In December 2018, the United Church of God—Australia last held its annual United Youth Camp in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. The venue for summer camp for the previous 14 years was the Wombaroo Adventure Centre, located not far from the small towns of Mittagong and Bowral. Wombaroo is in a remote location—isolated from civilization and ideal for such a camp. Little did we know, circumstances beyond anyone’s control would see this camp shut down for the following three summers.

Just five days before camp was to start in December 2019, and after much planning and preparation, we were forced to cancel due to the raging bush fires that were engulfing much of Australia. We kept a prayerful, watchful eye on our beloved campsite via online “fire watch” sites and apps as the campsite was literally surrounded by the out-of-control fires. A national prayer request was made seeking God’s protection for the site. There were times when the site was directly threatened, but we are very grateful for God’s protection. The fires totally devasted the surrounding regions, but Wombaroo was spared.

Then in 2020, COVID-19 shut down everything! We were not able to hold camp for the next two years. This greatly saddened our youth all over Australia (and beyond) because this is the only UYC camp that we have in the Land Down Under. Previously, we have welcomed campers from the United States, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tonga and New Zealand. There are no other UYC camps at any other time of the year this far south of the equator. Given the uncertainty resulting from the previous three years, we proceeded cautiously in planning the 2022 camp. Thankfully, it was a “green light” and camp was officially on!

Reuniting with “old friends”

Camp organizers, along with the kitchen coordinators, arrived two days prior to the start of camp. We were overwhelmed by the memories of many previous camps and the realization of just how vulnerable camp can be (along with many other liberties we tend to take for granted). It was quite an emotional moment. Several kangaroos greeted us in the evening on that first night as if to say “Hey! Where have you been? We’ve missed you!” Sunrise mornings and dusk evenings always saw many kangaroos grazing in the fields, along with a few cuddly wombats that also graced us with their presence. The remote location provides the perfect environment for seeing the Australian wildlife—which at times includes some dangerous spiders and snakes!

The campers arrived on Tuesday afternoon and we were presented with another shock. We had not seen many of these young people for nearly four years. They had grown so much! Lots of hugs and a few tears were had by many. It was great to be back!

Grateful for the opportunity

Everyone was so thankful to be together and to actually have a camp. It was quite disheartening for staff and campers alike to be denied camp several years in a row. In camp director Stephen Clark’s first Christian living class, he asked a question: “What did we learn from COVID-19?” The answers came fast and furious, but one obvious answer stood out. We cannot plan or rely on anything in this world with certainty anymore. Only God’s Word and God’s promises are certain.

These last few years were very hard on our youth, especially for those in remote areas. It was wonderful to see our campers come together and reaffirm friendships that were made four or more years ago, as well as now making new friendships. There were 32 campers who were in attendance for the very first time this year—an unprecedented number. We had 57 campers and 26 staff in total. We were also blessed to have one young man from Sri Lanka and one from Malaysia join us for camp. While there were challenges for these young people to come to Australia, it was important that they took the opportunity while they could. Again, there is no certainty they will have the opportunity in the future.

Christian living

Christian living was held every morning at 8, intended to set all of our minds on God’s Word at the beginning of the day.

This year’s Christian living theme was, “Learn to Fear the Lord.” Each class discussed different aspects of this theme. Why should we fear God? Where should we fear God? How do we fear God? When do we fear God? Whom do you fear (God or man)? What do you fear? These topics were explored thoroughly from the Bible and the campers (and staff) came away with a much better understanding and appreciation of what it means to “fear the Lord.”

In addition to the Sabbath service, the Sabbath morning brought the whole of camp together to participate in “Sabbath scenarios.” One or two staff members each role played a current social/moral dilemma, presenting the “worldly view” on such things as gender fluidity and transgenderism, homosexual marriage and New Year’s celebrations, among others. The campers were placed into small groups and tasked with determining a biblical response to these dilemmas. It has always been encouraging to see them diving into their Bibles and finding the answers.

A Sunday night discussion also took place on the subject of “The Fork in the Road.” Based on the life of Joseph, the discussion focused on how we are all faced with difficult circumstances in life. Some will be a result of our own mistakes and sins; others, like Joseph’s, occur even though we may not have done anything wrong. The “fork” is what our response will be. Will we take a “why me?” approach and say it is not fair—playing the victim card? Or will we say, “what now?” and take responsibility for what we do from here, looking for the opportunities to glorify God in our choices?

Activity schedule

Activities this year included speedball (a fast-paced sport that combines many aspects of other sports), touch football, archery, dodgeball, high ropes, vertical playpen, the “challenge hike” (built around a biblical theme with various challenging dilemmas), art, speech, music (new this year—and a huge hit!), team building, orienteering, skit class, service and a camp favorite—dance!

Australia is unique in that we do not order our daily camp activities by dorms, but rather by “teams.” We had four teams this year which were comprised of boys and girls aged 11 to 18. There were around 14 campers on each team. There were also “team leaders”—usually the oldest male and female campers in each team—who were responsible for making sure their team stayed together and on time to activities, which began at 9 a.m. After activities finished around 5 p.m., it was then up to the “dorm leaders” to look after their dorms and make sure they were on time for dinner, evening activities, dorm chats at night and lights out at 10:30 p.m.! Importantly, they were responsible for making sure campers were up the next morning for breakfast at 7 and Christian living classes.

Special evening activities included: team game night, fireside chat/sing-along; Friday night hymn sing/songleading and choir practice, Saturday night dance, speech banquet, skit night and the final banquet/dance.

Letter to parents

Camp director Stephen Clark sent a letter to all the parents/guardians of the campers after camp was over to give an overview of what was accomplished during this eight-day period. He summed up the experience by saying, “Camp is busy but so very rewarding! The youth are immersed in a godly environment of activity. There is a lot for them to process and consider. The learning opportunities are numerous. The friendships with their peers and the staff can last a lifetime. It is the pleasure of the staff and the Church to run the annual camp program. What we seek to instill at camp can only take up residence in the hearts of these little ones if we are all learning to fear the Lord. Will you do your part to ensure the precious calling God offers to these young people is given every possibility of taking root?”