Good morning, afternoon, or evening. I hope your week has been going well. Have you ever been to a church camp or out in the country? If not, that's okay, but if you have, that's also great. Beautiful experiences and funny stories happen at these camps. They leave us with wonderful memories.
I wasn't planning on sharing this story because perhaps most of you have never been to a camp, but in my church, besides the regular services, there are ministries that organize their own activities. One of them is the "Adventurers."
Let's begin.
THE CAMP
It was late September 2018. I was part of the Adventurers; this is an organization formed by the Adventist Church (my religion) specifically for children. The mission is to help children learn the word of God (the Bible) through special teachings and entertainment activities. Among these activities are the camps.
This year, besides what happened in the previous chapter (the small stories and the situation with my friends at school), there were also activities within the church. I hadn't mentioned them before so you would be prepared for this chapter.
One of the many activities we did during 2018 was singing in local churches for their anniversaries, public speaking, hiking, and the event the kids looked forward to the most all year: the camp, or "Adventuri." This was one of the most anticipated events, even for me, since they usually happen during the school holidays at the beginning or end of the year.
Before going to these camps, they give us several instructions like: "don't wander away from the group," what time we should eat, and the schedules for the pool and sleeping. I already knew all of that. The weeks passed, and December arrived. I remember the place wasn't that far; it was about 2 or 3 hours away from the church.
When we arrived at the campsite, we quickly went to the area assigned to us. There were Adventurers from all the other churches in Chiclayo. I think it was a "mission-level" camp, so there were groups from Cajamarca, Piura, Tumbes, and Lambayeque. To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to that detail; I just knew there were tons of Adventurers.
When we reached our area, I ran into my friend Briana, one of the friends I had made at church besides Kaori (Kaori was there too, by the way). When I saw Briana, I asked:
ME: "Why are you here before we even arrived?" BRIANA: "Oh, it's because my dad is a pastor and he brought us in his car." ME: "Oh, I see. So you've already seen the place?" BRIANA: "Yes. There are mango trees on the sides, pools, and there are animals." ME: "Animals? Will you take me to see them later?" BRIANA: "Of course, but first we have to go to the stage because the program is about to start." ME: "The stage?" BRIANA: "Yes, it's the area where the preacher stands and talks to us." ME: "The pulpit?" BRIANA: "Yes, but bigger." ME: "Oh, okay." INSTRUCTOR: "Kids, stop talking and help carry the gear!" (she said it jokingly).
And we went to help. When they finished setting everything up, night fell, and we went to the program. It was Monday.
PREACHER: "Good evening, Camporee!" KIDS: "Good evening!" PREACHER: "Oops, my mistake... GOOD EVENING, ADVENTURI!" KIDS: "Good evening!" PREACHER: "Do you want to see Pedrito?" KIDS: "Yes!" PEDRITO (Puppet): "Good evening, children!" KIDS: "PEDRITO!" PEDRITO: "Do you want me to stay, or do you want me to go?" KIDS: "Stay, Pedrito!" PEDRITO: "Very well, children! But today I want to tell you a story about a young boy who defeated a giant."
After he finished the story, it was time for dinner. I remember we ate chaufa. After dinner, we went to sleep. Since we were out in the country, everything was dark and you could see the stars; it was a beautiful sight.
The next day, I went with Briana to see the animals. I saw small monkeys, turkeys, and chickens. Later, when we returned, I saw that Melany, Kaori, and Rubi were talking. It was then that I realized I couldn't be friends with Melany anymore, and I walked away. Then it was time for the program. We sang songs like "Let's be Radiant Sparks" (the theme song), "12 Disciples," and others. Then Pedrito came out:
PEDRITO: "Hello, children!" KIDS: "Hello, Pedrito!" PEDRITO: "I hope you are doing well and having fun." ROSA: "Hello, Pedrito, it's been a long time." PEDRITO: "Hello, Rosa." ROSA: "How have you been? Have you visited the Adventurers?" PEDRITO: "Yes, I've been through their tents making sure everything is in order: clean shoes, tents set up correctly, things like that." ROSA: "Well, today we are going to cover a similar story; today we will see the story of Samuel."
When the story of Samuel finished, we went to eat champús with cachangas. That same night, Briana had gone to a spot a bit far from the camp near the trees because she had spotted a ripe mango. While she was walking there, she stepped right into a huge pile of cow dung.
The next morning, I saw that Briana had approached my former friends, so I didn't go near them. After that, we went to sing a song with the others for the program. I remember as we were walking, I saw a large tortoise, and it surprised me because I had never seen one before. When it was time for the program, it didn't happen because the power went out.
Then came Saturday, the last day. We went out with all the Adventurers from my club to sing a song: "Let's be Radiant Sparks."
Let's be radiant sparks, shining very bright, able to light up the school, the park, and my home with my parents. My light will shine, will shine, will shine...
It was something like that; I don't remember it all because it's a long song. After the camp ended, we went back home.
MY FALL
One Wednesday night, my mom went to church (for a prayer week or a vigil, I don't recall), but my brother stayed with me, and we were watching TV. It was around 11:00 PM and we were falling asleep. My brother fell asleep and pushed me with his feet. Since the wall was made of drywall and was quite old, it broke. Because he pushed me, I fell from the third floor to the second. The stairs were made of metal. My brother came down laughing, but when he saw me, he stopped laughing instantly.
My eyes were open, but I wasn't reacting. It was as if I couldn't move (and that's exactly what happened). I had become paralyzed; I couldn't move or speak. I could only blink.
PETER: "Angelo, move or say something!" ME: "O HUEO OEME..." (I tried to speak, but it came out as gibberish). PETER: "You can't move! Oh no, what have I done?"
He picked me up, put me on the sofa on my back, and saw that I had a huge bruise across my entire back. After an hour, I was finally able to say:
ME: "What am I doing here? Why can't I move?" PETER: "Can you stand up?" ME: "No."
After that, he began helping me move little by little. I started to walk. When my mom arrived and saw me like that, she checked me, saw the bruise, and hit my brother with a belt because he was supposed to be looking after me. It was because of that fall that I was able to start going to church at night again, because since my previous head injury, I was only allowed to go during the day.
I found this story quite entertaining to share. I'm not looking for you to think well or poorly of my religion; it's just something that happened. I included some information about the camp so you would understand how they work. If you found the story interesting, I would love for you to support me by sharing it.