“What happens at camp stays at camp.” Many of us remember this adage from our own youth camp experiences. Students in a camp environment feel a freedom outside their usual surroundings to reach out, try unfamiliar things, or be open to God and others in new ways before struggling to maintain their resolve upon returning home.
Yet we hope our youth will do just the opposite as they reflect on their time this summer at Passport Missions in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and bring all they learned and experienced back with them.
In addition to all the familiar rhythms of camp, our students were mixed in groups with other churches to engage in service each afternoon. Geoff, Dudley, and Andrew helped clean a homeless shelter on Tuesday before aiding with Habitat for Humanity the rest of the week. Amber, Marlow, and Sterling sorted clothing to help resettled refugees. Hallie and Nick rolled up their sleeves at a farm focused on restorative climate practices. Paul and Vaughn worked with an organization providing inclusion and support for intellectual and developmental disabilities. Madeleine and Ann Arrington spent time at a local retirement community. Jimmy, Benjamin, Thomas, and Cole served at a farm-based enrichment center. Through it all, Passport’s thoughtful approach to missions helped them consider their actions in Virginia and beyond.
Our youth made a difference in Harrisonburg while also experiencing growth in their own lives, better preparing them for a lifetime of Christlike service and also leading to our reboot of the annual youth mission trip in 2027. Please contact Geoff Davidson, our Associate Pastor for Students, for more information on our youth’s mission efforts and how you can be involved, or use this link to purchase this year’s hospitality-themed youth shirt by July 22. And most importantly, join us in prayer as God calls our students forward in their faith.
