My Job @ TheHopeLine

People often ask me about where I work, and I must admit that it is sometimes a little hard to explain. So, I decided to post about it on my blog for any of you who have wondered what I do for a living but were too afraid to ask. I will try to make this as simple and short as possible (yeah, right!).

I work for a ministry called TheHopeLine (yes, that is supposed to be all one word). It is a ministry that was created by Dawson McAllister. Some of you may have heard of Dawson, others maybe not. Dawson has been in teen Christian ministry for almost 40 years. He has spoken to literally thousands of teenagers and young adults over the years. Several years ago Dawson began a radio call-in show called DM Live. It is a call-in show for teens and young adults ages 13 to 25. When Dawson first began his radio show, it aired primarily on Christian radio stations. A few years ago, in an effort to reach more young people, Dawson decided to begin airing his show on mainstream radio. The show currently airs on over 80 "Top 40" radio stations across the country on Sunday nights (if you would like to know if DM Live airs in your area, please visit http://www.dmlive.com/ and look under "Affiliates"). Teens and young adults call in and talk to Dawson about any number of issues from alcohol/drug abuse, dating/relationship issues, parent issues, teen pregnancy, suicide, etc. On any given Sunday night you can listen to DM Live and hear callers talk to Dawson about all sorts of issues they are struggling with. Sometimes it can get pretty heavy, but a lot of these young people feel like they have no one else to talk to. Along with the DM Live show, Dawson recently began a nightly show called Dawson McAllister Late Nights, and it airs on several radio stations during the week.

In conjunction with Dawson's radio shows, he has TheHopeLine ministry. Teens and young adults ages 13 to 25 can call in and talk to a HopeCoach every night of the week, and they can also chat online with HopeCoaches. The HopeCoaches are trained volunteers who talk to these young people when they call in. They offer hope, help, and encouragement, and if callers are receptive they pray with them and present the Gospel to them. The ultimate goal of TheHopeLine is to lead young people to Christ. It's pretty awesome, and TheHopeLine has helped thousands of young people over the years!!

I went to work for TheHopeLine about 8 months ago as a support person for the training and recruiting of HopeCoaches. I assist HopeCoach applicants with the application and training process, and I basically do whatever my supervisors ask me to do! :-) It's a great job, and I am soooo blessed to work with such wonderful people. The future plans for TheHopeLine are incredible, and I expect the ministry to grow immensely in the coming years. Young people today need so much help and encouragement, and they deal with so many issues that you and I may have never had to deal with. It is heartbreaking what some of them go through, but the awesome thing about TheHopeLine is it offers them HOPE for the future through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. What could be better than that?!?!

If you think you might be interested in volunteering with TheHopeLine, just let me know! I would love to tell you more about the opportunity to volunteer with us!! You can even volunteer remotely from your own home!! Even if you don't feel called to volunteer, I ask that you please pray for TheHopeLine ministry. Satan attacks us daily in many ways, and we know he hates the work that we do. We serve an AWESOME GOD, though, so Satan will NOT prevail!! In these troubling economic times, our biggest prayer request right now is for our finances. We have soooo much work we want to do for Christ, but realistically we need the money to do it. Please pray that we will continue to receive the funding that we need to do God's work. Also, if you would like me to place you on our mailing list for our monthly newsletter, please email me with your email address at mryan@dmlive.com. You can keep up with what we have going on at TheHopeLine! Also, feel free to visit our websites at http://www.dmlive.com/ and http://www.thehopeline.com/. You may also want to check out http://www.teenhopeline.com/. This is a ministry through the band Seventh Day Slumber, and they are doing some awesome work with teens, too!

I hope you're now able to know a little about what I do for a living! Got questions about TheHopeLine? Just let me know!!