Wood Badge, A Conduit from Heaven to Earth

As I get older, I have spent some time pondering scriptures and searching out anecdotes and articles about what the after world would be like.  Would we be assigned to be in a place with the same type of people?  Would the people who hurt us and wrong us on a daily basis be there?  Would the people that we love and miss dearly be there?  Who would be there and how would I feel?  Would I have the torment that this world brings?  Or would it really be a place of peace.  Unfortunately, there is not much information on the subject and nobody has ever come back from the dead to tell us what it the afterlife is like.

The realization hit me this last week during my Wood Badge course that Heaven would be much like Wood Badge, where you have a body of people who are all like-minded.  Like-minded as in those people who have the same values.  If you are honest, hardworking and friendly, those will be the people you will be with.  Maybe in a lesser section of the after-life will be those who maybe are not so nice.  If you are not honest, rude and have lots of bad habits then those are the people you will be with.  But I don't think both worlds will be together.

Wood Badge teaches people to work together and find common ground, without argument, and without judgement.  Never once have I been spoken to harshly or rudely.  All the staff and participants have been encouraging, positive and they get along.  If there are differences they are respected and people are not bothered by it but have learned to use it to their advantage.

The realization of this really hit home after the first day back from the first half of Wood Badge when I encountered a tense situation that got out of hand.  It was the same argument that has happened most of my life and I always wonder why it happens.  I don't want to go into any more detail on that one but its very depressing and having not had to feel that way for the last four days was nice.

The second day after Wood Badge, I had an emergency situation with a patient who was on the brink of losing an eye.  Due to a miscommunication she ended up seeing a different specialist than what I was used to.  He was very belittling and rude both to her or me.  As I battled through the day this affected me as more and more emergency eye situations built up.  Doubt was creeping in and I had to fight it to keep it away.  I certainly will not use him again.  It happened to be one of the busiest days I have encountered this week and it didn't help that I and a lot of other people were having a bad day.  I am not sure why some people just have to find the bad in everything and then rub it around in your face and stomp on it.  Anyway, that is not how Wood Badge is, but the complete opposite with joy and peace.  That is why I can compare it to Heaven.

Switching subjects now.  The other realization I had at Wood Badge was how information as well as inspiration is transferred to participants.  We have been preparing for this Wood Badge course for months now and some of the senior staff even longer.  When you are prepared the Lord can now use you for an instrument to affect those you are teaching.

Take a light bulb.  Say you have a bulb in a lamp sitting on a table but there is no cord connected to the bulb.  You can imagine if you flip the light switch, the light will not turn on.  In order for it to  turn on there has to be something to carry that electricity to the bulb.  The same goes for water.  If water did not go through a hose you could not direct it to the tree or bush or lawn you want to water.

As we prepared for our Wood Badge course it was like we were building that cord to create that connection, only not to a light bulb, but to the light within another human being.  With preparation and knowledge the Lord can work through us as a conduit to another person.  I believe this is how the Lord touches each and every individual at Wood Badge.  At times the air feels electric as the concepts and ideas are presented and then accepted.  It is not our knowledge that the participant gets, but the transfer of knowledge along with the spirit of the Lord.  The great thing about that is the Lord knows each and every person and what he or she needs to grow at that moment.  He can send that inspiration and he uses different people and methods to do that.  But in order to do that we have to put ourselves in that path and be willing.

Aimee wanted us to keep track of any heart connections we made with people on course.  I have made a dozen probably.  As a scribe I did not think I would do much to help change lives, but apparently the Lord had different ideas.  He put those people in my path that he wanted me to meet.  I am grateful for each and every one of the participants as well as each and every staff person on course.

Last thought, is this conduit is not a one way conduit, but it can go both ways.  I have felt inspiration and had my light click on from many a thing another person said or did,whether it was a staff member or participant.  There is a wealth of knowledge at Wood Badge.  Please don't miss it next time around.  I look forward to the next few days and know that there will be much more of this transfer of knowledge and inspiration.

I put a few photos of some of the inspiring moments at last week's Wood Badge.

Why Come to Wood Badge?/Answers to LDS Church dropping Varsity and Venture Programs

I have had several people ask me why they should go to Wood Badge, and this is the answer. This is also in response to to the recent news about the LDS Church dropping the Varsity & Venture programs as of 2018.

