A gang leader transformed!
At 12 years old he started using drugs and drinking alcohol. Amadou lived in Cameroon. Nominally a Muslim, he consulted practitioners of indigenous tribal religions for spells for protection when he joined a gang. One of the occult priests gave him a knife he said was filled with black magic … Another gave him a fetish stone he said was made from human bones.
The charms didn’t protect him —he became addicted to drugs — but he managed to work his way up to become gang leader by age 18. Yet Amadou had no peace — he was plagued with nightmares about his crimes and the people he had stabbed with his cursed knife.
He went back to the shamans for blessings that would take away the nightmares, but they couldn’t help him.
Thankfully you sent Lead Today to his town, and Amadou happened to meet the Lead Today teacher who invited him to join the program.
Amadou soon committed his life to Christ, was baptized, and agreed to go to a Christian rehab where he overcame drug addiction!
Thanks to the lessons of Lead Today, Amadou was transformed — and he was able to return to his former gang and share his faith with them: they’re all following Jesus now, too!
Fast Facts
- Many youth express a lack of trust in current political leaders and institutions. For example, in Kenya, 61% of young respondents cited lack of trust in political leaders as a major barrier to their participation in politics, with only 20% believing their opinions are genuinely considered by those in power.
- OneHope programs, such as Lead Today, empower teens to lead with biblical principles by providing a leadership model they can admire, respect, and follow.
- Cultivate is OneHope’s global intern program — based on and infused with God’s Word — where we intentionally steward our ministry knowledge, resources, and time to invest in emerging leaders.
- OneHope’s investment in leadership development is part of our vision to build up younger leaders who will carry the baton of ministry to future generations.
Ana’s Story of Hope
My name is Ana Paula Torres; I am 20 years old and I am from Paraguay. This year I had the privilege of starting a course with Cultivate.
I began the journey of training as a Cultivator without realizing everything that God could teach me and do in my life in those months. It was at the right time because I was going through a time where I did not fully understand what to do at this stage of my life.
In each meeting I felt like my doubts were clearing up because when I began to doubt the gifts and talents that God gave me, and I was about to give up, at each class some of those present told a testimony that seemed to speak directly to my issues.
Today, thanks to Cultivate, I can say that God truly calls us all to be catalysts of change in the place where we are, that God through His Spirit deposited a lot of potential in all His children, and He Himself helps us and teaches us how to use them.
I am very grateful for the opportunity that I was given to be part of this. I wish to be able to use the tools that were given to me to be a blessing to others just as Cultivate was me.
God truly calls us all to be catalysts of change in the place where we are.
From embarrassed to emboldened
Every day Cristina feared being abandoned and rejected by family and friends.
Her father had abandoned the family before she could ever remember him. The pain of this rejection haunted her — and shaped her relationships with others: she was quiet and shy, speaking as little as possible in hopes no one would notice any mistakes she made and ridicule her.
Feeling isolated and hopeless, she wondered if God could help her. Her home nation of Venezuela has a tradition of Catholicism, but Cristina did not know much about religion. And she didn’t know how to find out — she was afraid if anyone knew she was searching for God, they would make fun of her and abandon her!
But then she heard about Lead Today — a youth class where everyone was talking about God. She enrolled to get her questions answered, and she found so much more!
Today Cristina has committed her life to Christ. She’s working on her leadership skills, and she has actually become empowered to talk to others about Jesus, something she had always been too shy to do before.
“Now I understand how much God loves me and that He has given me leadership abilities,” she says.
She loves going to church now, reads her Bible, prays, and shares her faith. At 14, she has a great foundation for a future where she will never feel abandoned again because she knows her heavenly Father will never let her go.
Your legacy for eternity … God’s Word. Every Child.
INCLUDE ONEHOPE IN YOUR WILL OR ESTATE PLAN AND BUILD ON YOUR LEGACY OF LEADING YOUNG PEOPLE TO JESUS!
When you include OneHope in your will through a bequest, you can be assured we’ll put your generous gift to use, catalyzing a movement that will reach every child, in every generation with God’s Word.
And you’ll have the joy of knowing:
- Your wishes for your estate are being honored
- Your family has been provided for
- You left a lasting testimony to your spiritual priorities
- You’re sharing the life-transforming power of God’s Word with the next generation
You can leave a gift of cash, real estate, or the residual of your estate, and your bequest will allow OneHope to use your assets to reach the next generation with God’s Word and establish the framework for a movement that reaches every child in every generation.
To find out more, talk to your financial advisor or email stewardship@onehope.net or call 1.800.448.2425 today.
Catalyze was the catalyst for transformation!
