As more of the summer now lies behind us than before us, the start of another school year is quickly approaching. Throughout these summer months, my thoughts and prayers have often been centered on our Youth Works program. Because of your generosity in responding to our Youth Works Summer Catalog, we were able to spend countless hours with the young people of Billings’ South Side sharing meals, going on adventures, building trust, and investing in relationships that point them toward Christ.
One word the Lord has continually brought to mind is intentionality.
As I consider those we serve and the direction God is leading CLDI, I am reminded that our mission has never been to simply run programs or accomplish organizational goals. Our calling is to pay attention to where God is already at work and faithfully join Him there. We believe the Lord has been moving in the South Side long before CLDI existed, and it is our privilege to participate in what He is doing as He rebuilds lives, restores families, and renews this neighborhood through the Gospel.
For many years, we have prayed that God would raise up leaders from within this community—men and women whose lives have been transformed by Christ, who would, in turn, invest in the next generation. We long to see young people become disciples of Jesus, disciples then become servant leaders, and servant leaders faithfully shepherd those coming behind them. We often describe that pathway within CLDI as Youth Works to Internship, Internship to Leadership, and Leadership lived out within the South Side Triangle and beyond.
For more than two years, we have also prayed specifically that the Lord would raise up an indigenous male leader—someone who knows this neighborhood, loves these young people, and desires to disciple them toward a lifelong relationship with Jesus.
God, in His faithfulness, has answered that prayer.
Recently, Caven Herrera accepted our invitation to join the Youth Works staff as a mentor, disciple-maker, and leader for the youth we care so very much about. We have had the privilege of being part of Caven’s story for many years. We have watched God pursue him, shape him, refine him, and prepare him. Now we have the joy of joining the Lord in this next chapter of Caven’s life as he begins investing in the lives of others, with intentionality.
Like every one of us, Caven’s journey has included hardship, failure, and seasons of growth. Yet through it all, God has remained faithful. Rather than allowing his past to define him, the Lord has been redeeming it, using every season to prepare him for the work that now lies before him. It has been an incredible reminder that God rarely wastes our experiences. Instead, He uses them to equip us to serve others with humility, compassion, and hope.
Moments like these remind me that ministry has never been about asking God to bless our plans. Instead, it is about surrendering our plans to His, discerning where His Spirit is already moving, and joyfully joining Him in His work. We don’t manufacture transformation. We simply have the privilege of saying “yes” when He invites us to participate.
As Jesus said:
“My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17)
And Paul reminds us:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Those verses beautifully capture what we are experiencing today. God is already at work in the South Side. He has been preparing people, opening doors, transforming hearts, and writing stories of redemption long before we could see them. Our joy is to recognize His work, trust His timing, and faithfully join Him.
Thank you for praying with us, giving faithfully, and walking alongside us in this ministry. Because of your partnership, we are able to participate in what God is doing among the youth and families of Billings’ South Side. We look forward with great expectation to all that He has planned for this coming school year.
