High School Perspectives

For this edition of our newsletter, we asked a few of our sophomore friends about their experiences with Young Life. We’ve been focusing this quarter on our volunteers (both leaders and Cabinet), so we wanted to get our high school friends’ perspectives on their leaders as well. We had a chance to sit down with two great upper school students, Chris Erickson and Halle Gustafson.

What is your favorite thing about Young Life?

Chris: I just like chilling at YL. It’s a great opportunity to relax and have a good time, especially before and after school, which is so hectic. It’s just a great time!

Halle: I love how it gives you the opportunity to relate to God on an easier level. Church can be a little overwhelming but, at Young Life, stuff is a lot easier to understand and relate to. Plus, it’s really fun.

How has your relationships with your leaders impacted your life?

Chris: They’re awesome friends, people I can always talk to, and they’re always there.

Halle: They’re good role models for how to balance all parts of your life, having God be in every part of your life, not just in church. They’re easy to talk with, and they’re not going to pass judgment. They’re friends and role models all rolled into one.

What is your favorite memory from Young Life?

Chris: The bus ride to Crooked Creek last summer – it was a long and tiring trip, but there were a ton of great people around, and we just talked for hours on end. Yeah, the bus ride was awesome.

Halle: Crooked Creek last summer was amazing. We went through an obstacle course the first night – we rolled through the mud and did some crazy stuff, but it was so fun! I also loved club at camp, and the speakers. They were fantastic

PSYL Cabinet – Why They Serve

by Dawn Keller

Private School Young Life (PSYL) is making a difference in the lives of kids in our community in part because of adults who care enough to dedicate a small portion of their time and talents to the program.

Currently we have 15 adults from our community – parents and other volunteers – who play a role in the following important functions: Prayer, Communications, Fundraising, Leader Care, Database Management, Adopt-a-Leader Program, Meeting Minutes and Hospitality.

These individuals include: Paige Bingham, Danis Byrd, Jim and Nan Corwin, Diane Erickson, Jeff Holker, Emily Joern, Dawn Keller, Angie Lee, Peggy Mesna, Billee Olson, Ethan Otterlei, Carolyn Pierce, and Ron and Teresa Sit. They work in conjunction with our Head Leader, Robby Kiley, and meet monthly during the school year to discuss and agree on priorities and how best to accomplish them. In addition, Alan Hogg helped lead our Strategic Planning in 2009 and continues to play a strategic role along with Paige Bingham in the larger area, Southwest Twin Cities Young Life, and we have a committee of 11 other parents led by Joe Keller who are charged with raising $120,000 for the fiscal year to meet our financial needs.

I thought it might be interesting to share what a few of these volunteers have to say about serving in PSYL. Jim Corwin (Hannah, 9th grade), Teresa Sit (Andrew, 7th grade), and Jeff Holker (Maddy, 10th grade) were kind enough to contribute their perspectives.


1) Why do you serve on the Private School Young Life Cabinet?

Jim: From the beginning, I wanted to provide my kids and other Breck students the option to have Christian mentoring among their band of friends at school. Our church youth program wasn’t reaching our boys, and we felt PSYL could, particularly if others they knew at school were participating. The summer camp experience was the icing on the cake as all our kids have been enriched beyond expectation.

Teresa: I serve on the PSYL Cabinet because I truly support Young Life's mission of "Connecting Kids to Christ." I know of no more important or valuable possession that I desire in my life and the life of my family than a deep and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. In this ever-changing, unsure world that we live in; I am safe and secure in the hand of an ever-present, all-knowing, constant, and wise God. His abundant Grace is sufficient in both the good times in my life and the bad. It is my desire that my child will know, love, and depend on God in this same way; and will hold fast to the Hope we have in Christ as Savior and Lord of our hearts and lives.

Jeff: I serve because I believe Young Life is a great organization for Maddy to be involved in. My work schedule makes serving challenging at best, but I do believe I am a can do, energetic, creative thinker who brings new ideas from an outsiders perspective.

2) What impact has serving had on you and/or your family?

Jim: Seeing God move within our midst when we are obedient to His call has been a joy. When you talk about bearing fruit, this ministry has been and continues to be a wonderful sign of God’s blessing on our family and school.

