Summer 2025 Events!
Camp Barnabas Team
Travel Logistics: https://storage2.snappages.site/P54VZN/assets/files/Camp-Barnabas-Travel-Logistics.pdf
SAT 11:15PM
Good evening parents! Travel went great—comrade great. After another easy driving leg today, the evening was packed with check-ins, orientations, supper, first taste of camp culture and the many fun/odd customs, counselor rally, worship, and prayerfully going through cabin packets and selecting campers to pair with for the week. I know the cabin I’m with spent a lot of time on this.
Our youth are excited to meet their campers tomorrow and I know for some at least, reading through youth care packets was a sobering eye-opener for the extensive care this week is going to require. No one is shying away from it (I suspect the boy’s cabin will not be getting much sleep this week because of the needs). Expectation bubbles are already stretching but not overwhelming our students. For instance, Parker, Anica, and Kelsey are paired with boy campers (along with Elijah and Connor’s cabin that I’m serving with). They won’t help with bathroom/shower care, but it’s still probably a different picture than they imagined for their week. Our boys’ paid cabin staff are even overwhelmed at the physical and behavioral needs assigned this week, and they’ve been at it all summer. We have a lot of training ahead of us tomorrow before campers arrive and then we’re off and running into whatever God has for us. I will have a better pulse on the other groups tomorrow. I know besides Katie on med team, the others are together. Telilie and Maddie, and Lyza and Ella A were some of the final teams in the all-camp game at rally, which was fun.
Margins to communicate updates throughout the week will be limited to the 11pm-12am window for me—probably brief and poorly edited :)
MON 8PM
Today was our first full day with campers. Finishing up the Barnival Party about 50 yards away. Honestly, I’ve been doing more support for youth outside our youth group today than in. Because some are overwhelmed and drowning, but our students are kill’n it today (not that it’s easy). Even the ones being stretched the most have a great awareness and mindset about it! I did hear behavioral staff complaining to our staff cabin counselors on the side about our kids when no one was around though: “This is no fun this week! I wanted to hangout with “camper” again but can’t this year because you paired them with a missionary who is too good! For real, they don’t even need me….(camper) loves him.”
And Ant is doing a little better today but still a lot of lows, and each youth is doing well loving and leading their camper. Keep praying! This week is a marathon, not a sprint, so our youth need to keep their hearts pointed where they are right now even when the emotional and physical energy tanks drain a little this week. The campers begun hearing about a God who loves them today, and about His kingdom. And then they get to be loved on in tangible ways in every way we can think to in between those messages. Pray the Spirit opens hearts this week.
TUES 10:45PM
It’s tough to describe today without stepping on the stories our students will want to tell, so I won’t. Just know it was a really good day.
Keep praying for strength, compassion, and open hearts to the brief God conversations our students are intentionally pursuing throughout each day. God’s at work and I can feel this trip covered in prayer. Our team is doing well, not just with the ministry work, but also emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. Fun team note, it was Elijah’s 16th birthday today and he is awesome! We are so grateful for him and that he decided to spend his special day serving with us :)
WED 2:40PM
One of the things I’ve most been grateful about this team that God has put together is their genuine humility. It’s common on youth mission trips to glean a spiritual pride like “I’m really doing some good stuff here.” But this team is genuinely grateful for the work God has before them. It’s not, “God/camp/camper gets to have me this week” but rather “I’m so grateful I get to be a part of this ministry and this camper’s life this week—what an honor!” We had a team meeting yesterday just to check-in because Tues-Wed stretch can hit the hardest. Our kids were very tired but would light up talking about their camper. Everyone is a little tired, but sentiment over campers captured in a few comments:
“Yeah, I’m tired, but only away from my camper. Being with him energizes me” (everyone agrees)
-Parker
and
“Yeah, I’m tired too but I don’t even like need or want these breaks, because I just miss her whenever we’re not together”
-Ahmarah
Keep praying, the compass of these kids’ hearts are still pointing true! We plant and water and God does the growing. And the kids are right, how awesome that we get to be a part of this!
