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Originally Posted by MikeWaters
So it's about 10:30 at night, already past taps, the asst. Scoutmaster of the other LDS troop has made cobbler. Everyone is assembled and we are ready to eat.
My SPL calls on one of the older boys from the other troop to say the prayer. This guy, let's call him John....is a really Napoleon Dynamite character. He's 16 and at scout camp. He came directly from high adventure with the older boys. He's an Eagle Scout and this is his umpteenth time at camp. The next oldest boy in his troop is 13.
He's very smart, his dad is the Stake Pres., and he's homeschooled. But terribly weird and awkward like ND.
Anyway, so he is called on to say the prayer. He starts off by saying "we are thankful for the opportunity to audition for the skit, we ask that we might be selected to participate." I swear, he then went onto about 50 other subjects. It was a sincere prayer, but there was no topic not covered in that prayer. It was literally 10 minutes long. I was having trouble not laughing during the prayer (which I desperately stifled, because the bishop of the other ward was there). When he finished, the other scouts all groaned, "that's the longest prayer I've ever heard!" "thanks for the talk" "you blessed the food 3 times". Me and another asst. scoutmaster could not contain ourselves any longer. We were ROTFLMAO.
So after cobbler, the bishop decides he better give a little speech. He went through every phrase of the scout oath, every word in the scout law, asking questions and explaining each facet, in addition to explaining the "on my honor" award. It was about 20 minutes. And very painful.
He is a former scoutmaster, and should remember that such times are called "the scoutmaster minute." MINUTE.
....
It has struck me how very unironic scouting is. It is touching in a way. All these leaders, all these boys, learning skills, emphasis on morals. Learning to be men. The many young boys who look you in the eye, greet you with a "sir" tacked on the end.
To be involved in scouting as an adult is optimism at its best. You cannot be a cynic as to the future, and be in scouting. You cannot be a post-modern cynic lobbing grenades from the nose-bleeds. You are on the ground, building the future. It is refreshing to see and be a part of.
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