
	Helping Georgia Baptists Share the Good News

Home

Current Issue

Camp Pinnacle

By Joe Westbury, Managing Editor

Published July 29, 2004

CLAYTON - It looked like North Georgia, the heat felt like North Georgia, and the thick, warm mud oozing between fingers of the young girls sure felt like North Georgia.

But nearly a thousand GAs this summer were briefly transported to the mountainous regions of South America as they studied the Quichua people group at Camp Pinnacle.

Melody Maxwell, camp director, said the Culture Camp experience provides GAs with �hands on, experiential learning experiences that go far beyond just studying about a people group. It gives our girls an opportunity to step into another culture and to see it through the eyes of young girls their same ages.�

The girls learned how the Quichua cook their meals in earthen pits, make clothing from the fur of llamas, and build their homes with mud bricks. And then they learned of the need to send missionaries to the Andes Mountains to share the gospel in the remote villages which populate the countryside.

This summer the girls had the added bonus of rubbing shoulders with two international counselors, Irina Stepanenco from Moldova in Eastern Europe and Camille Archer from the South American nation of Guyana. In the Around the World sessions where other nations are overviewed, Stepanenco and Archer were able to share insight from their nations and how missionaries are needed to bring Christ to their corner of the world.

Joe Westbury

Camp Counselor Sara Kenney from Buford, a member of North Metro First Baptist Church, teaches campers how to make mud bricks for a traditional Quichuan home.

Joe Westbury

Taking a break from Bible study and culture camp activities are Yonte Burnam, left in boat in foreground, Nashaunta Gross, center, and Khalyn Jones, right, as camp ducks Quakers and Cheese float by. The three GAs are members of Christian Fellowship Baptist Church in College Park and are regular campers in the GA program.

Joe Westbury

Abi Emmanuel, a member of Gwinnett�s Family Church in Lawrenceville, displays her original art incorporating the fur of a llama. Campers were provided fur to design a piece of art during their culture camp experience.

Joe Westbury

On the count of three, campers went for handfuls of rich Georgia mud to shape into bricks similar to those used in construction of Quichuan buildings.

Joe Westbury

Brittany Brummel, left, feels a piece of soft llama fur while Holly Allen, right, gives it a closer inspection during culture camp. Both girls attend First Baptist Church of Grayson.

Joe Westbury

GAs give Camp Counselor Haley Beasley their full attention as they learn about the lifestyle and hardships encountered by the Quichua people. Beasley is a member of First Baptist Church of Milledgeville.

Joe Westbury

Reyes, left, and Brittany Brummel, right, learn about a musical instrument made from the body of an armadillo and used by inhabitants of the Andes Mountains. Reyes attends New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Atlanta while Brummel attends First Baptist Church of Grayson.

Joe Westbury

Brooklyn Hicks of Hill Street Baptist Church in Toccoa learns the joy of making mud bricks during a warm July afternoon at Camp Pinnacle. Each summer GAs study a different people group as they learn about the need for sharing the gospel around the world.

Joe Westbury

Katie Charles of Peachtree City explains the valuable role llama play in the lives of inhabitants of the Andes Mountains. Charles is a member of Woolsey Baptist Church.

Joe Westbury

Kelly Habegger, a camp counselor, doles out a taste of baked potato to girls as they learn about cooking techniques at the camp. Quichua women prepare many meals through cooking in pits dug into the ground and lined with hot coals or stones. Habegger is a member of New Victoria Baptist Church in Canton.

Front page of the current issue. Click to view larger.