AUSTRALIA—Thirty-eight teenagers and 36 staff from Australasia and the United States attended the 2017–2018 session of Philadelphia Youth Camp–Australia from December 25 to January 7 at Camp Bornhoffen in Numinbah Valley, Queensland.
The theme of the camp mirrored the 2017 Edmond pyc theme: “Live Right, Take Flight.” Plane references popped up in sermonettes, speeches and dorm decorations to remind the whole camp of the growing work of the Philadelphia Church of God.
A special aspect of this year’s camp was the high number of former campers turned workers. Nearly all of the activities were staffed by young volunteers looking to give back to the program they had enjoyed as teenagers.
“pyc is always a blast, but this year was especially inspiring with the majority of the workers being former campers,” said 2G assistant counselor Brianna Lorenz. “It was great to be a part of campers’ experience and watch them grow and strengthen their friendships. I think the workers and campers alike all found this year’s messages especially timely and impactful too. I heard so many comments like, ‘Wow, I feel like that lecture was written just for me.’”
A near-unanimous favorite for the campers this year were the dance classes taught by Cliff Lilangan and Grace Marquez from the Philippines. Lilangan, who has taught dance at pyc in the Philippines for several years, included a new dance in his lessons this year: an elegant and graceful form of the tango. Campers perfected the curtsy, glide and dip in evening classes and Saturday night dances.
“Mr. Lilangan did a great job with the dance classes,” said 1G counselor Emma Smithies. “I feel that he brought a high standard to the dancing style. He really focused on getting all the steps right, not just learning new moves, and making sure the campers really got their feet around the steps. [A]ll the campers really loved learning the tango, and it looked great when they were all doing it together.”
Other camp activities ranged from basketball to softball to flower arranging to vehicle maintenance to a speech banquet. For camp maintenance, the dorms assisted with building a path for the camp site and weeding the garden beds. In Bible class, messages covered subjects such as developing the art of thinking like God and reaching success by fixing the right goal both physically and spiritually. A pyc band headed by Mark Constantine of the Brisbane congregation played Australian classics at evening sing-alongs.
A morning hike proved challenging for many of the campers. The steep climb required trudging through mud and grass and avoiding the waiting jumping jacks (a type of ant with a fiery bite) and leeches. At the summit, the dorms marveled at a natural waterfall, snacked on homemade cookies from the kitchen staff, and played hide-and-seek.
“pyc for me was so enjoyable because it pushed me out of my comfort zone,” 15-year-old Nickolas of dorm 2B said. “[S]o many things that I never considered doing at home were there as activities, and every time you went through a period with a positive attitude, you always came out energized and ready for the next.”
Summer temperatures in Australia typically lead to sunburn and sunstroke even for staff members and campers with sunscreen and a hat. This year, however, the campsite experienced only mild warmth during the days and cooling thunderstorms in the evenings. Many long-time Bornhoffen attendees said it was probably the best weather ever for a pyc.
“pyc was the best two weeks of my life,” 17-year-old Becky of dorm 1G said. “Every single message was so impactful and was perfectly tailored to suit exactly what all of the teens need right now. I loved every activity and opportunity we were given and formed so many new lifelong friendships.”