Amari’s story
Amari is a fiercely loyal 14-year-old from Steubenville. Her tight-knit relationships with her friends and siblings is fueled by a steadfast, protective love that she possesses. This great characteristic about her could go to the wrong extreme when she would defend her friends and siblings, leading her into predicaments. Anytime there was drama between someone and a person Amari loved, she jumped in thinking she was sticking up for her family. Amari ended up getting into big trouble in the summer of 2025, and she was arrested and jailed for a couple months. Her protectiveness had gone too far.
The Vagabond missionaries would play a role in helping Amari learn from her mistakes and get on the right track. Amari first met the missionaries during the summer of 2024 when the missionaries frequented the public pool. They would always hang out and talk with her, but she was too young to come to programming. After her release from jail, she soon came of age to attend programming. Amari was so excited to finally attend the youth center. She jumped right in coming to youth nights, worship, girls group, and retreats.
Her experience in jail made Amari realize that it is best to keep her anger in check. She does not need to insert herself into a scenario to be loving and loyal. Amari attended a retreat shortly after joining where she continued to work on her anger. She got close with one of the volunteers and had an honest moment of vulnerability in adoration.
On top of her retreat breakthrough, her attendance at weekly worship nights has provided her with even more opportunities for growth. This past semester, the missionaries and young people have been discussing how people’s actions and good choices bring glory to God. To prompt self-reflection, Nicole, one of the missionaries, turned to Amari and asked, “How can you bring glory to God? What kinds of things are better choices that show kindness and love towards others?” Those two questions continued the conversation of choosing kindness over anger and working towards peace and forgiveness.
It has been less than a year that Amari began attending, and it was as if she had made a mental switch with her attitude. By exercising prudence in speech and calming her emotions, she had been taking time to choose peace. A light in the room, Amari is one of the most consistent at the youth center and has become a leader as a result of her steady involvement with Vagabond. She will even call out new attendees for the ways that they are not building community. She loves being up on stage leading games during breakout, especially relay games against the boy’s teams. In small groups during worship nights, Amari is very quick to be vulnerable and help get the others on task, becoming a good example for others.
Currently, Amari is excited about so many things in the near future: graduating 8th grade, attending high school in the fall, and competing on the track team. Cosmetology school is also on her radar. Amari’s conversion as just an eighth grader is full of excitement since she has many more years with Vagabond
Please pray for Amari to remain steadfast on her faith journey!
