Filming Parenting Resources for GenFree in Evington, VA

May 16-18, 2025

The best way to express to you how this filming weekend went, would be to share a letter written by one of the young adults who participated. Please rejoice with the Lord with me as you read it below:
My name is Kaitlyn Rabe, and I am one of the young adults that was flown out to Virginia to film content for parenting resources and GenFree. I wanted to write to y’all to share my experience with this ministry in general, my experience in Virginia this past weekend, and to express my gratitude to y’all for making it possible for me to be a part of this.
Before God met me where I was in my first Steps Appointment, my entire identity was rooted in my depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. All of this led to trying to find ways in college to just cope, which turned me to wordly things such as relationships, drugs, alcohol, and self-harm. I grew up in a Christian home and I had been told my whole life that Jesus loved me, and He died on the cross for me. I could believe it for other people, but for some reason I could just never believe it for myself. There was just some disconnect, and I couldn’t figure out what it was or how to fix it. I claimed to be a Christian, yet I didn’t genuinely believe that God loved me, had good plans for me, or was even with me. 
After college, I got to a point where I knew the things I was doing were hurting me more than helping. So, I moved back home, got away from all the people encouraging me to continue that lifestyle, and started getting involved in church again. I thought I was fixed because I had just stopped the “bad behaviors” and was in church with a smile on my face every Sunday and Tuesday evening with other young adults. But when faced with every temptation I had ever wrapped up into one person, I fell further than I ever had before. Allowing myself to be used and lied to because I wanted to feel enough for a little bit. Getting into harder drugs than I had before and drinking more than I had before. Getting back into self-harm because I was so ashamed of what I was doing while still putting a smile on my face at church. I was completely and utterly hopeless, to the point that I didn’t want to live anymore, but I knew I couldn’t do that to my family, so I felt stuck in the worst place I had ever been.
After finally telling a friend what was going on, they recommended a Freedom in Christ course to me. I had no idea what it was or anything about it, but I signed up because I was just so desperate to feel better somehow. When I signed up, I genuinely believed that nothing would change other than maybe being able to get through my days a little easier. I’m here to tell you how wrong I was. 
Just through the course work itself, I started to understand from day one that I truly had never actually understood God’s character and what it actually means to be a child of God. I had been told my whole life to trust God, but nobody ever told me how. I had been told my whole life to forgive and love like Jesus, but nobody had ever told me how. Until this class. Where my whole view of Jesus got turned upside down in the best way possible. 
As soon as the steps appointment was mentioned, I asked my leader if I could take it as soon as possible. At this point, I was starting to learn all of these things and get excited, but I still struggled believing it was true for myself. Going into the steps appointment I had two major fears. Would this even work for me? I felt too far gone. Who would I be without my depression and anxiety? It had been my identity for so long, I didn’t know who I would be without it. 
Before the first step, there is a salvation prayer. I told my encourager that I had been saved and I had been baptized, but this felt different. To this day, I will say that I forever gave my life to Christ on February 28th, 2024, after declaring that prayer at the beginning. The Lord met me where I was during that appointment, and I will never be the same. To get rid of so much bondage that I never knew I had. To be able to truly forgive others and most of all, forgive myself. To just hear from The Lord and truly believe that He is my hope, I am loved, and He was always there with me. 
Let me tell y’all. It did more than just “work” for me. Jesus completely changed my life. Who am I without my depression and anxiety? A child of God full of hope, joy, trust, and the love of Christ. 
Two years ago, I wanted to end my life. This past weekend, y’all gave me the opportunity to share the hope and joy that Christ has given me so maybe my story can be used to change the lives of so many other young adults and parents.  
I am human and I still struggle, but I will never forget where my hope is, and I am completely free from the bondage of depression, anxiety, drugs, and alcohol. 

A few months ago, I knew it was time to do another steps appointment. I was approached and asked to pilot a new steps book that was a “GenFree” edition. I fell in LOVE with it. It added so much more that is so relevant to things happening in our world today that weren’t as prevalent before. The layout was so much easier to read and track along with. There were so many more resources in the back for even more freedom tools. After expressing my love for it, I got approached to be on the advisory team for more edits of the book. I was hesitant but ultimately said yes. And everything just took off from there. 
I got to meet Mellisa, Tammy, and the whole rest of the team and fell in love. Their heart for young adults just blows my mind. About a week after the first advisory team meeting, Tammy called me about the possibility of flying out to help film things for GenFree. I immediately said yes, then got off the phone and realized I had no way of paying for any of it. Before I had any time to even fear how I could make it possible, she called me right back saying it would all be covered and then gave me more details about what kinds of things would be filmed. 
There were so many ways I saw the Lord show up and ease any fear that maybe I wasn’t the right person for this. One way was that I was very fearful of the way my parents would react when I talked to them about having to film discussions about our parents. I didn’t want to do this without their consent. The Lord moved in their hearts in a way I was not expecting, and they were extremely supportive of whatever the Spirit moved me to say. The other way the Lord showed up was through all of you providing the financial support and way for me to go on the trip. Without y’all, it would not have been possible and there are no words that can express how thankful I am and what this past weekend truly meant to me. 
If I could use two words to describe the entire weekend, they would be prayer and love. I truly can’t express in words the blessing it was to be around such mighty prayer warriors and so many people that are so passionate about what the Lord is doing in young adults, specifically through this ministry. It makes me cry thinking about how genuinely loved and supported I felt the entire time by every single person. The weekend was filled with prayer, above all, and joy, a lot of laughter, tears, comfort, grace and so much love.  We all meshed instantly, and I now have beautiful friendships that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 
I believe the newer generations of young adults will change the world and I believe that God is inviting GenFree and everyone involved to be a part of that. Young adults are seeking freedom more than ever before. I serve in another young adult’s ministry and there is so much bondage and brokenness in young adults that is heartbreaking. I know that God is going to use GenFree to free so many young adults in the way He has for me and all of the other young adults y’all supported this past weekend. 
 Thank you so much for supporting the Pressley’s, the William’s, and the entire GenFree ministry. This weekend would not have been possible without y’all and I know that God is going to do incredible things with everything that was filmed over the weekend and the entire GenFree ministry. The work of the Lord has just begun in this ministry. 

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” – Romans 1:16 
“Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” - 2nd Corinthians 3:17