It was Students On Safari as all roads led to the Tsavo East National Park, about 450 kilometres from Nairobi, for the 2003 Nairobi Christian Church teens camp, entitled "The Big Five" after the nickname universally given to the lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant. In keeping with the theme, there were five classes, covering five key areas for the teens to aim for godliness and excellence. The classes were on the topics of walk with God ("Hanging Out With God In The Woods"), purity ("A Beautiful Heart"), academics ("The Joy Of Learning"), relationship with parents ("Thank God 4 Parents"), and peer pressure ("Courage Under Pressure").

Months of planning and praying came to a head at Tsavo. Apart from the classes, taught by various leaders from the campus ministry, there were game drives to view wildlife, group devotionals, lots of time for games and optional early-morning aerobics.

84 people managed to attend the camp, and all involved were as excited and encouraged as the setting was unique. About being able to view wildlife, uncaged and in their natural habitat, Martin Odote says, "I learnt something about each of the animals and it has helped me to appreciate God." Maureen Mwikali, who, like many of the teens was in a national park for the first time in her life, says, "It was great fun. What I saw showed me how mighty God is." The teens were able to see baboons (which came right up to the kitchen!), zebras, gazelle, lesser kudu, giraffes, elephants, hippopotami, crocodiles, squirrels and various species of birds. The lions, it seems, kept a low profile.

As much as there was an enthusiastic response to the "call of the wild," the feedback from "the call of the Word" was equally emphatic as participants were impacted by the Bible classes taught. About "Hanging Out With God In The Woods," Morris Barasa says, "I learned that I can praise God through nature - trees, moon, sky, etc."

In response to the class on purity, Nancy Chepchumba says, "It's hard to confess when you're on your own but it has been a lot easier to confess when sharing together in groups as we have done here." Mercy Wandera shares, "I need to be open and not wait for my discipler to ask me what's going on." Says Brian Otieno, "I have had a change of heart. I'll strive to do my best for God so that he might help me to achieve what he wants me to do.

About parents, Maureen shares, "I've not been thanking my parents. I have been taking their love and special care for granted. I need to thank them. because they have used time and energy to take care of me and bring me to this point in my life." Nancy says that she learned that "my parents are not perfect but they are the perfect parents for me," and Josiah Owiti shares, "I now realize that although my parents make mistakes here and there, they want the best for me."

"Courage Under Fire" was very encouraging and Marley Mwanza shares, in response, "In our school there are many people who abuse us for being Christians. I've learnt that I should be courageous under this pressure, and I am going to do even more things under this pressure."

The slogan for the camp was "Adventure, Challenge, Excitement, Friendship, A Breath of Fresh Air." Did it live up to that? "Absolutely," say Stanley Ochieng' and Phides Kang'ethe (picture left), who lead the teens ministry. "For one thing," says Phides, "I'd never been on a train, so a 10-hour overnight trip with the teens (to get to the park) was really adventurous." "The classes were very challenging spiritually," says Stanley. And the five campus disciples who came along to cook all agreed that preparing three meals and two tea breaks a day 84 people for four days was a great challenge, but also much fun and a great learning opportunity. As for excitement, every day was fun and thrilling. Friendship: "I got to deepen my friendships during the course of the camp," says Irene Nduku. Liz Wanjoki, a teen worker adds, "from my own teens' sharing I think they've had fun. We've really bonded. It's been a great time for all of us." Fatuma says, "Of the teens I work with, 2 were able to come. We've really become a family compared to how we were back in Nairobi." And there truly was a breath of fresh air, out in untainted environment of the largest national park in Kenya.

A game drive through Tsavo West National Park wrapped up the camp. With the enthusiasm and encouragement that the teens got from the camp, they have been able to share what they learned.

Two weeks after the end of the camp there was a Teens Sunday, a Sunday service where the teens conducted and lead every aspect of the service. The impact of the camp was evident in those who addressed the congregation, both those who had not been to Tsavo and those who had, by their radiance and confidence. "Today I learned to see things the way teens do, "says Jarrett Odwallo, who oversees Nairobi's youth ministry (combination of teens and campus). "Sometimes I can be overly careful about how I say things, almost to a point of weakening the message. The teen preachers today were straight to the point. It was convicting to me and I know inspiring to the teens to hear from their own rather than the usual full-time-ministry preachers."

Many expressed that this camp exceeded what they had hoped and prayed for. Alex Ngove says that "a million words cannot describe the camp." The "Big Five" teens camp looks set to leave behind a powerful legacy of inspiration and life-change for the teen ministry of the Nairobi church.