Young Life: “The most awesome place you will ever go, with the most amazing, accepting people. At Young Life you will have a contest to throw cheese balls on guys’ heads covered in shaving cream to see who can get the most cheese balls to stick. You will make it known that Young Life camp is the best week of your life. Go for it. Live life to the fullest,” according to the Urban Dictionary. 

Every Monday night at 7:47 p.m., Homestead students gather for a fun night of skits, games, singing and a short message about how much Jesus loves them. “Young Life is great because it brings people together and allows us to have fun and wave our hands in the air like we just don’t care,” Mitch Lauenstein, senior and avid Young-Lifer, said.  Students love the fact that Young Life Club gives them a break from homework and really just gives them a chance to focus on something other than school for a little bit.  

Young Life was started in 1939 by Jim Rayburn in Gainesville, Texas. Today, Young Life happens in all 50 states, more than 90 countries worldwide, and reaches over two million kids a year.  

Another favorite part of Young Life is the relationships that members develop through club every Monday and camp in the summer. “[Young Life] is really cool because you get to meet different amazing people who lift you up in really fun ways that you wouldn’t get from a friend at school,” Alyssa Boyer, sophomore, said.  

This summer, Mequon-Thiensville Young Life is taking students to Castaway Club, a Young Life camp in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. “The people you meet at Castaway are some of the nicest ever. It is by far one of the coolest places I’ve had the chance to enjoy,” Alyssa Francis, senior, said.  Francis has also been accepted to work at Castaway this coming summer, which she said she couldn’t be more excited about.

One other thing that many of the students enjoy about Young Life is the leaders. Karen Harrison, adult leader, has been involved in Young Life for about 32 years.  “I think it is important for students to develop relationships with their Young Life leader because we are another adult besides their parents that they can trust to care about them,” Harrison said. “We want to live life alongside them through the good, the bad and the ugly. We want to be a living example that we won’t give up on them in the same way God never gives up on us.”

If you would like to join Young Life, we meet at different student’s houses every Monday, so you can request to join our Facebook page at Young Life Mequon-Thiensville to find out where we’re meeting each week.

This past fall, Young Life students traveled to Lake Geneva for Fall Weekend.  They spent the weekend playing paintball, having shaving cream wars and listening to Tate Kirgiss, a favorite singer among the students. “At Fall Weekend we all became like one big family,” Sarah Kohlbeck, junior, said.  Submitted Photo.

Young Life kids took a trip to Skateland as one of their stops during the annual 7-7,  where the students stay up all night and travel to different places and have a ton of fun. “My personal favorite part was the go carts because it was right in the middle of the night and it woke me up. I liked how much adrenaline there was,” Sofia Mendoza, freshman, said.  Submitted Photo.

(From left) Noah Harrison, Class of ’15, Doug Lennon, senior, Mitch Lauenstein, senior, Tim Harrison, Young Life leader, Lauren Padgett, senior, Anna Lauenstein, junior, Alyssa Francis, senior, and Karen Harrison, Young Life leader, pose at Castaway this past summer. “I absolutely loved every second of Castaway and getting to spend time with people who are part of Young Life like I am was incredible,” Padgett said.  Submitted Photo.

Anna Lauenstein and Bella Brodersen, juniors, pose for a picture during the Go-Karting stop during the 7-7. “Seven-seven was great because the relationships I have with the people there are very different from what I find with many other people,” Lauenstein said.  Submitted Photo.