Jeff: I think it has encouraged me (and Cindy) to ensure Maddy stays focused on being involved and engaged in Young Life. Although she enjoys it so much that isn’t much of a problem. It has helped us, as a family, be a tiny bit more spiritual—an important thing given our hectic, harried lives!

3) What words of encouragement would you have to anyone considering getting involved?

Jim: Our school community needs some “shining lights”…and this ministry can serve that purpose. Plus, you get to be among a great group of parents and volunteer leaders who have a heart for the Lord and our kids, a great combo deal.

Teresa: I would encourage anyone who is interested in PSYL's mission to consider serving. You don't need a special degree and your God-given talents are more than enough. It's not very time-consuming and it is very rewarding-especially for Eternity!

Jeff: Young Life is key to your child’s development, socially, spiritually and in building a base of faith to rally around when times are tough or friends/family are suffering. And it helps your kids build leadership skills through observing their leaders, as well as providing a framework of being responsible and considerate—all which will serve them well going forward.

I strongly encourage you to prayerfully consider volunteering your time and talents to PSYL. We are always in need of helping hands and fresh ideas to help fulfill our mission of connecting kids to Christ.

Last, I would like to thank Holly Grover, Marketing Communications Manager, Graco, Inc. and Matt Kucharski, Senior Vice President, Padilla Speer Beardsley who have volunteered their time and talents to make this electronic newsletter possible this school year.

God’s peace,

Dawn Keller
PSYL Cabinet Leader
612-816-2828
dkeller@solutran.com

What Makes a Great Ministry?

by Robby Kiley
Recently, Young Life’s national board conducted several surveys to find out what makes a great ministry. It should come as no surprise that the number one factor that separates great ministries from the rest is a great base of committed volunteers. At Private School Young Life (PSYL) and Wyldlife (PSWL), we have 11 fantastic volunteer leaders, in addition to our amazing Cabinet and parent volunteers. But who are these committed, faith-filled individuals who sacrifice their time and energy to spend time with our teens? Dawn’s article will focus on the Cabinet, our parent committee who helps steer our mission. My article will give you a quick glimpse into the 11 amazing volunteers who make up our PSYL and PSWL ministry teams. I hope you enjoy the chance to get to know our spectacular leaders a little bit better!


Meet our Leaders (in alphabetical order)

Name: Laura Brown

Age: 28

Hometown: Bloomington, MN

Occupation: Merchandising + Operations Manager at RedStamp.com

How long have you been with PSYL: Seven months

How did you get involved with PSYL: My friend Katie Pretzel (current PSYL leader) asked if my husband and I would be interested in leading last fall and we said yes!

Why PSYL? We were both looking for some way to get involved with youth ministry and this ministry just felt right. I was involved in Young Life all throughout high school so I knew the impact my old leaders had on me and I wanted to do the same for these kids. Young Life is such a great organization that teaches kids so much about life and faith. I am honored to be a part of a great community of kids, parents and leaders.

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas. Love everything about it - the lights, the Christmas carols, the cookie exchanges, the family get togethers and sending Christmas cards.

What is your favorite color? Sky blue

What are you passionate about? Sending birthday cards. With e-mail, facebook, texting, it's easy to just wish someone a happy birthday in one of those ways but I try hard to send out birthday cards because everyone enjoys getting snail mail once in a while!


Name: Tim Brown

Age: 28

Hometown: Bloomington, MN

Occupation: Retail Manager with Target

How long have you been with PSYL: Just over six months

How did you get involved with PSYL: For the past couple of years, my wife and I have talked about getting involved in some sort of ministry with kids. Out of the blue, Katie Pretzel, another leader, sent us an e-mail and asked us to consider YL. We came to a leaders meeting, and from there we decided to try it out!

Why YL? My wife, Laura, was in YL all through high school, and she always spoke about what an amazing time she had and what a positive influence they were, even today. I’ve had great role models too, and I’d like to give back in the same way.

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, by far. As busy as my life gets, it is a great time to slow down and be with family and friends. I also love to give presents and see how happy it makes people.

What is your favorite band? I love everything from Sinatra to country-western. I listen to jazz, anything. I love music!
What animal best fits your personality? I’ve heard giraffe before because I’m so tall. I’m a calm person and giraffes don’t seem very violent either. I’ll go with giraffe!


