Created dateAug 18, 2009 Last editMar 10, 2010 at 5:08 PM
by Diane Thurber; Source: NAD Communication, herald@luc.adventist.org
[News]
The Montrose (Colorado) Mountain Lions Pathfinder club was determined to travel to Oshkosh, Wis., for the International Pathfinder Camporee, Aug. 11–15. Though their journey was not an easy one, the Pathfinders say they definitely saw God’s hand with each obstacle they encountered.
The Mountain Lions club members weren’t sure where the money would come from to bring the Pathfinders to the camporee. Katie Miller said, “God kept providing all the way along.” The club held multiple car washes, usually washing 50 cars at a time, according to Eleazar Rogue. Personally, he also worked at the "Olathe Sweet Sweet Corn" fields detassling corn to earn money for his expenses. The club sold seeds and held a large garage sale. Bridget Cline, assistant Pathfinder director, said the sales generated about $1,000. She said, “The stuff was nothing. It seemed to multiply itself. The money multiplied itself. We couldn’t believe it.”
The Pathfinders also picked up trash, and sponsors committed to pay per pound of trash collected. As they cleaned up trails near Montrose, the young people discovered that beneath the light trash most people might see they found heavier items beneath. “The heavy stuff is what got us here,” said Chris Cline. On one trail they found a large front loader tire, which greatly increased their number of pounds collected. Another time they found an abandoned shopping cart on a trail and used it to help haul the other trash they had collected. In all, the club gathered 938 pounds of trash.
Kiev and Kadin Oldham returned from Fiji with their parents in January. In Fiji, Kiev and Kadin raised money to send others, including themselves, to a Pathfinder camporee in Australia. They were disappointed when they moved to the U.S. too soon to go. When they joined the Mountain Lions and heard about the coming camporee in Oshkosh, Kiev and Kadin were discouraged and doubted they could raise enough money in time to attend. Their mother Lois Oldham told them, “Don’t cut God’s arm off. If He wants you to go, you’ll go.” The children got busy raising funds. Kiev and Kadin did a variety of odd jobs, including digging ditches, and soon had the money in hand.
The club’s hard-working reputation spread as stories leaked out to friends and family throughout the U.S. Soon the club received donations from individuals from other churches who admired the young people’s determination and willingness to work to attend the camporee. Money was even sent to the Oldham family to purchase all the supplies they would need to get outfitted for the camping experience, a blessing since they recently moved from Fiji. “Every need was supplied. It was just an incredible thing,” said Lois. “This has been a God walk for all these kids.”
Once the money was raised, the Pathfinders eagerly waited for the departure date. In the meantime, they worked on their caving honor and leaders planned stops at various national monuments en route to the camporee, including Jewel Cave National Monument, the second longest cave in the world at 146 miles. The day before the club was to leave, the pastor, Michael Campbell, received word the rented 12-passenger van had been stolen, but another van wouldn’t be available for two days. Waiting an extra day to leave meant the Pathfinders would miss all the exciting stops to national monuments, including Jewel Cave and Mt. Rushmore.
Many prayers ascended as the Pathfinders and their leaders wondered what to do next. “The leadership was rather concerned. We were very stressed trying to figure things out,” said Heidi Campbell, club director. But later that day, the Campbells received a call informing them that a 15-passenger van had been turned in—a day early—and it could be picked up. In addition, the rental agency discounted the rental rate, a savings they weren’t expecting. Elated, the Pathfinders were back on track.
The next day the Pathfinders loaded at 4:00 a.m. They traveled in the 15-passenger van pulling a trailer, and another rented mini-van was in the caravan. As they journeyed on, the mini-van went into overdrive, all the red lights on the dash came on, and the speedometer stopped working just as they crested Vail Pass in Colorado. Again, prayers ascended for safety and solutions. The 15-passenger van and its riders continued on the journey, and the mini-van was returned to the rental agency at the Denver International Airport. A replacement vehicle was provided—a Suburban that came with a trailer hitch. It was a better vehicle to pull the trailer than the 15-passenger van.
The remainder of the trip continued without incident, and the Pathfinders were able to visit the national monuments. They were excited to share their story of God’s protection and providence, and found the camporee an exciting experience. Brian Nelson said, “This is my first year and it’s really, really awesome.”
Returning to his second camporee, Eleazer said, “It’s still really, really awesome.”
Stories like these were heard throughout the campground this week as Pathfinders recounted how they believe God helped them arrive safely for the camporee.
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