It was a long, dark drive to the camp site at Bishop Swaby Camp in Negril, nonetheless we enjoyed the long journey as we were eager to ‘meet and greet’ once again with youths from across the island. The secluded venue was perfect for getting away from it all, on order to spend time learning about the Word of God as well as enjoying the company of each other and the natural environment.

The turnout for this year’s Bible School was less than last year, but nothing was lacking in fellowship. We were blessed to have visitors from the Book Road Ecclesia in Ontario, Canada (Bro. Ian and Sis. Judy Macfarlane) and from the Sarasota Ecclesia, Florida, USA (Bro. Larry and Sis. Karon Deakin) and the occasional visit from Bro. Devon and his wife Sis. Christine Walker from the UK. The theme of the camp ‘The Mind of the Spirit’ was well executed is sessions lead by Bro. Ian.  Much can be said and learnt about the mind of the spirit as we seek to grow spiritually in Christ, putting off the natural man to embrace the spiritual. We also delved a bit into Bible prophecy and its validity, as well as the truth about the devil. The younger children were taught the fruit of the spirit through lovely songs and nifty crafts by Sis. Judy and Sis. Karon and the rest of us even joined in on these fun activities.

Each morning started with ‘Rise and Shine’ to prepared us for the day. The youth events were well executed for the most part. Friday saw the Individual Quiz Championship going to the May Pen youth once again. The Sports Day was a fun-filled one from ‘expert chefs’ to ‘budding Usain Bolts’ we all took a bite out of that pie. Treasure Hunt saw us running around with flashlights in the dark playing detective which was filled with excitement, laughter and a few frowns from the losing teams. We dressed our best for the Formal Dinner while we enjoyed the ‘world class’ performances from our fellow youths and were encouraged by the awards and tokens we received.

Thanks must be extended to the cooks for providing the delectable food every day, to Bro. Ian and Sis. MacFarlane, Bro. Larry and Sis. Karon and Bro. Devon and Sis. Christine for sharing in our experience, providing spiritual guidance and for the lovely tokens they brought for us. Thanks to everyone who played a part in the planning and executing of the Bible School – we much appreciated all the efforts.
Sadly towards the end of Bible School our hearts weighed heavy and our eyes filled with tears as we mourned the passing of our dear Sis. Annette Johnson of the May Pen Ecclesia. We regret that she is no longer with us but we rejoice in the wonderful times that she had with us; moments that will remain with us and lessons that will last a lifetime. Our prayers are with her family and loved ones. We take comfort in the hope that we will see her again when the Lord Jesus Christ shall return to this earth.

As we journeyed home reflecting on the camp that was, we are cognizant of the fact that these things that will never change: the valuable spiritual and life lessons learnt, meeting new friends in Christ, the unique fellowship we share and the lasting memories we create. No matter the venue, these will always be the same; they keep us coming back time after time. God Bless.

Written by Sis. Shaneika Howard, May Pen Ecclesia