2025 Homeward Youth Camp Application

Invitation Process Overview

Application Details

We look forward to receiving your application for Homeward Youth Camp 2025. Before applying, please review our programs and eligibility guidelines below carefully. Here’s what you can expect throughout the process.

1. Submit an interest form.

Each camper should fill out the Camper Interest form. Each family will also need to fill out a Family Supplement form.

2. Connect with our team

Upon receipt of your application, one of our Registration Team members will reach out for next steps. We will ask additional questions and will find a time to meet over video interview. If you are currently in a less developed area, please plan for the video interview by securing a quiet area with reliable, fast internet access. We look forward to meeting you!

3. Receive a decision

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We aim to return decisions within 3 weeks of receiving your full application, however in some cases it may take 6 weeks or more. Thank you for your patience.

4. Provide travel details

Following an invitation, your Registration Team representative will reach out to request your documentation of entry authorization, and medical forms.

5. Registration confirmed!

We will confirm your registration upon receipt of all required documents and your commitment to attend.

Eligibility

The target audience for Homeward Youth Camp is teens ages 13-18 who have grown up in families committed to Christian missions and evangelism.

Qualifying Family Circumstances

One of the greatest benefits of this program is bringing together teenagers who have grown up under similar circumstances so that they may develop mutual understanding and meaningful relationships. We are targeting those who have grown up with a qualifying minister or living martyr.

A qualifying minister has a long-term commitment to preaching the gospel to a people group which is different from their own.

  • A missionary typically lives full-time among the people to whom they are ministering and engages day-to-day with their target people.

  • All services and programs run by a missionary should be freely given (except businesses necessary to maintain a visa).

  • Work which is tangential to missions - such as evaluating grants, working as a missions pastor at a church, staffing a ministry school or training program, managing other missionaries, etc. - does not qualify.

A living martyr is no longer able to work due to suffering, persecution, or sacrifices made for the sake of being a witness of Jesus Christ. The following are some examples of living martyrs:

  • A former missionary or evangelist who is disabled, injured, or faces long-term illnesses as a direct result of persecution, beating, imprisonment, an accident, or because of other similar sacrifices for the sake of the ministry.

  • The widow/widower of a martyr.

  • The separated spouse of an evangelist or missionary who is currently imprisoned or otherwise persecuted.

  • A former missionary or evangelist who faces extreme poverty, hardship, or isolation as a direct result of their ministry work.

FAQs

When will the camp date and venue be announced?

We are currently in the process of finalizing the camp details. The date and venue will be updated on our website as soon as the information is confirmed. We appreciate your patience and encourage you to check back regularly for updates.

If you already applied, your Registration Team representative will email you as soon as we have the details.

I can only come to part of the program. Do you allow partial participation?

We do not offer partial attendance. Applicants will be required to attend the entire duration of camp to be eligible.

I don’t have a visa to enter the United States. What should I do?

We will interview you for our program, but we will not be able to confirm your registration until you have met the requirements to enter the host nation.

When do I need to submit the application by?

We will be accepting applicants on a rolling basis up to our programs’ capacities. Early applicants will have the greatest likelihood of receiving an invitation.

How long does the application process take?

Generally, we expect the application process to take approximately 3-4 weeks from the time an application is submitted to when an application decision is issued.

I know some teenagers raised in the missions field whom I would like to invite. Can they apply too?

Yes! Please share this website with them and ask them to apply if they would like to be considered. To avoid disappointment, please review our guidelines for the target audience prior to applying.

I do not meet the age requirements. Can I still come?

The majority of our camp activities and classes are geared towards teens - for instance, how to write a college application essay, as well as some academic courses. Generally, only youth between the ages of 13-18 years old will be accepted, but in special circumstances, there may be exceptions for mature 11- and 12-year olds, especially if we already know the child from a previous event.