From Prison to Palace

From July 22 to 26, Grace Avenue Bible Church held its children’s camp, “Joseph in Egypt: From Prison to Palace,” at the scenic Sierra Pines campground. Surrounded by towering pines, beautiful scenery, and a welcoming atmosphere, more than 60 children ages 6 to 13 embarked on an extraordinary journey to Egypt in the days of Joseph.

For a few days, the children became more than campers. They took on the roles of correspondents, editors, photographers, and reporters with an important mission to accomplish. At registration, each child joined one of five news agencies: Truth Seekers, Faith Finders, Nile News, Dream Times, or Ninja News. Each agency had its own team, logo, and focus.

As part of the camp’s storyline, the children traveled back in time to ancient Egypt and received an unusual assignment: gather the most important news from Joseph’s life and prepare their own reports on the lessons his story can teach us today.

Each day focused on a new theme. The children explored how to trust God even when life seems unfair and discussed choices, obedience, and honesty. As they followed Joseph’s story, they learned about his trials in Potiphar’s house and in prison, discovered how to recognize God’s plan even in difficult circumstances, and reflected on the power of forgiveness.

But camp was more than a time to study biblical truths. It was also five days filled with fun, activity, and shared experiences. The children enjoyed active games, sports competitions, team challenges, craft workshops, songs, and evening programs. They made friends, encouraged one another, and delighted in spending time together.

Delicious food was, of course, an essential part of camp. Shared meals provided another opportunity to talk, laugh, exchange stories about the day, and grow closer to one another.

During craft workshops, the children made bracelets, filled small bottles with colorful sand, designed their own caps, and completed other creative projects. During games, they explored biblical truths, composed songs, and even imagined what Joseph’s Instagram account might look like if he lived today. They created posts, wrote comments, chose hashtags, and considered which events in his life would have made the headlines.

Work in the newsrooms held a special place in the program. Some children wrote articles, others took photographs or designed their teams’ materials, and still others represented their teams during the evening programs. Every child had an opportunity to contribute to a larger journalism project and use their talents.

Through Joseph’s story, the children saw that God continues to work even when we do not understand why certain things happen. What seems unfair or painful at one moment may be part of God’s greater plan. These days gave the children opportunities to learn more about God, build friendships, and create lasting memories through games, songs, creativity, and time together.

We thank all the organizers, ministry workers, parents, and volunteers who invested their time, energy, love, and care in making this camp possible. And, of course, special thanks go to our young journalists, who showed that the most important news is the news of God’s love, faithfulness, and care.

“Joseph in Egypt: From Prison to Palace” was a story the children did more than hear. They experienced it together through faith, friendship, creativity, games, and fellowship.

Yulia Buts