Golden Words

Before my summer began at Scout Camp, I was asked a question by the President of the Kansas City Missouri Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was being released from my assignment there and would be taking a leave from my responsibility. He simply asked if I needed help assessing my priorities. I presume the question was for me to not just go on Autopilot in doing what I have been doing for the last four years, and truly determine if what I was going to do (be on staff) was something that provided more value to God's children than continuing to do the work that I did at the temple. What say you? How does each of us that make the sacrifice, whether it is for the summer as a staff person, or a leader for a week, or more, or even for a day, to spend with the youth at camp? I knew going in that there would be no big "aha" moment for me in my interaction with them, as I am not an instructor, or even a leader. Not everyone gets that moment, and that is ...

Bear with a short history lesson, there is a point regarding the Pony Express Council, and the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. One week from today, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will celebrate Pioneer Day, which was the day that Brigham Young saw the Salt Lake Valley for the first time and proclaimed it to be the home and refuge of the members of the restored Church, which had been driven from Illinois to the Council Bluffs area, and ultimately west. Being a pioneer isn't easy. The Latter-Day Saints blazed a trail opposite the Oregon Trail across the plains, and made the turn to the Salt Lake Valley. They planted crops along the way for future travelers. They arrived in a location that many of the most faithful were ready to turn around and go back to the persecution they experienced. They didn't. And while they suffered, and many died, the settlement took hold, survived, and is now a vibrant city in in the Great Basin. So what does that have to do with the Cou...

 It is Friday, 5th Session of camping at Camp Geiger. How did that even happen? Of course, week after week, but this year time has flown by. That means that next week is the last week for Scouts BSA camping, and it is the largest week at camp. Scouts-wise. Being the 6th Week, it is also the second co-ed week at camp. I am not going to lie; it has not been the happiest year for me. It has been a great year, but I am certainly not going to use this space to go all unicorns, gumdrops and glitter. It has been great in so many ways, that it is likely the operator of the blog that is struggling. Let me recount. We had one week (3rd) of amazing weather, not in the shelters even one time (not counting the storm drill). It was also fairly pleasant, with very moderate temperatures. The rest of the weeks have had what you would expect, though not necessarily when you would expect it. First and Second Sessions saw heat that is what you would expect in mid to late July, which is planning a come...