Parents have a lot to say about Transit Lounge and its impact on their children.  In case you were wondering if Transit Lounge is just a week at camp or if there’s more to it, parents think there’s a lot more to it. Each year after we wrap up our summer programs we are so encouraged when parents share how their kids are doing.

One mom who sent two of her daughters to us last summer told us Transit Lounge is mentioned almost daily in their home. They are still enjoying the fruit of the week. The elder daughter told her mom excitedly, “I didn’t melt down or cry before my “History of Me” speech.” When mom asked, “Why?” she said, “I think I did a lot of work on grief at Transit Lounge so I felt less anxious in class.”

Grief and the TCK

Grief is Loss’s constant companion.  They are inseparable. TCKs experience at least as much loss, and, therefore grief, by the time they graduate from high school as most monocultural Americans experience in the course of their whole lives.  That’s a lot of grief!

We know that unprocessed grief is a millstone around the neck. It weighs down. It limits capacity. It inhibits in ways we can’t imagine–until it’s processed and the healing process can begin.  Transit Lounge is NOT a debriefing program, However, informal debriefing happens throughout the week.

TCKs share their stories in small groups and during one on one time with their small group leader.  They tell their roommates during walks and after lights out. They tell the counselor on staff when the stories and the feelings that are knit into them are too big, and they tell them when they know they must be spoken. Carrying grief and the stories of the words and actions that birthed the grief is laborious.

Thankfully, Transit Lounge is not “Grief Camp.” Lots of fun happens every day.  From the silliness that starts each session to games and enjoying the vistas of each location, there’s a distinct lightness that infuses each week.

And then there’s the staff–both Interaction’s regular staff and the volunteer adult MK staff who make our programs possible–they all love the TCKs. They want to see them thrive. They want them to process their hard things. They bring the love and lightness with them.

More from Parents

The mom went on to share that her youngest daughter started crying as she drove away from camp—and she cried for most of the next two weeks. When asked why she was crying, the daughter responded, “They REALLY loved me. They really love TCKs–and they don’t have to!”

For two weeks that TCK processed her fears, grief, and resentment that had built up over her life. She was able to start her new school in the States well because she was armed with tools and strategies for processing a lifetime of masked pain.

So often loving someone looks like listening to them. At Transit Lounge, we listen. We humbly hold the sacred trust of hearing the TCKs in our midst. And that doesn’t just look like love. It’s how we love people well. It’s how we love TCKs well.

Another mom wrote and said, “My daughter had a wonderful time–to put it lightly! Thank you for the hours invested in making that week beneficial. We are eager to see how God uses all she learned.”

Readying Transit Lounge

Even after years of experience, Transit Lounge isn’t a pop-up event.  Within weeks of ending the last session of the summer’s last Transit Lounge, we start to work on the plan for the next summer.  We read and discuss the feedback the TCKs give us. We grab on to feedback from parents.  We digest all the tidbits of response and information that come to us.

We train our volunteer staff on running small groups, on child safeguarding, on the topics we’ll cover in our week together. We write to our financial and prayer supporters to garner scholarships and spiritual support. We don’t take any of the work lightly.

We need you. We need you to partner with us to make Transit Lounge a reality for MKs and other TCKs who can’t afford the week of camp–the week of starting to heal, the week of laughter and fun. Will you give towards a Transit Lounge scholarship? Will you pay for a TCK’s day at camp? Will you sponsor an MK?

Click over to this page and change a life.

We know if we’re as prepared as we can be for the summer, we’ll be able to have a lot of fun and love TCKs well.  We know parents will have a lot to say when we’re done. We can’t wait to hear it!