Brazil Camp - A Typical Day of Camp by Courtney Horvath

The first ever United Youth Camp in Brazil that combined both preteen and teen ages was a huge success for everyone involved! The kids expressed how wonderful a time they had learning more about God’s Truth each day and participating in many fun activities alongside brethren in a beautifully simple environment. This camp in Brazil definitely embodied “the Zone” --  a positive environment centered on the Laws of God in action and that envisions the coming Kingdom of God -- as all of the various UYC camps embody and included many familiar camp activities. However, this camp also had its own special feel due to it being the first camp hosted in Brazil, combining many ages, being held in the beautiful yet remote indigenous reservation in Maloca where all of the brethren (many related) live, and having the combination of two languages -- English and Portuguese. To give you a little taste of what camp in Brazil was like, here is a snapshot of a typical day of camp.

About 6:00am: The sun begins rising over the campgrounds and most all of the campers already start to get up out of their hammocks. EVERYONE slept in hammocks! Until breakfast time, campers get ready for the day and fellowship. Staff members, like Iracema and Nayara, and the older girls help the little girls do their hair in the girls dorm. One morning, we also painted the girls’ nails! Staff and campers alike would congregate around the dining area and thatched-roof dorms to chat about camp so far, the exciting activities coming up that day, and various other uplifting topics. You could always hear lots of exchanges beginning with “Oi, bom dia!” or “Hi, Good morning!”

 

8:00-8:50am: Breakfast time! After a prayer that is given in both Portuguese and English, the campers all sit down and staff members bring a plate of food and cup of coffee to each camper. Breakfasts usually always included several types of unbelievably fresh, delicious fruit and a grain of some sort, like tapioca flour roll ups or bread.
 

9:00-9:20am: All of the campers and staff stay in the dining/commons area for the morning Compass Check. Each Compass Check, Mr. Martin covered several elements of “the Zone” -- fun, challenge, success, support, inclusiveness, structure, and positive relationships.

 

9:30-11:20am: After lathering up with lots of sunscreen (for us staff members from the states), we headed out onto the open field for the morning activity block to teach the campers a new sport or activity and then play it all together. These activities included kickball, American football, and Speedaway. Mr. de Campos diligently translated all instructions by staff and questions from campers into Portuguese to help the activities run smoothly. The campers had tons of fun out in the heat learning these new activities! After trying the new activity, the younger campers were able to pull out if it became too difficult for them and play other games like badminton or tossing footballs or Frisbees on the sidelines. On the last day of camp after the morning activity block, everyone at camp got to participate in a big water balloon fight complete with a three-person slingshot that could rocket a water balloon probably 100 yards away!

 

11:30-12:20am: Everyone at camp then got to take a break from the heat and again gather in the dining/commons area for a daily Christian Living class. These classes covered the United Youth Camp theme for the 2015 season -- Becoming like Our Heavenly Father. The classes focused on the lessons God is Love, God is Truth, God is Faithful, and God is Complete. These Christian Living classes were given by several of the male staff members from Brazil.



12:30-1:50pm: Next, was lunchtime and free time! We were very fortunate to always have delicious meals prepared for us by the kitchen staff, comprised of ladies from the local congregation. After eating, there was always time to fellowship with the campers and staff. Two of the favorite free time activities were playing a small version of Connect Four and singing songs in the native Wapishana language accompanied on piano by one of the older boy campers, Aldair. We were told that their favorite Wapishana song that they sang often spoke of being rich together in love as brethren.

 

2:00-2:50pm: After enjoying time to rest from the sun and fellowship, we had English class. This is an activity that usually only happens at the international UYC camps. Mrs. de Campos lead the English classes each day. She would introduce new words and phrases to the students, they would practice repeating, and then they would have time in small groups to further practice their new English. The campers seemed to enjoy the classes and by the end of camp, the campers really were using several of the words and phrases on a regular basis that they had learned in class!



3:00-4:50pm: Next up was our afternoon activity block. Again, we would teach the campers a new sport or activity while Mr. de Campos translated and then we would play it all together. Our afternoon activities included ultimate Frisbee, baseball, and the camp favorite, capture the flag. The campers all especially loved capture the flag since it easily incorporated all ages, used lots of teamwork, and did not require any skills besides running. Capture the flag was the activity that all the campers chose to do on the last day of camp for our open activity block. The littlest campers were often the most valuable players in this game since they could sneak across the team lines to release teammates from “jail” without even being noticed!

5:00-6:20pm: After playing hard in the sun, it was again time for another meal all together. We would eat a very tasty dinner then have free time once again to fellowship. Campers often enjoyed playing sports like volleyball, soccer, or throwing Frisbee during this time as the sun started setting and the weather cooling off.



6:30-about 8:00pm: To close out each day was an evening activity, and this was often one of the highlights from the day. The evening activities were minute-to-win-it games the first night, a game night the next night, then a dance on the final night (The first full day of camp was on a Tuesday and campers left on Friday afternoon after English class to go home and prepare for the Sabbath). The crazy minute-to-win-it games, like moving cotton balls from one bowl to another using only petroleum jelly on your nose, brought lots of laughs from the kids! The game night was a huge hit too with campers able to choose from ping-pong, Uno, the card game spoons, memory/concentration, checkers, and Connect Four. The dance was also a blast, held in the dining/commons pavilion decorated up with balloons and streamers! We also taught the campers several new line dances, with the Hamster Dance being the crowd favorite! The campers said they want to do these dances again at their next dance held at the Feast of Tabernacles there in Brazil.

 

About 8:00 -10:00pm: After finishing the day out with each of the super fun evening activities, campers would begin showering and getting ready for bed. One activity during this time that campers enjoyed while waiting their turn for the bathhouse or waiting for lights out was to sing hymns a cappella. It was so touching to come into the girls dorm and hear familiar hymns being sung in Portuguese as the girls swung back and forth in their hammocks!

So there was just a small snapshot of what a day was like at this recent, incredible camp in Brazil. After activities ended on Friday afternoon, everyone helped clean up the camp and get ready for the Sabbath. Stella, David, Isaac, Mr. Martin, and I also got to hike into “the bush,” or jungle, for the first time. The campers then returned for a meal and hymn sing on Friday night followed by Sabbath services and a Bible Study on Saturday.

 

The brethren there in Brazil were so hospitable and warm, and I will never forget our time together! I think that “the Zone” there at camp in Brazil truly did help everyone present to grow closer to God and one another in love and to show to all that God’s way of life works and is the best way to live!