July Newsletter 2024

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released, and prisoners will be freed. Isaiah 61:1
Dear Friends and Supporters,
As we embrace the heat in July, we are reminded of the incredible blessings and responsibilities we carry in serving the youth of New Mexico. Inspired by Isaiah 61:1, our mission is clear: to bring hope, freedom, and healing to every child and teenager who walks through our doors. This past month has been a testament to the transformative power of love, support, and community. We have witnessed firsthand the incredible resilience and potential of our youth as they navigate through life’s challenges, and it is through your unwavering support that we continue to make a difference.
July 1^st was my official first day as President of LifeQuest USA, and now on the 7^th as I write this newsletter, I can’t think of a time we have needed your support more. Looking forward, we have so many things coming up that could be, and will be, life changing events to include our next semester of LifeQuest’s Philippians 4:13 Journey. This next semester we will be starting a journey in a new place, a place that I did not think possible, Pena Blanca. This will allow us to share the love we know with the youth from both the Cochiti and Santo Domingo pueblos as well as the surrounding areas. As you know, this program is aimed at using the spirit of adventure and the beauty of the great outdoors to set the stage for each youth to experience the presence of God in a real way. Each class helps to pair our young participants with dedicated volunteers who serve as mentors, role models, and friends. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with many of our participants expressing increased confidence, academic improvement, and a greater sense of direction and purpose. Our mentors are not only sharing their wisdom and experiences but are also learning from the inspiring stories and unique perspectives of our young ones.
We hosted Straight Ahead Ministries (SAM), who conducted their amazing program, Ready4Life, in each of the Juvenile Detention Centers at the end of June. The stories we have from that. Stories of hope, forgiveness, and bright dreams of the future. Scott, Jason, and John from SAM are great at helping the youth change their perspectives from victims to something different. “Roots forming, hope starting to grow.” This is how I would sum up this event. LifeQuest volunteers have the opportunity over the next few months and into next year to continue to guide and explore the discoveries that these youth made at R4L.
As we look ahead in July, we are excited to announce that our LifeQuest 4:14 mission trip will be leaving as you read this (17 July 2024). We believe that Jesus is already ahead of us working in the hearts of those we will encounter as I know that he is working on the hearts of each person going.
Again, I thank you for your continued support and dedication to our mission. We are in need of resources. Please prayerfully consider helping our youth explore God’s adventure. Together, we are planting seeds of hope and cultivating oaks of righteousness in the lives of New Mexico’s youth.
Ryan C. Butts