From August 1–5, 2023, the Youth Department of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) of Seventh-day Adventists held its third Pathfinder Camporee at Sahmyook University in Seoul, South Korea.

The NSD Pathfinder Camporee was held for four days and five nights, starting with the opening ceremony at the university’s auditorium.

Under the theme “Focus on the Vision,” more than 2,300 Pathfinder leaders and members from around the world, including the host country of Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Mongolia, the United States, Mexico, and the Philippines, participated in the camporee.

The event began with a ceremony in which the flags of the participating countries were raised by the flag bearers; Pathfinder, competition, Adventurer flags were also raised.

The excitement of the event reached its peak with the opening declaration by Choi HoYoung, NSD Youth Department director, who delivered the tournament flag from Taiwan, the previous host country, to Korea.

Kim YoHan, president of the NSD, who delivered his opening remarks via video, said, “This camporee will focus us on our mission. I look forward to seeing Jesus with our eyes and having everything in our lives point to Christ.”

During the morning and afternoon sessions of the camporee, there were about 120 booth activities, including archery, knife skills, leatherwork, knotting, space telescope making, fruit carving, VR (virtual reality) experience booth, 3D printing, climbing, boating, ziplining, water bounce, and water leisure.

The evening rally was preceded by a parade of Pathfinders from different countries. The parade started at Sahmyook University’s sports field and continued to the main auditorium where the main event was held. Participants cheered loudly and enthusiastically as each country’s procession passed by.

In the evening service that started after the parade, everyone praised and glorified God in unison, starting with worship and praise, followed by a performance of Joseph, a Camporee Vision Musical prepared by the Sulammi Musical team.

The musical began with the words, “The dream you had today is the dream of all of us, given by God. Don’t forget that you can see better when it’s dark all around you,” conveying a poignant message to the Pathfinders.

In the sermon following the musical, Pastor HoYoung said, “Joseph had a completely different character than his brothers. God works through those whose character is prepared,” and emphasized that they should keep the dream of being used by God and become people of good character.

On Sabbath morning, a performance about gaming addiction by the troupe Skybird was performed on stage. Afterward, Lee HoJin (Department of Theology, Sahmyook University), who inspired the performance, moved the participants with his testimony of overcoming game addiction through the Bible and faith.

During the Sabbath service, Andres Peralta, director of Pathfinders for the General Conference, along with HoYoung, ran around the participants and took commemorative photos. They unrolled and passed around Pathfinder scarves to commemorate and remember the encounter. Pastor Andres, in conclusion, exhorted, “We need to have a more certain dream. Like Joseph, let’s dream big in God. God wants us to focus on who we are going to be, not what we are going to do.”

Meanwhile, on Sabbath afternoon, 80 souls were baptized in the fountain in front of the main auditorium, accepting Christ as their personal Savior. Sixty-one were originally scheduled, but an additional 19 who were graced in various stages during the camporee made the decision. In addition to South Korea, participants from Japan, Taiwan, Mongolia, and Malaysia joined the baptism.

The closing ceremony began with a demonstration performance by the Onyang Eagles Club of the Middle West Korean Conference (MWKC), which received a first-class rating in the ceremonial presentation that afternoon. The participants who filled the large auditorium cheered and applauded the Onyang Eagles’ ceremony, which was both elegant and powerful.

Exemplary leaders were also honored. Ten leaders were awarded with certificates and medals for their dedication to the development of Pathfinders.

The final story of the musical Joseph, which had been progressing each evening, also unfolded.

In his sermon based on Genesis 43–44, Pastor HoYoung pointed out, “The moment his brothers bowed to him, Joseph’s long-forgotten dreams were revived. He wanted to know if his character had changed enough to [realize his] dreams. God gives dreams to those whose character is ready.”

After the sermon, the actor playing Joseph reappeared and asked the audience, “What dreams do you have?” The message “My dream is to go to heaven with my loved ones” filled the screen, and, guided by the actor, Pathfinders filled paper airplanes with their dreams and visions and sent them soaring into the sky.

At the opening ceremony, the flag flying over the camporee was lowered. The airplane traveled from South Korea to the NSD office and back to Mongolia. As much as everyone was disappointed, they look forward to meeting again in four years with greater expectations.

During the time of the closing ceremony, YoHan expressed his deep gratitude to the organizers, staff, and participants who worked behind the scenes to make the camporee a success.

Camporee ended with a closing statement by Pastor HoYoung. The Pathfinders from around the world, who shared deep friendships in the Word, praise, prayer, and training, bittersweetly watched the fireworks light up the night sky and looked forward to meeting again at the next Pathfinder Camporee in Mongolia.

The original version of this story was posted on the Northern Asia-Pacific Division website.