A Successful Trip to Jamaica; Pathfinders Master Guides Return Home
A group of seventy-three Pathfinders Master Guides returned to Belize after attending a one-week camp in Jamaica. Their journey to and from the religious camp is a story on its own, nonetheless, the delegation got to meet Olympic champion Usain Bolt. The camp is a space for networking with other young people across the region and to learn skills similar to that of a scout. They camped and prayed and celebrated from April fourth to the eighth. Today, the final group of the delegation touched down and the P.G.I.A. and News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Just before eleven o’clock this morning, the final group of Belizean Pathfinders Master Guides, who travelled to Jamaica on an eleven-seater private plane, returned to Belize after participating in the Seventh Day Adventist World Church Camporee. The event is held every five years and this year, seventy-three Belizean youths made the trip where over twelve thousand youths and their leaders from across the region engaged in a one-week camp.
Gelder Gamboa
Pastor Gelder Gamboa, Youth Leader
“Pathfindering is similar to boy scouts, which teaches them about discipline, about knot-tying, how to set up tents and various things so that they can have that as they grow up as a young man or a young lady. And so we were grateful because we are people that believe in prayer too and the Lord answered out prayers. It was about for them to understand how special they are and for them to network with each other doing pin trading and for them to know that there are various friendship that they can carry o in life and they receive preaching of the word, at the same time sporting events and they were able to meet Usain Bolt. And there were various activities that took place in Jamaica representing Belize.”
But the mission was not without its obstacles. Three days before the event, there were transportation issues getting the delegation to Jamaica. A missionary pilot living in Carmelita, Orange Walk District did seven trips back and forth to carry the delegation safely to Jamaica and Belize. Jeff Sutton says it was twenty-eight flights in two weeks, but it was worth it; round trip is five hours.
Jeff Sutton
Jeff Sutton, Missionary Pilot
“Since I got my pilot license, I dreamed about doing mission work. It’s my passion. You could do other things in life; people say why don’t you fly corporate jets and things like that, but I like to fly my people. I am a village boy and I like flying village people and it is so much fun. We loading up in Jamaica right now; I’ve got tents and things are in sacks and garbage bags. The wealthy, there are thirty-million-dollar jets around you, wealthy people walking around doing their thing and it is so much fun to just be a blessing and know that what you are doing is making a difference in people’s lives. I have been doing this for twenty years, I live in Carmelita. We have a volunteer training center there. We train young people in mission. The plane I typically use to transport volunteers and supplies and logistics all through Central America so this just kinda fits right in with that mission. It just happens to be an intense couple weeks of a lot of flying.”
Eighteen-year-old Stephen Garbutt has been a pathfinder from the age of eleven. He is from Independence and shares his experience at the camp.
Stephen Garbutt
Stephen Garbutt, Pathfinder
“It was very fun, you know. You meet a lot of new cultures and different countries and get to meet other people. It was very fun to interact. And you see the pins – this is pins that we use to pin trade and while pin trading, you get to meet other people. I started pathfindering when I was about eleven years old. So it is quite some time now and it is very fun. You get to learn new skills, how to make fire; you learn how to survive and it’s very nice.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
