“Incredible!
“Amazing!”
“I can’t wait to come again.” These were just a few of the many positive responses Dakota Pathfinders shared after attending Believe the Promise International Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, in August. They joined over 60,000 others for the highly anticipated event that was five years in the making, and it truly did not disappoint Dakota Pathfinders.
“My relationship with God grew because I spent so much time with so many people who also want to get closer to God. Everything was really focused on growing my faith. I definitely want to go next time, and I’d like to work next time!” shared Rayne Simmonds from the Rapid City (SD) Mountaineers club. At 14, Rayne is already thinking about how she can prepare to be a leader and help at the next international camporee in 2029.
Rayne’s personal reflection and goals for her future beautifully illustrate why Pathfinder camporees exist. With such a strong pull for children to live in largely virtual worlds, camporees provide a safe place for kids to interact face to face with other believers, learn more about Jesus, and explore how they can actively serve and lead for Him. They also learn life skills and earn honors focused on God’s creations, all while having fun with other kids their age. For three Dakota Pathfinders, this camporee provided the perfect setting for their baptism–declaring their love for Jesus and their desire to serve Him in front of thousands of other Pathfinders. For several others, this camporee was the event that led them to make decisions for Jesus; they returned home wanting to be baptized in their local church.
In anticipation of Dakota Pathfinders’ arrival, the conference camporee team traveled to Gillette a week before the event to prepare the Dakota Conference campsite. This team included several Dakota Adventist Camps staff who had been working all summer at the conference’s two camps and agreed to continue working with kids throughout the camporee. These dedicated camp staff prepared the campsite on the racetrack, set up the kitchen for the entire conference to share meals, staked out areas for each club, transported golf carts for the entire Mid-America Union, and were on call at all hours to assist as needed.
As the gates opened Monday morning, thousands flooded the grounds; it was estimated that more than 45,000 people entered and set up that day. The “tent city” seemed to erupt from the ground. All Dakota clubs arrived that first day and started participating in activities and honors on Tuesday. Pathfinders had the opportunity to walk through a life-sized version of the tabernacle and learn about its significance. They also had the chance to help with one of 45 community service projects; Dakota Pathfinders picked up trash and assisted with a beautification project in town.
Tuesday afternoon of the camporee turned out to be a day that would go down in Pathfinder history. While the day started out hot and sunny—the perfect kind of day for Pathfinder fun—leadership soon received notices of a fierce weather system approaching, bringing driving rain, possible hail and winds with projected gusts up to 50-70 mph. The Dakota camporee team had already experienced sustained winds of 17 mph and gusts of 30 mph during a sandstorm the previous week while setting up camp; some of their tents had collected 10-12 ounces of sand–even with windows and doors closed. With the threat of 60 mph wind, the International Camporee administration took the warning seriously. Around 4 o’clock, all activities closed, and people were encouraged to return to their campsites. Most clubs had just made it back to their campsites when a new announcement urged everyone to seek shelter in hardened sites: buildings, cars and RVs. Thousands moved into shelters in about 20 minutes. It was amazing to watch the mass exodus from the campsites; most arrived indoors just as the wind and rain picked up.
While Pathfinders and leaders ran to brick buildings or campers for shelter, DAC staff stayed at the campsite to ride out the storm and secure the kitchen and tents. Having seen considerable tent damage from lesser winds the previous week, they knew it would be necessary to physically hold down the tents to keep them from blowing away. As the fierce storm raged, the staff sang praise songs while each team member held a portion of the large kitchen and serving tents. The wind was so strong that it lifted a few of the team off the ground, and it seemed the canopies might be lost, but with God’s help, the staff managed to save the kitchen tents and items. Though completely soaked and covered in mud, they were thankful they still had a place for the Pathfinders and leaders to be fed. Unfortunately, other conferences lost their main tents, and a few tents even landed on nearby vehicles. Despite the mud and flooding, nearly everyone had a positive attitude and worked together to rebuild their campsites.
DAC staff quickly helped get the Dakota campsite back in working order before checking on their own belongings. While the staff girls’ tent had soaked areas, the staff boys’ tent turned into a large water bed. Nearly all of their clothes were wet, and their sleeping bags and blankets had to be wrung out. Some tents had more than three inches of standing water. Elaine Chism, a leader from the Sioux Falls (SD) Falcons club, was impressed by their quick response and shared, “[They are] such an amazing group of kids! While they were soaking wet and weather-beaten, they didn’t hesitate to make rounds helping anyone they could. We love the DAC staff!”
Immediately following the storm, Dakota Conference president Vernon Herholdt came to the campsite to check on everyone. He quickly took the staff’s soaked sleeping bags to get them dried so they could have a dry place to sleep that night. Although a few tents had broken poles and many flooded, everyone was safe and vowed to continue enjoying the week’s activities. As the team assessed the extent of the damage, a beautiful double rainbow covered the camp, reminding Pathfinders of the camporee’s theme: Believe the Promise. It was amazing how God turned a challenging situation into a positive, bonding memory.
For many Pathfinders, the storm and rainbow were one of the highlights of the week and indelibly emphasized the camporee’s theme. “It was really cool to see the rainbow because it’s God’s promise to us,” said Juliet Hawronsky from the Rapid City (SD) Mountaineers club. Summing up her camporee experience, she said, “I grew more in Christ.” This experience is why local club leaders drive hundreds of miles to use port-a-potties and stay in wet tents for a week. Be sure to thank a local Pathfinder leader for facilitating this life-changing ministry for your young people!
Pastor Ted and Lynnette Struntz are Dakota Conference camp, club and youth directors.
