Church camps here in the states tend to be rather large. The camp’ land is counted in acres and usually are a farm that had been purchased many years ago. We have church camps in Colombia, but they are very different. We have normally rented a recreational villa or something for our camps. But a few years ago, the church in Villavicencio purchased the first actual camp ground for our churches. We regularly have fifty or more people there for a long weekend camp and we have many weeks of camp every year. But the primary difference is that our camp is only a little over an acre.
The reason is that ground in Colombia, in any area where there is good security and where it is relatively safe is quite expensive. It costs about $20,000 an acre for land about five miles outside of Villavicencio in the area where we have our camp. But we really pack them in on that tiny space. We would have liked to have purchased more land but we simply could not afford it. Recently, another acre of ground has become available right next to our campground. We would love to purchase the land to have more room for building small cabins or cottage type rooms to house married couples when we have retreats and leadership training seminars for adults.
Land in this area is very desirable because it is very safe due to its proximity to a major airbase. The military patrols the area and makes certain that it is no infiltrated by the guerrillas. This makes the area safe for us and our campers as well. But it also makes the land very expensive. The acre of land adjoining our camp is worth about $20,000 U.S. dollars. We are attempting to purchase this land and hoping to be able to raise the money before someone else snatches up the piece of ground.
If you can help us with this important acquisition, please send you special gift to our forwarding agent and mark the check for camp ground acquisition so that it can be properly routed. You will be helping to provide for leadership training and youth development in the church in Colombia.