“Under -cover Hero”, this was the theme for the Pathfinder Requirement Camp that was attended by more than 2, 478 participants from 24 different organized and branch Seventh Day Adventist churches in the North-East District of NCD recently.
The theme focussed on the Bible story on David and the Giant Goliath (1 Samuel 16 & 17), with the lesson of how a young boy as David could overthrow someone big and brutal as Goliath with the help of God, and how young people can do the same with the challenges they face in life.
This was expressed by Pathfinder Coordinator for Moresby North East, Erick Jack who led the team that organized the long weekend camp.
Pathfinders is a junior youth group within the Seventh Day Adventist Church Youth Ministry, consisting of young people around the ages of 10 – 15, of which although bearing a similar resemblance of a Scout program, the Pathfinder program is a church-centred spiritual-recreational-activity program.
The camp, held on Friday 7th to Monday 10th of April, was merely organized so that the Pathfinders can carry out their class outdoor requirements, such makes up the activities that took place at the camp.
The requirements included studies, of which are known as Honours, on Grass, Ecology, Flowers and Water Safety are to name a few, along with activities such as Knot tying, Swimming, Bridge building, Marching and Drilling, and Hiking are to name a few along with prayer sessions and fellowship. Completion of these activities for the Pathfinders will be rewarded in badges an pins to decorate their uniforms.
Despite the rain, most of the activities mentioned were said to have been carried out, except for hiking, which was affected by flood due to the recent heavy downpours.
In addition to new knowledge and planned activities, a sense of discipline and order was maintained throughout the camp as the young people learnt to wake up as early as 4am to shower and have morning fellowship, and had to keep their club campsite in order for camp inspection to gain points.
Looking back, Zinine Anefa, 21, from the Bomana Adventist Church who attended as a guardian and teachers’ assistant for the youngest Pathfinder class, expressed her fascination of the camp.
“This camp made me want to re-join Pathfinder and complete all my honours and decorate my uniform”, she said with glee.
She said the admirable thing about the camp and the Pathfinders was that the activities enabled the young ones to make good decisions about their lives and even draw them closer to God.
The camp was organized by the Moresby North-East Adventist Youth Ministry Coordinators and supported by the Central Papua Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Pathfinder Coordinator for Moresby North East, Erick Jack said, the Pathfinder Requirement Camp is a lead-up to a National Pathfinder Camporee that will be held in Lae, Morobe Province at the end of this year, a camp in which only 500 Pathfinders from 3000 plus registered Pathfinders in the National Capital District will be assigned to attend.
