“Puedes hablar un poco mas despacio, por favor?”
I received somewhere between 10-20 calls from Yancarlo during the time we were in Arequipa, Peru, and every time he called, I had to ask him to slow down. I am nearly fluent in Spanish, but it was difficult for me to understand him at the pace he spoke.
But that was Yancarlo. He spoke quickly because he had something say but also somewhere to be — and he was excited about both.
Yancarlo is the leader and director of the YoungLife movement in Arequipa, and he is literally a one-mand band. YoungLife is a ministry for middle- and high-school aged kids that draws them into community and exposes them to the Gospel. Yancarlo is single-handedly responsible for not only leading and discipling dozens of high schoolers, but he also disciples and mentors several college-age students who help him in contacting, connecting, and befriending the high school students in Arequipa. He plays guitar and speaks about the Word of God with confidence, and he has such charisma that teenagers are simply drawn to him. He says he has a job in construction, but I didn’t understand how he had so much disposable time – and he gave every minute of it to the ministry of YoungLife. The incredible part of it is that he’s not a paid YoungLife staff member: he is simply a volunteer, making an incredible difference.
Yancarlo found out about YoungLife when he was a high school teacher, and he got involved because he saw the impact of the ministry on the students around him. For so many teenagers, adults feel far off and distant; Yancarlo loves YoungLife because it is an opportunity for adults to minister to teens and break down those walls. He has gotten YoungLife involved in several private Christian schools in Arequipa, and recently got connected with a public school in the area.
I had the opportunity to get to know him and work alongside him for a week in Arequipa, and I was constantly amazed at his grace, and his willingness to give — his time, his resources, his money — all he had for the sake of building the Kingdom. We had the opportunity to lead their first “club” gathering with the teens at the public school, and it was incredible to see Yancarlo in action. Yancarlo also gave me the opportunity to share with the teachers at this public school about YoungLife and the impact it had on my life when I was involved in high school. Standing beside him and listening to Yancarlo share about his ministry and hearing his passion for these kids was inspiring, and I could see the teachers catching his vision as he spoke.
Yancarlo is truly an unsung hero, as cliche as that may sound. Even when he talked too fast for me to understand, I knew it was because the Lord was whispering exciting truths about His growing Kingdom in Arequipa, and he couldn’t contain it. I only hope that I can have that same kind of energy, joy and excitement for ministry in the future.
**If you are interested in supporting YoungLife and their ministry in Peru, please comment on my blog or send me an email at [email protected], and I would be glad to get you in touch with the YoungLife director for Peru.**