Some of you may be questioning whether you still need to attend Wood Badge because you are a Varsity or Venturing Leader in the LDS Church, but let me re-assure you that YES you will still benefit and will learn something that will help you whether you are involved in scouting or not. We do not teach you the Varsity & Venturing skills, as a matter of fact we do not teach you the Scouting or Cub Scouting skills, we teach you LEADERSHIP skills.

We will teach you:
• The proper way to utilize the patrol method and the leadership skills involved, and how to run an effective troop. (Can be tweaked to use in any youth or corporate setting as well.)
• How to become a better communicator and a better listener.
• How to manage conflict amongst others and amongst yourself.
• How team development works and how to help your team transition through the Stages of Team Development until they become a high performing team.
• How to be an effective leader and teacher as the team goes through those Stages of Team Development.
• How to plan an effective project.
• How to problem solve situations.
• How to involve youth that don’t fit into the mold and how to promote diversity.
• How to become a Servant Leader, Mentor and a Coach, and the differences of each.
• How to better yourself and others around you.
• We will also give you the greatest Leadership Secret of all time.

The Wood Badge program works in every aspect of life; who can’t use these skills listed above in your everyday life at home, school, work, church and in scouting? Those that are LDS, these skills can still be used in whatever program the LDS Church Leadership eventually develops for the Varsity & Venturing age youth. I use these skills every day at work, at home with my children and with my husband, and in my church responsibilities, along with my scouting responsibilities. Whatever program the LDS Church Leadership develops for the youth 14 and older will need strong leaders that can support and implement the program, and we can help give you those skills here at Wood Badge.

I would encourage everyone to still attend Wood Badge with us in June and ask that you share this information with others and encourage them to attend as well; Young Women leaders would greatly benefit from this program as well, I used these skills for years with the YW program. I feel that the new program will take a lot of encouragement from the leaders because it will be new and not all the tweaks will be worked out when it is implemented, and will take some time to get through the problems associated with any new program. It will be easier to implement and work through things with the skills listed above.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you want to know how to sign up. It is a life altering program and has helped shape me into the person I am today!

Aimee Barry
Scout Master
W2-107-17-2

Opposition in All Things, Especially getting to Wood Badge

This photo can reflect achievement or disappointment depending on if you went into the right forest.

“A week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room.”
                                                                             Lord Baden Powell


I have felt the most opposition this time in my life, more than at any other time in my life.  There are two things that are the source of it....

Let me tell you the first one.  Actually the best way to paint the picture would be to post every one of the texts I get before a campout from the boys about why they don't want to come to a campout or what is preventing them from coming to a campout.  But that would take up pages and pages of blog and then nobody would get to the good part at the end.  I counted over 700 texts on my phone between me and some of the boys about why they didn't want to come to the Klondike Derby.  I am going to ask one boy if he would allow me to post his and mine conversation.  Some of the boys' reasoning was conflict with another boy, some were not sure about snow camping and other's were not sure why they didn't feel like coming.  This one I am posting would fall under the "not sure why" category.  Here is the conversation:

This young man had a great time at the Klondike by the way, and created a slide into a snow cave that made it look like penguins were sliding down into the snow cave.  :) He was really glad he didn't quit and learned a lot.  If you read his comments carefully it will reflect that the next time we talked about an activity. 

Satan desires us to fail.  Period!  He will go at lengths to cause that failure.  We need to be able to recognize when the opposition is happening and to push through it.  This morning for my scripture study I read about Lehi's dream.  There is a tree which is called the tree of life and if you get to it you receive God's love.  Satan put in the path many obstacles to prevent people from getting to that tree.  God put an iron rod next to a pathway so that people could hold onto the rod to help them get through all the mists of darkness and to the tree.  They just had to hold on and press forward.  Satan put people with nice worldy things and expensive attire to mock and jeer at the people holding onto the rod.  They tried to get the people to think that what they had was more important than God's love. Some of them fell away and only a few made it to the tree. Only a couple of Lehi's family made it to the tree which was a source of sorrow for Lehi.  Those that hung on and fought through the opposition are the ones that made it and received the reward.

Satan does that to Boy Scouts.  He discourages them not to go to campouts and activities.  He entices them with technology and other worldy things.  He tries to get them not to follow the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.  If they do not follow those prime guidances then he knows there's a good chance they will not be happy later on.  He knows there's a good chance they will fail later on in life or may not reach their full potential.

