It’s become a tradition in the SAIL Pathfinder Club to welcome our newbies with an overnight “camping” trip locked in at the church. Because we take several camping trips a year, we created this first camping trip to be in a friendly environment where there is no need to worry about creepy, crawly, slithery things, bad weather or dark, scary trips to the bathroom. It’s a great way for moms and dads, I mean kids, to face their fear of separation and make the adjustment into Pathfinders. After an afternoon hike, bedrolls and overnight bags were unloaded from cars and good-byes were said to nervous parents. Then the fun began! It was a full evening of learning- about waterfalls, marching, how to make pizza tacos (the signature meal of the SAIL Pathfinder Club!), and tie dying shirts. As energy started running low, tents were set up in the foyer and youth room. It was now time to learn how to make that bedroll into a comfortable place to sleep, how to fall asleep with no night light, or for some, how to fall asleep at all when one is in a tent full of friends! As staff, we learned that this year’s new Pathfinders are a little different than those we’ve met over the past few years. We didn’t have to teach them to use a can opener. They weren’t afraid to crack eggs. And, most surprising, we didn’t get served any silver dollar pancakes on Sunday morning! We look forward to working with these energetic, inquisitive young people in the year ahead. Welcome aboard new SAIL Pathfinders! |
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The SAIL Pathfinders just returned from a weekend visit to Corpus Christi, where we spent a wonderful few days with the Titans of Christ Pathfinder Club. After arriving in Corpus Christi Sabbath afternoon, we had our lunch and then held a worship service on the beach, led by the club chaplain. Drawing inspiration from the sand and sea, the birds and the breeze, the SAILs broke into small groups to build sculptures in the sand representing various aspects of God’s love and the spiritual waters. As we were finishing our worship service, the Titans joined us on the beach for an afternoon of fellowship, enjoyment of God’s creation, and the discovery of several different sea creatures. in the evening we joined the Titans for a vespers service and some camp cooking, complete with our signature pizza-tacos and s’mores (cooked over the gas stoves). The evening was spent in games and fellowship with our excellent hosts, the Titans. in the morning, it was up bright and early (well, it was still dark out, so should we call it dark and early?) for breakfast, packing up gear, a morning vespers, and off to the Texas State Aquarium (http://www.texasstateaquarium.org/), where we pet sharks, learned about dolphins, and saw a display of various birds. The trip also helped several of the Pathfinders complete work on their Marine Mammals honor, and begin work on the new Sharks honor. We were also treated to a show by wild dolphins swimming by in the waters outside the aquarium. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend, with great weather, new friends, and a chance to observe some of the wonders of God’s creation. Sabbath, August 31 was a special Sabbath program, led by the youth, and hosting both the Austin Anchors Adventurer and SAIL Pathfinder club investiture programs. The theme of the service came from 1 Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath. Both Saul and Goliath thought David was incapable of the great task before him, because he was only a youth. But David’s trust in God, built up over years of spending time with God, gave him the confidence and strength to overcome. But the story is more than just one about the ability of youth to be strong in the Lord, it also highlights the role each of us has, as adults or youth, to provide encouragement (David’s brother, afraid himself, tried to discourage David’s actions, as did Saul, who tried to place on David his armor, understanding only the traditions he was used to, not the full power that God delivers, nor the willingness to try different approaches to traditional problems). David stood strong for God, for himself, but also for the people, never criticizing the rest of the Israelite army for failing to face up to Goliath, but rather simply taking the task upon himself. After the induction service, we held our annual new Pathfinder and Junior Unit overnight. The focus for the weekend was waterfalls, building off of our broader theme this year of water. We visited several of the waterfalls along Bull Creek, and although they were nearly dry, in that they offered us an opportunity to see some of the features of waterfalls usually hidden behind the veil of flowing water. We also had a chance to observe some of God’s creation, in the delicate beauty of the dragonflies and damselflies, in the songs of the birds overhead, in the skittering of the Texas Spiny Lizard, and in the mighty Sycamores that draw their waters from beneath the nearly dry stream bed. We also found a Blotched Water Snake, although he was sadly dead. And there were many tiny frogs hopping all around - a reminder that even in the drought, life continues to spring forth. In the evening, we continued our study of waterfalls, watching some of the amazing creatures around the Iguazu Falls on the Brazil-Argentina border. The Pathfinders learned a tasty lesson about stratigraphy, and the hard and soft layers of stone that allow for waterfall formation, making edible “rock” layers. We also made word searches and crossword puzzles about major waterfalls around the world, learned about the many different types of waterfalls, and discussed some of the spiritual lessons the Bible provides using water as a motif. The Pathfinders also made dinner, our SAIL Club signature Pizza Tacos, and learned the proper way to set up and maintain tents for camping. In the morning, the Pathfinders made a large breakfast, with pancakes, eggs, potatoes and fruit, broke “camp,” and spent some time learning and practicing marching. They also made posters illustrating the Pathfinder Pledge and Law, and learned and practiced basic sewing skills by sewing on the Waterfall patch that they earned over the weekend. Finally, we practiced building various edible campfires - with pretzels and queso instead of sticks and sparks. Despite the heat outside, it was a wonderful weekend, a time to make new friends, get reacquainted with old friends, and spend time with God in fellowship and in nature. |
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