PHILIPPINES—Thirty-seven Philadelphia Church of God youth from all over the country arrived at the Clearwater Country Club in Clarkfield, Pampanga, on April 13 for the start of Philadelphia Youth Camp 2015.

Awaiting the teens were the youth camp staff, fresh off of lectures by camp director John Macdonald and his son, assistant camp director Kirk Macdonald. Mr. Kirk Macdonald encouraged staff members to wrap their minds around what God is doing at pyc. Building on the theme “Arise and Shine,” he emphasized that workers “are here to preserve God’s camp,” and that “pyc is an opportunity to glorify God.” He stressed the importance of laying the right foundation, saying that workers are “God’s instruments in working in these young people’s lives … to manifest God’s glory and bring the campers to that light.”

During his lecture before the campers’ arrival, Mr. John Macdonald said that God desires to build relationships with the campers. “Being in God’s Family is God’s will,” he said, “but it has to be our choice.”

Under these themes, the youth unpacked, formed into dorms, and launched into beach volleyball, soccer, swimming and the new sports of flag football and badminton.

“Flag football is a new sport for me, and it is also a manly game,” 2B camper David Concepcion said.

The teens also spent an off-site day activity golfing at a nearby driving range. Campers said they found the game challenging. Other activities included dance and classes on crafts, decorating and table setting for the girls.

The core of pyc classes was formed by 10 hours of Bible and Christian living instruction on leadership, womanhood and goal setting and visioning.

Camper Anjulie Cruz said, “The lesson from Womanhood class that stood out in my mind is that what we do today determines what we will become in the future.”

Camper Rence Jerome Cruz said he gained a deeper understanding of the Fifth Commandment from Bible class. “We can serve our parents all we want, but without the right attitude, is it really obedience?” he said. “I learned that we should serve willingly and with love.”

Sharayah Concepcion said that for her, the most impactful part of camp was the message: “When God called your parent, He thought about you, too.”

This session’s Speech Night included three girls and three boys delivering heartfelt and amusing speeches to the rest of the camp.

All-star games were held on the last two days of camp. Workers and campers went head-to-head in beach volleyball, flag football and soccer, with the workers’ experience prevailing over the campers’ vigor in all three matchups.

Counselor Callum Wood said that campers “arrived with fairly good attitudes and were quick to dive into the program. What they perhaps lacked in athletic ability was more than compensated in their willingness to participate and give activities 100 percent commitment.”

Counselor Joella Tolis, who attended pyc–Philippines in 2013 and 2014 said, “I felt that the standard of the campers was a lot higher than that of two years ago, and that their ability to take in the lectures and my own instructions was excellent. The attitudes were positive, and there was a willingness to serve. I think with the introduction of Imperial Academy, the standard of the teens has really lifted, and I loved seeing the change in some of the teens since I last saw them.”

“Clearwater was very dry when we arrived,” Anjulie Cruz said, “but God blessed this camp with rain after all the day activities. After three days, the place was covered with beautiful green grass.”

Wood said that the greatest lesson during the session was that of answered prayer. “It seemed as though God just poured out blessing after blessing on the camp.” Wood asked his campers to “write specific things to pray about on a chart in the dorm, of which most, if not all, were answered in some way, shape or form during the camp.”

According to Mr. John Macdonald, pyc–Philippines 2015 was by far the best that he has been a part of. In a sermon during the last Sabbath during camp he said, “We give credit to the campers and the parents who worked all year long to have achieved this.”