The ideal one- week vacation for young people with the Holy Spirit in mind will forever be the National Youth Ministry annual camp ASA.

This year some 375 young people converged at Camp Alpha on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway for a life-altering experience with the Holy Spirit.

This number is way over the capacity set for that facility. But again this proves that the Christian youth is starved for someplace where they can come together as peers to glorify the name of Jesus and enjoy sweet fellowship.

ASA as usual saw youngsters both males and females coming from as far as Lethem; more than 350 miles away, Bartica and the Corentyne Coast. Distance always proves to be a secondary issue when measured against the priceless value of good Christian camaraderie.

An astounding 60 persons accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and 70 were filled with the Holy Spirit. It was phenomenal. For three days Trinidad and Tobago Evangelist Darryl Edwards in his hip and down-to-earth style, belting out tunes of some of the more popular reggae and R & B artistes, challenged our youths to remain pure in a society which continues to pressure them to confirm.


Speaking on Worship, a new awareness of God’s Character and a new awakening of the Christian conscience, among other topics, Edwards challenged our youths to live committed to Christ.

Using many of his personal experiences he captivated our youths with serious challenges he overcame to be the man of God he is today, challenges with girls, and the streets among other things.

At every session it was a totally new experience. God used Edwards tremendously to expose the works of the enemy in the lives of our young people.

The altar was ‘rammed jammed’ after every session as youngsters poured their hearts out to God desperate for a renewal.

The gift of prophesy was active and many received a ‘Word’ from God regarding their future. Many also received their deliverance from the stronghold of the enemy.

In an amazing twist a call was made for persons who were suicidal. Thirty five persons answered that call. When the call was made for persons who felt unloved by their fathers it was rather shocking to see mostly young men responding.

The most life-altering thing however, was to see the brokenness of young people as they met with the Holy Spirit in a personal way.

Our young people are desperate for God and desperate for God to make them over again.

Following the sessions with Evangelist Darryl Edwards, Minister Denise Harris connected with our youths warning them to be wary of the likes of R&B performer Beyonce and others.

She uncovered the operations of similar artistes and even caused them to realize that she was well-acquainted with the videos and music young people are ‘into’ these days.

This took the entire gathering by surprise. But clearly showed once again that leaders of the younger generation must understand their lingo and style bin order to effectively minister to them.

This year’s team was “unmovable and abounding” taken from I Corinthians 15:58. And every speaker emphasized unequivocally the need for our young people to be seriously committed to Christ. It was the recurring theme in every session.


Besides that, other highlights of ASA 2009 were the Evangelistic Outreach, ASA Splash and the Fear Factor Games.

The Evangelistic Outreach was focused on the East Coast of Demerara. Six large buses with close to 40 persons each, cars and vans left Camp Alpha with ministry teams ready to proclaim the Word of God in Annandale, Better Hope, Triumph, Strathspey, Enterprise Gardens and Enterprise Scheme.

The Evangelistic Outreach concluded with a massive Open Air rally at Plaisance Line Top.  This was a novel experience for most especially since this time around 75 of our campers were newcomers. Speaker Pastor Andrew Marks fired up the line top with an urgent call for men to give their hearts to the Lord.

This year’s ASA Splash organized by three leaders, Trevin Joseph, Latoya McPhoy and Bevonne Pitt was entertaining from beginning to end. The opening dance of a mixed group of dancers from various churches was quite a treat especially with less than one week to plan and choreograph. But all in all it was a spectacular night of talent. There were performances from the Christ like Soldiers, Kester D and Trenessa Esseboom.


There was also modeling which showcased some really savvy and futuristic styles all appropriate for the Christian woman.

One impressive thing was the fact that on rather short notice our youth were ready to perform classy, well put-together pieces. Nice.

Camp King and Queen 2009 are Devon London and Dunianna Barrow. They out-performed their counterparts when answering the final questions ‘How would you define a virtuous woman” and “How can a man be relevant to his Family”. Best talent for the evening came from Alicia Freeman.

The evening concluded when every one got their groove on at the ASA party. Enough said. 


Big Up!


All in all camp was off the skizzle!

And did I mention anything about the first ever ASA Fear Factor? Be there next year to experience it first hand.

By Michelle Johnson

Check out our Gallery