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Driven by performance and numbed by addiction, a doctor encountered the real Jesus in his lowest moment. That encounter reshaped his life, and today, he’s leading Youth for Christ — a movement to reach youth across Australia with the hope of the gospel.

If you had told me a few years ago that I’d be leading Youth for Christ Australia, I probably would have laughed, or cried. Back then, I was working as a doctor, outwardly successful but inwardly spiralling.

I grew up in a Christian home and had a sense of God from an early age. But by the time I entered medical school, I had become deeply anxious, driven, and obsessed with achievement. I believed I had to prove my worth — through grades, performance, and eventually, through my career in medicine.

When the anxiety became overwhelming, I turned to coping strategies that only deepened the problem. Alcohol and prescription drugs dulled the pain, but they couldn’t heal the deeper wound. I was living a double life. High-performing on the outside, but numbing myself to survive.

In the middle of that mess, Jesus found me. Not the Jesus I’d known in theory growing up, but the real, living Christ who met me in my brokenness. He didn’t shame me. He embraced me. He opened my eyes to the truth that I didn’t have to earn love – I already had it in Him.

“I know what it’s like to be young, lost, searching for meaning and in desperate need of Jesus.”

That encounter changed everything. I walked away from medicine, not because it wasn’t valuable, but because I knew God was calling me to something else: to share the hope I’d found with the next generation.

Today, as I step into the role of National Director for Youth for Christ Australia, that calling burns brighter than ever.

With my family. I’m so grateful to have you standing with us on mission to the youth of Australia.

The Future with Youth for Christ

I’m also a husband and dad to three young children, and I carry this mission not just as a ministry leader but more personally as a father who longs to see my own children live for Jesus. I want them to grow up witnessing real-life examples of Christians who are willing to lay everything down and pay any price to take the gospel to the world.

We are on a mission to reach young people across this nation with the love and freedom only Jesus offers. It’s not easy ground, but it’s crucial. I know what it’s like to be young, lost, searching for meaning and in desperate need of Jesus.

Thank you for standing with us in this mission. Your partnership means that stories like mine aren’t rare. They’re multiplying.

Together, we’re seeing Jesus rewrite lives — one young person at a time.

Editor’s Note: Cindy McGarvie is stepping down as National Director of Youth for Christ Australia after ten years of impactful leadership. During her tenure, McGarvie championed bold cultural engagement, authored influential works like Lost Boys, and mentored her successor, Dr Paul Bedwell. She will continue writing and speaking on issues affecting the church and youth. Read more here.