Adventures in Scouting

When it was announced that the Church would no longer sponsor Boy Scout troops starting in 2020, we were kind of sad because it marked the end of an era. Scouting was a big part of Jonathon's, my dad's, and my brothers' youth, all of them reaching the rank of Eagle Scout. Even though I don't love the steep price of badges or the excess money that it took to run the organization, I believe that Scouting helped young boys become good men. I definitely understood the reasoning behind the decision, but it was bittersweet.

At the beginning of the year, Christian was a Star Scout, which is 2 ranks from Eagle. He has worked so hard in Boy Scouts for the last 2.5 years, since turning 11. He has attended all of his Wednesday night mutual meetings and gone to 4-5 Pow Wows at BYU to earn extra merit badges.

When the announcement was made, we talked to him about what he wanted to do. We decided that we would not push him one way or the other and would let him decide if he wanted to continue in Scouting or not. To our surprise, he didn't even really have to think about it. He immediately said, "Yes!" We explained that he would have to join a community troop at the end of the year in order to finish up, and he agreed to it. I was impressed that he wanted to finish what he started, without persuasion from me.

He pushed forward this year, even though a lot of the boys (and leaders) quit trying. One of the merit badges he completed was Citizenship in the Community. To earn it, he had to perform at least 8 hours of service for a community organization. Jonathon and I have always felt like our family needed to do more service to teach our children how to be more Christ-like and charitable. We decided that the whole family should do it together.

We volunteered at the Community Action Center in Provo, which has a food bank and provides services related to self-reliance. We volunteered 5 times in the food bank in order to help Christian reach the 8 hours. We did things like restock shelves, sweep and mop floors, sort fruit, and more. The kids were really good sports and liked helping there. Even after we were done, Hyrum asked to go back to work. I loved the opportunity it gave us to teach our kids about service, but to also show them how blessed we were and how to share our blessings with others.

By the end of the year, Christian earned 13 more merit badges and moved up a rank to Life Scout. He also joined a new community troop that formed very close to our house. He will have the opportunity to attend with them this next year and hopefully, earn his Eagle Scout badge. I am proud of him and all of his efforts.

Andrew has been in the Cub Scout program for three years. He had successfully earned his Bobcat, Wolf, and Bear badge. When we asked Andrew if he would like to continue with Scouts, he said, "No." That response was also fine with us, but we encouraged him to make the most of the last year and do his very best to earn his Webelos badge, as well as his Arrow of Light. Those are the highest awards you can earn in Cub Scouts, and we knew he could do it.

Andrew also worked hard this year. He attended Cub Scout meetings and earned many, many adventure awards. He and his good friend, Henry, enjoyed spending Thursday afternoons together at Scouts learning and playing. They did some really fun and educational things like touring Provo Power, competing in a Lego Derby, gathering food for the food bank, visiting the courthouse, going to Day Camp, and more.

By the time November rolled around, Andrew had achieved both of the awards he was working toward. We were proud of him and grateful that he endured to the end, even if he didn't want to keep going in the future. His last Pack Meeting was held at the beginning of December, and he and 2 other boys in our ward all got their Webelos and Arrow of Lights. The Pack held a big ceremony to honor their accomplishments. There was face painting, a crossing over ceremony, candy bar gifts, special arrows, and a fun cupcake display.

It was nice to end the year and the Church's affiliation with the Boy Scouts on a really high and positive note. I know that the Church will continue to provide opportunities for the youth to have experiences and learn values that will help them grow and develop. I am looking forward to the new Children and Youth Programs of the Church, but I am also so thankful for what Scouting has done for the men and boys in my life.