The Challenger Camp 2009 was to me a different ball game entirely. It was a total immersion type of programme. The experience was indeed awesome and very challenging. The entire event brought to life in a focused way and with awesome, amazing clarity what Woodrow Wilson wrote in his essay about maturity titled "When a Man Comes to Himself". He wrote that a man comes to himself "When he has left off being wholly preoccupied with his own power and interests and every petty plan that centers in himself; when he has checked his eyes to see the world as it is and his own true place and function in it"
It was an adventure all the way and an opportunity to learn and learn and learn. As Mr Wilson said, it was an opportunity to discover myself. To push myself beyond and above the limit. It ended up making things I would have considered extraordinary to look and feel ordinary.
The road trip that was supposed to be 15 hours and ended up being more than 36 hours taught me a lot about patience tolerance and endurance. A hard lesson I could not have learnt in the comfort of my home. The beautiful and lovely scenery of the open plains and range land interspersed with rocky outcroppings and hills, with streams, ditches and lakes make me stand in awe of what I have been missing in my modern jungle. Truly, God’s invisible nature is clearly seen by the things He created.
The cold temperature, which was way beyond what I would call my comfort zone showed me how our Father cares for people in different places. Noticeable is the cactus fence grown by the natives to protect their farms from roaming cattle and goats etc. It also makes me to see the need to be well bonded with those I call friends and share my faith with. This circle of friends will help form a defense against the fiery darts of the adversary, who is said to be like the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, just the same way the cactus fence keeps out the vermin and cattle that would have come to destroy the hard work and well cultivated fields and farms of the natives.
All the activities were well planned and executed, designed for their specific purposes. Compass checks, rock climbing, group discussion, orienteering, pot luck and camp fire were just great. For the first time in my life, I kept the Sabbath service on an open ground and on a mountain top with the beauty of God’s creation as a backdrop, the warmth of the sun and cold breeze on my face and my family in Christ all around me. It was a super great experience!
Walking around with my backpack weighing about 25kg stuffed with basic necessities of life reminds me of the need to count the cost and carry our own cross and follow Christ through the journey of life. And doing so willingly, without complaining.
The whole experience is worth having again and again and again.
Paul Ogundipe is an Economist and Computer Enthusiast living and working in Lagos.
No comments:
Post a Comment