Usually we start our articles, conversations, meals and speeches with "In the Name of Allah, The Gracious, The Merciful" and follow it by "All praise to Allah…"

Well, not only will I start my article this way, but I will share with you, Inshallah, how this year’s FAMSY [happy] campers got to live the meaning of these beautiful words.

Ok, so another year passed since we ran our annual camp. It was time to prepare for this year’s finale. And what better way to end another successful year, but with another successful camp organised by the loving brothers of the FAMSY Shura!

So not to bore you with all the organisational and administrative processes that go into organising a FAMSY camp – it’s a trade secret anyway – I’ll just say we organised this camp in just over two weeks.

That includes selecting the theme (hectic stuff), selecting and assigning the topics, estimating and acquiring food and supplies, and of course organising tents.

The forecast for that weekend was rain, rain, and some more rain. But that was not going to spoil the fun we were about to have.

Friday, 10^th December was the day. We were to meet at Punchbowl Musallah (25-29 Matthews St.) at 4pm. And depart at 5pm. Not surprisingly, all the boys were at the Musallah on time for Asr prayer. Well done. Good to see the FAMSY study classes making a positive impact on these young men’s lives.

Okay, everybody got onto the bus, soaking wet, but never the less excited and enthusiastic about the activities everybody raves about every year for months after each camp. On the program we had canoeing, swimming, bush walking, treasurehunting, barbecuing (my favourite) and of course tathkira (short talks).

Thanks to Ayman and Shireef who kept the boys entertained with their "real life" stories and personal spiritual experiences, time went quickly and before we knew it we were at Lane Cove National Park.

Well, rain and wind were not going to stop the determined campers to setup their tents and gazebo. So they soldiered on. And on, and on, until ultimately we realised that the area was flooded. So a quick Shura meeting and we were on our way back to the Musallah.

Most others would quit at this point. But not us. Patients and courage fuelled our engines of determination. And for the following two days we ran the camp as planned.

Okay, so we slept in the Musallah instead of tents, went swimming at Cronulla instead of Lane Cove, and had a barbecue besides the Georges River instead of bush walking on the hills of the National Park. So what, we had fun.

Who says you have to travel far to have an adventure.

There are a few things we can learn from this event. Firstly, we are taught that with adequate preparation, trusting in Allah and a lot of patients you can tackle any task Inshallah.

Secondly, working in a group, establishing brotherhood among your selves and then working consistently towards a common aim is more important than making big short-term wins that do not deliver lasting results.

The best part about it is that no matter what the outcome is you can rest assured that you have done your part and the rest is up to Allah. Allah (swt) knows best.

Finally, I would like to thank all my brothers in the FAMSY Shura for their support and encouragement and all the boys who attended the camp for their patience.

May Allah reward our good actions. Until the next FAMSY adventure, fee-amaanillah.