Here is a brief outline of Alpinis camps and events this summer:
- June 26 – 29 – a weekend of trail training for Alpinis Outdoor Challenge (AOC) guides, we did this in the south-west of Romania. Click here to see more pictures.
- July 7 – 12 – A group of 29 youth from Northern Ireland worked for almost a year together to prepare for a camp in Romania. Through their efforts a group of 50 Romanian youth from rural areas – Lenauheim, Faget – Farasesti and Pestere – Teregova, joined the Northern Ireland group for a week of camp at Alpinis. We played games, ventured at Arka Park Paltinis, hiked, learned about God and made new friends. Here are more pictures.
- July 14 – 19 – We had the youth group from Giurgiu, south of Romania at Alpinis. Check out some pictures here.
- July 21 – 26 – Youth from Fetesti area in south-east of Romania and a youth group from Cluj, central Transylvania came to camp at Alpinis. Click here for pictures.
Both of the above camps were possible through the generous support of Zionsville Presbyterian Church from Zionsville, IN, USA. We could not write a big enough THANK YOU!
- July 21 – 26 – We had the first AOC camp this summer with a group of youth from Bucharest and from Timisoara. Weather was tough with lots of rain, yet they had a great six days experience in the outdoors. Check out their experience through these pictures – click here.
- July 28 – August 9 – The girls from Deborah House had two weeks of camp. During the first week we had a drama/ballet camp with Caitlin McAvoy from VA, USA who came with her father, Pastor Tim McAvoy and worked with the girls. The first week ended with a public performance in Astra Park, Sibiu aimed at raising awareness regarding domestic abuse in Romania. Camp included hikes, adventure ropes course at Arka Park, devotions, a carnival organized by Larisa Sandu, and lots of games and excitement. Click here to see more pictures.
- August 12 – 17 – The second backpacking AOC camp with youth from Cluj and Timisoara in the Retezat National Park. If you want to see more pictures, click here.
- August 25 – 31 – We hosted the ‘25+’ camp at Alpinis with young adults coming mostly from Bucharest and also form other parts of Romania.
Everyone has a story. Alpinis camps’ theme this summer was ‘My Story as part of God’s Big Story’. Our faith is not a mere list of ‘does and don’ts’. We know God because He chose to reveal himself and He did it not in bullet points, but through the ongoing story of Creation – Fall – Exodus and Exile – Christ’s Incarnation, Death and Resurrection and its implications for our future hope. Our goal is that all young people coming to camps this summer would unite their lives with Christ’s and would be able to articulate the Christian faith in terms of an ongoing story of God’s revelation and love.
We had an unusually wet summer yet filled with joy, singing, beautiful hikes, Bible study, ropes course adventures, games, volleyball and meaningful experiences drawing us closer to God and each other. One of my personal highlights is listening to end of camp ‘closure’ when everyone shares what they take away from the experience. One girl’s testimony was especially encouraging – ‘I leave this place with a deep peace in my soul’.
We are so thankful for your involvement, support and encouragements. God is good!