Nick Kyro, Site Leader, Franklin County Juvenile Intervention Center
Have you ever had a “divine appointment” from God? A time when you knew God planned an encounter with someone.
So often in my work at the Juvenile Intervention Center (JIC) I meet with kids and it becomes obvious that God divinely brought us together.
Recently, I was trying to follow up with some youth who wanted to meet after Bible study the previous week. I was waiting for one of these guys when someone else was brought into the room. Right away he shared that a few months prior he was in a shootout and almost died. When he woke up in the hospital he knew there must be a reason for this. After he was brought to the JIC he was reminded of all the times his grandmother talked about God. He knew he had to meet with a chaplain.
After about 30 minutes of hearing his story and sharing the Gospel, I asked him if he wanted to give his life to Jesus. Without hesitation he said yes! Since then we have met a few times to discuss YFC’s follow-up materials.
His love for Jesus continues to grow. He’s also become quite the evangelist with the other boys in his unit. He talks about Jesus with them and invites them to meet with a chaplain. Not long ago he helped lead two other boys to the Lord. I gave him a Bible that has answers to common Bible questions. He is very appreciative of this and uses it in his conversations with others.
My new friend and brother in Christ has been on an upward trajectory ever since our first meeting. He is probably going to be locked up for a long time but in every conversation we have he says he is grateful that he is still alive and has the ability to tell others the good news of Jesus. Keep praying for this new brother and for his ministry at the Franklin County Juvenile Intervention Center.
Learn more about YFC’s outreach to probationary teens at our Juvenile Justice Ministries web page.