August 2025
The Messenger
Passport Youth Camp 2025: Wide Open Spaces During the week of July 14-18th, our youth had a fun week at Passport Missions in Harrisonburg, VA! We stayed at Eastern Mennonite University and enjoyed the mountain scenery of the area while we worshipped, learned, served, and played. Our theme for Passport Missions this year was Wide Open Spaces where we learned about Spaces to Welcome, to Wonder, to Act, and to Dance. In the mornings, our youth would attend Bible study with youth from other churches learning about each of these themes and how they can apply them to their daily lives. Then in the afternoons, with their Bible Study group, they served at various mission sites in the Harrisonburg community. Our mission sites ranged from weed pulling at a retirement home to sorting fresh food at a food pantry to farm work to sitting around a lunch table to learn from and fellowship with veterans.
Throughout the week we had lots of play and fun as we celebrated a birthday, sang and played piano in the Variety Show, danced in neon at the Dance Party, and played in the volleyball tournament. Our youth also participated in worship through interpretative dance and by reading the Verse of the Day and praying. At the end of our trip on the way home, we stopped at Luray Caverns to marvel and appreciate God’s beautiful creation in the Shenandoah Mountains. It was a perfect ending to our week of growing in the wonder of God and God’s creation around us. Thanks be to God for Passport and for Wide Open Spaces where our youth are always fully welcomed and loved.
Passport is a wonderful experience. I love being able to do mission work and make an impact on my community. I also really love being able to bond and connect with my church throughout the week. -Ava Langlois, Graduated Senior