Our first ever Fathering Project overnight camp held at Wilson.
In Term 3, on a chilly September night, almost 30 dads and their kids put up tents and camped out at Wilson campus, enjoying challenging activities, toasted marshmallows, and making new friends.
The evening kicked off with a flurry of tents, pegs and hammers, as parents set up tents and then relaxed over dinner together. One parent commented, “I bought a blow up mattress last week, but realised it was not going to fit into our tent. So, we had to swap tents with someone else so we could actually fit our mattress in.”
A devotion by one of our dads, Jackson Chiang, reminded us that we have a heavenly Father who loves and cares for us. “No matter what your relationship with your own father is like, you can still have an eternal relationship with our Father in heaven, through His Son, Jesus Christ.”
Games
An hour of fun games followed:
- The fastest dad to eat a Weetbix
- Complete a blindfolded obstacle course
- Throw table tennis balls onto jam covered bread
- Run a fast-paced relay with dress-ups
- Build a tower made of sticky tape and straws
One child expressed, “I really loved the tower building, our team worked well together and after the other team’s tower collapsed, our team was the winner!”
The evening finished with marshmallows and dad jokes around the fire. “It was great to meet new dads and talk with them in a relaxed way, without the pressure of heading back home or to another meeting,” said one dad.
The next morning, after a few hours of sleep, one of the dads, David Thiel put his YWAM skills to use with a massive bacon and egg breakfast. Blurry eyed dads and kids eagerly wolfed down the food and went back for seconds and thirds. Not only that, a strong flat white was provided for every dad to help them start their day and make sure they packed away their tents and belongings. “Coffee,” said one dad, “that was an unexpected surprise.”
Everyone commented that they are already looking forward to the next Father Project event, and they hope that Fathering Project events will continue to be held again next year.
