Henry Dewitt

My wife and I had attended the 20th anniversary celebration of Youth Venture and at that time I was reading Pastor Mark’s book, The Joshua Principle. After listening to all the testimonies of the youth at the celebration, the Holy Spirit was weighing heavy on my heart. After the celebration I had spoken to two young men in the Youth Venture program, Joey and Manny, and asked what they thought about an old guy like me showing up at Youth Venture. Manny had said, “I will be there next Tuesday.” Tuesday night came, I kneeled on my knees in my bedroom and asked God, “I want to go to Youth Venture and see where You will take me.” When I arrived at the Lakeside Youth Venture, center Director Jeremy Miller and Manny were there. I told Jeremy about the calling I had at the Youth Venture celebration. He said, “Just come on in and show the kids you value them.” It did not take long for the kids to accept me as a new leader. They invited me into their lives with open arms. It’s been two years since I walked in and I am not only there for my Tuesday afternoon shift but I stop by several additional days a week after work or on weekdays. I like spending time one-on-one with them at the center- just being fatherly with them and showing them they are valuable. I love these kids and have seen many young lives transformed by coming to Youth Venture.