A total of 22 Campers and 10 staff from across Nigeria came together Aug. 17-24 for a truly blessed and wonderful time of fellowship, learning from one another and from God’s Word. They all had lots of fun and enjoyed engaging activities, building an amazing bond in “the Zone.”

Camp was held at Agaja, Ojo, Lagos, a beautiful peninsula along the Atlantic Ocean stretching across the West African coastal cities. The excitement of camp commenced with a 35-minute boat ride on the Lagos lagoon to the campsite. A beautiful wooden single story beach “house” provided us a space for indoor and evening activities, eating our meals as a family, a well with fresh water from where we pumped water to a storage tank (we bought drinkable water in packaged bags for the entire camp duration), staff and ladies washroom and bathroom and a standard sized swimming pool we filled using a pump from another well nearby (adding chlorine as well).

Staff and campers stayed in 4-10 person tents. All the gear we used (chairs, table, wiring, bulbs and electricity generator) were hauled in to the camp site. The setup (and breakdown) of camp was always a unique opportunity to start bonding and learning the concept of working together as everyone participated in hauling all the supplies the short distance to camp.

The camp theme was “Walking Together in Unity,” with the key scripture being Psalm 133:1: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” All the activities, ranging from our morning 15-minute compass checks, to the hour-long activities of archery, leather works, music class, rope bridge, team challenge, craft class, swimming, volleyball, Christian living and ASL class were focused on unity. They learned what fosters it, how to achieve it, and above all how important unity is among us as God’s children.

We had the Sabbath on the beach and 27 brethren from the Lagos congregation joined us, adding to the unity of the spirit we had been enjoying all week! The weather was cold (by tropical standards) and very windy, with the Atlantic Ocean a few yards away. God allowed some light rain on a few days during the week, which paled in comparison to the torrential rains that flooded major parts of the city during this time.

Camp ended with a formal banquet and a Bible quiz. Everyone was sad when it was time to finally pack up and head home.

Our deep thanks to God for His mercy and love, as well as the prayers and assistance of brethren around the world who contributed in many ways to make camp a reality for us.