Sesimbra is a small town by the sea, at about 40km from Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. There is where lies Sesimbra Natura Park, an enormous and magnificent pine tree park, where the shade from tree tops and the fresh water lakes refresh the visitors from the strong Portuguese sun of August.
This inviting place was chosen by EUD to receive the 13th Camporee International, where Pathfinders from eleven countries of its territory meet to pray, mingle and have fun. This year, about 2800 people responded to the call, adding participants, staff and volunteers. According to the organization, this is the record number for all editions. “We think it’s because the leadership in different countries have been enthusiastic about the theme and the model and they managed to motivate Pathfinders all across Europe”, Jonatan Tejel, Director of EUD Youth Department, explains. “On the other hand, many Camporee editions have been in more central countries in Europe. This time, we came to Portugal, a very tourism vacationed country, that everybody wants to visit. The infrastructure of transportation and the conditions for lodging helped a lot”, he adds.
The camp meeting will have place from 29th July to 4th august and will have has main theme “God’s Promise: Always with you”. “We want everybody to personally have a special encounter with God and there is no best way to have that experience than to remind and engrave His promises in our heart”, says Tejel. “But, this edition, we have another strong goal in our spiritual program: to challenge each participant to understand the importance of being responsible for others, mainly the ones that suffer the most, and to be active in reliving suffering”. That is why the camp workshops will have an important contribute from ADRA Europe, by the presence of its Executive Director, João Carlos Martins.
Dário Santos, the Youth Director for the Portuguese Union, considers “an honour and a responsibility” to have the task to receive this meeting. “We made all the effort to be ready and at the right level for such an amazing moment”, he says. “People who come are expecting to have an unforgettable experience and that is our aim. The place is beautiful, the activities will be thrilling and, most of all, we will praise the Lord together”, Dário adds.
Ready, set… go! Camporee 2019, in Sesimbra, starts at 19:30 on Monday.
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