Travel Logistics: https://storage2.snappages.site/P54VZN/assets/files/Camp-Barnabas-Travel-Logistics.pdf
SAT 11:15PM
Good evening parents! Travel went great—comrade great. After another easy driving leg today, the evening was packed with check-ins, orientations, supper, first taste of camp culture and the many fun/odd customs, counselor rally, worship, and prayerfully going through cabin packets and selecting campers to pair with for the week. I know the cabin I’m with spent a lot of time on this.
Our youth are excited to meet their campers tomorrow and I know for some at least, reading through youth care packets was a sobering eye-opener for the extensive care this week is going to require. No one is shying away from it (I suspect the boy’s cabin will not be getting much sleep this week because of the needs). Expectation bubbles are already stretching but not overwhelming our students. For instance, Parker, Anica, and Kelsey are paired with boy campers (along with Elijah and Connor’s cabin that I’m serving with). They won’t help with bathroom/shower care, but it’s still probably a different picture than they imagined for their week. Our boys’ paid cabin staff are even overwhelmed at the physical and behavioral needs assigned this week, and they’ve been at it all summer. We have a lot of training ahead of us tomorrow before campers arrive and then we’re off and running into whatever God has for us. I will have a better pulse on the other groups tomorrow. I know besides Katie on med team, the others are together. Telilie and Maddie, and Lyza and Ella A were some of the final teams in the all-camp game at rally, which was fun.
Margins to communicate updates throughout the week will be limited to the 11pm-12am window for me—probably brief and poorly edited :)
We’re grateful and expectant and trying to grab some good rest to be at our best tomorrow
SUN 11PM
Today was camper arrival day! All the boredom of training and most of the nerves disappeared when we finally got to welcome campers and parents. I don’t want to steal our kids’ stories before they get to share, but it was a very good day—high energy, campers loved on and the center of attention, a pool party to break the ice, and the behaviors and the care plans that pop on paper faded into the background behind the light and joy these campers carry.
Below are our youth counselor-camper pairings for the week, so you can be praying for them by name now! Pray especially for our campers as they spend their first night away from home, family, and all their familiar routines—and their parents, who are naturally anxious too. Pray for “Ant” as he is non-verbal and pretty sad adjusting today. He is so blessed to be paired with Anica who’s got such a sweet heart caring for him through it—but that’s heavy, so pray for her too, even though she is carrying it SO well!
Connor-Arlo Elijah-Kaleb
Anica-Antoine Kelsey-Zane
Parker-Jonah Ella A-Desmond
Lyza-Mikeala Ahmara-Catherine
Telilie-Amelia Ella S-Mabel
Maddie-Ramsey
Today was camper arrival day! All the boredom of training and most of the nerves disappeared when we finally got to welcome campers and parents. I don’t want to steal our kids’ stories before they get to share, but it was a very good day—high energy, campers loved on and the center of attention, a pool party to break the ice, and the behaviors and the care plans that pop on paper faded into the background behind the light and joy these campers carry.
Below are our youth counselor-camper pairings for the week, so you can be praying for them by name now! Pray especially for our campers as they spend their first night away from home, family, and all their familiar routines—and their parents, who are naturally anxious too. Pray for “Ant” as he is non-verbal and pretty sad adjusting today. He is so blessed to be paired with Anica who’s got such a sweet heart caring for him through it—but that’s heavy, so pray for her too, even though she is carrying it SO well!
Connor-Arlo Elijah-Kaleb
Anica-Antoine Kelsey-Zane
Parker-Jonah Ella A-Desmond
Lyza-Mikeala Ahmara-Catherine
Telilie-Amelia Ella S-Mabel
Maddie-Ramsey
….I want to give some funny or precious moments snapshots but you’ll have to wait to hear from the youth! :)
MON 8PM
Today was our first full day with campers. Finishing up the Barnival Party about 50 yards away. Honestly, I’ve been doing more support for youth outside our youth group today than in. Because some are overwhelmed and drowning, but our students are kill’n it today (not that it’s easy). Even the ones being stretched the most have a great awareness and mindset about it! I did hear behavioral staff complaining to our staff cabin counselors on the side about our kids when no one was around though: “This is no fun this week! I wanted to hangout with “camper” again but can’t this year because you paired them with a missionary who is too good! For real, they don’t even need me….(camper) loves him.”
