CL – On the way home …
“Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
John 13:1
Don’t quit loving your campers just because camp is over.
That seems like an obvious statement, but the temptation will be great to check out the minute the bus leaves the property. It will have been a long week with little sleep and you will be ready for a break. Ask God for supernatural strength to live as Jesus did and “love them to the end”.
- Keep talking with campers. Look for opportunities on the bus to continue conversations you started at camp. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He will be working in the hearts of young people. Many campers meet Christ on the bus ride home or in the days immediately following camp.
- Just a note. Consider talking with campers from other cabins on the bus. Sometimes hearing an old question from a new face is all a young person needs to feel the freedom to make the commitment to Christ. Don’t miss an opportunity to lead a friend to Christ just because he or she didn’t sleep in your cabin all week.
- Finalise Follow Up. Make announcements about meetings for new believers and camp reunions as well. Some areas hand out flyers as the campers get off the bus that announces the time and place of the first group gathering.
- Car Park Pointers. The car park is simply one more altar you are privileged to sacrifice yourself on this week! Remember to:
- greet parents
- help unload luggage
- gather lost and found items and try to reunite these items with their owners
- help clean the bus
- thank the bus driver
- don’t leave until your last camper has been picked up
What one leader did!
I watched Renee, one of our leaders, get on the bus with several full shopping bags. We would soon be leaving camp for home. Our week at camp had wearied all of us. While I was looking for a good seat to catch up on a week’s worth of lost sleep, Renee sat alone in her seat with the light on into the night, intently writing. The next day she sat with each of the girls from her cabin. To each one she gave a present she had thoughtfully picked out for them at the camp store. In addition, she gave each of the girls a personalised note sharing her love for them and affirming the positive things she had seen, heard and learned from them that week. After a very warm conversation, she would pray for each one of them and set up a time to get together with them when they returned home.
When we get home …
One of the most important parts of camp is the first week back home. Young people experience a culture shock of sorts and will need you to help them process the transition. Young people who come to Christ will be vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks and will need you to help stand guard. In light of your critical role in your campers’ lives at this time, please strongly consider:
- Contacting your campers within the first 24 hours of being home
- Meeting with your campers individually within the week
- Meeting with the entire cabin within the week
- Establishing with new believers a plan for follow-up over the first few weeks
- Taking new believers to church with you if they have no church home
- Talking to the youth minister of any church-attending young person you took to camp about any spiritual growth the young person experienced at camp (if appropriate to do so – always talk to your camper first!)
Mike Ashburn shares the importance of having one on one conversations on camp, and shares the importance of following through on the promises made at camp.
When we REALLY get home …
That is, when you actually walk through the front door of your house … be kind to the people who live there with you. You’ve had a hard week, but chances are they did too. And they probably didn’t get to go wake boarding and eat dessert three times a day! Just a gentle reminder that putting others first for the sake of Christ is not simply a camp activity. It is the way we are meant to live.
So when you get home, firstly put others first, then find yourself a place to take a nap.
On The Way Home
Further Reading: Short Sheets for Cabin Leaders #14 – #18
