From pastor, Jaime Salek:

"United Youth Camp Colombia took place in Chinácota, Norte de Santander, at the Hotel Boutique-Colonial for the second consecutive year.

"Some young people could not attend due to pending academic activities. Although there were fewer campers, nine in total, the experience was very pleasant for them and for the staff.

"Camp lasted five days, from June 27 to July 1, in which we enjoyed many activities and the weather cooperated. We had a new staff member this year, Blanca Nubia Cano, who is a member of the Church and an expert teacher in recreation. She kept the young people on their toes guessing what the next surprise activity would be.

"This year, the young people enjoyed new games such as the aerial challenge, a high swing and the mechanical bull: “pure adrenaline,” but very fun. We also enjoyed our traditional dance. We were not able to have our bonfire this year, but we gathered around a table with candles and shared jokes and stories.

"The campers also had a special activity in which they showed off their sculpting skills by working with clay. Despite not having an oven to finish their creations, they still made some original figures.

"This year’s Christian living classes and compass checks, held every morning and afternoon, dealt with three main themes: meditate, act and persevere. We wanted every physical activity to revolve around those three essential principles of Christian life. Every morning we would sing and pray together before walking down a beautiful flowery pathway to the restaurant. With the topics covered in the classes, we hope to have reawakened an urgency in our youth about their need to strengthen their relationship with God and our Lord Jesus Christ. We want them to draw closer to Him as this world exerts a powerful attraction which is contrary to true knowledge and God’s way of life.

"We proposed a challenge to our campers that they read all four gospels by camp next year; we also encouraged them to be more ambitious and read the entire Bible. One of the campers’ mothers printed several sheets with passages from the Bible, which we taped on the walls and doors of the facility where we stayed. At the end of camp, we distributed those sheets among all of the campers and encouraged them to tape them in places in their homes where they could read them every day. It was very gratifying to see the progress that the young people have made in the last year in their desire to be better every day. We want to thank all those who contributed to making this essential annual activity for our dear campers possible."