Awakening Young Hearts to Love

This generation of young people faces unique challenges on a daily basis.

They’re exposed to harsh realities of wars and rumors of war in real time, a rapidly shifting cultural understanding of truth, role models with varying morals and widespread uncertainty of the future, along with the common growing pains of transitioning into adulthood. So it’s not completely surprising that young hearts are bombarded by pain, unforgiveness, disappointment, and fear.

As teenagers try and cope with pain, they can often find themselves stuck in the mire of sin and sinfulness, resulting in further damage to their young hearts.

During the summer months, the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOPKC) provides a setting for young people to encounter hope and healing, instead of more pain and disappointment. In an environment of night-and-day prayer and worship, young people have the opportunity to encounter the Healer at our Awakening Teen Camp (ATC). This year our camps will take place in the months of June and July.

Awakening Teen Camp exists to see a generation awakened to the glory of Jesus. We are joyfully committed to connecting teenagers to a genuine relationship with the person of Christ. We believe that the Christian walk is one that flows from wholehearted love, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and is activated to see impact in the earth.

In 2015, Tatiana Teperino came to ATC with a desire to learn how to worship God with her guitar. What she didn’t know was that she would encounter Him during a night of teaching and prayer, an experience that left her crying tears of gratitude over what He had done.

“From that moment, I knew I was going to give my whole heart, soul, and mind, and just give Him my life,” Tatiana said. “I am so grateful for being able to come and feel God’s presence for the very first time.”

Tatiana said she desires to return to ATC this summer to learn how to grow as a musician, but what she learned during camp is that “[God] looks for a heart. So I look at worshiping God on the guitar in a whole different way. I am truly changed and excited to take a new step in this new chapter in my life. I can’t wait to see what else God has for me.”

Before Kylie Cumming came to ATC in 2015, she would definitely have called herself a Christian, but never really felt close to God.

“During one of the first worship times, someone was praying over me and I just felt filled up inside,” she said. “I could feel close to God, and I was sure of His love and my love for Him. This whole week, I have been so full of Him. I feel so alive and it is so satisfying, but I still want more! I am so thankful for ATC!”

ATC is broken into two camps—a Junior High camp for ages 12–14 and a High School camp for ages 14–18. Older campers who are between the ages of 14 and 18 have the opportunity to participate in our Worship Academy.

Every camper is led by a dedicated staff member, who devotes the summer to pouring into the next generation, while helping to make lifelong memories. Days are full of non-stop activity, including high-energy games; fun, biblical teaching; workshops; relational small group times; and powerful evening services. Our camps are all-inclusive, providing teens with quality meals, housing facilities, and activities.

The focus of the Worship Academy is to raise up prophetic singers and musicians who will impact the earth. Campers receive skills in leadership development and hands-on experience in live workshops and student-led worship and prayer meetings. Each camper is placed on a worship team, where they receive worship team training in our Student Prayer Room.

Although we desire for worshipers to be skilled on their instrument, our greater desire is to see worshipers who love Jesus and have a vibrant relationship with Him, in a way that impacts them for the rest of their lives. We want young people to come and be awakened to the joy of knowing and loving Jesus.

Transformation was exactly what Tyler Whetstone experienced when he came to ATC.

“I was feeling kind of broken and alone here at camp for the first few days,” he said. “Then God revealed His fatherly love to me. I have received several almost identical prayers and prophetic words. I know that God sees me as His son. He is delighted in me as His son . . . I’ve also received God’s heart for the fatherless. It hurts my heart to think that some have never felt a father’s love. Now that I have my identity as God’s son, I want others to find that, as well.”