Chinauta, Colombia—This year, we were very blessed to successfully carry out the first UCG Youth Camp in Colombia. It was held from June 17-22 at the Vacation Center Shalom in Chinauta, Colombia, and the six days of camp were highlighted by fine Christian friendship, enthusiasm and fun.

The weather was very favorable in this semi-tropical mountainous region, and 15 youths from different areas of Colombia came together, along with the camp personnel, which included Claudio Sierra, Oscar Sierra, Jaime and Lyda Castro, Glenna Castro and Mario Seiglie, the camp director. The kids were very excited to get to know each other much better and to learn about being in “the Zone,” a camp concept with seven key principles.

In the six days, we enjoyed hikes and trips around this very lush area. One of the things that astonished us was the occasional visit by the beautiful Morpho butterfly, with its metallic blue wings. Scientists have marveled when they put the wings of this butterfly under the electron microscope and realized this stunning iridescent color does not come from ordinary pigment but from tiny lenses that act as mirrors refracting light at that precise metallic blue wavelength. It is one of the wonders of nature to behold its captivating beauty.

One day we went fishing in the fish pond a long way down a winding path that was one mile below the camp. The kids caught 24 fish, and they had these delicious fish served that evening. There was also a lively youth dance one evening and a bonfire on another evening. At the end of the singing and games at the bonfire, there was a beautiful starry sky, and Mr. Seiglie gave us an astronomy class, pointing out the different planets, stars and constellations.

The kids enjoyed playing water polo in one of the pools and then had games of soccer and basketball at the camp’s outdoor court. Each day they had a Christian living class. Everybody particularly enjoyed the class titled, “Men and Women of Steel and Velvet,” in which they had to describe the biblical figures that matched those characteristics. Mr. Seiglie brought some of his fossil trilobite collection and explained how these little creatures, at the bottom of the geologic fossil record, showed how they were exquisitely designed and yet had no previous ancestors!

As the camp wound down, there was a feeling of having accomplished a lot in these six days, and the campers all looked forward to camp next year where the Colombian youth can again be taught about God’s wonderful way of life.