One of the hardest experiences for any youth is losing a classmate.  When "Rachel" unexpectedly lost a long-time friend, she experienced the sadness, anger, and questioning that many of us have felt in a similar circumstance.  As time went on, her grief was compounded by loneliness, as she felt like everyone around her was "over it" while she still struggled.  "I really don’t know what to do.  I haven’t opened up about it before for fear of being someone’s burden.” 

Your support sends Coastlands teams to help hurting students like Rachel.  After journaling with one of our team members during our week with her school, Rachel wrote, "I wanted to thank you for giving me some of the best advice and encouragement I’ve had in a long time.  I really needed it.  And thank you for sharing about your sister.  It reminded me that I’m not alone in a situation like this, and other people have gone through the same thing and come through it.  I’ve written down all the scripture references you’ve given me and I plan to go over them more in depth in my quiet time this weekend.  This year’s spiritual emphasis week message, as well as the worship and the journaling, has encouraged me to deepen my relationship with God.  I can’t thank you enough for responding so positively when I told you about [him].”

Your donation sends hope to students like Rachel - when you send a Coastlands team, you send a friend, a listening ear, a mentor.  The need of students continues to be as big as ever, and we thank you for partnering with Coastlands so that together we can impact youth throughout the Northeast!