The same thing happens to adults (and this is my second source of opposition this year).  We have a wonderful training program called Wood Badge that leaders resist strongly going.  Myself, and others, have been trying to help recruit leaders of the Boy Scouts and other leaders in our Valley who would benefit from the program to go.  I calculate there are over 10 people from each Unit who should go just by fulfilling the responsibility of their calling.  That means in our Zone there could be over 100 attendees this year.  I know I have spoken to at least 30 people about Wood Badge and emailed a bunch of others.  I know that Ryan has probably spoken to even more than myself.  The only people that I have gotten to sign up are those who I am making go because they work for me.  I know there are a couple of people still thinking about going but I know of nobody signed up from our valley yet.  Imagine the pool of people in the rest of Eastern Idaho.  We should not have any problem getting enough to attend so it surprises me our enrollment is so low.   If you know of anybody who should go, please show them this blog.

Please, please, please.  If you have been invited to go to Wood Badge, please pray about it and go.  Don't push it off.  If you push it off, it is similar to letting go of the iron rod.  I personally, pushed it off for a number of years, and found to my dismay that I wasn't doing everything as good as I could have or should have been doing.  I'm still not perfect, but now I have a much better compass to keep me on the right path.

There's a story of a bunch of explorers who were making a road through the jungle.  Every night they would calculate how far they were going and would pat each other on the back because they were making incredible time.  They were going to get that road done in record time and the President of the country was going to pay them a bonus and everything.  They were so proud of themselves.  

One day the leader decided to climb a mountain and see if they were near the end of the jungle.  He was sure they were close.  When he got to the top of the mountain he discovered that somewhere along the way, they had moved off course and were in the wrong jungle, going the wrong way.  Imagine his dismay.

Fellow scoutmasters, cubmasters and all other leaders, it doesn't matter how much time you are making and how good of a job you think you are doing, if you are completely in the wrong forest.

I was just like those explorers and going to Wood Badge was like the guy climbing the mountain.  I found out through Wood Badge that while I thought I was doing good, I was going the wrong way.  The training at Wood Badge is the way we get into the right forest and not only that, get through the forest better and complete our goal.

Its important to recognize that if we have been invited to go, and we somehow shrug it off, that it is ultimately Satan and his opposition telling us that its not important enough to go.  Go anyway, despite all worries and excuses you can come up with and you will be blessed for it.  I can promise you.  

Quotes by Lord Baden Powell

Click this link below for some awesome quotes!

Quotes by Lord Baden Powell

Great Article. Click the Link!

This was shared to me by Richard Casper, a great scouter.

Scouting and Leaders

Images of a Great Leader.... Lord Baden Powell Would Like you to go to Woodbadge!

Baden Powell with his family.

As I was searching for some interesting facts about Baden Powell, I found some really neat photos of him.  There is such an air of confidence and leadership about him.  There is also a look of joy and satisfaction.

Look at the faces of all the boys in the photos with him.  You can tell that they are truly inspired and that they highly look up to him.  You can also tell that Baden Powell loved to be with the boys.  I like the photo where he is watching the boys do First Aid.  It reminds me of a lot of times at the Klondike Derby or at Scout Camp.

Then there's the photo where he has his arms around the three boys.
Look at the inspiration and confidence in the stances and faces of the boys behind him.  They are not arrogant but they look accomplished.  That's how I want the boys to be in my troop.

  Who can take the place of Baden Powell?  Those who are trained at Woodbadge can!  Please sign up and make a difference in the many young men's lives that you might touch.

I wonder what type of story he is telling?  War story?  How he fooled the other spy?  He has a lot of stories about his spy trips.

First Aid

I think this might be his wife and a couple kids again.

I love this photo.  Look at the boys behind him.  Such confidence.  They are a team.

Perhaps some kind of camp inspection?  

Blowing the Kudu Horn

A Letter I Wrote to the Bishops in My Stake

This is a letter I wrote to my Stake if anybody wants to use it or tweak it in anyway.

Dear Bishops of the Driggs Idaho Stake,

I am writing this email to try to encourage more participation in the Wood Badge courses.  As a Stake, we have surprisingly few of our new scouting leaders who have been properly trained in the Scouting Organization.  The leaders receive the calling, and most do the online "Youth Protection Training" to get registered, but it seems like after that, most training stops.  Round Table is very poorly attended as well.  I believe that when a new leader is called they should be highly encouraged to attend Wood Badge very soon.

