Camp helps children learn about life

Sixty-six school children from Mango Avenue Seventh-day Adventist church in Port Moresby used their holiday on a Bible retreat programme to teach children good behaviour and Christian values.
The topics covered how to dress well, respect, leadership, good behaviour and manners, and child abuse.
Mango Avenue Children’s Ministry’s secretary Anne Wai said the programme was a first for their church.
Wai said there were combined sessions and separate sessions for boys and girls where they learnt and discussed issues related to their gender.
She said the sessions included exercises in which the children acted out what they had learnt and also provided question-and-answer segments. Wai said the children were divided into classes according to age-groups so they could learn the sessions from their level of understanding.
Ted Diro Primary School grade 8 student Bernadette Bomai said the programme helped understand life’s realities and expectations.
“I have learnt many things which I have not learned in school. One of them is how to be a good Christian soldier,” Bomai said.
Mango Avenue Seventh-day Adventist church pastor Gideon Aguzi advised the children to put what they learned to practice when returning to school this week.
“We should have something to tell our friends when we go back to school. Something about the love of Jesus through our words and actions,” Agusi said.