Rendezvous 2010

Rendezvous 2010 has been filed away in the office but our prayers at GBB National is that its impact will continue on. We had 56 boys and 28 men for the week!

Units began to arrive on Saturday and camp set-up went quickly. Sunday morning we had church for the units in camp (Roger Mills spoke) and then we spent the rest of the day getting ready for the big week. The rest of the units arrived throughout the day.

Monday morning we were up early (6:30) in order to get to the flag raising ceremonies by 7:00 followed by uniform inspections. Carl Kaylor and I agreed that it was the best first day Rendezvous inspection we'd ever conducted. Everybody looked sharp and unit organization was impressive for the first day! Breakfast followed inspection and then we had morning devotions. Pastor Bob provided some great morning devotions materials and we studied "Heroes of the Faith" from Hebrews 11.

This year we tried something a little different than past years. Since the boys were divided into activity groups (each group had a different color wrist band as in the past) we decided that rather than have devotions with their own unit we'd have them break away from their own camp after breakfast and meet with their team for devotions. Each team was led by a leader and each team had Adventure Team guys (junior leaders) assigned to them. We did this to ensure a very intentional time of Bible study for the boys in the morning, rather than squeezing it in with breakfast duties. I was very pleased with how the format worked this year and I was excited to see some of the A-Team LEADING young boys in their morning devotions!!! 2 Timothy 2:2 in action!!!!

After morning devotions we met at the flag pole to send all the boys off to their respective classes for the morning. Classes for the week included; archery, backpacking/hiking, canoeing, campfire cooking, first aide, fishing, knot tying, orienteering, riflery and wood carving. The boys learned a little about each activity and during the first couple of days the A-Team guys assisted with leadership in the classes.

After lunch the boys attended another class in the afternoon followed by dinner and free time. Each night we put on our Rendezvous shirts (this year's shirt had a copy of the Rendezvous patch on the front and bear claw marks on the back - I must say we looked pretty cool!) for the flag lowering ceremony. Then we moved over to our evening council fire session.

Our evening speaker for the week was Mike Taylor from GBIM. Mike was great! He told the boys at the beginning of the week that he had three goals for the boys to accomplish. He wanted them to become followers of Jesus Christ, use their personal gifts for Christ's Kingdom and consider missions. Since Mike spent many years as a missionary in Africa each night he brought us "Heroes from Africa." He had stories of real men in Africa who made sacrifices for Jesus. He spoke about the Biblical principles that led those men to follow Christ's call for their lives and he talked about how God used those men for His glory.

Each day we followed the same schedule for the younger boys but the A-Team (older boys) were able to do some activites seperate from the younger guys. On Tuesday morning I met up with Jim from Chapman State Park. He equipped us with several types of bladed tools so we could clear trails around the park. The boys worked hard and we learned that some of God's creations are pretty pesky. Our work paid off and the trails were cleared by lunch time.

On Wednesday, after morning devotions, the A-Team was dropped off along a road in the Allegheny National Forest and we hiked south along a closed park road. The boys had topographical maps, a trail map and a compass. I was the only one with the knowledge and when we missed out turn I fought my tongue and kept quiet. About an hour's hike past our turn the guys finally agreed they'd missed something. They decided to go less than a mile cross-country to meet up with our planned trail instead of hiking an hour (about 3 miles) back up the road. Cross-country hiking, using a compass to stay on course, though not part of the original plan, taught the boys a lot about using the compass to move accross dense forest. Our God is sovereign over all things!

We joined up with the our planned trail and before long we ran into the Minister Creek Trail. It was reported to me to be one of the best trails in Western PA and after hiking the trail I'd have to agree with that analysis. We encountered wide, fast flowing creeks with lots of beautiful vegitation, steep hills with an awesome view of the valley and creek, huge outcroppings of rocks including huge tunnels an sheer cliff faces, and an amazing overlook that gave us a great view of the Minister Valley. It was a long day and we all needed showers by the end but it was a very rewarding day to spend with the older guys.

Wednesday night, just as it began to get dark, it rained, HARD. It rained off and on through the night but despite the wind blowing above, the heavy rain and the light/boom show there seemed to be very little rain. Though some guys got wet because of leaky tents many more stayed dry since their tent wasn't blown flat by the wind. God was so good!

Through the rain on Thursday morning the A-Team packed up and headed for the Allegheny River for an overnight canoe trip. Since we would miss the evening council fire we met up with Mike Taylor before we got on the river. Mike encouraged the older boys again to follow God's call in their lives and use what God gives them for His glory.

We hit the water at about 10:30 that morning and it wasn't long before we were caught in a downpour. We'd already determined we'd be able to canoe through rain as long as it wasn't accompanied by lightning. We never had lightning that morning - again, God took care of us on the water. We stopped for lunch along the river (the rain stopped before then) and during lunch we located and captured a crawfish. Since the boys are A (stands for Adventure)-Team they decided one of the guys should eat it. Before long the water was boiling and the crawfish was cooked. It reportedly tasted like lobster.

We found our island for the night and set up camp. We played in the river, caught more crawfish and had a late dinner around the campfire. The guys had fun cheesing for the camera with crawfish hanging out of their mouths but the fun erupted when two of the guys attempted to eat a muscle they found in the river. They boiled it and tried to eat it - I can safely say they'll never try that again!

That night, as things began to wind down, we were all around the fire and I planned to talk to the boys about some stuff in Ephesians. I opened my Bible to 2 Timothy and I spoke instead about the importance of discipleship. Some of the guys opened up and shared their experiences with direct accountability. It was a really great time to share with that special group of God's adventurers.

Friday morning we stayed pretty relaxed. As the younger boys were headed to their morning devotions back at camp we were getting out of bed and getting breakfast started. We were on the water around 9 than morning and we did the morning devotions while we sat in our canoes near our island. As we canoed south we realized that "our" island wasn't the island we thought it was. the island we were supposed to stay on was actually further down river and as we passed it I noticed how rough it was. I didn't notice even one area on the island that looked like a nice camping spot. Again, God's sovereinty was realized. No matter how much we plan He puts us in the right spot for His glory. We finished the trip pretty much as expected, minus the bunch of fish we wanted to catch...

Camp was wrapped up Friday night with our closing council fire. Mike brought us the final message and reminded the boys of the goals for the week. There were several first time decisions for Christ and a bunch of recommitments.
I was presented the prestigious leadership neckerchief. Leaders should beware that I have it back in my possession now and they're all subject to the award! Each class leader had an opportunity to share what happened during the week and eventually the Honor Unit was announced. In dramatic fashion as usual, Eastside, Unit 4 was awarded the Honor Unit for Rendezvous 2010!

What a busy but rewarding week!