At the junior boys’ camp this past summer, our theme this was Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous …” The boys learned about God’s love and protection for Joshua and the Israelites as they fought to take the land God had promised them. They learned how God protects us, how to pray to God during our struggles, and the importance of praying and trusting in God.

There were several fun activities for the boys in the afternoons. One activity was quite odd but relative to the Bible lesson. We bought 83 cow horns (one for each boy). It was a very interesting sight. The boys sanded them and then cut off the pointed end of the horn. With a little practice, the boys could blow into the horn and make a loud trumpet sound. They were similar to the ram horns the Israelites blew in the Bible. (It was fun until you stayed in the room for an hour and developed a headache!)

During the story of the fall of Jericho, as the leader talked about the people marching around the walls of Jericho, six boys stood up and blew their horns like the Israelites. Then the walls of Jericho came tumbling down.

The boys had a great time playing sports in the afternoons and singing and dancing during worship times in the evenings. The last night was a very special time. We gathered together and asked each boy to write down the sins that he was struggling with in his life. All the leaders then gathered around the boys and prayed for them while the boys prayed and confessed their sins to God.

There was no marching or horns blowing, only prayer, and you could feel the walls of sin come tumbling down. The rest of the night was celebrating with roasted meat, bread, and lots of dancing. Our prayer is that as future struggles come, the boys will stand strong and pray to God for protection and guidance.