Becky Cain
They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God,” Romans 1:19-20 NLT.
Students in grades 5-8 at Myrtle Beach Adventist Christian School experienced this text firsthand. During the early morning hours of October 19, 2017, a group of staff and students loaded up vans and headed to Beaufort, N.C. Here they boarded a ferry to Shackleford Island for a four-day, three-night camping trip. Carrying everything they needed for the trip on their backs and in their hands, the 10 of them hiked 1 1/2 miles to set up camp on a site that had no electricity or running water. For the next four days they enjoyed activities such as hiking, fishing, dissecting, worshipping, shelling, and exploring the magnificent island.
Each morning began with worship on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, and every evening closed with student-led worship around a blazing campfire. Throughout the day the students learned more about God through His second Book: nature. They worked on the Pathfinder shell honor; learned the external and internal parts of a fish through dissection; observed the night sky for constellations and meteroids; and walked many miles exploring sand dunes, unique trees, winding shorelines, and marshy areas. The staff followed Ellen White’s advice to “let the child from his earliest years be placed where this wonderful lesson book shall be open before him. Let him behold the glorious scenes painted by the great Master Artist upon the shifting canvas of the heavens, let him become acquainted with the wonders of earth and sea, … and, in all His works, learn of the Creator. In no other way can the foundation of a true education be so firmly and surely laid,” Education, pp. 100, 101.
Upon their return, the students were asked, “What was the most important thing you learned from this trip?” Fifth-grader Randalyn responded, “We don’t need electronics to stay alive.” Several others replied, “Getting closer to God through His second Book, nature, was the most important thing I learned from this trip.” During this trip the foundation of a true education was “firmly and surely laid.”
All those involved — staff and students — returned home feeling a closeness to God and a greater appreciation for His creation. Evelyn, an eighth-grader, concluded that “the most important thing I learned is that God provides amazing adults that we rely on to learn and grow, who become like family to us.” It is because of willing volunteers and staff that the students at Myrtle Beach Adventist Christian School had this opportunity to clearly see God’s invisible qualities as displayed in nature.
Carolina | April 2018
Comments are closed.