Missouri Pathfinders gathered at Camp Heritage for the annual Missouri Honors Weekend in March. The event had record registrants and totaled 204 Pathfinders, staff and attending family members.
Camp staff needed to open additional buildings to accommodate the large crowd that was in attendance. They also had to bring in additional cots for sleeping arrangements, while other clubs opted for tent camping. Additionally, due to the large turnout, meals were served in two waves as kitchen staff prepared meals and snacks for those attending.
Honors Weekend is a favored event among Pathfinders, as club members can earn honors, worship and play games together at beautiful Camp Heritage. Joshua Priddy of Burn Bright Ministries presented worship messages throughout the weekend, which can be viewed at Burn Bright Ministries – YouTube. Each presentation was engaging and featured many stories and exciting demonstrations that Priddy invited Pathfinders to help with.
This year’s honors included waterfalls, spiders, worms, bubbles, renewable energy, fossils, glass etching, poultry, shells, water science, birds and reptiles. Joshua Kittelson of Christian Record Services traveled from Lincoln, Nebraska, to teach the braille honor, and Henry Davis traveled from Berrien Springs, Michigan, to teach blacksmithing. Davis also taught blacksmithing at The Forged men’s retreat hosted at Camp Heritage in early March and was well-received.
The Pathfinders at Honors Weekend enjoyed crafting an S-hook and a cross from metal with coal forges set up in the Camp Heritage pavilion. Other Pathfinders left camp with worm habitats, shell collections, etched glass and more. Each Pathfinder will receive their respective honors at their club’s investiture service this spring.
In addition to the honors taught by guests, area coordinators and Pathfinder staff, Diana Thompson taught “Introduction to Disaster Preparedness,” a requirement for the disaster ministries honor. Staff and children played games, and each Pathfinder could take resources home provided by FEMA.
Rachel Ashworth is the Pathfinder director for the Sikeston Peace Point Chapel in Missouri.
