Each August, the Japan Baptist Union holds a camp for youth and young adults from across Japan. For the second year in a row, we took a group from Tohoku, the region where I serve, to Osaka for a week of camp, fellowship, and sightseeing.

This year’s theme was 「われにカエル、かみにカエル、いきカエル」—ware ni kaeru, kami ni kaeru, ikikaeru. This playful Japanese phrase points to three closely connected ideas—coming to our senses, returning to God, and returning to life. Through the story of the prodigal son, we were invited to step away from the distractions of school, work, and the stresses of daily life. Camp gave us space to pray and worship together, share our testimonies, and be renewed in God’s presence.

Throughout the week, we explored this theme together: What does it mean to recognize our need for God, turn back toward him, and receive new life?

This theme also shaped the message I was honored to share during worship on the first morning. Reflecting on Isaiah 40, I focused on the promise that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” Sometimes we become weary. We keep going through our responsibilities while feeling as though we are running on empty. Like the prodigal son, we need to come to our senses and return to God.

Yet our hope is not found in our own ability to make ourselves strong again. It is God who renews us and returns us to life. God meets us in our exhaustion, carries us in our weakness, and gives us what we need to continue following him.

The week was a joyful and encouraging time. One of my favorite parts of youth camp is watching young people become excited about making Christian friends. In Japan, young Christians may have few (or even no) other believers their age in their schools, workplaces, or local churches. Camp offers a rare opportunity for them to discover that they are not alone. They can form friendships, encourage one another, and grow more interested in what it means to follow Jesus Christ.

Please continue to pray for the youth of Japan. Pray that they will know they are deeply loved by God, that they will find faithful friends who will encourage them in their faith, and that they will return to God again and again as the source of their life and strength.

May God raise up a new generation of faithful followers of Christ!