‘Let my soul cry out, You’re the one I want/ Living God it’s You’. Do you remember the chorus of Emmanuel Worship’s anthem ‘Cry Out’ echoing through the Kirkwood Hall of QCCC Mapleton throughout Summer Camp 2024? With over 200 young people coming together from January 11 – 14 to praise, what better place is there on earth to witness Jesus working in yourself and those around you?

Often experiences like Summer Camp are called ‘mountain top’ experiences. A time where you can get away for 4 days and get different perspective…a bit like looking down from a mountain. These experiences are places where you can feel completely free to be yourself, hang out with others and just enjoy the space without fear of being judged. It’s a place where you can leave behind anything and anyone that might be stopping you from expressing yourself and explore what this whole faith thing means to you. But unfortunately (I know), these experiences can’t last forever; we are called to ‘come down’ from these mountain top experiences and share our amazing God and His Good News with those who don’t know it back in our regular lives. The Bible is filled with stories of followers of God throughout the ages being commissioned to go out into the world and spread the goodness of God.

And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to all of creation’ – Mark 16:15

What an encouragement! Although it might be scary to go back to ‘real life’ - friends, family, teammates, or co-workers who may not understand the experiences you’ve had here at Summer Camp, you can rest assured knowing that Jesus has got your back and that any word used to glorify Him will be blessed.

Nonetheless, navigating the valley after coming down from this mountain can be tricky. Here are 3 helpful tips to help you bring Jesus into every part of your life, to make sure that your incredible experiences of Him at Summer Camp don’t just get left back in Mapleton but help you to return back to your normal life with Jesus at the centre.

1. Daily connection

Daily connection definitely doesn’t just mean that you need to allocate 2-3 hours a day in adoration, journaling, saying a rosary and reading the entire Bible. Whether you fully understand it or not, Jesus is someone that you can speak to as one of your friends. He wants a relationship with you because He loves you. My favourite way of staying connected to Jesus is to just sit and talk to him every day. Some days you might have a lot more time where you can sit and read the Bible and maybe do some journaling. Other days may look like listening to some worship music on the bus or train on your way to school, just taking those few minutes to invite Jesus into your day. Regardless, Jesus loves you and wants to be in relationship with You, so any time that you give to Him is time well spent!

2. Find community

As I mentioned before, one of the best parts about camps like Summer Camp are the people around, both old and new, who you get to meet and spend time with. What a blessing it is to meet these people and hear about how Jesus works in their lives! Finding community upon your return down the mountain is a really key way to make sure you keep God at the centre of your life. Maybe that looks like heading to a youth group near you, where you have a constant connection with other people your age who are going through the same thing and asking the same questions, led by leaders who have gone through the experiences before and are there to guide you in the right direction. Community is so important to continue to bring Jesus into your life every single day and is a great way to see the way Jesus works in the people around you, too! Ignite High’s Summer Camp reunion will be held at 7pm on February 9th, 2024, at Emmanuel City Mission. Check our socials for more details.

3. Trust in the amazing plan that God has for your life

High school is not always easy. From awkward friendship breakups to hard decisions about subject selection, from parents constantly on you about getting your homework done to that one teacher who just won’t get off your back – it’s not exactly the most fun place to be 100% of the time. Through all of these hardships I really want to encourage you to pause, take a deep breath, and think about what aligns with your faith. Listen to your heart, because in my experience I have found that it often aligns with where Jesus is calling me in my life – maybe this is the case for you too?  You are not alone and God is always for you.

Whether you believe it wholeheartedly or not, Jesus loves you. He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to invite him into the parts of your life that maybe you’re afraid of; the decisions that can have a big impact on who you are, and who you’re becoming. With these big decisions in your life, I can say with certainty that the decision of how big of a role you are going to let God play in your life is one of the biggest.

You are called to more. Philippians 3:14 says ‘I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus’ - there is a goal here friends!! We can reach the goal of fullness of life with Jesus. My final encouragement to you is to be bold in inviting Jesus into your life, and I can guarantee that He will take you on the wildest, greatest adventure of your life, bigger than you could ever imagine.

+ Jesus, I want to be close to You. Come into my heart and fill it with your love.

Thank you for the blessings that you put in my life every day; open my eyes to be able to see them clearly.

As I return down the mountain, be my guide as I navigate my life, no matter what might come up, and help me to trust in the incredible plan that You have for my life.

Amen