I asked President Cooke (who has been a few times) the other day, "How can I get more leaders to Wood Badge"?  He told me to write this letter to all Bishops of the Stake and to plead for your support.  I am asking that you bring this topic up in your Ward Councils and PEC meetings and encourage the main leaders to attend Wood Badge.  President Cooke specifically mentioned that at a minimum, the COR's, Young Men Presidencies, Venture Leaders, ScoutMasters and Assistants and 11 Year Old ScoutMasters and Assistants, and Cub Scout Leaders should attend.  He also strongly encourages the Primary President to attend.

I have attended Wood Badge and can attest to its effectiveness.  I will be on staff for the June Course of Wood Badge and am excited.  I promise that the leaders of your Wards will learn things they never knew they could learn which will put them in better position to make the Scouting program much more effective in each ward.  

The spirit is amazingly strong at Wood Badge.  With the strong pull of "negative attention-getters", such as technology and peers, it is very challenging to keep the boys on the right path.  We need good leadership.  The "boy led troop" is the way to teach them the skills they will need to become better missionaries, better fathers and will ultimately lead to a stronger community.  We are training our replacements.  The boys deserve good trained leaders to accomplish this.

I would ask that you have your leadership read the article by Charles Dahlquist, who at the time it was written, was the Young Men's General President.  It is very compelling.  Please have them pray if it is the right thing to do as there is much opposition from the adversary to go.  (Here is a link to that letter.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxxXoDKxoUqsQi1WWFNSZjBNbDA/view.)  As a bonus the Stake will help pay for anybody who wishes to attend that belong to our Stake.  For teachers there are some credits they can obtain as well.

Dahlquist Comments on WoodBadge.pdf

I am strongly biased toward the June course (June 15-17 and June 22-24) and think it will be by far the best, as we have a great Course Director, named Aimee Barry.  Here is the link to the blog to that course.  It has all the necessary items to register and can answer any questions you may have.  http://woodbadgejune.blogspot.com/p/overview.html

W2-107-17-2 Wood Badge - Believe in Yourself A blog about BSA Scouting Wood Badge Leadership Training.

But any and all of the Wood Badge courses are good if June doesn't work.  Other dates are August 7-12, Sept. 14-16 and 21-23, November 2-4 and 9-11, Feb. 22-24 and March 1-3.  Please please please consider this.  Let me know if you have any questions.  I can also take care of applications and help direct with financing if needed.  

Sincerely,

Chad Roberts

Scoutmaster of Troop 82

Responses to the last Post about the "Spirit of Wood Badge"

 I hope to have a opportunity to surve on
the staff this summer at Wood Badge, &
have requested to do for the same reasons & feelings you have express hear,
I hope that my request is accepted & I 
can return to Gilwell one more time before
I return to my father in heaven, that would
be a dream come true, to be with the best
of the best one last time! My O My !
Marvin

This picture evokes lots of feelings. It's a bittersweet feeling. It makes you happy but breaks your heart at the same time! It holds memories of things that can never be recreated but at the same time a promise for the future! I miss my Wood Badge family!
Tara

Tara pretty much summed up my feelings, but I feel an additional sadness. I will not have the opportunity to see this view when I staff Wood Badge this year. 
Shauna

This scene is so bitter sweet. Having had the opportunity to staff at this particular Woodbadge course was a blessing in disgise. Every course I have been on was inspired. The people there were supposed to be there. I have made lifelong friends and learned something new every time. This particular day that you took this photo, was filled with laughter and tears, we made amazing friends, memories, and connections thay we get to carry for the rest of our lives. I hope everyone has the desire and opportunity to attend.
Lisa

Woodbadge is one of those things that you don't even realize the GREATNESS that you are missing until you have been! It has effected my life in so many ways. It has made me better. It was a big sacrifice for sure, I have found though that normally great things always require sacrifice. Don't put it off anymore. Come enjoy something GREAT with Chad and I.
Ryan
I loved last summer adventure at
Troop 1 W2-107-16-2. It a is one
of kind leadership training for all
who attended for sure! If you want
to have a real life changing event
in your life attend Wood Badge &
you won't believe what you will
see, hear, experience, be shown,
learn, grow, be with people you come to love & care about forever! This
is truly an one in a lifetime dream
come true to you & your friends &
family on this earth. You need to
check this one out, I promise you
this one is for real, and will do
wonderful things to you and your
family for ever. We are all leaders
for those we know an care about,
the real question is what kind of
a leader do you want to be for those
whom you love & care about? You 
can change, get better, improve for
everyone you come in contact with
through you life here and beyond 
this life, and here is you golden
chance. Contact me or anyone 
know who you know that's been 
at Wood Badge and change your
life even more for the better to all!
Even the most talented, can fit in
and even get better, that means
even you! MY O MY!!!!
Marvin

