Inter-America: Youth leaders meet for final logistics meeting for upcoming historic Pathfinder Camporee

April 16, 2011 – Mexico City, Mexico….Libna Stevens/IAD

As thousands of pathfinders throughout the Inter-American Division (IAD) have their sleeping bags packed and make their way to Mexico City for the church’s largest camporee ever during the next few days, organizers and youth leaders go over final logistics of the historic event. Coordinators met earlier today in Mexico City to pray, worship and check mark their final to-do list.

“The Lord has helped us in a marvelous way through the coordination of this great event,” said Pastor Benjamin Carballo, youth ministries director for the church in Inter-America and organizer of the event. “We have faced a great giant this week, and seen the bigness of this giant, but I am certain that the Lord will continue to guide and bless this event as He has done so far.”

Challenges like relocating hundreds of Pathfinder clubs to better pastures at the Ciudad Deportiva or the Sports City, getting final details approved by the city, and the delay of 700 portable showers that were delayed from China, sent organizers to the drawing board for alternative plans.

“There will be showers available to all our campers,” said Carballo, who said it was a major concern for coordinators this week. Builders have worked around the clock setting up makeshift showers that will provide the daily shower service through pumps and tanks during the five-day event, according to Carballo.

Youth leaders representing the 21 church region of Inter-America went over their pathfinder club lists, campground sites, financial arrangements, and arrival itineraries.

Some 220 bus loads of campers from throughout Mexico are expected to arrive tomorrow and dozens more are expected to arrive at the Benito Juarez International Airport. Thousands more are expected to arrive Apr. 18-19.

Pastor Carballo went over the security measures in place to ensure the safety of the campers through a 250 security personnel hired for the event in addition to youth leaders, pathfinder club leaders and chaperones participating in the event.

Leaders prayed for three youth ministries directors who were recently appointed in their respective union territories. Among them were Al Powell from the Atlantic Caribbean Union, Luis Aguillon of the El Salvador Union and German Dario of the South Colombia Union.

In addition, a special prayer of gratitude was made for Pastor Ruber Alvarez, youth ministries director for the church in Cuba who through tireless efforts with visa challenges announced that 40 campers from the island would attend the event-a surprising result, according to Alvarez.

Youth leaders will continue to meet later tonight for final event details.

Benjamin Garcia contributed to this report.

For news updates on IAD’s Pathfinder Camporee, visit us at www.interamerica.org and www.camporee.interamerica.org

For radio updates of the Camporee event in Spanish with English interviews, click here https://recursing-golick.147-182-135-0.plesk.page/users/index.php?language=en&type=subsection&id=299&main_id=

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