It was an amazing feeling! A smile covered my face; what pure joy! I will never forget my experience at the International Pathfinder Camporee and my baptism.

On the first day, my family and I went to see the main stage. Later in the day, I went to Rich Aguilera’s Dinosaur Encounter while my mom, dad, grandma (called Gram), and a few others were at the main stage, holding our front-row seats. They waited many hours for the long-anticipated program. However, a storm was heading our way, and the program was canceled, much to our disappointment. The storm was furious. It soaked our tents and damaged many campsites. Nevertheless, after the storm, there was a beautiful, full double rainbow, a promise that everything was going to be okay!

On the second day, we visited family. At one o’clock, we went to save our seats in the first row, which became our routine throughout the camporee. A few hours later, one of the actors approached us and asked us to save seats for his parents, so we did. When his parents came, we instantly recognized his dad was Rich Aguilera! They told us their son was playing Moses, the main character. His name is Leo Aguilera. It was a blessing to meet him and his family. We saved seats for them each night. We watched Act 1 of the play Moses. The cast had planned to also do Act 2, but it started raining hard, so they had to postpone it for the following night. I went back to the tent, wet but happy.

On the third day, we went to a laundromat to dry our sleeping bags. That night, we saved our seats again and watched Acts 2 and 3.

The fourth day was the day of my baptism. Mom and I checked in at the baptismal booth when it was time for the baptisms. My Uncle Jared and I went into the pool when our turn came, and he baptized me. I felt such joy after I came up out of the water! That was the main highlight of the camporee for me, though there were other special moments. 

That night, we enjoyed Acts 4 and 5. Pastor Chandler preached an unforgettable sermon. He talked about the Passover and how the Israelites painted the blood over the doorpost, on which was inscribed the names of the family members. Pastor Chandler pleaded with us to keep painting, keep applying, and keep praying till all our family is covered under the blood of Jesus! Please also join us in prayer that the people of Mali will be covered under Jesus’ blood!

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