How KP and Ryan Kuenast Continue to Partner with T Bar M Through Generosity

Since our beginning in 1981, T Bar M Camps & Retreats has been all about relationships. We desire to see life-change and God’s Truth practiced in our relationship with Him and our relationships with each other. Ryan and KP Kuenast have experienced life-change here at T Bar M, by serving as Coaches, Leadership, and now partnering with us!

For KP, T Bar M was a fixture of her childhood, starting at age five when she leapt into the world of Day Camp in 2004. Her summers were marked by adventure and spiritual growth, as she transitioned from Camper to Day Camp Coach to Sports Camp Coach and eventually the Sports Camp Leadership Team. Yet, becoming a Coach wasn’t always a clear path. KP remembers doubting herself, thinking she wasn’t as “cool” as the Coaches she looked up to. It took the encouragement from Will, her former youth pastor and then Day Camp Director, to convince her otherwise. This simple push led KP to become a Coach where she learned to selflessly serve and love others each day.

Not growing up as a Camper, Ryan’s story begins quite differently, but his life is forever changed by the Truth he experienced while serving at T Bar M. “College was a difficult time for my faith,” Ryan recalled, which left him feeling hesitant about the idea of serving as a camp counselor. Like KP, “I thought I wasn’t good enough.” It wasn’t until he picked up his sister from another summer camp that he felt like he should give it a try. The encouragement of friends and a memorable interview with Judah, his future Camp Director, led him to T Bar M, where he worked several summers, finding new life and joy in Jesus Christ. During that time, he was baptized - publicly proclaiming his new life in Christ and his understanding that God uses broken people to create something beautiful.

Though the two of them first crossed paths at T Bar M Sports Camp during training week, they did not work the same halves until the next year. After playing together as partners in the infamous Coaches’ Cup tournament, the rest was history. They started dating that summer and got married a few years later. Even now, they laugh with their friends about having “the best future Family Camp cabin” with their own kids someday (they might have some competition for that!).

After experiencing those bittersweet feelings we all feel when we reach our first summer away from Camp, Ryan and KP learned that some of the most meaningful ways to stay connected are through prayer and giving. Their generosity started with the desire to be faithful with what God has given them.

They both recall a sermon series done by their local church on 2 Corinthians 8-9. Their pastor focused on God’s heart in giving for the lost, giving for the city, and giving for the future. This led the Kuenasts to pray and consider giving to both their local church and to T Bar M.

“Giving isn’t just another line on the budget. It is an opportunity to pray, worship, and thank the Lord each month for His provision.”

For the Kuenasts, partnering with T Bar M serves as a reminder of the way God has used Camp in their lives, and a chance to pray for the ways He will continue to change lives for generations to come. They know that their gifts, though given humbly, are part of a larger story God is writing - one where future Coaches and Campers might encounter Jesus just as they did.

KP (Innergized - Take A Stand Camper, Take A Stand and Final Score Day Camp Coach, Dial’d In, Real Deal, Fired Up, Bonadife Sports Camp Coach and Leadership) and Ryan Kuenast (Dial’d In, Real Deal, Fired Up, Bonafide Sports Camp Coach and Leadership)