of caution, Young Life IT quickly took the affected systems offline and launched an analysis of the nature and scope of the event. They are working with external specialists on the system analysis and restoration.
While we wait for further updates, the situation has been hard. Around the globe, we have places where work is delayed, and other places where we are urgently trying to find solutions to our regular processes.
In the midst of this, I want to take a few moments to tell you what I see.
I see a resilient mission. Field staff have been figuring out new ways to operate on the fly, overcoming communication hurdles, and working to understand new processes. Alongside them, Mission Services teams have been working tenaciously to respond and provide proactive solutions. IT teams are moving to restore systems. Camping teams are communicating new protocols. Payroll has shifted processes.
Together, people are pouring out their lives for the sake of the gospel.
I see our Lord at work in our mission. He is not caught off guard by this outage. I believe he is at work right now — not just in our lives, but in the ways we are working and will continue to work together.
I see our Lord’s provision in our transition to YL Connect and our upcoming move to Workday, so we have cloud-based tools across Young Life.
I am reminded of the writer of Hebrews, who urges the community to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus …” I hear those words echo to us today: to fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
I believe that even now our Father is preparing us for what is next, refining and reshaping us in ways that we do not yet understand, so we are ready for Spirit-led harvests of young followers of Jesus and Spirit-led volunteer movements.
This is what I see.
I pray for continued grace and understanding. May we be one throughout this struggle, showing the world who the King is by how we love and care for one another — especially when we are inconvenienced, confused, or frustrated.
May we fix our eyes on Jesus as he sits on the throne. He is far above all computer systems, questions, and worries.