Dear Friends,
Two weeks ago, I was in West Virginia, at the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree. This event is held every four years and allows Boy Scouts from all over the country to gather and experience an incredible variety of activities related to the outdoors and Scouting.
This is the second time that I've served as a staff member at the National Jamboree (Jambo). Even though I had to take two weeks vacation from work, sleep in a tent for two weeks and pay to volunteer - it was totally worth it. At this Jambo, I served in the "Duty to God" area - where all the major faiths that sponsor Scouting had a booth. I was asked to serve in the LDS exhibit. The easiest way I can describe it? It was like serving a two-week full-time mission with my Scout uniform on. I loved just about every moment of the entire experience.
To start my journey, I had to pack for two weeks, making sure I had plenty of Scout uniforms, diabetic medical supplies, battery power and as many comforts as I could carry on my back:
I flew in full uniform, as it was easier than packing the whole thing. It was kind of fun to surprise people as I walked by:
The last leg of the trip was from Chicago to Charleston, West Virginia. There was quite a bit of weather around Chicago, and we were in a very small plane. However, the view was gorgeous as we emerged above the cloud layer:
The capitol of West Virginia was really pretty. The capitol building was gorgeous, with a gold dome on top. I wish I could have spent more time there to learn about the history of that area:
I slept for a few hours and then packed everything in a large duffle and headed back to the airport, to catch a shuttle bus to the Summit Bechtel Reserve (SBR), which is the permanent home of the National Scout Jamboree. It's located about an hour outside of Charleston, near the small town of New Hope:
The bus pulled up to the Welcome Center, which is a beautiful new building that allowed thousands of staff to check-in quickly. We received our credentials - which would be around my neck for the next two weeks:
We then got back on board the bus and were delivered to our camp. There are give such camps at the SBR - A through F. Each is massive in size. Here's an image that I captured of just a portion of ours - Camp Echo. You'll see hundreds of small tents - our residences - as well as the massive dining hall tent at the bottom of the picture:
I made my way to what would be "Home Sweet Home" for the next two weeks. I arrived with one of my tent mates and we had to assemble the beds/cots. There were three of us in that tent, so not a lot of room. At least we had one cot for equipment:
These were my tent mates - a couple of fantastic individuals. We really enjoyed spending time together, and were all assigned to the LDS contingent. I couldn't have asked for better companions for the duration of the event:
Another look at Echo, across the small lake/pond there. The gorgeous trees that surrounded the "valley" was always beautiful to look at:
We quickly made our way across the SBR to where the LDS tents and exhibits would be located. We jumped in to help them assemble the furniture and displays. The Church was responsible for two tents in the area - the Genealogy Merit Badge and the Family Life Merit Badge. In addition, we had a large booth inside the Duty To God & Country tent.
We did everything possible, as we couldn't leave computers and A/V equipment in the tent overnight during set-up. It felt good to work hard. That night, I found what would end up being the social hub of Camp Echo. It was called the "Chat & Chew" - almost like a small cafe in the center of camp. It provided cold drinks, ice cream, and alternative meals - for a price. Outside, there were tables to sit and socialize at:
The day came to an end, and I was treated to a beautiful sunset - the kind that's difficult to record with a camera ; ) It reminded me of just how amazing the outdoors can be...as long as we're willing to stop and look around...
With temperatures in the high 80s/low 90s during the day, and humidity at 50-80%, the morning fog was pervasive when the temperatures dropped in the evening:
The dining hall at Camp Echo was a sight to behold. With almost 5,000 volunteer staff, we filled a tent that was the size of a football field, each morning and evening. These were the only times that the staff was together at the same time.
After breakfast each morning, we then assembled a "sack lunch" for the day. Since we wouldn't be anywhere near Camp Echo during the length of the day, it made sense to prepare a meal this way. There was always plenty of food, and a decent variety each day:
In 2013, I served on my first staff for a National Scout Jamboree. The SBR was brand new and Camp Echo was located almost 3 miles from where I was teaching each day. There wasn't any transportation system, so I had to hike each way with all of my gear. After a very long day with no breaks, this was a tough part of the experience - as you would get back to Echo just in time to eat and then go to sleep. Apparently, I wasn't alone in this experience. In 2017, they provided bus shuttles to some of the bigger locations throughout the Reserve. It was a welcome addition, as they worked out most of the scheduling problems after the first few days. We spent a little time waiting in line for a bus ; )
Since it was Sunday morning, we weren't going to do a lot of work on the exhibits. Instead, I took a moment to check out the Summit Center - or the hub of the SBR:
That's Goodrich Lake in the photo. The area is beautiful, with an outdoor amphitheater right in the center:
On the far side of the center was the Consol Energy Bridge - a gorgeous pedestrian bridge that spans one of the many ravines at the SBR. It connects some of the adventure activities with two of the camps (A and B) for participants:
We held our staff orientation that morning, inside the Family Life tent. I had a chance to meet the rest of the staff that I would work with for the two weeks. It was an incredibly diverse group, with a majority of staff from Utah, but plenty of us from around the U.S.
It was there that I received my name badge. While this may not seem like a big deal - it certainly was to me. It felt like a missionary name tag - as I would represent the Church for every minute of every day, while at the Jamboree. I treasured this small token of my assignment:
That evening, we gathered for Sacrament Meeting. We met under a wood pavilion at Camp Echo, with all LDS staff members that were on site, including those that were working in other areas of the Jamboree:
The talks were inspiring and it was wonderful to see so many members of the Church assembled to deliver a great experience for the youth (and leaders) that would be with us in the next few days.
That's it for Part 1 of 4 - come on back to see us assemble the LDS exhibit and begin to work with the youth...
No comments:
Post a Comment