And Ant is doing a little better today but still a lot of lows, and each youth is doing well loving and leading their camper. Keep praying! This week is a marathon, not a sprint, so our youth need to keep their hearts pointed where they are right now even when the emotional and physical energy tanks drain a little this week. The campers begun hearing about a God who loves them today, and about His kingdom. And then they get to be loved on in tangible ways in every way we can think to in between those messages. Pray the Spirit opens hearts this week.
TUES 10:45PM
It’s tough to describe today without stepping on the stories our students will want to tell, so I won’t. Just know it was a really good day.
Keep praying for strength, compassion, and open hearts to the brief God conversations our students are intentionally pursuing throughout each day. God’s at work and I can feel this trip covered in prayer. Our team is doing well, not just with the ministry work, but also emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. Fun team note, it was Elijah’s 16th birthday today and he is awesome! We are so grateful for him and that he decided to spend his special day serving with us :)
WED 2:40PM
One of the things I’ve most been grateful about this team that God has put together is their genuine humility. It’s common on youth mission trips to glean a spiritual pride like “I’m really doing some good stuff here.” But this team is genuinely grateful for the work God has before them. It’s not, “God/camp/camper gets to have me this week” but rather “I’m so grateful I get to be a part of this ministry and this camper’s life this week—what an honor!” We had a team meeting yesterday just to check-in because Tues-Wed stretch can hit the hardest. Our kids were very tired but would light up talking about their camper. Everyone is a little tired, but sentiment over campers captured in a few comments:
“Yeah, I’m tired, but only away from my camper. Being with him energizes me” (everyone agrees)
-Parker
and
“Yeah, I’m tired too but I don’t even like need or want these breaks, because I just miss her whenever we’re not together”
-Ahmarah
Keep praying, the compass of these kids’ hearts are still pointing true! We plant and water and God does the growing. And the kids are right, how awesome that we get to be a part of this!
THURS 11:45PM
This is the last Barnabas update here. We’ll depart camp just before noon tomorrow. We’ve got morning routines (usually quite a circus for cabins), breakfast, packing, and greeting parents before closing ceremonies. Then, we journey 3 hours to Worlds of Fun, and am guessing a long van nap will sustain an evening of fellowship+adrenaline before stopping in St Joseph, MO for the night. Last stretch toward home on Sat.
Students are tired and grateful, but also seem relieved that the finish line is in reach—they really poured themselves out this week and didn’t save reserves. For the boys (and three girls), tonight’s quick cabin meeting turned into everyone sharing their testimonies —most nervously for the first time. It was a sweet time to close out a sweet week and trust God closed out the others well too. Earlier today our youth shared the Gospel individually with their campers. What becomes of those planted and watered seeds are out of our hands but not out of our prayers. Praying for this week of camp to have eternal ripples according to God’s will, and for His glory—in our campers and in us. I’m wired to want to bridge our experience here immediately to the many “what now life applications” but I trust God’s communicating that in hearts better than I can, so I won’t sermonize this experience right now. Thanks for sending us, and covering us in prayer!
Students are tired and grateful, but also seem relieved that the finish line is in reach—they really poured themselves out this week and didn’t save reserves. For the boys (and three girls), tonight’s quick cabin meeting turned into everyone sharing their testimonies —most nervously for the first time. It was a sweet time to close out a sweet week and trust God closed out the others well too. Earlier today our youth shared the Gospel individually with their campers. What becomes of those planted and watered seeds are out of our hands but not out of our prayers. Praying for this week of camp to have eternal ripples according to God’s will, and for His glory—in our campers and in us. I’m wired to want to bridge our experience here immediately to the many “what now life applications” but I trust God’s communicating that in hearts better than I can, so I won’t sermonize this experience right now. Thanks for sending us, and covering us in prayer!
