We finally received the box of VHS tapes and another box of cassette tapes.
Thank you very much! I guess the donation mailings you did finally ended
up a success! Thanks for such great efforts and generosity! We will strive
to use all these for God's honor and glory and for His people.
Concerning the status of the LifeNets donation to the Philippines, our
records show that it is more than 90% complete as of today. We are very thankful
and grateful that some of it arrived just before our schedule for the Mt. Apo
Climb!
Of course, the delay for some of those items were not normal because in the
past, these just takes two months shipping time. Besides that, one box
containing Bibles (which we just received) was apparently soaked in water
resulting to the damage of about 14 copies of Bibles in it. The box is
insured though, but I do not know how the insurance in this case applies.
Once again, our THANKS goes to all of you who donated and also thank you all
for your efforts toward this goal and the expenses incurred. I could see
that the shipping costs when totaled is also substantial! Thanks for making all
those extra sacrifices for us!
June 16, 2000
Dear Mr. Kubik,
Greetings again from the Philippines!
Thanks for your concern for us and your e-mail. I am sorry, for this belated
response as we have just wrapped up UYC for this year, and are busy working on
the camp newsletter with photos. We started our UYC May 21 and ended Part 1 on
May 28 with awarding ceremonies and departures of those not selected for the
climb. Part 2 started early Monday (May 29) with the climb to Mt. Apo and ended
late evening of (Thursday) with arrivals from the climb. Several campers
and staff stayed over for the Sabbath weekend. Thank God, everything was a
success! We hope to also include a write-up in the next issue of United
News.
Yes, we received just in time partial shipment from your LifeNets on late
Friday afternoon just before the climb! Happily, one (4-man) dome tent, nine
sleeping bags, a couple of dozen pairs of rubber shoes, and a few backpacks
arrived! Thank you very much! We then added what we can personally and locally
produce to these by Sunday. We had to tailor the number of climbers based on the
availability of equipment (especially total tent capacity) together with their
individual physical fitness and their own personal preparations for the climb.
Out of the 54 campers and staff in the camp, we selected only 30 to actually
participate in the climb. Of course, several were somewhat disappointed, but we
hope they understand the situation and that they can participate next time
around as we gradually build on equipment. Next time, we hope to be able to take
in more who are interested.
(By the way, just last week we received more stuff: five small junior tents,
five sleeping bags, three back packs, and three pairs of rubber shoes. Thank you
very much again!)
Critical to the climb's climate was the zippered tent, for which we were able
to gather enough to accommodate 30 climbers only. Next were the sleeping bags
which were augmented by some personal ones. A few had thick blankets, and for
the rest we had to purchase more for their use. Next, we inventoried the shoes
and gave to those who did not have one. Same case with the back packs.
Again, thank you for going out of your way in showing concern for us. By
God's help, we were able to manage! We are thankful that God never fails! I also
feel honored and fondly remember the dinners we had during the recent
conference. Thanks for inviting me.. and waiting. I am sorry, I was badly hit by
jet-lag at that time. Congratulations also for the work of God you are doing in
Eastern Europe and Russia, and now China!
I am also happy with the opportunity to have met and known Henrikas Klovas.
How I wished I could communicate with him more and that I could understand and
speak more German! I have lost exposure to that language and has not used it for
almost 30 years! Hope to communicate with him better next time, and the
Spanish-speaking ministers, too!!
Bye for now and regards to your wife as well. Happy Sabbath!
Ed Macaraeg
P.S. Thank you also for the new shipment of cassette and video tapes. Thanks
for your continuing help and concern.
June 27, 2000 Report on the May 2000 camp
Teens Conquer Philippine’s Highest Peak
DAVAO CITY—Fifty-four participants composed of 35 teens
and 19 staff members gathered here May 21 to 28 for “Part I” of United Youth
Camp 2000: “A View from the Peak.” Activities
consisted of Christian living classes, basic first aid, dance, orienteering,
knot-tying, riflery, mountaineering, and wilderness skills.
The workshops offered were art illustration, communications, cooking and
baking, organic fertilizer production, and web-page design.
For the evenings, campers enjoyed novelty games, a movie
night with pizza and ice cream, an etiquette dinner, an interactive session on
relationships, another open forum on biblical and doctrinal questions, and
finally a dance night with a couple of song and dance numbers by the campers.
During the middle of the camp, campers and staff packed
their bags and embarked on a 6-hour boat cruise around the tropical island
paradise of Samal. Staying on the
island for the night, the campers enjoyed swimming and fellowship on white-sand
beaches.
One special activity was the confidence course, which was
constructed by the campers themselves, under the supervision of staff members.
They went through several old tires suspended from a huge tree branch,
scaled a nine-foot high wall, crossed a narrow beam elevated about two feet from
the ground, navigated over more tires laid flat on the ground, crawled under a
long row of plastic chairs with plastic cups filled with cold water on top, and
then finally crossed a single 30-foot long rope suspended about 10 feet above
the ground.
Another special activity was the treasure hunt, where each
dorm of campers had to apply the knowledge they gained from the orienteering
class to get to the hidden treasure—a pack of chocolates hidden under a bush.
(The girls got to the treasure first!)
After breakfast on the Sabbath, the campers had “Bible
Bowl,” then a camp Bible study, followed by more fellowship time.
After the afternoon service, the campers visited each other’s dorms in
the Open House activity.
The very next day, May 28, it was time to say goodbye.
The closing and awarding ceremonies were held after breakfast.
About half of the campers went home that day.
The other half stayed and prepared for “Part II”: a four-day
mountain-climbing adventure to commence the next day.
Seventeen campers and 13 staff members participated in the challenging
ascent to the highest Philippine peak, Mt. Apo, towering 10,311 feet above sea
level. The journey was a
challenging one with the cold, the rain, the mud, and the river crossings, but
the enthusiasm remained high. And
on May 31, at about 10:00 AM, they conquered the peak and enjoyed a most
spectacular view! After all, the
theme for this year’s camp was “A View from the Peak.”
“The Peak” refers to the summit of Mt. Apo.
But more importantly, “The Peak” represents our ultimate goal—the
Kingdom of God—and the narrow and difficult Way leading up to it—the way
that works and which had become a daily reality at camp.
—By Daniel Macaraeg