A Different Kind of Summer

The Summer of 2010 has held a new adventure for me and my family. As I spoke with a friend last week, I came to the realization that this will be the first summer since 1993 that I will not be participating in a youth trip. In 1994, I participated in my first ever youth camp in Pass Christian, Mississippi. I had a blast and couldn't wait for next year's trip. Over the next 16 years, I would change roles from student, to volunteer, to leader. During that time, I've participated in 14 youth camps, 12 national mission trips, 10 national mission trips, 2 graduate celebration trips, 7 ski trips, and 6 winter retreats. I'm thankful for every one them.

When I made the transition from student to volunteer, I learned an important lesson. It takes a lot of hard work to take a group of teenagers anywhere. For some reason, they want to be fed. My first volunteer job required me to fry bacon for breakfast one morning for our students at camp in Gulf Shores. The bacon wasn't a complete catastrophe, let's just say that it was extra crispy. These teenagers don't just need food, though. They also require supervision. On the same trip, my friends and I were put in charge of a bunkhouse full of 7th and 8th grade boys. At the end of the week, we had all survived, and our group of junior chaperones weren't even taken into custody! I didn't know it at the time, but God was doing something in me that would change the entire direction of my life.

I fell in love with those trips. I saw what God was doing in my life, and in the lives of the students that were involved in the camps, retreats, and mission trips. Through those experiences, I began to understand that He was calling me to serve Him in ministry. I got the opportunity to take my first group of students to camp in the summer of 2002. As it happened, I got to return to the same location in Pass Christian for a Centrifuge camp. I learned new lessons. The transition from volunteer to leader is almost as drastic as the transition from student to volunteer. There were details to worry about, but through the stress of planning and preparing, something important happened.

Over the course of that week, my students got to know me in a new and different way. We spent time together. Lots of time together. Ministry happened. I watched God move and work in my life, just as He was at work in the lives of my students. We grew closer together and our time at camp served as a springboard for the next year. It was hard work. It was tiring. It was good.

So, after countless miles of highway, late night pizza runs, and share times, I've got a summer off. Last week, the students at First Baptist Wetumpka spent a week on mission in Brunswick, Georgia with World Changers. I've already heard some good reports about the week. I knew that y'all would do a great job, and I'm proud to hear that you did. All of those camps, retreats, and mission trips have an important place in my heart, because I've grown through the lessons learned as a student, a volunteer, and a leader. So, here's my list of some of the most important lessons learned from those trips.

1) If you take teenagers anywhere, romance will ensue. Witness the courtship ritual of the teenage human: Here we see two males of the species, jockeying for position alongside a female. Their group of three is waiting in line for the Scream Machine, but alas, the seat only holds two! Watch the complex interplay as each places himself in the best possible spot to share seats with the object of his affection. Such behaviors include humor (telling jokes and/or stories that really aren't that funny), scent(in the form of copious amounts of Axe body spray), and feats of strength (In some cases, the male may not have any large object to pick up. In these instances, the male mostly stretches and flexes a lot). The winner of this competition may eventually move on to more advanced displays of courtship, such as buying the female a drink, becoming a constant ride partner, or buying matching souvenirs. At this point, the young couple will immediately declare their undying affection for each other, which will remain undying until one week after the trip.

2) There's a great divide between church bus youth groups and church van youth groups. Having taken groups in both vehicles, I applaud you church van groups. There's a special camraderie that develops amongst students after 12 hours of being stuffed into a church van with a semi-functional air conditioner and radio. Groups that have to suffer through trips on luxury charter buses with DVD players and bathrooms miss out on the experience of shared misery that is the van trip.

3) After you reach a certain age, an adult cannot subsist on fast food for more than a day or two. I used to laugh at adult chaperones that begged for green vegetables and fiber during a trip. Now I'm one of them. I think I'll celebrate by going home and yelling at some kids who are thinking about playing on my lawn.

4) The most complex social relationships in the entirety of humanity take place between a group of teenage girls of roughly the same age. Boy behavior is easy to understand. The machinations of the teen girl social order a wonder (terror?) to behold. When I realize that I'm married to a woman who successfully navigated such a structure to become an emotionally healthy adult, I filled with awe. (or terror?)

5) Certain songs are just meant for road trips. It's just not a youth trip without 43 kids singing Livin' on a Prayer at 4 a.m. On a trip to Chicago one summer, we heard Hey There, Delilah no less than 412 times.

6) There's value in taking time away from our regularly scheduled programming to spend focusing on our spiritual lives. I'm always amazed at how the most difficult student can have his priorities radically altered when he's taken away from his cell phone, XBox, laptop, and tv.

7) I've never been a part of a mission trip where I wasn't blessed more by the people that I served than I was able to bless them. In 2003, I took part in a mission trip to Tokyo, Japan. Part of our task was to work with the local churches on the ground and to encourage their members. As college students, we met with other students at one church and had a time of prayer together. I'll never forget the experience of joining with three Japanese students and praying for the needs in their lives. After I prayed for them, they asked me about the needs in my life. I can still remember the warm, firm touch of gentle hands holding mine and ministering God's love as they embraced me. They prayed passionately and with a power that I didn't see in my own infrequent hours of prayer. As the tears flowed, I knew that I had been in the presence of three people who knew God.

8) It's not about the location. I've taken groups to some of the most "fun" places I could imagine and had my folks complain about the circumstances the entirety of the trip. Conversely, I've taken the same groups to places that I thought would be completely miserable and seen them flourish.

9) After a long, hot day there are some simple pleasures that acquire a value beyond price. In 2008, our students were in South Lyon, Michigan serving alongside First Baptist Church. Most evenings, we would walk a few blocks down to the local ice cream shop and enjoy some time fellowshipping with each other and some of the folks we had met during our time at the church. On those late afternoons, the ice cream went from a cheap snack to a sublime treat.

10) Finally, the greatest lessons that I learned in all of the trips that I participated in is that God created us for relationship with Him and with each other. I don't remember many of the sermons that were preached or the songs that were sang. I can't remember all of the rides that we rode or the projects that we completed, but each memory that I have of each camp, each retreat, and each mission trip is punctuated by the memory of the folks who made it special. To all of the men and women who sacrificed their time, money, and energy to help take me on one of those trips, thank you. You've influenced me in a way that you can't begin to imagine. As I walked to the pulpit last night, I saw a familiar face walk into the auditorium. It was a dear friend who I first got to know when he was a chaperone and I was one of those knucklehead teenagers. He's been a source of encouragement to me since those days, and represents many who poured their life into mine. To the students that I had the joy to serve, thank you. Many of you are young adults now and are serving to minister to others, while others of you are preparing for the 8th grade. You're the ones who made the trips so special. This summer won't be the same, but I'm thankful that I can look back on the times that I've had both as a student and a leader, and smile for the memories shared with all of you.

If you've got a favorite memory from one of your own youth trips, share it in the comments section. Also, check out the video embedded below from our 2007 mission trip to Chicago.



and Part 2