Note: The pictures were taken by an amazing photographer, Mareks Steins, who spent the week at camp with us.
The Union of Baptist Churches in Latvia has an annual camp outreach called DRAFT Camp. The purpose of the program is to reach teenage boys with the gospel and then mentor them to become godly leaders. It is a three-level program with first level focusing on physical challenges and basic questions about Christianity, masculinity, and life. The second and third levels focus on leadership, character development, and missions.
This was my second year to be able to participate in a first-level camp. The number of campers was a little smaller this year because there were actually two first-level camps this summer. However, it was a great week of connecting with the young men and we were even able to see one of the young men come to Christ.
One of my colleagues, Chris, preaching on every man’s calling in Christ.
On of the major components of the camp is teaching, lectures, and discussions. The lectures covered topics like “The Identity of a Man,” “Jesus, Our Example,” “Physical and Spiritual Discipline,” etc. There were daily quiet times followed by discussions about what we learned. Some of the boys were openly hostile to Christianity but we were able to see the Holy Spirit working on their hearts. By the end of the week, some of those same students were open to talking about spiritual issues and the gospel. I was able to lead a lecture on “The Identity of a Man” and a discussion following the film Hacksaw Ridge.
Physical challenge is another major component of the camp. One of the “highlights” of the week is a three-four hour “hike” through the forest. It begins with swimming through a river and after coming out of the water, each team is given a log that they will carry for the rest of the journey. For the next several hours, there are physical challenges to overcome and competitions between teams where the losers have to do 30, 40, or 50 push-ups. Through this challenge, the young men learn the importance of perseverance to the end, teamwork, and a sense of accomplishment from tackling difficult or seemingly impossible tasks.
During the week there are other challenges and activities to help the students grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. They might have to work together to fill a leaky barrel with water from the river or jump blindfolded (OK, slightly pushed…) into the river and trust that their team captain with rescue them. Each of the activities has a purpose and there is a debriefing after each one to help the students reflect on what they learned.
On one of the last nights of camp, the students are woken up at 1AM to bright lights, sirens, and yelling. They are directed outside at which point they are told they have 2 minutes to gather all the gear they need to hike to the sea and camp for the night. Dazed and a little disoriented, they are then blindfolded and lead by the hands to the sea which is about a 1.5 mile hike. Along the way, we stop at an old cemetery where the gospel is presented. Part of the purpose of the evening is to show the students that we need to be prepared for everything, including to one day stand before our maker.
The last full day of camp involved several hours of physical and mental challenges where they competed in two teams. Interspaced between these challenges, the teams also have to do burpee-pushups (around 100 per team members) in order to earn their celebratory dinner. Lunch was simply a bowl of rice and some water so we were all hungry for dinner that evening. However, before dinner, the students had a spiritual task where they carried a cross as a team while walking to four different “stations” where counselors would talk about different sins that are common among young men and how Christ gives us new life and victory. The walk ended with the team captain washing the feet of his team.
From my perspective, this year seemed better than my first year. I know a large part of it was due to my growth in knowledge of the Latvian language. However, I have also been able to build relationships with several of the counselors prior to camp and I felt there was more of a gospel-centered approach to the camp which I hope to see grow in the years to come. In fact, the BPI Draft Camp team will be meeting for a retreat November 1-3 of this year, so pray that we will continue to grow in our focus on the gospel and in seeing lives completely changed through Christ as we plan for next year.
