On July 30th, 20 Oregon Pathfinders and staff boarded a plane for 15 hours of flight time over the Pacific Ocean. They were blessed with the opportunity to attend the third North Asia-Pacific Division Pathfinder Camporee at Sahmyook Adventist University in Seoul, South Korea, joining over 2300 other Pathfinders from around the world representing 14 countries including Taiwan, Mexico, Philippines, Mongolia, Japan, and of course host, South Korea. In addition to Oregon, there was also USA representation from Oklahoma.

For our Oregon Pathfinders who attended, this camporee was filled with many of the dynamics that our Pathfinders are used to at a camporee such as inspiring worship services and music, baptisms, pin trading, honors, enacted Bible stories, fancy drills, and parades. Yet, at the same time they were able to experience it from a very different perspective, experiencing a new environment and culture, as they were submersed in languages, foods, and customs that were very different than those experienced at home. Pathfinders where able to not only experience Pathfinder ministry outside of their bubble and natural habitat, but where also able to witness the extended reach of the biblical narratives and the message of hope in Jesus that Pathfinders are regularly reminded of in their local church, school, or club.

In the evening throughout the week, they witnessed a powerful musical on the life of Joseph, mind-blowing cultural performances, saw their peers from different countries by baptized, and heard messages of hope translated from a different language. All these were a subtle reminder that God’s family is world-wide and reaches far beyond our borders.

Throughout the day, Pathfinders had the opportunity to participate in over 120 activities including archery, knife skills, leatherwork, knotting, space telescope making, fruit carving, 3D printing, climbing, boating, zipline, water bounce, and water activities just to name a few. However, one of the daily afternoon highlights was the interaction with Pathfinders who spoke different languages in their efforts to trade pins and collect as many pieces as possible from other nations. It was a challenging yet fun experience that brought many great memories as the kids learned to get out of their comfort zone and make connections with other young people.

We hope that this experience will bring encouragement to our Pathfinders in years to come, remembering the theme of this camporee: Focusing our Vision. Recognizing that it is in keeping our eyes on Jesus that allows us to make it through our time here on earth, no matter what town, state, or country we might be in.

Click on any of the photos below to open gallery of larges images...