Now that you are home from pyc, here are some things you can concentrate on to build on the foundation you established here:

1) Get your mind off of yourself. Think about the world today—where 50 million people have been displaced because of war, where tens of thousands are being slaughtered because of ethnic or religious differences, where passenger jets are being shot down, where women and children are being used as human shields. Then think about a new and better world. Lesson 53 of the Ambassador Bible Correspondence Course says: “How much of this present world’s population survives the coming holocaust and lives on into the World Tomorrow depends a great deal on the effectiveness of this present Work in reaching the world with the good news of God’s coming Kingdom—and on the number converted during this age who will be available to teach and serve those who survive!” Think about your part in the Work. The work of tomorrow depends on what you do today, so get your mind on that work. Get your mind off of yourself, and think about what you can give to someone else. That’s what God wants you to think about now that you are home from camp.

2) Draw closer to God and God’s Family. Grow up to be a family man or woman, spiritually, first and foremost. Draw closer to God in the way you pray. There is a tendency to let down when we go home. At camp, you were surrounded by so much positive reinforcement. Take that model with you, and be self-motivated at home. Get in your prayer first and your Bible study after that. Work to spend time with God’s Family, and this will help you grow and keep your mind off yourself.

3) Draw closer to your parents. How much do you appreciate what your parents have done for you? How thankful are you that you are in God’s Church because of their efforts? Otherwise, you would be plugged into Satan’s influences, completely unaware of the state of the world you live in. Make it a point to spend time with your parents—to love and appreciate your parents.

4) Develop your mind. The human body and mind is the greatest thing God can create out of matter! Use your mind. Develop it. Feed it with spiritual food, and then learn to work. Get out there and do something. You don’t know how long you are going to live or how long life will last in the flesh. Start getting ready for the spiritual realm—for rule in the universe.

5) Pay attention. The Bible says to watch; be observant of what is happening around you. Look at what God is doing. Pay attention in school, in Bible study and in Sabbath services. Listen to what the minister says in services; you’ll learn so much. It’s exciting to learn, and it’s exciting to have wisdom.

6) Push yourself. Push yourself to do things you don’t feel like doing or have been too lazy to do in the past—the things you know you need to do, not that you just want to do. Develop your mind, and build stronger bodies. Be more submissive and faithful to God’s authority and to your parents’ authority. Think about how much harder it would be if you were growing up in Afghanistan or Gaza—if your government were a bunch of thugs that surrounded a missile with innocent women and children just to cause an international outcry. Now we have leaders—who act like children—taking us in a dangerous direction. The border has been dissolved, and the military has been hollowed out. The debt is up to $19 trillion. Do you think your national leaders are telling you what you need to be a success? That is what you received at camp. What would it be like if you were a 13-year-old son of a Taliban commander in the hills of Afghanistan? Would you have gone to pyc? Eleven years ago, while we were filming a program in Israel, a 5-year-old walked by, smiled at us and said, “I hate the Jews.” Think about the environment he grew up in. You think your parents are imperfect? Think about living in that household. Think about how much you have been blessed in your home, and then appreciate and thank God for it. Now that you are home, be different. Shock your parents. Let them know: You’re different. This experience changed your life.

7) Come out of this world. If you do, God will receive you.