Hope ignited across the Congo River as Alexandra, a young woman from Brazzaville, stumbled upon a divine appointment disguised as a social media advertisement. The message that captured her heart? An invitation to join Catalyze Clubs — an opportunity that would transform not just her life but countless others.
When Alexandra inquired about the program, she discovered Catalyze Clubs wasn’t merely offering leadership training — they were forging godly leaders equipped with career development skills and spiritual purpose. Without hesitation, she committed to the next cohort.
Alexandra was already a believer, with a desire to share her faith — and this program seemed to be exactly what she was looking for!
Her dedication was extraordinary. Each week, she undertook the arduous journey across the Congo River by ferry, traveling from her home in Brazzaville, Congo, to Kinshasa, DRC, for training, returning home only for weekends — a testament to her hunger for growth and purpose.
Catalyze Clubs was the catalyst Alexandra needed to launch her own personal ministry, leading others to Jesus. She began distributing our Stories of Hope as part of her training — and soon she was visiting remote villages, marketplaces, orphanages, and forgotten communities — bringing God’s Word to children thirsty for truth.
Today, Alexandra serves in her church’s children and youth ministry, as well as in ongoing OneHope ministry. She is applying what she learned at Catalyze Clubs to empower OneHope programs to reach more children and youth.
What I Learned from John C. Maxwell
By OneHope President Rob Hoskins
Leadership expert John C. Maxell and his organization EQUIP partnered with OneHope years ago to develop our first Scripture program
that emphasized developing godly leaders, Lead Today.
This is still one of the most requested program by our partners worldwide, because so many young people need a strong, biblical foundation in how to be leaders.
What a privilege it was to partner with John and for me to get to know him personally, too. (We co-authored the book Change Your World that released in 2021.) Having spent a considerable amount of time with John these past few years, I’ve noticed a few things about him.
He’s a ravenous learner with incredible discipline. John is at the top of his game, yet still sees wisdom in listening to what others have to offer — he’s constantly taking notes on what everyone in the room is saying.
He has developed the discipline of listening, intentionally capturing what is being said, and bringing it back around.
This is John’s brilliance. He takes the time to process ideas, then incorporates them into conversation after he’s mulled them over.
For a guy who seems to already know all there is to know about leadership, John is taking leadership to the next level by continually becoming more agile in his agility to learn on the fly.
One of my favorite things about John is his brilliance in taking a thought and repackaging it so palatably that it’s accessible, memorable, and oh so sticky. His genius shines through in how simple he makes things sound!
We’ve been so honored to partner with John C. Maxwell and his EQUIP Leadership organization. It has been a privilege to take John’s leadership wisdom, infuse it with the truths in God’s Word, and create a program for teens to learn biblical leadership principles called Lead Today. I am so thankful for the lessons he is constantly teaching me.
NATION BY NATION
ASIA PACIFIC
In a limited access nation, Bao was struggling with profound emotional challenges when he found a OneHope digital program and connected with an online missionary. “Facing extreme mental pain, I came to believe that faith could help me,” Bao shared with our local partners.
FIJI
Eight-year-old Sisa discovered the plan of salvation through our God’s Big Story program of illustrated cards and Bible stories. He wanted to know more about Jesus and has now downloaded the Bible App for Kids, too. He loves digging into God’s Word and engaging his parents in conversations about faith.
LIBERIA
Grace is enrolled in our Unstoppable program and found tremendous meaning in the chapter titled “When Hope Heals You.” She suffers from frequent illness, so this topic caught her attention. Today she says, “Sickness is not my position, because I have a friend called Jesus who can heal.”
A shelter in the storm
It seemed like the violence exploded overnight! Suddenly the government was in shambles and lawless gangs roamed the streets, burning homes and businesses, even seizing control of some towns and cities!
Sardac, a children and youth minister at one of our partner churches in this limited access nation, watched in horror as the violence unfolded. Yet amidst the chaos, he felt an even greater urgency in his calling — these traumatized children, witnessing unimaginable brutality, needed the healing message of God’s unchanging love more desperately than ever before.
This was one reason he was so grateful when he received the shipment of the Book of Hope and Lead Today. It even seemed miraculous to him that the shipment made it through, and he knew the Word of God could offer hope in the darkest times.
“I thank God for giving me the opportunity to receive these books from OneHope — they are very helpful for our children and youth in this community,” he said.
He and other church members began distributing the books — and soon eight children and youth had chosen to follow Jesus!
“I encourage you to keep doing the wonderful work around the world,” Sardac says. Thank you for reaching out to regions at war and in crisis. You are making a powerful impact on the next generation.
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