As parents, we want our kiddos to experience the things that change their lives… change their perspective… change their hearts. When we see them go through hard situations, we know it’s worth it, so we listen and cheer them through it all. We might not warn them that a certain decision could lead to a tough road because we know it will grow them. 

And then there are the situations, the opportunities, where we actually send the link to them and say, “This WILL be hard, and it WILL be the best and most fruitful (and fun) thing you might ever do.” 

We send them the link to be a Coach at T Bar M. 

We send it to them because, at one point in our younger life, we clicked on the link (or filled out the pink or blue application), sat in an interview, and signed up for a summer of serving that continues to shape the life we live now. We learned what hard work is. We learned how to resolve conflict. We learned to fully depend on the Lord. We learned how to share our faith. We learned that the Christian life is fun. We learned that community is how we should live. 

And that is why we send our kids this link and cheer them on to take a summer that will change their lives… their perspective… their hearts. 

Over 10% of our Coaches and Work Crew were sons and daughters of YOU, our Alumni. The T Bar M family is growing, and we love it! 

Don’t just take my word for it… listen to other Alumni… and then send this link to your college kid and your high school student. We would love to talk to them about a summer that will change their life, too! 

“For one thing, it was a blessing to know that my son saw the importance of pouring Jesus into kids and recognized the opportunity to “join the labor” (John 4:34-38), just as other coaches had poured into him as a camper. But, as an alumni coach myself, the blessing of us having this shared experience some twenty-something years apart is absolute gravy!” — April Roche 

“Having served as a Coach, it was one of the most rewarding and challenging things I did as a college student… All four of our kids have served as a Coach in the different camps. It has been a blessing to see how they have leaned into the Lord and how the Lord has faithfully guided them through it. They have all grown in different ways through their camp experiences. Does it get any better than that?” — Carey Littleton 

“John serving as a coach has been both nostalgic (as a former coach) and a joy for his mom and me. It has been humbling and encouraging to watch his faith in the Lord grow and to see the strong relationships built with campers and other coaches.” —  Tommy Connell 

“She has been challenged to live out her faith in real time when she’s tired or grumpy, or on fire and energetic. Being with people and doing the Lord’s work 24/7 is not real life for most people, but at Camp, she gets to the end of what she is capable of doing on her own quickly, and then gets to see how God can do more than she thought possible and use her to do it!” — Megan Voskamp 

"I am glad my daughter served as a coach because the experience helped her clarify and grow in her spiritual gifting. Being independent of her parents, coaching created an opportunity to be challenged, selfless, and critically think in ways God designed her for." — Justin VanNorman