April 2025 - Show-Me Christian Youth Home

The Journey of the Men of the Graduating Class of 2025

Boys to Men

Becoming a man is not simply a matter of age or physical strength—it is about integrity. A boy does not become a man overnight, nor does it happen without struggle. It is through personal responsibility, determination, faith, and perseverance that he transforms, shapes his character, and defines his future. The journey of the four young men of the Show-Me Christian School (SMCS) Class of 2025 has been one of challenges faced and overcome. These principles mold boys into men of integrity, who will build a life not just for themself, but for those they will one day lead, serve, and protect.

An Answer for Everything

Learning to take personal responsibility is an essential part of becoming a man. A boy blames others for his mistakes, but a man accepts them, learns from them, and strives to do better. “Tony used to have an answer for everything, and it was never his fault,” recounted his housedad. With an abundance of energy, Tony struggled to focus at school and at home. Rather than facing his problems, he would avoid them. The sweet, adorable, caring boy would try to charm his way out of trouble to escape any consequences. “I used my smile and cuteness to get what I wanted,” confessed Tony.

Hidden underneath that smile was anger and frustration that he did not even realize. “I don’t remember much of my life before I was three and came to Show-Me with my (five) siblings, but it was bad,” stated Tony. “I didn’t trust people or want to let them in.”

Meeting with the counselors helped him to understand and talk about his past. Slowly, he became honest with himself about his struggles. Admitting it was not a sign of weakness, but of strength; now, he could get help. Sports and additional breaks helped him to get out some of his extra energy to be able to focus better. He put his energy towards sports and became a state champion in cross country.

Tony realized that the routine, discipline, and structure at
Show-Me helped him, not hurt him. He worked with his teachers to get the extra help he needed to turn his struggles into success in school. A boy may run from consequences, Tony determined to face them head-on and grow in the process.

Going Nowhere

No one succeeds alone. Learning to identify and use the resources God has placed around you is a crucial lesson a man must learn. Chayvin knew that he faced an uphill battle when he arrived at Show-Me. Skipping school and hanging out with the wrong crowd had left this 17-year-old with only a 5th-grade education. Graduating in two years seemed impossible. But he was determined. “I knew if I didn’t have my education, I was going to go nowhere,” stated Chayvin.

His Show-Me family explained to him that it wasn’t going to be easy, but they committed to helping him with every step. The next two years required twice the effort and endless sacrifices, but he refused to give up. Late nights, extra tutoring, and sheer determination brought Chayvin back on track to graduate in May. “Show-Me gave me a faith and will to push myself in every circumstance,” stated Chayvin.

Only One Savior

Becoming a man requires faith – faith in himself, in others, and most importantly, in God. He trusts that every trial has a purpose and that God has a plan for his life. For Drew, his senior year was supposed to be the culmination of years of hard work. His basketball teammates had named him captain. They looked to him for everything – on and off the court. He was their leading scorer, and after years of struggling, it finally looked like they might have a winning team. It was a lot of pressure, but Drew could handle it. He had big shoulders.

Early in the season, a broken leg shattered that dream. Suddenly, Drew could no longer do it on his own. He tried to carry their burdens as usual, but the physical and mental strain was exhausting him. “Their struggles and mine were killing me,” admits Drew. “Why would God allow this? I thought I was doing good with how hard I was working.”

In his helplessness, Drew’s perspective changed as he realized the “why” this setback was allowed to happen. His team needed the opportunity to find independence and learn to rely on each other. He needed to learn dependence on God and not rely on himself. It was ok to slow down and give himself time. Only Christ could be his teammates’ savior.

From Defiance to Determination

Becoming a man means learning to channel emotions into purpose. Tynnir arrived at Show-Me as an 11-year-old boy who didn’t talk much. He seemed frazzled and scattered in his new surroundings. “I didn’t want to be here,” remembered Tynnir. Angry and feeling like he had no control over his situation, he came across as stubborn and defiant. But in time, he found his footing. He made friends, learned the structure, and began to focus – not on the past or the future – but on what he could control: the present. His stubbornness shifted into determination.

Tynnir had always dreamed of becoming a soldier. Now, he was all in. He was willing to put in the work to make it happen. He poured himself into learning new talents like playing guitar, trained through sports to build his physical strength, joined the Criminal Justice program at the local college to earn extra certifications, and balanced a part-time job – all while staying on track to graduation. “Never once do we have to remind Tynnir of his responsibilities,” said SMCS Administrator Robin Blake. “He does it, and he does it well.” A man turns emotion into purpose—and purpose into progress.

Fuel to Success

The men of the Class of 2025 came from different struggles, but their stories share a common thread: resilience. They refused to be defined by their hardships and instead used them as fuel to succeed. As they take their next steps into the future, they carry not just diplomas but the hard-earned lessons of perseverance, responsibility, and the unwavering belief that if God is with them, they are capable of overcoming anything.

The Right to Give Children Our Best

Launching Legislative Efforts to Help More Children in Foster Care

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

The Bible is clear: as Christians, we are called to help broken families (widows) and hurting children (orphans) without letting our life-changing message of Christ be distorted by an ever-changing culture. For nearly sixty years, Christian “neighbors” like you banded together with us to answer this call. We believe every child deserves the best possible structure in which to prepare for a productive future: one with a home – based on traditional Biblical values – and a family with a mother and father. To truly rescue and restore each young life, Christ must be the center. It isn’t enough to prepare a child for a better future; each must have a chance to KNOW Jesus so they can have an excellent eternity. Anything less is not our best.