As I have taught Scouts, the best and hardest part is seeing them advance. So happy that they achieved and accomplished their objectives and then the realization sets in that it also means they are moving on. I look at the empty space as a symbol of a job well done, leadership skills built, friendships made, valuable understanding of the program instilled, the continuation of connections and relationships; if you could see the threads that connect back to this point, you would see all the good that was done and felt during Wood Badge and more! I think it would be overwhelming to know the full impact.
Mariah

The Spirit of Wood Badge

Click on the photo above and open it as wide as you can.  I took this Saturday, June 25th, the last day of Woodbadge for the June course 2016.  Its empty.....

Take a moment and ponder the site.  What kind of feelings does this photo give you to see it empty?   Do you feel a little at a loss like me?  Do you miss it?...

Think of the feelings you felt when this was full.  What was the thought or thing that hit you the most?, or had the most profound effect while you stood in this courtyard?

Look at the spot where you stood.  Think of the people who stood around you.  Think of the sounds and smells.

Who will stand there this June?  Who needs to stand there this June?....  Who are the people we are going to meet for the first time and hopefully have an effect on them?  I am excited to meet them.

I find it odd, when I meet somebody for the first time, in a setting where we have to co-mingle and work together, that I came to meet that person.  Out of all the billions of people in this world, why did that person meet up with me at this time and this place?   What is it that took that person's path from where they began their earth life, and after meandering all over the place over the years, to meet up with my path that has meandered all over the place over the years?  The odds for winning the lottery are a lot better.   What is the greater plan and how does He know we need to meet that person?

Everybody on staff is trying to recruit.  They know people I don't know or would never meet without their efforts.  Who are the people that I am going to photograph in June?  What is their story?  I can't wait to find out.

I don't believe in coincidences.  I believe that a person comes into our lives at the right time and the right place and there's a reason for it.

When I look at this photo, I feel the "Spirit of Wood Badge".  I remember the sights, the sounds and the smells and most importantly, the people.  I felt a lot of emotion during the flag ceremonies, and taking on the responsibilities of the different things we were required.  It was hard to come up with a yell everyday and do everything we needed to do, but I'm glad I did.  I am fortunate to get to do it again as a staff person.

Back to Gillwell, Happy Land.............

I would love to hear your comments and feelings.  Please post them.

Hit that Knothead Hard with a lot of Ax Strokes and He'll Fall

Recruiting....

I hope things are going well and that you have some people in mind to recruit.  Aimee said that about 1 in 10 people that are asked, might accept an invitation to enroll in Wood Badge.  I should have about 15 here pretty soon....  I got up and bore my testimony in Sacrament meeting last week, about the importance of Wood Badge and that they should go no matter what calling they are in.  I even specifically mentioned some callings that will hopefully inspire those particular groups.  I am estimating that there were about 150 people in attendance and so 1 in 10 would be 15.  Now I can sit back and relax and let the applications roll in....

Me relaxing.  Not the guy in the grey jacket, that is Bridger.  Those are my feet though, on the left, which proves I am relaxing.

I hope you are thinking that I am an idiot right now......

Anyway, what I was really thinking today is the amount of effort it might require to get a few people to join Wood Badge.  Over the years I have been asked probably a dozen times if I would like to go to Wood Badge.  The typical conversation went something like this:

Former WoodBadger:  "Hi, Chad would you like to go to Wood Badge?"
Me: "No"
Former WoodBadger:  "Ok, well let me know if you change your mind.  See you Sunday."
Me:  "Ok"

A few months or a year would pass.

Same Former WoodBadger: "Hey Chad, have you thought about going to Wood Badge?"
Me: "No"
Same Former WoodBadger:  "Ok, well let me know if you change your mind.  See you next week!"
Me: "Ok"


and so on and so on and so on...  only with different Former Woodbadgers.

