[RR] NTC

[J. Keith Vance]

I have recently read some bewildering comments on here regarding the National Training Camp.  I feel that I have to share my own testimony about the NTC that I attended in Mississippi last year.   The camp was difficult, as I have read.  Some of the detail work would not have seemed useful, had it not been for the vision that God had imparted of taking a group of strangers, who had in common the Lordship of Jesus and the mission of reaching, teaching and keeping boys for Jesus,uniting them in a common task, and causing them to become as one unit as they worked, prayed, and lived together at NTC.  This is what happened at the camp where I was sent.  I did not know many of the men, but the camp brought forth a working patrol unit, with a common purpose and a few real good lessons under our belt about working together.  We could not have gotten that in the mail.   And now about the Senior Guide-  Our Senior Guide filled the traditional role well.  He was indeed a leader, and he held the camp to the high standards that are proper and correct.  He was also, I might add, a spiritual leader that gave us all a burning desire to be used of God in the Royal Ranger ministry so that boys can be redeemed from what this world has to offer them.  I thank God for the Senior Guide, and the entire experience that the National Training Camp afforded me.   On a personal note, I have the privilege of making my living as a psychiatric and mental health nurse, working on a daily basis with children and adolescents who have genuine problems.  I see quite a lot of kids with problems that most people would not even dream of.  Because of what I have seen and experienced in my own work and ministry with kids, I believe beyond a doubt that the training that I received at NTC changed my life.  It strengthened my own walk with the Lord, it gave me new revelation about the absolute necessity of reaching these kids for the Lord Jesus.  It also gave me a clear picture of the unique manner in which the Royal Ranger program can reach boys in a way that most other programs cannot.   For those who might have become offended or uncomfortable with the way the NTC is done, I pray that God will heal those hurts.  As for me, I was blessed beyond anything that I could have imagined.   May God bless you all!     J. Keith Vance Mississippi District Health & Safety Officer Board Certified Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Starkville, Mississippi