You ever sort garbage for Jesus?

Because that’s exactly what our Young Life teens did at Mudfest 2025.

While most people were revving engines, cheering on monster trucks, or dodging flying mud pies, our teens were digging through the aftermath. Literally. Garbage bags, banana peels, soggy nachos, and mystery liquids no one dared to name. And for what?

Rockridge Canyon.

The dream of camp was so alive in them, they were willing to choke back gag reflexes and dive in, sorting recyclables from trash like Olympic medalists of the bottle depot.

But that wasn’t all.

From sunrise to sunset, our crew patrolled the grounds, collecting loose garbage, rounding up thousands of bottles, and helping guests find parking in a sea of lifted trucks and off-road chaos. Through it all, they did it with smiles, waves, helpful directions, and even brain teasers. (Seriously. Ask about the one with the chicken, fox, and bag of grain.)

And while we were serving, we also saw.

We saw the kind of choices ‘some’ people sometimes make at these events – the language, the lyrics, the late-night moments. And while we don’t stand in judgment, we do stand in honesty. These moments gave our teens a chance to reflect, to talk, and to grow in how we live differently in the world but not of it.

Let’s be real. There were moments that tested us.
The noise. The mess. The heat. The smell.
But there was also teamwork. Perseverance. Growth. And believe it or not, joy.

This is what Young Life is all about.
Walking with teens through the wild, the messy, and the muddy and helping them discover Jesus in the midst of it all.

Huge Thanks

We want to shout out an enormous thank you to Theresa Zakordonski, who organized this opportunity and allowed us (for the second year in a row!) to benefit from the event proceeds. Your support helped us take teens to Rockridge this summer, and that made every single moment worth it.

And to our teens?

We are so proud of you.
You did the unthinkable with strength, grace, and grit.
Camp may have only lasted a week, but the memories you made started right here… in the mud.

📸 Check out the pictures from the weekend!