More than 60 Pathfinders were baptized on the last day of the Eastern Highlands Simbu Mission (EHSM) Pathfinder Camporee held in Mohuveto, Bena district, Papua New Guinea, from June 23 to 29, 2024.

The event gathered over 12,000 Pathfinders from the Simbu and Eastern Highlands provinces. Throughout the week, thousands of visitors from the 1000 organized churches in EHSM, including new members baptized at this year’s PNG for Christ campaign, also attended.

According to Onori Wagi, EHSM youth director, the event's theme, "Growing in Christ," aimed to enrich the young people’s lives by introducing them to the word of God and encouraging them to “be rooted in Jesus.”

“Our initial goal is to firmly establish these young people in Jesus. ‘Retention’ is our primary purpose. Beyond the conventional methods of evangelism and preaching, we want them to see Jesus in a loving and enjoyable way,” said Wagi.

The Pathfinders took part in a variety of activities, including mud crawling, rope climbing, obstacle courses, and marching exercises. Guest speaker Benjamin Kiaera and James Kiangua, EHSM secretary, presented the message in the mornings and evenings.

For senior Pathfinder Joel, the messages were “encouraging, inspiring and elevating; reminding us to be steadfast, keep our faith strong in Jesus and be his disciples wherever we are.”

“We were so blessed and inspired by the activities,” he added.

The highlight of the camporee was the Sabbath program, which featured young Pathfinders giving their lives to Jesus. Sixty-six Pathfinders were escorted down to the river for baptism, which was witnessed by thousands of people, including the Pathfinders’ family members.

The original article was published on the South Pacific Divison news site, Adventist Record.