April 19, 2011 – Mexico City, Mexico…Raul Lozano/IAD
Carlos Roblero is a professor in the Montebello’s Lagos District of Chiapas. He assists the Pacayal Adventist Church in the Altos Chiapas Mission. As a church member and layperson, he has been involved in preaching the gospel and is currently teaching a group of Pentecostal believers that have begun keeping the Sabbath. But, Carlos also helps the young people of his local church.
He was not able to camp out with his Pathfinder club but he applied to be a volunteer at the camporee.
“I am here to praise God,” says Carlos gladly. “I have struggled to be here. I worked hard to pay for the registration, and here I am, thanks to God.”
Together with Roblero, another 848 volunteers from Mexico and other countries from throughout the Inter-American Division responded to the call to help during the large gathering.”Volunteer applicants had to be invested master guides, fill out a form, and obtain their pastor’s signature or local elder’s and the signature of the local director of the youth ministries of their conference,” explains Ursula Sors, assistant youth director for the Youth Ministries Department of the South Mexican Union.
There are various reasons for collaborating in the volunteers group. Some come to the camporee because they already have a record of participation in local events in their conference or union.
That was the case for Eliseo Sanchez, Benjamin Salgado and Kepler Vela from the Santana Adventist Church from Mexico’s Central Union. All three were involved in youth clubs from an early age.
“That developed a spirit of service which we carry, and we are happy to come and help,” said Eliseo.
Similarly, some church members are already recognized as enthusiastic participants in youth events and their leaders helped them to come. That was the case with Julian Rios from Macuspana, Tabasco, in the South Mexican Union. The treasurer of his conference told him about the meeting and encouraged him to participate.
The same happened to Dr. Daniel Castillo from Tuxpan, Veracruz, in the Inter-Oceanic Union. Because of his long track record of participating in Adventist youth organizations, he was invited by Pastor Benjamin Carballo, youth ministries director of the church in Inter-America.
“In the end, all the credit goes to our own pastors because they shaped us, they developed our taste for service and for being in the youth activities. My pastors were vital in my spiritual shaping and for that reason I am here,” says Castillo.
Of course, coming here also represents a unique camping experience as well as social attraction. That’s the way it is seen by Esmeralda Pacheco from Ixtapaluca in the State of Mexico.
“I have been able to meet many people from other places, and that’s beautiful. I am very happy helping in the Camporee,” she says.
This human volunteer force demands organization in order to take advantage of their help competently. That has been a challenge, organizers say. In order for the camporee to be in the proper shape to welcome the campers, “volunteers traveled on the night of April 16, which Biblically is already Sunday [Sabbath otherwise] to arrive at Sport City early Sunday morning”, said Professor Simeon Hernandez, assistant to the person in charge of the Volunteers’ Coordination Commission. Very soon, tasks like how to fix and prepare shower units, set up stands and fix the packages and materials for the campers at registration, were assigned.
Other tasks for which volunteers are responsible include maintaining order and security at the entrance and exit of the campground.
Some volunteers have had to do very heavy work. Nevertheless, the volunteers remain enthusiastic and optimistic.
“Our challenge continues to be the logistics: how to organize these young people.” says Professor Hernandez. “The event has just begun. Time will tell how good we did it.”
