I was happy to note that some of our scouts are interested in the Robotics Merit Badge and some even attended the Robotics Competition in Davis last Saturday. The Troop has been given some funds to be used how we see fit to help the scouts get their Robotics Merit Badge. If you or your patrol would like to pursue this merit badge let your scoutmaster in your ward know that and we can purchase a Robot for your patrol to put together and that is the big part of the merit badge. We originally thought you would have to purchase this on your own but through our allocations we can purchase what you need for those interested patrols. Let your scoutmaster know!!!!

We have our camporee coming up on April 22 & 23. This will be a great opportunity to see many other troops and how organized some of them are and we will also have opportunity to compete against some of them. It should be great!

Scout camp is approaching and I know some of us are feeling like how are we going to pay for this thing. We do want to make sure everyone who wants to go can get there. We all have one stumbling block, that it the cost. Lee Chritensen has sent out information on the camp cards to help the scouts earn their money so it is not a burden on the family. I would suggest you pick up some cards and start today! I received more information from the council on the cards. There are extra incentives that the scout can take advantage of with these cards. Here they are: 

We have had a great February. Earlier in the month we had Stephen Nix teach the scouts more preparation and survival techniques for winter camping which also included snow caves. We were able to pull off a successfull winter camp at Loon Lake. Everyone survived and I understand all had a great time.

I also want to bring your attention to our upcoming Court of Honor to be held on March 4th @ 7:00 pm at the Oak Avenue Building. All scouts should be wearing their class "A" uniforms. We will also be presenting a way to have your scouts earn the neccessary money for scout camp.

On 2-24-16 for our troop meeting we were highly entertained by an assortment of team building games that the Rusch Park spartan patrol put together. The purpose was to learn to work together to accomplish something together and also to see how some scouts would lead out in their groups. It was a blast and we all learned things as we played.

In the concluding moments I was able to add some concluding comments on how team building events happened in the scritures as well and that the Lord expects us to work it out.

The example I used was that of Helaman and his 2000 stripling warriers. Helaman knew that he needed a team building experience as the Nephite armies were getting wiped out and he needed help. The Lamanites that had been converted to the gospel, who had covenanted to never fight again were at the point of braking that covenant to go to war. Helaman told them no, even though he needed additions to his army. These men had sons and they came forward and offered themselves to fight and they were young and had no battle experience. In addition there were another 2000 men that came and joined the army to fight. The fathers that couldn't fight came to help out by bringing provisions for their sons. Part of this team building experience was a strategy they came up with where they all worked together. Have your sons explain it to you. I drew 3 circles and explained it. Maybe they could do the same for you. This was a life saving team building experience that we discussed on Wednesday night. In our discussion that night we discovered that if the Lord is one of the players on our team then we have no need to fear. Those 2000 stripling warriers said in Alma 56:46 "behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall". That is significant in light of the fact that they were out numbered and they had no battle experience. We concluded with the words of a joyful Helaman who said after the battle that none of them had "fallen to the earth". That was Alma 56:56.

Please take a moment to have your sons review this with you after they get home from school one day or during Family Home Evening. The lesson is that we are in a great battle here on earth and we need all the help we can get and we will succeed as long as one of the members of our team is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Brothers, sisters, and scouts,

I loved the troop meeting last night. It was really fun being with the young men as they learned about being prepared for snow camping. We were discussing last night how to survive and Scoutmaster Eric explained to us how we can actually thrive out there in the snow. Eric did a fantastic job. Some take-aways that I felt were vital to surviving and thriving:

1. Don't wear anything cotton. It sucks up the moisture and keeps that moisture close to your body and eventually freezes. Not good. Wool is better. It will continue to insulate even if wet.

2. Bring more than enough socks so if a pair gets wet you can change them. Each pair should be in a separate baggie and sealed up. When they get wet put them in a baggie to keep your other clothes dry. Make sure they are wool socks!

3. Pads are super important. Any pad is better than no pad. A good and also cheap insulator for under the sleeping bag is cardboard. Just get a cardboard box and break it up so that it will be long enough to be the length of your body. May have to get 2 or 3 of them.

4. Scouts have always had a sense of curiosity and as such will always be experimenting. Once on this camp-out they might be tempted or encouraged to show off or jump from a rock into a pile of snow. Maybe to walk on ice like a pond or lake. If in doubt you need to ask a scoutmaster if it is safe. If not sure, don't do it! 

5. Bring 2 coats.

6. If you could respond to Scoutmaster Monte Griffin to let him know if you are going. We need a head count for the food.

Your scouts can fill you in on the rest of it.

We are slatted for the week of 4th-9th of July for our scout camp. I personally spent a bunch of time trying change this week to another camp or an AP camp but to no avail. For the boys 14 and older they will have the opportunity to learn to water ski and wake board. Maybe I will show them how I can still jump part of the wake.

We discussed "Camp Cards". Camp cards are discounts for participating merchants. They sell for $5 each and the scout keep $2.5 to use for camp. They are easy to sell especially if standing in from of Walmart etc. This is a great way for individual scout fund raisers. Contact your ward scoutmasters about these cards. They can order them from the scout office. In addition talk to your scoutmaster about a group fund raiser. Everyone should be in full swing discussing this now! Our ward has already completed our fund raiser. Now the scouts are on their own to raise the rest of their own money. 

At the conclusion of last nights troop meeting I shared with the scouts the story of David and Goliath as found in 1 Sam 17. We discussed 2 ways in which David was prepared to take on Goliath. Have them share with you those 2 ways and also the correlation of this story to us being prepared for our modern Goliaths are and how being prepared we can conquer them and we can survive and even thrive just as we can in our winter camp. This is a great opportunity to have great discussion with your sons about this very important subject of being prepared in their lives for what is to come as they grow into manhood.

Again I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity with your sons and am very grateful for the other scoutmasters that I have the privilege to work with.

Thank you,

Scoutmaster Jim