A South African’s AYC Experience

When my father told me about a camp in our Church, I thought it would be fun. I knew that at God’s camp, I would meet people that followed the Bible and other teenagers who believe as I do. Not to mention the thought of going to America for the first time made it seem even more amazing!

Thinking about it, I knew AYC would be very different from my home. I live in a suburban area in Limpopo, a province in South Africa. It is an unsafe place. There are many people who steal and kill. Teenagers where I live do not often have the chance to go out with friends, which means it is easy to feel alone.

I filled out my application for camp and was accepted. Before I knew it, July arrived. I would be leaving for a country I had always dreamed of visiting.

On departure day, I was all out of sorts. I packed things I should not have, put shoes in the wrong bag, and forgot to charge my phone because I was so excited.

After a long trip, I finally landed in America. I noticed many differences between this country and my homeland.

First, I saw that there is a lot of moisture in America. Everywhere is green! This is very different from South Africa, which tends to be dry and dusty.

The houses in the United States also do not have gates around them to protect them. Where I live is quite different. Many homes have gates, and people live in fear of what can happen to them because there is a lot of violence.

Soon I began to wonder: How was I going to be treated by other campers? It did not take long to find out.

After being dropped off at the World Headquarters of The Restored Church of God, another camper and her father picked me up. I was to stay with them before AYC started. I gave the girl a big hug and smile. Any fears others would reject me soon disappeared.

A few days later, we arrived at the campsite. Right away, I received BIG hugs and saw a lot of teeth from all the smiles.

We did a lot of activities at camp. I had done some of them before, but others were new such as volleyball.

We also went rock climbing. When I entered the building, the indoor cliff face was huge! I had been rock climbing before, but never before had I seen so many rock walls in one place.

When I first started climbing one of the rock walls, I kept slipping. Eventually, I gave up on it.

I did not lose hope, though. I tried figuring out where to grip when I climbed, and attempted a different rock wall. When I made it halfway, I felt like giving up. But the guide holding my safety rope did not let me come down because he believed I could make it. With some extra effort, I finally did.

Reaching the top was amazing!

Canoeing was another new activity for me. I did not know that moving a little boat was so much work. I had a partner who taught me how to reverse and turn the canoe. At one point, the boys splashed us with water and tried to tip us over. We got wet—but we still had fun!

After services during the first Sabbath of camp, we had a dinner dance. I tasted some food that I had never tried before. Since I saw other people eating it, I figured I should join them as it was probably good. (I still do not know what it was!)

Then there was dancing, which I love! I find it soothes me. One of the line dances was my favorite because it was popular and so many people joined in. It was fun to see all the campers and staff, as well as some Headquarters visitors, come out of their shells on the dance floor.

On top of all the activities was the food. There is really no accurate way to describe how good it was. I really wish I could have taken all the kitchen staff home with me!

My favorite dish was “sloppy joes.” I remember seeing this dish on television once, but I never thought it would be quite that sloppy. Still, it was good and a little bit spicy, which I liked.

The most important thing about AYC was all the friends I made. Every person has so much love and you feel they are part of your family. All campers try their best to make sure you are happy and enjoying yourself.

Early on at camp, I once felt left out and that there was no one to talk to. I tried to hold back my tears, but a few campers noticed and asked what was wrong.

Normally, I keep my problems to myself because I am shy about telling people my stories. Despite this, I told them the reason I was crying. They gave me advice and said I should spend time with them and never leave their sides. It really helped me feel better and I never had that experience again!

Ambassador Youth Camp was the first time I was able to regularly hang out with friends. I felt perfectly safe and happy. When you are there, everyone surrounds you with love, and you get to be a part of their family.

I hope I can be part of this camp for as many years as possible. While I was sad when it was all over, I would still summarize AYC in one word: amazing!