Name: Dahlia Brue

Age: 22

Hometown: Mt. Bethel, PA

Occupation: Event Coordinator

How long have you been with PSYL: Since the fall of 2009

How did you get involved with YL: Jess Nash was involved with YL throughout college and would tell me about it. When I moved to St. Paul and wanted to get involved I talked to her about it and thought it would be a good fit!

Why YL? In Mt. Bethel, PA we didn't have Young Life so I had never heard of it before coming to MN. I really appreciated how Young Life approached getting teens excited about the Gospel and focused on building a relationship with them. I think that really shows the PSYL teens how important they are to us and Young Life does a great job making that a priority.

What is your best joke? Q: What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence? A: Time to get a new fence!

What is your favorite color? White! It’s a color to me!

What goes on your sandwich? TUNA! I try not to eat it around other people because most people don't like it. But a toasted English muffin with butter, tuna with a ton of mayo and bread and butter pickles really does the trick!


Name: Nick Brue

Age: 25

Hometown: Fergus Falls, MN

Occupation: Graphic Designer

How long have you been with PSYL: Six months

How did you get involved with PSYL: Through a friend, Jess Nash (one of our current leaders)
Why YL? I love this ministry because we meet kids where they're at and we share God's love by building relationships and having fun!

Who is your favorite cereal mascot? Count Chocula

What is your favorite band? Coldplay

What goes on your sandwich? Hot peppers & mustard


Name: Lauren Buesgens

Age: 22

Hometown: Becker, MN

Occupation: Actuarial Science student at the University of St. Thomas

How long have you been with PSYL: Four years

How did you get involved with PSYL: A random string of connections brought me here. My HS track coach encouraged me to get involved in Young Life in college, I met another leader, Wesley Deiss, and I began to tag along with him to Wyldlife.

Why YL? A big reason for me is that, even though I wasn’t in Young Life in high school, I went to Castaway with my youth group, and it had a big impact on me. I wanted to give back to kids as a leader, just like the people I had in my life.

Who is your favorite cereal mascot? Lucky, the Lucky Charms mascot…but I think the cereal should just be a box of marshmallows, forget the oats!

What grosses you out? I really don’t like it when people chew with their mouths open. Yuck!

Who is (was) your favorite band? It used to be N’Sync. I was a fanatic; I went to five concerts, and even drove up to Fargo to see them. I had an entire wall of N’Sync posters.


Name: Wesley Deiss

Age: 22

Hometown: Tulsa, OK

Occupation: Chemical Engineering student at the U of M

How long have you been with PSYL: Almost four years now!

How did you get involved with PSYL: Andy Swanda was my youth pastor in high school and had me come check out club and see what I thought.

Why YL? I really agree with the vision that YL has for connecting kids to Christ. Sharing the gospel, letting kids respond. It’s a great ecumenical ministry with the right heart, and a great desire to save youth.

What is your best joke? I just heard a really good science joke the other day. An airplane is flying from Russia to Great Britain. One of the pilots looks out the right-hand window and says “Oh, look, Poland!” and then the plane crashes unexpectedly…Get it? (Editor’s note: Wesley is a Chemical Engineer, so this one might go over your head. He explained it to me for ten minutes, and I still didn’t get it…)

Tell me about your worst date? My second date with my current fiancé, Sharron, and we decided to take her parents’ car. Backing out of the driveway, I scraped the car against one of the yellow pylons, and left a huge mark. I felt horrible the rest of the date, like throwing up horrible.

What animal best fits your personality? A hawk and a puma combined.


Name: Matt Duer

Age: 24

Hometown: Andover, MN

Occupation: Retail Specialist at REI How long have you been with PSYL: A little less than two years

How did you get involved with PSYL: I was asked by a friend (Bjork Ostrom, a former leader) to come check out Young Life.

Why YL? I do Young Life because when I was in high school, I had people who invested in me, and it made all the difference in my life. I want to do the same for others, so that’s a big reason I’m involved.

What celebrity do you most look like? Matt Kearney (a popular musician) or Taylor Lautner (Jacob from the Twilight movies).

