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Showing posts from 2015

Update: Camp Season in Full Force

In the middle of her other duties,  Petra joined our Royal Ranger fire breathing workshop We're right in the middle of our first camp season as the official hosts and organizers. Because of her 20 years of experience, the brunt of the logistical details fall on Petra's shoulders. It has certainly been a challenge but the fit is perfect; no one else has the combination of experience, skill and knowledge she has, and she immensely enjoys the job.  This picture seems like an appropriate symbol for the numerous and diverse roles she has at camp.  Here's a quick look back at the first three weeks of camp.  2 weeks of kids camps - Evangelism  One of the highlights of this years' kids camps is that we saw an increased number of non-churched children. Some of them come from abusive situations. For many of them, this is the first time they've been in a supportive atmosphere. The Good News they hear is very attractive because its accompanied by friendly face...

Keep It Going

I flew into Buffalo, NY late Saturday night and drove with my parents to a skilled nursing facility where my grandparents live. I had come to the States for one reason - to join the celebration of my grandparents' 70th anniversary. It had been a last-minute decision, so it came as a surprise to my grandparents. As I sat with my grandmother while the others were preparing for the party, I asked her if she had any advice for those of us with less experience. "Keep it going," she said simply. Then a few minutes later I overheard a conversation my grandfather was having with one of the guests. Upon learning that they were celebrating their 40th anniversary on the same day, he said "Keep it going." Hearing the same words from the two people who have kept it going for 70 years made an impression on me. In fact, the more I thought about the message I realised there were two very important implications. First was the obvious one: commitment. In our 10 years of...

Pushed to the Extreme

“One of the goals of Royal Rangers is to push you to your limit” our regional leader explained to us during a preparatory training session. “You never know how you’re going to react in extreme circumstances unless you’ve been pushed to your extreme ahead of time.”  This would be my third National Training Camp (NTC). My first was in Serbia as a participant. Last year I hosted and shadowed the leader so I would be prepared to lead in the future. This year the responsibility fell on me. Although I felt inadequate to lead, especially knowing my greatest weakness - public speaking in Croatian - would be exposed, I didn’t expect to be pushed to any particular extreme.  Throughout the camp I felt even more sure that this training would pass without any major challenge. In comparison with the flood-like conditions and my lack of experience last year, this year’s added experience plus perfect weather and the number of leaders supporting our effort, convinced me that this w...