That was the theme for the weekend
at the Pathfinder camporee in Palo
Duro Canyon last weekend! The
weekend began for us on Thursday
night loading all the supplies and gear
at the conference office. We chose
to load at 9pm since it had been in
the triple digits the last 14 days. We
thought we would have just a few
things to load, but as we were
loading, the supplies kept piling and
piling into my truck. I have a Ford
F-150 and have plenty of room, but if you know anything about
Pathfinders you will learn that they come with lots of stuff. Why is
that you ask? Because as Pathfinders, along with the Pledge and the
Law, comes a responsibility to always be ready and prepared! In
being prepared you make sure you have equipment for cold
weather, and warm weather. You have cooking utensils, and site
prep tools. You have safety equipment and spiritual safety
equipment (bibles and journals)! As Shanna and I loaded we realized
that we were over packing and bringing more than necessary, but
again, we are Pathfinders! We come prepared! Especially being the
Texico Leaders, you always make sure you have plenty of supplies
for anyone else that may need them!
We arrived at Palo Duro and began setting up! It was 109 degrees
in the canyon and the sun was high in the sky! As we were setting
up and sweating profusely, we questioned our decision for the
weekend. Will it be too hot? Will anyone get heat exhaustion? Will
someone get hurt…? The questions continued coming in my mind!
Undeterred and pressing forward we looked forward to the arrival
of our PF’s! Especially the Lubbock crew! As clubs began arriving
we were then greeted with the site of Bim, Amy, the Burda boys,
the infamous Ubani, and many others! We love our Lubbock crew!
As I said earlier when we were packing…as Pathfinders we always
come prepared…the Lubbock crew never fails to have supplies,
food (homemade Ice cream), and plenty of energy! And yes…
energy is a supply that Pathfinders never fall short on. As with our
2022 Camporee in Elephant Butte, I witnessed Lubbock reach out
to the Gallup club and make a new PF feel like they were part of
the club and crew forever! Without missing a beat, the Lubbock
crew managed to do the same thing this year! I witnessed it in my
own family! My niece, who is not SDA and not a Pathfinder, was
encouraged and met with open hearts and kindness by a few
Lubbock PF’s that had no idea they were even reaching someone.
Being her uncle, she knew that I knew everyone, but she was still
shy to reach out and hang with just anyone. She did however
mention that she wanted to go hang with the Lubbock crew
multiple times. My niece left Camporee in Palo Duro with her first
honor, a camporee patch, a shirt, and most importantly the feeling
that she had friends in Lubbock that she never knew were her
friends! Now I know that being her uncle I have a biased and
personal interest in her happiness, but this sentiment of friendship
the Lubbock crew unknowingly shared made the difference to a
shy, quiet teenager. So what do supplies and sunburns, cactus, and
cats have to do with this? Nothing…and everything!! Without
Pathfinders, without young people, without leaders sacrifice,
without the Holy Spirit using the Lubbock crew a non-Pathfinder
would have spent another weekend alone, feeling like they didn’t
have anyone who cared about them, or anyone who wanted to be
their friend. So good job Lubbock! You not only lived out the PF
Law and Pledge, you allowed the Lord to use you in ways you never
knew were possible!
My Lubbock crew will always have a special place in my heart, and
even more so now that my niece was just as blessed as I have been
by you!
Pastor Eric
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