DAVAO CITY—Thirty-two campers and 25 staff members from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (the three major island groups in the Philippines) gathered at Eden Nature Park, a peaceful and tranquil mountain resort 2,630 feet above the city, from May 18 to 25 for Part One of United Youth Camp 2003. Part Two (May 26-30) was optional and consisted of a climb to the summit of Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines, at 10,311 feet above sea level.

The 32 campers were divided equally into four teams or “dorms” (we actually stayed in tents)—two boys dorms (1B and 2B) and two girls dorms (1G and 2G)—of eight campers each. Two counselors served each dorm. Each camper dorm was divided into two tents of five people each, four campers plus one counselor per tent. With nine more tents for the staff, we had a total of 17 tents in our campsite.

Our theme this year was “On to the Highest!” It might be recalled that three years ago, we had a theme that was somewhat related, “A View from the Peak,” when 30 of us (17 campers and 13 staff) scaled Mt. Apo. For those who missed out, this year was the opportunity to go “on to the highest!”

The first activity of every day was the Christian living class. Each dorm met with a different member of the ministerial staff to learn the spiritual values revolving around our theme. This included an unflagging commitment to excellence and to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first in our daily lives.

After the Christian living classes, our day activities consisted of basketball, confidence course, campus service, cycling, first aid, inline-skating, riflery, softball, swimming, table tennis, volleyball, and wilderness skills. We also had six workshops: art illustration, cooking and baking, electricity, flower arranging, journalism, and public speaking.

For the evenings, we all enjoyed a bonfire, a dance clinic, a speech banquet, a dance and variety show, and two evenings of Q&A on the Bible and Christian living.

On the Sabbath, we had a “Bible Bowl,” followed by more fellowship time. Selected campers rehearsed “How Good and How Pleasant” for the special music on the afternoon service. After the service, we visited each other’s tents in the Open House activity. In the evening, the variety show, dance, and awarding ceremonies were held. Many campers stayed up late trying to make the most of their last few hours together.

Then, it was time to say goodbye. About half of the campers and staff went home after Part One. The other half stayed and prepared for the four-day mountain-climbing adventure to commence the next day. Fifteen campers and 13 staff members (plus one guest) participated in the challenging ascent to the highest peak of Mt. Apo. The journey was challenging, but the enthusiasm remained high.

On Wednesday, May 28, at around 3:30 a.m., we woke up and started to prepare for the final ascent to the peak from Lake Venado, our base camp. We started the climb at about 4:30 a.m. At 6:57 a.m., the first climber reached the summit. The last climber arrived at 8:54 a.m. We ate our pack lunches at the peak and enjoyed a most spectacular view!

On our way down the mountain, one of our 11 porters remarked that of all the groups that he had known all these years, we were the ones whom he had the most pleasure working with. We asked him why. He said because it was obvious that we had genuine care and love for each other. He could see it in the way we acted and the way we treated him, the other porters, and one another—something he said he hasn’t seen before. We also left the place better than we found it. We gathered all the trash we could find and brought down five huge sacks of empty bottles, cans, and candy wrapper that others had left. It served as a lesson for us: Don’t leave trash—leave a legacy by being a light, just as Jesus said.

God has certainly blessed our camp with good weather all throughout. Members of the Eden Nature Park staff remarked that it had been raining almost continuously before we arrived. However, we were blessed with good weather the whole time we were there. Even on Part Two of our camp, some of our porters told us that it had been raining for days before we arrived. But suddenly, when we came, the rain just suddenly stopped. On the day of our ascent to the peak, it was sunny and almost just perfect!

The bottom line is this: We lived, we loved, we learned, and we left a legacy. We had fun, and no one suffered any serious injury the whole time there—thank God. We also wish to thank you, our brethren and our readers, for your prayers—and to the Home Office of the United Church of God and LifeNets International for all their support. But all the praise, glory, and honor go to our great God and Father in heaven for making it all possible!

Reported by Daniel Roy Macaraeg