Several minutes before the start of the North American Division’s (NAD) 2026 Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) on Sabbath, April 18, 239 teams, along with runners, judges, volunteers, and support staff, filled every corner of the conference center at Camp Hawthorne in northern Florida. Additional supporters and volunteers spread across three buildings, including two overflow rooms, brought the in-person total to roughly 4,300 attendees.

While traffic and connection issues delayed the start time from 9 to nearly 10 a.m., Pathfinders appeared undeterred. They chatted, laughed, prayed, flipped through activity books or played with stress toys from their goody bags, and reviewed Bible passages one last time as they waited to put their year-long study of the Old Testament book of Isaiah to the test.

“Looking at all of them coming into the campground, seeing the faces of the Pathfinders, [they were] happy to be there and very confident,” reflected Armando Miranda Jr., PBE organizer and NAD associate director for Youth and Young Adult Ministries. “They were ready.”

Organizers initially prepared to welcome 200 teams — 215 at most — to the division finals, a fair estimate given the total of 189 teams in 2025. However, as registration surged in the weeks leading up to PBE, it became clear that the record of 211 teams set in 2019 would be shattered. This year, a total of 259 teams from across North America, South Korea, and the United Kingdom participated: 239 in person and 20 virtually. With creative layout design and much prayer, they were able to accommodate everyone. 

“We had an increase of about 44 percent from last year,” Miranda told an enthusiastic crowd.

Participation extended beyond Camp Hawthorne, with up to 1,000 viewers watching live on the NAD Pathfinders and NAD Adventist YouTube channels. Livestream hosts Eric Chavez, Texico Conference youth director; Stacey DePluzer, Illinois Conference associate youth director; and Naomi Ann Martinez, a theology student at Southern Adventist University, kept online viewers engaged through interviews with Pathfinders and leaders.

Miranda credited much of this year’s historic turnout to the commitment of parents and leaders, many of whom spend hours studying Scripture with their Pathfinders. Their support was especially critical, he said, given that “Isaiah is a book of a lot of prophecies, a lot of warnings … and very hard to comprehend without the context.”

“I believe that the reason we’re seeing incremental growth has to do with the power of the Word of God [and] parents realizing that this is one of the best ways to help their children be grounded in the Bible,” Miranda said.

Parents such as Kisha Richards, a PBE coach, and husband Paul Richards, a drill coach, from the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference, echoed Miranda’s sentiments. Kisha coached two PBE teams this year, one including their son, helping them memorize Scripture, quizzing them, and keeping them on track through regular check-ins several times a week. Paul added that he and Kisha incorporated Isaiah into family worship so they could support their son and learn together.  

The entire family, including their six children, has been involved in Pathfinders for decades. Kisha emphasized that for them, “Pathfinders is a lifestyle. It’s part of who we are.”

She noted that as a teacher at Harbert Hills Academy, she has come to value PBE as a creative way for children to engage with the Bible through study and memorization.“Our children, they’re not just memorizing, but they’re able to … really see what it means,” Kisha concluded. “If you attach it to meaning, now the Word becomes alive.”

The journey to the PBE finals is a four-step process requiring months of Bible study and memorization. Teams of up to six people, selected by their clubs, compete in their local districts. Teams scoring within 90 percent of the highest score advance to the next level, from the conference, to the union, and to the division.

Testing for the 2026 PBE finals began at 10:10 a.m., following a brief ceremony featuring prayer, a color guard, and a drum corps composed of local Pathfinders. Teams answered 90 questions, earning points from one to eight, with 30-to-60-second time limits based on difficulty. Testing was conducted in English, French, Spanish, and Korean, with questions read from the stage in English and Spanish. 

When Gene Clapp, NAD PBE coordinator and Texas Conference pastor, shouted, “Let the testing begin!” Pathfinders sprang into action. At the halfway point, question 45, the room erupted in cheers and applause, with many Pathfinders exchanging fist bumps and high fives. 

The cheering grew even louder when they reached question 90 — “For eight points, fill in the blanks: Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Ultimately, 90 percent of the teams earned first place by scoring within 90 percent of the highest score.

PBE was grounded in worship, with Sabbath morning testing preceded by vespers on Friday, April 17, and followed by a Sabbath afternoon worship service on April 18, highlighting key lessons from Isaiah.  

Friday vespers felt like a reunion, with old friends greeting one another before joining their voices in praise and worship. Adventist universities and other ministries took the stage throughout both the Friday and Sabbath services, with exhibits where parents and Pathfinders could learn more about the church’s academic and mission opportunities. 

