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WyldLife - A Discipleship Journey
By Julie Clapp
sep. 12, 2020
Just an hour’s drive from Fargo, North Dakota, you’ll find Fergus Falls, Minnesota. It’s a rural town of 14,000 where the Otter Tail River runs through downtown, and you can spot Canadian geese year-round. More than 2,000 kids have been involved in WyldLife since the ministry started there in 1991.
Angie Polejewski serves as the area director, and has led WyldLife for 18 years. She has watched kids discover and follow Jesus as middle schoolers, and then lead the way for younger kids behind them. “We are passionate about creating disciples and equipping kids to live out their faith when they leave high school,” says Angie. “WyldLife leadership gives high school students a platform to share their faith.” She says middle school students respond to these older students because they look up to them as role models.
Sophie Johnson and Nathan Zierden are two WyldLife alumni whose own discipleship journeys have given them opportunities to point younger kids to Jesus.
Today, Sophie is a freshman at North Dakota State University and is from a small town of 300people outside Fergus Falls. She remembers going to her first club in sixth grade because her older brother told her it would be great. Her first impression as she walked into club in an old barn? Sophie felt noticed. “Everyone was so excited to see me, and they didn’t even know who I was,” she says. “WyldLife was the place where I finally felt like I belonged.” Sophie describes her childhood as difficult, but she was embarrassed to tell people about her family situation. During eighth grade, she opened up to Angie, her WyldLife leader. They began meeting weekly, studying Scripture and praying together. “That was a turning point for me. I wasn’t just hearing about God, I was learning what He had to do with my life.”
Through the rest of middle school and then high school, Sophie’s leaders helped her learn how to walk with Jesus, even in the midst of challenges. When Sophie became a junior in high school, she knew she wanted to be a WyldLife leader. “I wanted to be the type of leader that I needed in middle school,” she says. Sophie knew there were other kids with difficult family dynamics, and says, “I wanted to use my experiences to be a light for the Lord and help other kids.”
“Sophie has shown grace, hope, unconditional love and resilience in her life,” says Angie. “She has shared with middle school kids how the God of the universe has helped a girl from small town America love well and find peace in His presence no matter the situation.”
Nathan is a junior at North Dakota State University who discovered WyldLife as a sixth grader when a teammate invited him to club. He remembers that his WyldLife leaders created a space where he felt comfortable asking questions. “It was the first time I really got to think about things,” says Nathan. “I was allowed to make faith my own.” Nathan also became a WyldLife leader during his junior year of high school. Now he’s the one giving younger guys an opportunity to ask questions. “Sometimes they ask questions I haven’t even thought about,” says Nathan. “Honestly, being a WyldLife leader is where I’ve grown the most. There’s no better way to learn than to teach it.”
Four years later, Nathan continues to work with these guys who are now in high school. He drives back from his university each week to spend time with them. “Nathan stepped out of his comfort zone and found confidence to share his faith and walk with middle school boys through hard questions on faith,” says Angie. “Nathan continues to be a role model for boys searching and discovering how to follow Jesus with integrity.”
In Fergus Falls, WyldLife alumni become leaders who live out 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Angie is thankful for kids like Sophie and Nathan who have stepped into this journey with Jesus and then invited younger kids to join them. Perhaps you are an alum of WyldLife or Young Life and find yourself considering how you might get involved and make a difference in kids’ lives today? We want to encourage you to reach out to your local staff person or our office (If you need help), as you respond to God’s nudge in your life and consider how your time, talents and treasure can make a difference!
