INUVIK - Dave and Sherry Dekwant sometimes feel as if they have an extra large, ever-growing family. The couple has two children of their own, but as youth pastors at Inuvik's Lighthouse Community Church, their brood often increases to upwards of 30 young people.

Sherry and Dave Dekwant, front left, youth pastors at Lighthouse Community Church, leave Inuvik with a group of 55 youth and leaders on their annual bus trip to summer camp in Whitehorse. - Katie May/NNSL photo

"Over the years you build relationships and new ones come in and ... join in with the other youth," Dave said. "It's definitely a family atmosphere."

On Friday, July 17, the Dekwants boarded 55 youth and leaders from their church and Tuktoyaktuk's Glad Tidings Church onto a 47-passenger bus and two vans and set out for the Yukon. The 12-day trip to Bethany Pentecostal Tabernacle's youth camp in Whitehorse has been an annual summer tradition since the Dekwants arrived in Inuvik from Abbotsford, B.C., eight years ago.

"For some of the youth that get to go down, it's the first time in their life that they've ever been out of Tuk or Inuvik and so it will be the first time that they'll ever see a real horse, or come into the little city of Whitehorse, or their first time ever being at a McDonald's, so it's quite an experience," said Dave.

For him, the trip is a highlight of the year, when he can see the youth - who range in age from 13 to 18 - come together at camp after months of participating in youth services and fundraising. In Whitehorse, the group will attend worship services and participate in athletic activities such as rock climbing, volleyball, basketball, paintball, and cardboard and duct tape boat-building competitions.

"One of the youth last year said 'could you imagine if we were all your kids, Dave and Sherry?' They said, 'what would you do?' And I said 'well, we'd love it,'" he laughed. "It's great. It's really a blessing to see the youth encouraged by it and they get to experience a lot of things over this trip."

Dave, who works as a carpenter during the day, gives weekly sermons geared toward young people at the non-denominational church. He says his and Sherry's job is mainly to encourage them.

"We love the youth and we feel that they have a great potential as young people," he said. "We're just simply there to be a coach, to encourage them and just be on their side and say, 'hey, go for it. Make good choices in your life and honour God with your life and you will succeed and you will be blessed.'

To see the youth grow and to develop as leaders is exciting."

The most challenging part of being a youth pastor for is seeing young people make choices that will eventually hurt them, Dave said.

"You want to, with all your heart, say 'come on, don't do that.' But everybody has a free choice and I can't violate anybody's will. Serving Jesus is a choice. God has given us a choice and we give the youth their choice," he said, adding, the job is rewarding when they are able to reach out to just a few kids.

"So many that are succeeding outweigh the ones that are choosing not to. Even it's for a handful, it's worth it. We want, of course, as many youth to succeed and go for it, but however many it is, that's up to the Lord. We are not the ones who build the church - it's the lord who builds the church - so we're just here as leaders and servants to help facilitate."