Also on Friday, Pathfinders laid hands on parents and other supporters as Vandeon Griffin, NAD associate director for Youth and Young Adults, prayed over them, emphasizing PBE’s spiritual focus and the critical role families play in supporting their Pathfinders.

Friday evening speaker Pedro Perez, Florida Conference Pathfinder and Adventurer director, delivered a message titled “It Doesn’t Match,” challenging Pathfinders to ensure that their words and actions reflected a sincere heart for God. Referencing Isaiah 29:13, Perez warned against “going through the motions” spiritually while allowing their hearts to drift away from God. 

He also spoke from personal experience, such as a period in middle school when, despite being raised Seventh-day Adventist, he began using language he learned from classmates that did not match his faith. 

Perez encouraged Pathfinders to live out their faith in practical ways, including standing up for others, apologizing when wrong, and avoiding hurtful words. Later, he cited God’s call to mission in Isaiah 6:8, and challenged listeners to respond like the prophet: “Here am I. Send me.”

On Sabbath, Danny Verdugo, a youth pastor from Keene, Texas, continued the theme by reminding Pathfinders they were called to something greater than competition or badges. He urged young people to answer God’s call to “learn the Word, live out the Word, and love like the Word.”

Katie O’Ffill, from the Chesapeake Conference, was among the Pathfinders who took these pastors’ words to heart. She realized that “if God calls you, you should go wherever He’s calling. It will be amazing no matter what you do if you’re with Him.”

One of the clearest markers of PBE’s growth is its expanding international reach. Pathfinders from the South England Conference (SEC) first began participating in the NAD PBE 14 years ago under the leadership of then-SEC Pathfinder director Kevin Johns.

In 2017, then-Youth Ministries director Dejan Stojkovic began leading teams from across the British Union Conference to participate in the NAD PBE, virtually and in person. Since 2021, British teams have also been able to compete closer to home through the Trans-European Division’s (TED) own PBE finals.

This year, Isaac Chia, Pathfinder specialist for the Inter-European Division (IED) based in Switzerland, attended the NAD event to observe its logistics and organizational chart. Introduced to the NAD PBE through the Trans-European Division, Chia presented a report on the 2024 NAD PBE to his division’s youth advisory, and they voted to host an IED PBE. 

Chia shared his motivation to help young people develop a lifelong love of Scripture. “When you are a Pathfinder, it’s easier to absorb things, like a sponge. You are directly absorbing the Word of God, and memorizing these Bible texts will help you [as] an adult to know God better,” he said.

Throughout the weekend, Chia attended volunteer meetings, interviewed coordinators, and observed behind-the-scenes operations. He said he was especially impressed by the professionalism, excellence, and spirit of service displayed by the NAD PBE team, and keen to report back to his colleagues. 

In a full-circle moment, Pathfinders from North America visited the TED PBE for the first time this year. The Berrien Springs Spanish Golden Eagles Club, from the Lake Union Conference, connected with TED leader Kevin Johns and his team at the 2025 NAD PBE. There, Johns invited them to the 2026 TED PBE finals in Poland. After a year of studying, planning, and fundraising, they flew to Poland the weekend before the NAD event and, days later, traveled to Florida. 

Team members said they would most fondly remember the kindness and hospitality they experienced in Poland. Participating in two PBE finals also deepened their appreciation for Scripture, fellowship, and the sense of accomplishment that comes after months of hard work. 

Team member Itzel Fajardo, added, “We’re the first [NAD] team to go to TED, and I wanted to be the first team from North America to win first place.”

 Notably, the team won first place at the TED PBE finals, and later, at the finals in Florida.

Ron Whitehead, Lake Union Youth Conference youth director, who was moved by their testimony, said, “The Bible, it’s for all the world, right? So why shouldn’t PBE be all over the world?”

The 2026 North American Division Pathfinder Bible Experience concluded with a jubilant awards ceremony, where Pathfinders celebrated the culmination of their year-long journey with teammates, coaches, family members, and other supporters. 

Miranda shared that he and other organizers hope participants will carry the memories and lessons of PBE with them long after the competition, especially in moments of uncertainty. 

“We pray that when they go home, when they face trials or temptations, when they face things that are discouraging, they may remember those words that they have memorized,” he said.

“Pathfinder Bible Experience is life-changing,” Miranda concluded. “Life-changing for the Pathfinders, life-changing for the families, life-changing for the churches.”