Healed People Heal People

We value the ability to share with these children – and with the world – the hope we have in Jesus. We know that a restored relationship with God through Christ makes a powerful impact on a person’s ability to find overall healing from the past and build a healthy future. Jesus provides the unique opportunity to make sense of our adverse childhood experiences, redeem those hurts, heal the wounds, and use that healing for our benefit, as well as the benefit of others. You have heard it said, “Hurt people hurt people.” Through Jesus, we can testify confidently that “healed people heal people.” This is the gospel truth we see every day in our ministries.

Drawing a Line

Show-Me determined decades ago to draw a line in order to hold to our core beliefs. To remain independent, we rely entirely on private support. We do not receive government or state money for childcare. For years, the purse string was the determining factor as to whether the government had a right to “help” determine how children should be raised or who should be hired. Childcare facilities like Show-Me could choose to be licensed and regulated by the State through the Department of Social Services (DSS) or operate under a religious exemption. This was the case in Missouri as well as numerous other states.

Today, Missouri is one of only three states where this option remains. Licensure concerns us deeply because of the slippery slope to losing our Christian values and ability to practice our faith. Ever-changing cultural and government priorities have created regulations that force faith-based agencies to choose between violating their sincerely held religious beliefs or closing their doors. For years, our political efforts have focused on stopping such regulations.

Rising Above the Gridlock

We are determined to blaze a new path to cut across the political gridlock in Missouri and do whatever we can to help struggling kids. Show-Me has an opportunity to make a lasting impact on child welfare in Missouri. We are working with legislators and like-minded ministries to create an alternative option to state-based licensing that would add additional layers of accountability and protection that every child deserves. At no additional cost to Missouri, it would provide DSS with sorely-needed resources in their fight to alleviate the foster care crisis. Without the constant threat of compromise, Christian organizations would be able to maintain the high-level standards that have proven to be most effective and most honoring to the God we serve.

A Vicious Downward Cycle

According to a 2024 DSS report, A Plan to Rebuild and Reform Children’s Division Phase II, Missouri had over 14,000 foster children in 2022, which was “double the national average per capita and among the highest number of foster children per capita.” With roughly 4,500 homes, Missouri has “a severe shortage of foster homes.” To meet the current need they require an additional 1,500 foster homes.

The lack of resources has created a vicious downward cycle of added strain on an already overloaded system. The stress and turnover rates increase dramatically for caseworkers trying to help. The same DSS report cited a 55% turnover rate for frontline workers. With such heavy caseloads, little time is left to provide necessary support for foster families who directly care for the children. Lack of support makes it harder and harder to find and keep foster parents. In the end, children pay the heaviest toll as the turmoil keeps them in the system longer, moving from home to home, caseworker to caseworker.

Stuck on the Sidelines

Many Christian Homes in Missouri like Show-Me want to help; we hear the horror stories of children in inappropriate placements, and we hear from caseworkers who believe our ministries could be the “perfect fit” for certain children – yet they are unable to place them here.

Before 2008, half or more of the children at Show-Me were placed through Missouri DSS. Many caseworkers and judges preferred placing children with us, especially sibling groups. We collaborated well with the caseworkers and the children, as well as having a “built-in” support system for the families providing care here. Although there is nothing in state statute that demands it, DSS discontinued placements with us in 2008. Since then, we only have private placements. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, since 2008, the number of Missouri children in foster care has increased over 60% (2009: 7,795 to 2022: 12,514). We cannot remain on the sidelines when we have what it takes to help.

MACCCA Can Help

Tragically, there have been some who have abused children under the guise of following God’s will. We pray for them to find the light. At the same time, we must redouble our efforts to protect children.

Under the banner of the Missouri Association of Christian Child Care Agencies (MACCCA), we look to unite ministries who hold the same high standards of care and accountability. We took our lead from the Florida Association of Christian Child Care Agencies (FACCCA). Decades ago in Florida, facing the threat of mandatory licensing, FACCCA successfully petitioned the state to allow a secondary option. Now, in Florida, childcare ministries can either be licensed by the state or accredited through FACCCA. MACCCA followed in FACCCA’s footsteps. We launched our efforts in 2022.

An Extra Layer of Protection for Children

Our legislation, filed by then Representative Adam Schnelting, put forth MACCCA as a qualified association working as a public-private partnership and a viable option for ministries in lieu of a license. Leadership from both MACCCA and the Missouri Children’s Division would comprise a citizen’s board set up under DSS to advise on standards, make recommendations, and share best practices. According to the bills filed, the qualified association must have been in place for a minimum of 20 years, must publish and require compliance with the association’s written standards and file copies of those standards with DSS, and must have a board of directors able to conduct oversight of member organizations.

Should the “religious exemption” be nullified, Christian ministries who care for children would not be eliminated. This year as a State Senator, Adam Schnelting is refiling his legislation in the Missouri State Senate and is partnering with Representative Jamie Gragg who has filed companion legislation in the State House. Both are Christians and ministers.

MACCCA came to the table to find a “win-win” solution. With the support of Senator Schnelting and Representative Gragg, we have renewed hope that good policy will override the destructive politics of animosity.

Pray these bills are passed by the State Assembly to benefit children in Missouri, protect our religious liberties, and glorify our God. Engaging in the legislative process comes with challenges, yet this is the avenue to best protect and serve all citizens in this state – especially the most vulnerable. This battle is the battle for the heart and soul of Missourians and for children who need our help.