More than 32,000 Pathfinders from around the world, including 5,000 from Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah participated in the "Faith on Fire" camporee in Oshkosh, Wis., Aug. 10-15.

Most of the Pathfinders who gathered at the Experimental Aircraft Association campground were from North America, but more than a thousand guests attended from around the world, including many from Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the South Pacific.

"The camporee, held every five years, is one of the largest gatherings of Adventist youth in the world, and is a place for young people to learn outdoor skills and share Bible knowledge," says Ron Whitehead, event organizer.

When asked what they liked most about the camporee, at least 90 percent of the Pathfinders answered without hesitation, "Pin trading." Why would they favor pin trading over, say, the 50 honors taught at the camporee, the evening programs (which they seemed to love), skateboarding, camel riding, remote control cars, canoeing, an air show, and more than a hundred other activities? Again, the answers were almost unanimous: "Because we get to meet new people." Trading pins gave every Pathfinder permission to walk up to every other person at the camporee, start a conversation and often make a new friend.

"The Los Angeles Tongan Club was really nice," reported 10-year-old David Kimball from the Kingman, Ariz., Kougars, after he visited them to trade pins. "They fed me and gave me pins for free."

Many of the Pathfinders took time out from the learning activities to help with service projects in the community, including cleaning the shoreline at a wildlife preserve, painting traffic signal posts and fire hydrants, cleaning a three mile long slough, and even washing and waxing local police cars.

As they entered the main assembly area each evening, Pathfinders dropped off the Bibles they had collected to send to India, the Philippines, Ghana and Kenya. The goal was to collect 100,000 Bibles. By the end of the first night, volunteers collecting and packing the Bibles wondered if they had enough trucks to carry all the Bibles donated.

Other goals leaned more toward silliness, but added to the fun. At one demonstration area, Mark West, a professional archer and instructor from Loma Linda, Calif., set a new Guinness world record by popping 11 balloons at once with one arrow.

Other attempts to set new Guinness world records involved more than watching. Thursday morning, 1,064 junior Pathfinders set a new Guinness World Record for the most children playing leapfrog at one time. Friday morning, thousands of Pathfinders gathered in the assembly area and attempted to break the old record of 10,240 people brushing their teeth together at the same time. Unfortunately, too many Pathfinders opted for more exciting activities, and the final count showed only 7,000 Pathfinders brushed together.

But the camporee was about more than fun and games. Evening programs and all camporee graphics focused on the life of Joseph in Egypt. James Black, North American Division youth director, appealed each evening for Pathfinders to commit their lives unreservedly to God. On Sabbath afternoon, more than 300 were baptized at the camporee and many more will be baptized in their home churches.