September 2026
Dear Friends and Family, September 2026
We hope that this finds you well, and that you are as inundated by God's blessings as we are by the rain we have been receiving late this month. Though of course, the majority of our outreach events are affected by the weather conditions, Abbey and I (Levi) have been pleasantly surprised by how God creatively uses the weather to His advantage, even at the events. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. He has shown us time and again how, when we trust Him, He orchestrates everything perfectly. All glory must indeed go to God for how, during our July event, He led us safely back up the mountain from Phoenix through the torrential downpour that Jerad had mentioned in a previous newsletter. Or how, in August, the wind at our kickoff event was just enough to keep the mosquitos away while not blowing away the tarp we had laid out for games, and how the clouds were just right to keep everyone from getting sunburnt while still receiving ample sunshine. This month, our plan was to repeat our annual hayride at Jeffers Ranch, out to the massive sand dunes that sit just about 5 miles from the ranch house. For years, this has been somewhat of a fan favorite. Not surprisingly, the kids tend to be rather fond of the events that involve hurling oneself down a hill. This time, however, the dirt road to the sand dunes, upon prior investigation, turned out to have taken much more the form of a small lake. For this reason, we decided to shift gears (figuratively of course). The kids were excited about the hayride (and frankly, so was I), so we decided that instead of canceling, we would simply take the hayride around some of the streets of Holbrook, eventually ending at our back yard where Abbey would have a bonfire ready. Now, our back yard is a bit smaller than Jeffers Ranch (give or take about 100,000 acres). Put simply, a game of capture the flag, confined to our back yard would likely not be very interesting, and would probably not last for more than a few minutes. So, we had a few simple games arranged for when everyone showed up. Long story short, when the hay wagon got to our house, everything went off without a hitch (so to speak). Many of the games we had planned turned out not to be needed. Some of the kids played board games in the house, while others threw around a soccer ball in the yard, but I was particularly encouraged by the opportunity afforded us by the limited space to simply talk with the kids and with their parents. As far as I could see, the games had become a medium for conversation and connection. One of our newer youth leaders, Trace Gessner, gave a short talk centered around our recent study of the book of Daniel. It served as an excellent punctuation for the evening, and a poignant reminder of why fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ is so important. Many friendships were made and strengthened, and when all was said and done, I found myself again dumbstruck at the end of the night by the providence that God had so graciously demonstrated in the midst of my scrambling. I found myself profoundly blessed by the reminder that this ministry belongs to God, and that even when we feel disorganized, nothing done in the name of Jesus will be wasted, or come up empty.
As always, THANK YOU so much for the vital part you play in this ministry through your prayers and generosity! By God’s grace, the word of the Lord is going out!
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for Levi and Abbey Susag as they settle into their new roles as leaders of Oasis Youth Ministries.
- Please pray for students coming to the Well, the Next Chapter, and the events, that God will use His word and the testimonies of our pastors and leaders this semester to grow them closer to Him.
- Please pray for more godly volunteer leaders to join Oasis.
Grace and Peace,
Levi, Abbey, & Evangeline