What went wrong with those Former WoodBadgers?  ...


Finally, after quite a few years, somebody named Ryan comes up to me and this is how that went:
Ryan: "Hey Chad, how's things going?  Do you need any help with anything?"
Chad:  "Nope I'm good, How are you doing?"
Ryan: "I am great.  Hey if its ok, I would like to come over to your house and visit with you and your wife for a few minutes?"
Chad:  "Sure, how about Sunday evening?"

Sunday evening rolls around and there's a knock on the door.
Chad: "Hi Ryan, come on in and have a seat. "
Ryan: "Sure."        

We shoot the breeze for a minute and then Ryan is pulling out some papers:

Ryan:  "Well, the reason I came over today is I want to talk about Wood Badge."

He then proceeded to tell me about the program.  He talked about all the great leaders he'd had and all the great leaders that were going to be course directors for the next year.  He talked about stuff he had learned and felt and how the spirit worked on people to change lives.  He said I could go to any one of them but he especially recommended the one with Tom Barry in June.  He was super excited to go because Tom was a great guy and had asked him to be the Senior Patrol Leader for the course.  He had the application in hand and let me know that the Stake was paying for it.

For me, I don't make hard decisions until I feel motivated.  If I feel motivation it is because the Spirit is hitting me hard.  I had no question that night that I was going.  It turned out that I could make June work.

The Former Wood Badgers were no different than Ryan in their enthusiasm for scouting.  The only difference is that Ryan came to my home with a sincere plea.  I'm sure he had said a prayer before as well.

Obviously its a redwood and not an oak.

"Little strokes fell great oaks."

Not sure who said that.  Not saying I'm a great oak either, just a stubborn person, but there is a prior story to this.  I don't know how many times over the last few years that I heard Ryan get up in front of Round Table or some other group and highly recommend Wood Badge.  I think he hit me with a lot of axe strokes and finally with one huge swoop he toppled me with that home visit.

1 in 10 seems likes its not too bad.  My mission President always pounded into us "Open your mouths".  Open your mouths to at least 10 people this week and tell them how great Wood Badge is.  Sometimes you got to open your mouth a lot to the same person.  Other times you don't.  I have another thought about that for later.


I would invite any other thoughts on how you got to Wood Badge.  Email them to me and I will post them.

Why should you go to Wood Badge?

Why should you go to Wood Badge ?~ Presented to a group of LDS Stake Leaders. Reference to Dahlquist Article 2007 link on right hand side.

It has been said by many General Authorities and Prophets including: David O McKay, Gordon B. Hinckley and most recently Thomas S. Monson “What ‘er thou art act well thy part”. Tonight, and always, I am a scouter. I was born into a scouting family with a great scouting tradition. I love what scouting teaches. I love the adventure scouting brings. I love how it has influenced my life from the start. I love the friendships that I have developed through scouting, and I love the continued life lessons I learn each day, week, month and year through scouting.

I am going to cut to the point, I believe you all know the good that can and does come from scouting for millions of young men, I am here tonight to invite you to attend one of the five upcoming Wood Badge courses offered by our council. I want to emphasize how important this training is to all of us so please before you totally turn off because I said Wood Badge let me take 5 minutes and go through the letter you have from Charles Dahlquist, former young mens general president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

He starts “It is vital that we as Priesthood and Aaronic Priesthood/Young Mens leaders take training seriously. We are part of this great partnership with Boy Scouts of America for very specific reasons… that our young men will be blessed and better prepared for missions and for the blessings of the temple”.

I think because of recent decisions of the B.S.A. some leaders and young men’s leaders believe that scouting is quickly on its way out of the church. They believe that the church will produce its own program. In 2013 on the 100^th anniversary of the partnership of scouting and the church President Monson said “Impossible to measure is the great good which has come from this organization during the past century…I believe in scouting. I believe in the goals of the organization. I believe in the power of scouting to bless and enrich lives for good”. President Monson continues to support scouting today. On August 26^th 2015, the church released a statement: “At this time, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints will go forward as a chartering organization of BSA, and as in the past, will appoint scout leaders and volunteers who uphold and exemplify church doctrine, values, and standards”.

The church is in scouting. President Monson is in scouting. The quorum of the twelve is in scouting. I ask rhetorically are you?

