Whew! Last week’s International Pathfinder Camporee was as thrilling and dizzying as riding a bucking bull or horse—like those Wyoming cowboys we saw at the Gillette rodeo.
The Storms and the Show
Our first night brought fierce storms that saw the evening program canceled, everyone running for cover, and many campsites and supplies flooded and torn up. Luckily, no one was hurt, and the stage show and broadcast teams had planned ahead of time, so we were able to go on air with prerecorded content. 🎥 👍 And then a stunning double rainbow and the kind generosity and aid of the citizens of Gillette reminded us: God was still watching over us. We would “Believe the Promise”!
On night 2, we saw a live Act I of the play, a marvelous drum corps performance, and a talented praise band brave the elements before the rain got so heavy that the showrunners had to end things early.
Dry weather returned with day and night 3! 🙌 People bundled up against the chill wind and headed out to the sea of Pathfinders gathered at the main stage. They enjoyed more giggle-worthy banter from ventriloquist Ryan Bomgardner and Ollie the Ostrich, more fiery sermonettes from Pastor Damian Chandler about God’s unstoppable love, and all of Acts 2 and 3 (complete with a couple dramatic beard makeovers for Moses.).
Out of concern for everyone’s safety, the Camporee organizers decided to make night 4 (Friday) the final program when bad storms were forecasted for Saturday evening. Thanks to the incredible hustling of the production teams, it ended up working out okay, show- and broadcast-wise. 👏 We watched the last two acts of the drama and left inspired by all the music, messages, stories, and week-in-review footage.
The Booth
It was nonstop action at our large Discovery Mountain booth! SO many people—we’ve never seen so many at one of our events! 😮 The Blue Birdie flight simulator was a huge hit, as were our various shimmering pins that we handed out.
Over 1,200 kids had completed our Pathfinder Bible Study Challenge and received our special sliding-sword-and-Bible award pin. We also loved seeing people get excited about our beautiful new Expedition Bible Guides. And we were even happier to introduce many visitors to Discovery Mountain the show for the first time.
As always, the fans stole our hearts. 💙 On Sabbath, the predicted storms actually ended up skipping town, and it was a great day for pics, autographs, and friendly chats.
The Broadcast
The lashing, flooding rain—and the threat of it—posed some big challenges for our news and media crew. They were as nimble as antelopes in navigating all the sudden program changes and still creating wonderful news segments and presentations.
Everyone was highly motivated to pull this thing off! They hauled equipment and wrapped it in waterproof coverings. They rehearsed. They got out there and captured the stories. They interviewed awesome guests like President Ted Wilson, Pastor Chandler, and Moses’ actor, Leo Aguilera (he’s Rich the Mud Guy’s son!). They guided cameras and operated sound boards and handled a million other things to ensure as smooth a broadcast as possible.
Special shoutout to our team of roving young reporters. 🎤 It’s been very rewarding to work with them and see their skills and curiosity bloom! Their story segments brought fresh energy to the events.
Really, we are so thankful for every single worker and helper! Their faithful efforts and God’s daily grace allowed thousands of those who couldn’t come to Gillette to experience some of the power of an International Pathfinder Camporee.
In the end, Believe the Promise was definitely the unforgettable event of a lifetime. Yes, the unpredictable storms threw a big wrench into the works. But there were a lot of amazing and soul-touching things, too—all the honors, activities, foods, pins, parades, service projects . . . and of course, the more than 1,000 Pathfinders who got baptized and started a new life in Christ.
That’s pretty incredible, no matter what the weather. 😊
—Ms. Jean
