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We are so exited how staff training went with the counselors and staff here in PNG. The people have seemed to really understand the camping philosophy CampsAbroad has presented to them. They have asked great questions and the communication has been very good. It has been a blessing to work and speak in English! One of the things I always enjoy most in staff training is seeing the light come on when the people begin to understand “the tree,” which is a tremendous tool we use in our counseling. It is wonderful to hear them get to the “root of the sin” in case study scenarios. The target is the camper’s heart and how they view God.
We have a diverse team of counselors. One of the girl counselors is Rachael Pierce, who has been a teacher here in PNG for the past year. Rachael worked at The Wilds in North Carolina as a counselor, lead counselor and on our Camp Apprentice (CA) program. She has been a great asset to us as we are getting ready for camp. Two of the counselors are a husband/wife team that work closely with the teens here at the church. Please pray for one of our male counselors who is sick. He has missed some of the staff training but we feel he will still do well. We are praying he can be with us when camp begins tomorrow!
One of the aspects we are thankful for is that the majority of the teens coming are actually from Capitol City Baptist Church who is sponsoring the camp. Matt Allen just started the church in the last three years and they are already having two morning services. This first camp has a perfect opportunity for discipleship as accountability is naturally set for any decisions made at camp. We are expecting about 50 campers. The staff say that possibly half to one-third of those teens do not know Christ! We have been praying for their hearts to be tender and accepting. Some of the difficulties the teens struggle with here in PNG are alcohol and abuse.
Report by Amy Brooks
Camp started on schedule right after the Sunday morning service with all forty-two campers in place. Since it was their first camp there was great energy and anticipation for what was next. The “Dumb Dumb” song, with its fun motions and a catchy tune, is always a great way to start camp. Followed by Big Ball, a tried-and-true favorite at The Wilds. The campers were loving their first camp experience.
Rugby is their national sport. Every freetime had a group of guys and girls playing with a white fat football. I got them to stop and learn the game of Ultimate Frisbee for a short time. They pacified me only to go right back to their favorite rugby after a short game of ultimate.
Amy was the rice cooker. In total for the four evening meals she cooked over 100 lbs of rice! Each morning she helped with the daily run to town to purchase goods to make each day work. Refrigeration space was at a minimum.
Our speaker was Matt Allen’s brother, Nathan, who is a youth pastor from Kentucky. He consistently brings his youth group to The Wilds. As he opened God’s Word the young people began to respond. Also, our counselors effectively used freetime to present the gospel. When the final service was done at least 16 of the 20 we felt were unsaved had made professions. All the youth have been consistently coming to meetings, therefore the youth team is readying the plan of attack to disciple these 16 new babes in Christ! They are also planning to keep loving the few that held back.
This year’s forty-two campers maxed out the facilities of Capital Baptist. Their goal is to invite all 18 like-minded churches in the Port Moresby area to join their new passion for camp!
Report by Dan Brooks