Seeing Is Believing!

AYC 2014 was finally here! I had heard all about it for the past three years from my brother and sister. But now, I was prepared to experience the fun and fellowship for two whole weeks firsthand.

At first I was apprehensive. Questions crossed my mind: Would people like me? Would they be friendly to me? Would I be able to survive without my family for two weeks?

By the time I reached the campsite and saw all the smiling faces, I felt at ease. Many campers introduced themselves to me. Within minutes, I felt as though I had known them for years.

All of the activities and sports began the day after everyone arrived. Soccer, volleyball and dodgeball were highlights of the first week of camp. Other activities included canoeing and hiking. Campers and staff participated in these with great enthusiasm.

These activities were a great change from what I experience at home in India. There, if a team member misses a shot, does not score a goal, or makes a mistake, the opposing team laughs and makes fun of them.

But it was not like that at AYC. For example, when I missed a shot in volleyball, everyone encouraged me by saying, “It’s okay. Just try harder next time.”

The first week ended with Sabbath services being held at Headquarters. When I arrived at the beautiful campus for the first time, I saw that it looked much better than in pictures! Many brethren attended services and it was a good experience to see Mr. Pack give a sermon right in front of me.

I had heard a lot about Headquarters from my brother and sister. They told me that it was a very beautiful place. The year before, they even had the opportunity to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Hall of Administration.

But when I saw the campus for the first time, it had changed dramatically from when my siblings visited. The Hall of Administration and Mail Processing Center were now completed, standing upright and beautifully in place. While I had only seen renderings of the Media Center, it was an actual building—right in front of my eyes.

These structures truly represent God’s high standards. Everything was in place. Nothing was out of order, even in the building under construction.

After services, campers, staff and Church members gathered in a nearby banquet center for a dinner dance. I have never attended a dance of almost all teenagers before and it was extremely exciting.

Dancing at AYC was an enjoyable experience. It was great to see campers and staff performing steps in front of everyone without being shy or scared.

The next day, campers and staff were even more amazed by the beauty and serenity of the Headquarters campus while on a walking tour of the land. We were shown the future vision of the farm and agriculture program. Later that day, we enjoyed art classes where we learned many new techniques of sketching while surrounded by the majesty of the campus.

That night, we played charades. The girls won over the boys. It was fun to see everyone acting out sentences and words and other campers attempting to guess what was being portrayed.

Later that evening, campers raised their voices while singing various melodies around a campfire. It was enjoyable sitting with the wind blowing on our faces and relaxing while eating s’mores, a tasty American treat.

On Monday, there were boys and girls speech classes, during which campers taught each other how to do various activities as well as new recipes. These included making peanut butter cookies and a Hagel sandwich, a Dutch treat made with chocolate sprinkles. I plan to go home and try these new recipes.

I was nervous about giving a speech in front of all the girl campers. But since everyone was so friendly and encouraging, I felt at ease while giving my speech.

After speeches, we enjoyed cooling off at a nearby athletic center with an indoor swimming area.

The following day, campers enjoyed several games of volleyball and dodgeball.

Wednesday was another exciting day as everyone was busy working on their articles, plus we had softball and outdoor swimming. It was very enjoyable to see campers swim and race with each other or just splash around in the pool.

During this activity, I learned many new swimming skills shown to me by my friends such as the “doggy paddle” and the butterfly stroke. I also overcame my fear of jumping from a 13-foot diving board.

We continued to do so much throughout the next few days that I could continue recounting all of it for three more pages!

AYC 2014 was not complete without sports like softball and lessons in archery. The activity I looked forward to most was the zipline course, during which most of the campers got over their fear of heights. It did not disappoint—it was extremely fun!

Everything I heard about camp was right. It is the best camp in the world. It is one in which you can make the most wonderful, everlasting friendships, and eat the best, healthiest and most nutritious food—all served with a smile. On top of this, everyone who participated in all the activities and sports understood the right form of competition and how to use teamwork to ensure that everyone had fun.

My advice to all teens in God’s Church: do not miss this golden opportunity of attending camp and be prepared for more fun and excitement when you come to AYC 2015.