South Philippine Union Conference education department successfully hosts a Mindanao-wide camporee for elementary pathfinders on January 13-18, 2020 at Mountain View College. The camp, according to its organizers, is geared to equip our church school pupils with skills that make them ready for the realities and emergencies in life and develop a genuine friendship with Jesus.
On its opening ceremony, the registry counts 2,681 official delegates who come from 68 elementary schools that operate under 7 missions and conferences across the union territory. About 900 more, which include parents, teachers, and camp staff, add up to the total guests that filled the serene campus of MVC that week.
With the camporee’s theme “Be Trained to Train,” the pathfinders were given unique exposure on 12 different stations. Activities like hiking and swimming, social interaction in cooperative games, and the spiritual enrichment during morning and evening devotionals, are part of the complete package that no camper would want to miss.
To enhance the spiritual experience, a station on the Sanctuary was set up. It was specially designed for pathfinders to understand and appreciate the process of forgiveness through the experience of ancient Israel in a smaller scale replica of the wilderness sanctuary. Facilitators would then explain to every delegate the significance of all the items found in the exhibit.
One of the parents, Mrs Du, expresses appreciation for the camp as it gave her grade 6 daughter not only outdoor fun but also real situations that prove she can now be independent. Mrs Du mentions “my daughter has learned a lot here (camp).” “I think she is now ready for the academy,” she adds.
Evangelism in Every Gathering
It has always been the practice of SPUC that evangelism should accompany any church activity whether big or small. A union-wide camporee will never be complete without such an ingredient. At the close of the camp, a baptism was held and 133 pathfinders gave their lives to Jesus in the same pool they had water activities days prior.
The camporee organizers, Dr. Bobby Asis and Dr. Diosdado Catalan, SPUC Education director and associate, wish to thank all the participants and their education counterparts in the fields, with their school principals and Pathfinder directors, for making this big gathering a reality.