Acampamento 2015 - Dia 1


 February 14  Saturday


We were more than surprised when we arrived at the church this morning a little before 8:30 a.m.  The first load of kids and supplies had already departed - nothing ever starts here on time!  We relaxed until Pres. Anderson came back to pick us up and then his wife at their home.  We had a full carload.

It didn't take long before we arrived at the camp - truly amazing to me that there is such a beautiful retreat so close to town, Fazenda Sonha Meu.  Each of the Branches were gathering together waiting for the gates to open and to enter together.  Merl and I unloaded our things and walked around exploring a little - taking pictures.


 

João with sons, João Vincent and 
Jose Arthur 

The camp is based on the YM/YW theme for this year (D&C 4:2) "Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." (in Portuguese, of course)

The road to adventure

A tractor pulling a big wagon came out to load all the tents, sleeping bags, suitcases, etc.  Merl and I met João Joner, the owner of the "farm" and the business.  He is a delightful young man (who could also speak English quite well).  We could tell immediately that this was going to be an exciting, energetic experience.  João previously was in the fast paced international tele-communications business (internet, inter-continental oceanic cables, etc.) but returned to the family estate when his father passed away.  He and his wife had a dream of running a team building/life development business - they think they are the only company in Brazil doing this.  They have the perfect place to do it - three square kilometers with forest, jungle, lake, waterfalls, and hills of grazing pampas grass. http://www.fazendasonhomeu.com.br/



Up a hill and behind the barns and lodge was the spot for camping.  The trailer was unloaded in a pile, and the kids found their things and headed up the hill to set up camp.  The girls were on the lower level, and the boys up higher - with the leaders setting up between.  Merl and I had a small two-man tent and an air mattress that completely filled it.  We made up the bed as best we could and put our bags outside under a tarp set up by our tent neighbor, the Branch President from Taquara.  Our other neighbor was Rafael de Oliveira, counselor in the District Presidency. . . good neighbors to have.   Pres. Nunez asked me to be the official photographer for the camp, so I had my work cut out for me - following each of the groups and capturing their experiences. It didn't take too long for the tents to be set up, and everyone was called to meet out on the soccer field for instructions from Pres. Nunez and João.  The "business" meeting closed with prayer, and then all of the youth were divided into four groups - they would remain in the same group for all camp events.  They played some circle games to get to know each other; then we were directed to the lodge for lunch.

The lodge has a kitchen, serving area, and two adjoining rooms with tables and chairs.  It also has an open adjoining room that we used for meetings and dancing.  It also has two restrooms with showers. 



Merl's first meal

All meals were serve-yourself - with the instruction that you eat what you take and scrape your plates before you get dessert.  There was always more than plenty of food, but desserts were limited to one each, usually a frozen fruit bar, cup of mousse or pudding.  The staples of all meals were beans, rice, potatoes, salad, and a meat (beef or chicken).  Lots of breads, sandwiches, fruit, and pieces of sweet cakes were usually served for breakfast.  A common thing is a nice hot roll with a piece of hotdog baked in the middle - for breakfast or dinner.  Water and fresh fruit were available throughout the day.

After lunch the groups were all given a piece of fabric, colored markers, and instructions to make a flag based on the theme - Embark in the Service of God. Each group was given a different scripture related to the theme to interpret.  It took the groups a while to come up with an idea and then make the flags. . . I was impressed by their team work and creativity.

Another fun part of this activity was the chants and rallying calls created for each of the groups.  As a representative from each group was put into a harness and raised to hang their flag (by all group members pulling on ropes), the energy and excitement increased.