[RR] RRAA Report

[Rick Barnhouse]

Well, thanks for your prayers this past week. Let me show you how important they were: We had 100+ boys show up for the week and around 51 staff members. Monday was beautiful day until supper. Then this nasty storm came through taking the electricity with it. NO big deal, just the power and 10 classes a day to teach using various methods that need electricity, but we are Rangers and Rangers are Ready and we have generators. We can adapt. We postpone the opening night pageant (and do individual services in the cabins) and classes til Tuesday. It rained most of the night. Made Firecraft a bit hard the next day. Tuesday we arise to find that the electrical failure also took out the well pump and we have no water (or electricity). But we start classes anyway. We get caught up on classes by Tuesday night, have the M*A*S*H pageant (featuring the ugliest Hot Lips (John Volland) you have ever seen). Several kids were saved, filled with the Spirit and most rededicated their lives. We maintained for 36 hours without electricity and until Friday night before they got the water back on. We still couldn't drink the water because now it had been super-chlorinated. No big deal, at least we can shower on-site. Thursday night, the boys are in charge of the entire council fire service. They did a great job as always. Jeremy Hensley (TB) from Lebanon preached. Again, a great time around the altar. Friday night the boys who have attended before always except great things to happed at the council fire. It is a no-nonsense council fire. Strictly a spiritual time. This year the Overall them was "For Such a Time as This" and the theme of the last service was really a "Time to Repent" There was a foot washing ceremony where the commanders washed the feet of the boy's in their cabin. The Junior Staff then took it upon themselves to was the feet of the commanders. Again, several received the baptism in the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues. At least one boy accepted Jesus as his Savior on that last night. It was a wonderful time. And at last the Devil just gave up and went home. He had been trying to get us to quit all week. One commander's wife had a stroke (pray for James Plymale and wife), one commander lost his father-in-law (pray for the Robby Wycoff family), no water, no electricity, WEIRD equipment problems, an extra SOMO supply of ticks and chiggers, etc... At least nobody had time to complain about the heat.   We were blessed to have such notable celebraties as Jonathon Trower from TX and RangerDJ join us this year. It was good to have you guys!!!   We had kids from MO, KS, AR, TX and ID in attendance. They typically earned a merit a day except for the merits that took a couple of days (like horsemanship, Wilderness Survival, Fishing, etc...)   At the closing banquet many of the kids testified about their spiritual growth and called it best camp ever. If it takes all the battles, so be it. Thanks for your prayers.   Rick Barnhouse SMDSPC   See the articles on our Advancement Academy in the last two issues of High Adventure.