Breakfast Club

On Sunday, June 1st, our Young Life trip to Timber Wolf Lake started like any other trip to camp: in a parking lot.  Maya, our girl leader for the trip, and I parked our cars as we eagerly waited for our high school friends to show up and for us to begin the process of trying to fit all of the luggage into the car.  We had kids who showed up with a single drawstring bag of their belongings, while others toted a full-size suitcase and everything in between.  Before we piled into the vans (we didn’t have a single seat available), we did what we always do: we took a group picture, circled up, and prayed over our trip.  Annika sent the picture to a few group texts, and one of them responded with a text along the lines of “that’s an interesting mix of kids.”  To which I responded, “We are the breakfast club of campers," which got a few laughs.  The more I reflect on the week, the more I see that theme in our trip…

If you aren’t familiar with the Breakfast Club, it’s a film from the mid-80s that has 5 kids serving a Saturday detention together. They are a very eclectic group of teens who have very little to no relationship with one another heading into the movie.  The movie starts with a question and an observation of how the principal views them.  The question asked is, “Who do you think you are?”  This is a very important question, but it’s not asked from a place of curiosity and grace. Rather, it is said with judgment and a stern voice.  The kids realize this and answer the way the principal sees them,

 a brain...

...and an athlete...

...and a basket case...

...a princess...

...and a criminal.

Each of our kids walked into the week with a label on them of what the world called them, and if we are being honest, what we as adults call them.  Each of them is walking around with hurt from adults who have labeled them in ways that either aren’t true or don’t tell the full story.

Like the movie, our camp trip didn’t start out super smooth or perfect by any means.  We had one kid who wanted to go home within the first few hours of being at camp, we had a micro-aggressive racist comment made towards a few of our guys, and we had another kid claim he was bored.  As the leader of the trip, it was tough.  I worked so hard all year to get these kids on the trip, and I wanted them all to have an unforgettable and life-changing week.  

We were on the Blue Team. We won in DOMINANT fashion!

The next morning, I headed to the leader's lounge with a coffee in hand. During my devotions, I started to read 1 Kings, which might be a bit odd at first glance, but the Lord knew it was what I needed.  It was about King Solomon and how he asked for wisdom.  It was telling of his heart at the time; he knew wisdom came from God, and he was humble enough to request God's help. That morning, I asked the Lord for wisdom on how to best walk with and help the kids because I knew only He could turn the week around.

Throughout the week, the Head Leaders gave us an opportunity to write down our prayer requests each day. I could feel our prayers being answered as our campers turned from disengaged to slowly engaging more and more into camp, club, activities, and most importantly, relationships with one another and Jesus.  

It was a beautiful thing to have a front-row seat as the kids gradually grew—both together and individually—as the week went on. In cabin time, the kids didn’t shy away from hard conversations. We talked about the pain of having a parent incarcerated, and one honest admission was immediately met with a quiet and heartfelt, “me too.” Later, when someone shared about the struggles of growing up with divorced or absent parents, it was met with a chorus of “me too’s.” And as questions about life and faith started to surface, they were met with empathy—“yeah, I’ve wondered about that too.”  

Camp is a space to process what is really going on in life, without all of the distractions (no phones!), and to recognize all the labels that you may be letting define you. It’s also a place for the kid who wanted to go home on night one, say to the entire group two nights later, “That was the most fun I have had in a long time.” This was after a night of learning to square dance, and he is the LAST person you would expect to have even given it a try, and even he would admit to that!  It's also waiting on one kid to say goodbye to his new friends when you are all loaded up and ready to go, but you are happy to wait because he was the one who said he was bored, and now he doesn’t want to leave.  As he gets into the van, he says with tears in his eyes, “That was the best week of my life.”

One camper put it, “This week at camp was more than just a getaway—it was a turning point. I’ve rekindled my relationship with Jesus in a way that feels real, personal, and full of grace.”  Another said, “I am thankful for having the opportunity to grow through Christ and having the opportunity to meet others with similar struggles.”

That’s the beauty of Young Life camp:

The acceptance that comes from being seen.

The revelation that comes from vulnerability.

The connection that comes from authentic community.

The freedom that comes from being in creation, removed from distractions.

The power of the holiness of God on display; when the world tries to define you by a single word, God reminds you of the truth - that you are created and loved by Him, and that is the only label that needs to stick.