What is the most useless thing in your house? I live in a 1920s apartment, and there is a random, boarded-over, coal chute in my bathroom. My friends convinced me to open it up once, but it doesn’t connect to anything anymore.

What goes on your perfect sandwich? Two slices of toasted wheat bread with avocado, sliced turkey, tomato, sprouts, and a slice of Swiss cheese. No condiments – none.


Name: Andy Hunt

Age: 24

Hometown: Plymouth, MN

Occupation: Commercial Real Estate Broker/Advisor with UGL Equis

How long have you been with PSYL: Seven months

How did you get involved with PSYL: I was invited to become a leader by a student, Kevin Steinhafel. At the time I was coaching lacrosse at Breck, and he invited me to come meet with the leaders and think about getting involved.

Why YL? My favorite part about coaching isn’t the sport, it’s the impact I have on the kids’ lives. With Young Life I can impact their lives in an even greater way, by walking with them in their relationship with Christ.

What are you most proud of? My younger brother, Nathan Hunt (an ’08 Breck grad!). He’s my hero, I look up to him. He’s the coolest person I know, the hardest worker I know, and my best friend. I’m so proud of all that he’s accomplished at Breck and with lacrosse. I feel lucky to be in his life.

What is the most useless thing in your home? I have a multi-colored strobe light ball that I won from Dave and Busters that just sits on the shelf and grows dust. But maybe we’ll use it for club sometime…

What grosses you out? When people cough or sneeze in their hand. Please use the crook of your elbow!

What is your most embarrassing moment? I ran into a house on my bike when I was ten. My cousins tried to convince me to go off a jump on my bike, and when I landed, I missed the pedals, couldn’t stop and then ran smack into the side of a house. Ouch.

Name: Jessica Lynn Nash

Age: 23

Hometown: Rochester, MN

Occupation: Business Unit Coordinator, Target Corporation
How long have you been with PSYL: About a year and a half

How did you get involved with PSYL: I became involved in PSYL once I moved up to Minneapolis. I was connected with Andy Swanda, and he explained there was a need for new leaders.

Why YL? When I was growing up my Dad was the camp doctor at Castaway for two summers. I always have loved the organization since I was a little girl. I am fortunate to be able to give back all that YL was for me growing up. I hope that I can develop relationships with my PSYL friends that are as strong as the relationships I was fortunate to have and still have in my life!What is your favorite holiday? My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Now that all three of my brothers are married, it is the one day out of the year that we ALL get to spend time together without feeling rushed.
What was your first car? My first car was a blue 1991 Honda Accord. This car was driven by all three of my brothers, so let's just say...it had A LOT of love! :)

Name: Katie Pretzel

Age: 25

Hometown: Plymouth, MN

Occupation: Recruiter for Target

How long have you been with PSYL: Four years

How did you get involved with PSYL: Ethan Otterlei (current cabinet member and former leader) recruited me.

Why YL? My passion is working with high school (and now middle school) kids. I love their passion and their hearts, and becoming a part of their world is an honor. What is your favorite color? Gold – one day I hope to be a Golden Girl.

What was your first car? A 1984 White Chevy Camero with a t-top and a red leather interior. So hot!

What are you passionate about? I’m passionate about life, Minneapolis and building community.


Name: Laura Wurdeman

Age: 21

Hometown: Burnsville, MN

Occupation: Bridal Sales Consultant at The Wedding Shop in St. Paul

How long have you been with PSYL: Just over a year

How did you get involved with PSYL: I was looking for a way to serve and give something to God after I got back from an internship New York – I was looking for a way to outwardly express my faith, and I met with Andy, tried out PSWL, and found out that I loved it.

Why YL? I don’t know if I chose Young Life – it’s kind of where God ended up putting me. I wasn’t looking for it, but God led me there, and now I love it!

Who is your favorite cereal mascot? Captain Crunch – I love everything that he represents.

What was your weirdest dream? I had a dream that I won a trip to Hawaii, and in my sleep, I began to pack my bag. As I walked out the door, I ran into a friend, who woke me up. In my sleep, I had packed a single flip flop, a plug-in fan and a pair of shorts.

Who is your favorite artist? Tara Donovan. She’s a sculptor, and she does these cool wall texture sculptures.