Need to create an EPIC Mystery Trip? Here’s a few quick thoughts…
DON’T prepare them too much. Let there be some mystery in the schedule. Plan a surprise one night that will blow everyone away, and do your best to keep it a total secret. Make it something they talk about to everyone when they get back (e.g., a crazy snack, memory, or the classic midnight dance party). Works every time.
DO prepare them for the return. What do we do to help youth manage the post-retreat high? How do we help kids land safely after an amazing retreat? I’ve found that treating an event as a launching pad is critical to helping students keep making forward progress once we return home. How could it look if we gave students a table of resources to choose from to keep growing as they got back in the van? We give out more resources at the end of camp/retreat/trips than any other time of the year.
DON’T over program the event. Leave some space in there. A common rookie mistake is to plan every second of a trip. God usually works in the unplanned moments and in the spaces we typically rush to fill. Take a second to look at the schedule and see what you can cut. If you don’t see the words free time fairly often, you may be missing an opportunity.
DO have lots of next-step options afterward. Never are students more willing to take another step forward in their spiritual maturity. After summer camp, we push them into life groups. After winter retreat, we give them a spiritual growth journal. After a mission trip, we help them prepare and tell their stories. Coming back from being out of town is a huge opportunity to help students grow!
