It’s been a week since you said goodbye to Philadelphia Youth Camp 2013. You will never have another camp experience quite like it. The group of 245 campers and staff was entirely unique. But now you’re home. The summer is almost over; the school year is about to start. Now what?

There is something, above all else, that you shouldn’t do. It’s a trap that one can easily fall into and it causes valuable lessons to go to waste. Campers, this is for you.

Don’t let down. Don’t fall back into your old rut.

Now that you’re home, don’t forget what you gained at pyc. The smiles, the laughter, the friendships, the lessons learned, the knowledge taught—cherish those memories and apply the lessons you learned from those experiences. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong always said that knowledge unapplied is of no value. The same can be said for camp. If you don’t use what you learned at camp, all it will be is a faint memory of an enjoyable summer. So what should you do?

Continue building the faith you developed at pyc. Remember all the answered prayers God granted? Not just for you, but for the other campers and workers as well. Take the weather, for instance. Did you know that the weather this pyc averaged 10 degrees Fahrenheit lower than last summer? This year was the second wettest July on record. July 15, 2013, was 22 degrees cooler than July 15, 2012! Last summer, Oklahoma broke many state records for temperatures in the triple digits. Yet this year, while most of the nation suffers in a drought, God blessed His summer camp with mild weather and cool summer rain. I have attended the last nine summer camps and not one of them was as mild as it was this year.

What about the new revelation God inspired Mr. Flurry to deliver duringpyc. That’s how much our heavenly Father cares about you teens—He wanted you to hear it first!

Keep those friendships you made at pyc going throughout the year. Of course, you’re not going to be able to keep in touch with every one of the 142 other teens at pyc this year, but don’t let those friendships simply drift away out of neglect. There are so many forms of instant communication available that weren’t available to our parents—it’s easier than ever to stay connected with your fellow teens. Set yourself a goal of how many people you are going to e-mail each week. Then schedule a time to sit down and do it—let’s be realistic, otherwise it probably won’t happen. You never know how you will connect with people further down the road—many of the students now at college first met each other at pyc.

Use pyc to propel yourself forward. The groundwork you laid at camp this year can have a profound impact on the rest of your life. A majority of ac students will tell you that one of, if not the, main thing that made them to want to apply to ac was their experience at pyc. Three weeks out of the year was all it took to convince them to apply. Some only came as a camper once. Others came up to five times. It was three weeks that gave them a taste of the exciting and abundant life we have the opportunity to experience as ac students. Three weeks gave them a vision of what they wanted in the future. Three weeks caused them to further commit to God’s way of life and choose to apply to His college.

Keep that exuberance you had on the last night at pyc alive. Work hard this next year to apply all you learned at camp and before you know it, you’ll be back in Edmond, ready to start pyc 2014.