Oregon Conference Pathfinders haven’t had the opportunity to host a conference-level Pathfinder camporee since 2019, due to COVID-19 the following years. This summer however, 350 Pathfinders and staff represented 22 clubs when they traveled to Camp Umpqua at Milo Adventist Academy to enjoy a weekend full of special challenges.

Throughout the weekend, Pathfinders were challenged in a variety of ways as the theme for this year’s camporee was: Challenged to Be Strong and Courageous, based on Joshua 1:8-9. Guest speaker, Pastor Josh Withers, challenged the Pathfinders throughout the weekend in their personal relationships with Jesus and to live intentionally and purposeful. Sabbath morning and Sabbath afternoon activities involved challenges as well. For example, one of Sabbath morning’s challenges included having each Pathfinder take their assigned 12”x12” plywood puzzle piece to find the puzzle it belonged to with another team, work together to put the 36 pieces together without talking, and then memorize the verse together as a group, once the puzzle was assembled and the featured scripture was discovered.

After joint haystack lunches with other clubs, Sabbath afternoon offered a variety of opportunities that campers could participate in. Some of those options included hiking up Camp Umpqua’s mountain trail, spending time at the Umpqua River falls, riding and learning about horses with Milo’s equestrian team, seeing live wild animals that were brought down by the Wild Safari education team, and participating in various challenges based on different Bible story object lessons.

Sunday morning, Pathfinders were presented with a few more challenges. They included things such as four-person ski races, bird memorization, placing books of the Bible in order, tent setup, knot tying and lashing, and completing puzzles. Pathfinders were graded on participation, speed, and accuracy. The Sunday morning challenges culminated down at the river where Pathfinders brought their home-made rafts and paddled down the river and back. Not all rafts were as successful as others, but it was great to see the creativity and effort that went into the unique design of each craft.

Now that this camporee is behind us, we look forward to and begin preparations for the International Camporee taking place in Gillette, Wyoming in August 2024. We invite you to connect with the closest Pathfinder club in your area to see if there are ways you can support their efforts through the next 10 months!

See photos of the weekend on the Oregon Pathfinders Facebook page...