First Father-Son Overnight Campout, "A boy's passage to manhood".
Bob organized two overnight campouts with our Liel boys and their dads. He originally wanted all the boys and their dads to go together. However the dads differing schedules did not allow for this. As it turned out our Korean boys and their dads camped out the weekend before Spring Break, and our non-Korean boys camped out the week after Spring Break. The theme of the overnight was, “A Boy’s Passage to Manhood”. There were also some other dads and their boys who participated who are from families who have been helping us as subs and as special cooks throughout the year.
The idea was to create a father-son event which would become a point of reference in our boys' lives when their fathers acknowledged their passage from boys to men. It was an occasion for fathers to spend quality time with their sons, time set aside to communicate their love and respect for the young men that they have already become, and a time to affirm their commitment to them as they look to the journey still before them. Furthermore, it was a time to challenge these boys spiritually. Each one of the dads prepared something to share with all of the boys around the campfire: a personal conviction from God’s word and from their own personal experience that God had taught them.
We set up camp together, cooked our own food and ate outdoors together, the dads slept with their sons in a tent, and we played some team building games together. We also made sure we took a lot of photos to help remember the event. In addition to what each father shared, I asked another Christian man to come along to be a special speaker for us. And finally, each dad also prepared beforehand a personal letter to give to their son at a designated time during the campout. From this day forward they were to consider themselves young men.
Our campsite was a camping "hutte" made available for public use by the local forestry service. They are available by reservation and are cost free. Inside the hut is not suitable for sleeping so we pitched tents outside.
The weather was perfect for camping out and once we got camp set up it was time to make a fire and cook our meals. It was really enjoyable for me (Bob) to get to know these Korean dads through this experience and to see them having fun with their boys.
We were still eating dinner at night fall.
G.I and his dad Taekkyu, and Jae In and his dad Hyeonghoon
The camp head cook,... Breakfast was pancakes, eggs, and sausage!
Josh and his dad David
Group initiative, "The electic fence". Everyone must help the others over without touching the wire (bungy cord)
Symbolizing each boy's passage to manhood and his need for trustworthy men and friends to mentor and encourage him on his journey.
Driving a stake in as a point of reference to declare: "This is the day I became a man"!
Josh carving his initials on a beech tree to be returned to on a future day
Jae In Kim and G.I. Jang
Notice the older rusty nail heads. They were hammered in last year by Marshall and his buddies.
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them dilligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)
"Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us." (Deut. 6:25)
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