Brother Dahlquist says “If we fully participate, our young men will be blessed and better prepared for missionary service and for the blessings of the temple.” Fully participate is the key phrase to the success of the young men. He continues “If we are really intent in touching the lives of our young men in building, as Elder Ballard has challenged, “the greatest generation of  missionaries this world has ever seen” then we will do whatever is necessary to help us to accomplish that-including getting trained. For the most part of us, Wood Badge is life changing because it has to do more with vision and understanding this great tool (scouting) for strengthening young men of the Aaronic Priesthood than anything else”

I can also testify that Wood Badge for me was, and continues to be, a life changing experience. I learned more about myself in two weekends of Wood Badge than I did from any formal schooling and it rivaled the 2 years I spent as a missionary for this great church. I learned communication skills, conflict resolution skills, team development and leadership skills, and many others that I had never learned before. It has been said that similar training in the cooperate world would cost well over $1500 and there is no way it could be as fun. Wood Badge incorporates the most important part of Scouting in its training “the outing”

You will spend two successive weekends (Thursday through Saturday) or a full week living the best parts of scouting. You will be organized into patrols; the member of your patrol will go from complete strangers to life-long friends over the course. You will learn leadership skills through scout games and activities. You will have the chance to camp, cook and have tons of fun. If camping is no longer your favorite thing our council has invested a lot of time and money into building heated facilities for the trainings and for sleeping. There is enough room for everyone to sleep on a bed with a mattress if desired. They even have limited hook ups for campers if that sounds better still.

You might, at this point, be thinking I have nothing to do with scouting right now. I go back to Brother Dahlquist who says “The call is for every leader, including stake presidency members working with youth, high councilors, stake Young Men presidencies, Bishoprics, ward Young Men leaders and Scouting leaders, to be trained. I know companies that don’t even allow a new employee to step into the plant or office until he has received initial trainings. They do that because they know that, without training, most individuals will be ineffective in the job they were hired to do. And yet, we call leaders to strengthen, motivate and prepare young men for missionary service and life in general-without one iota of training”. I promise the skills learned at Wood Badge apply to more things in life than just scouting. Who doesn’t need a little more conflict resolution when it comes to marriage and children?

In closing I echo the words of Judah in the Old Testament. You might recall Judah was an older brother to Joseph who was sold into Egypt and then became Pharaoh’s right hand man. Judah and his brothers came to Egypt to get food because of famine and didn’t recognize Joseph. Joseph hid a cup in Benjamin’s, the brother who Judah had previously said could not leave their father or else he would die, sack of food as they were leaving and had them brought back to the palace as if they were in trouble. Judah worried for Benjamin and especially his father, who had already gone through the pain of losing one son, says “For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me?” Wood Badge has given me skills to be able to go up to the father and have all the lads, including my own sons be with me and I will be eternally grateful for it. 

Are you a teacher looking for Continuing Education Credits?

Are you a teacher looking for Continuing Education Credits? There's a pretty cheap solution for you! 3 credits for approximately $50 per credit.

Come join us for 6 days of training that will train you how to become a better leader, and in turn teach the youth how to become leaders as well. You will also learn communication skills, listening skills, how to manage conflict, and so much more while having fun. Training is not only in a classroom setting, but also in a fun learning environment, including some outdoor activities and games.

I would love to have you join us in June, especially because most teachers aren't in school at this time, but if those course dates don't work into your schedule, contact me and I can help you get signed up fro any of our courses.

Need Continuing Education Credits?

There’s a solution for you!

Go to Wood Badge!

You can get great leadership training and 3 CEU credits!

These are the amazing courses that are available in 2016:

·         February 23-25, March 9-11 2017 – Daniel Call, Course Director, 208-241-6617 dgcall@cableone.net

·         June 15-17 & 22-24, 2017 – Aimee Barry, Course Director, 208-521-9577 aimee0809@msn.com

·         August 7-12, 2017 – Ralph Oborn, Course Director, 208-380-5308 ralph.oborn@gmail.com

·         September 14-16 & 21-23, 2017 – Emily Holt, Course Director, 208-705-6535 emilyholt16@gmail.com

·         November 2-4 & 9-11, 2017 – Audrey Preston, Course Director, 208-680-7902 audrey@visionwifi.com

·         February 22-24 & March 1-3, 2018 – Lorin Clinger, Course Director, 208-520-6178 lorin@theclingers.com