Who turns away volunteers?

Why do thousands of young people give up a month of their summer to go volunteer long days in a place far from home?   This summer I had a chance to work with kids who did just that. Highschoolers & college students from across the country left their homes, jobs, and friends to serve at Young Life camps.  Click here to find out why Young Life literally has waiting lists of young people wanting to volunteer.

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Young Life camps promise to give campers the best week of their lives and have strategically designed all of their summer camps to be 5 star resorts for teens.  Kids at Young Life camp stay in deluxe accommodations, are served delicious food by wait staff, are catered to through a variety activities, and get a chance to hear about Jesus.  The high standards of excellence at Young Life camp require a large staff to attend to all the details.  In order to keep camp affordable for kids, Young Life depends on an army of volunteers  to keep things running. At Washington Family Ranch Creekside, the camp where the Routons and Vorons served, there were over 100 volunteering for the month.. The volunteers comprised of 44 highschoolers (work crew), 42 college students (summer staff), and 15 people post college age serving on assignment team.

Large numbers of these volunteers came to faith through Young Life or had powerful experiences in Young Life, which helped them to grow in their faith. Coming to Creekside this summer showed how these people desired to growing in their faith more than making money or hanging out with friends and family.  

This summer I served on assignment team, as a work crew boss, overseeing highschoolers.  Work crew is broken into smaller teams and they do things like: wash dishes, clean bathrooms, do laundry, landscape, and serve meals. Summer staffers, or the college age students, prepare the food, serve as life guards, facilitate the high ropes course, lead camp games and activities, and much more. These volunteer leaders come to camp to serve but leave camp changed as they are pushed to the end of their natural strength and then have to depend on God. 

In addition to serving campers, volunteers meet together in small groups for devotions and sharing times, meet one-on-one with mentors, and came together for worship services.  Everyday we all had a chance to read the Bible and journal and have a personal devotional time with God.  

This summer we had 6 former MEHS or SHS students serve at YL camps.  

Here is a little from their experiences: 

"After working at camp I am free to feel emotions again." - Dolena Fox from Kipnuk, AK.  Growing up in a small village Dolena experienced grief and loss at an early age and admitted that the tragedies left her just feeling numb. God worked in Dolena while she was serving and helped bring a healing to her where she can now feel emotions again. "Even if they are unpleasant emotions, it is still good to be able to feel them again."  This fall Dolena plans to go on to YL staff in Bethel, where she lives now with her family. 

I had a chance to work along side of Isaiah from Savoonga and Shawn from Quihhagak. It was truly awesome to watch and see as Isaiah's whole demeanor and countenance change as God freed him from shame and anger.  After camp Shawn summed up his experience at camp into one sentence.  "It was amazing experiencing God at camp, along with everyone who loved God," He said "it was not only great, but was one of the best experiences I have ever had."

If you ever have a chance to go experience a Young Life camp,- Jump On It!