QUARTERLY REPORT

District PowWow Offered Swimming, Canoing, Paintball, Outdoor Games and Exciting Council Fire Services

June 6-8 was the big event of the year. The District Pow-Wow. The theme this year was "Boone and Crockett". This is the first year of a five year series on "How the West Was Won". After five years the puzzle shaped patches will make up a beautiful back patch for an awards vest or jacket. During these five years the 40th anniversary of Royal Rangers in Mississippi will be held in 2010, and the 50th anniversary of Royal Rangers nationally will be celebrated in 2012.

We had over 325 men and boys attend this year’s Pow-Wow. There were seven pastors with us this year. Some of them camped, some stayed in the dorms and some only came to visit and attend the council fire service. We appreciate their support and willingness to come and be a part of this ministry.

The council fire services were wonderful each night with over 100 boys coming forward to accept Jesus as their personal savior, seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or pray for special needs. Our guest speaker Commander John Hicks, National Communications and Administrative Coordinator, did an excellent job during the services to hold the boys attention and prepare them for the alter calls.

The weekend was also full of fun activities such as cub-car races, paintball, BB guns, archery, sling shots, canoeing, BMX racing, swimming, FCF traders row, and a challenging new obstacle course. No one had problems falling asleep each night after a full day of activities. Next years theme will be "Remember the Alamo". Plans are already being made, so don't miss it!

The swimming pool at Ranger Trails Camp has been refurbished! Pool Solutions Inc. has been working on it for the past month getting it ready for us to use for PowWow. The entire pool has been plastered, and a beautiful Royal Rangers emblem tiled in the center. A salt water system has been put on the pool also. This system takes salt that is put into the pool water, runs it through a chlorine generator, and discharges it back into the pool. This system will save us a lot of money on chemicals and it will also allow us to keep our pool clear and available for use year round. The pool will also be equipped with a custom made pool cover to help us keep the leaves out.

If you would like to order a commemorative PowWow t-shirt, please download the form, fill it out and send it to Bruce Pepper before June 27. Order Form

Boys Train for Leadership at Annual Junior Training Academy
April 11-13 was our Junior Training Academy. We had boys from all over the district gather at Ranger Trails Camp for a week-end of advanced training.

An advanced Merit Camp was held for boys who wanted to get ahead with their advanced merits. They were able to earn the following merits: Primitive Snares, Primitive Shelters, Aviation, Rocketry, Fingerprinting, Camp Safety, and Wildlife. All of these merits were challenging and exciting for the boys. We had a total of 28 boys participating in the Merit Camp.

A Junior Training Camp, Advanced Junior Training Camp, and a Junior Training Trail was also offered for the older boys. These camps are designed to help the boys with their leadership skills. The things they learn during these camps will be used for the rest of their lives. It will carried back and used in the local outposts, churches, and workplaces someday. There were 12 boys in the JTC, 4 boys in the AJTC, and 4 boys in the JTT.

These were good numbers, but the one that pleases me most was that we had 23 commanders on staff plus others there to help where ever needed. This made for a great Junior Training Academy. Thanks, guys!

15 Join the Ranks of the FCF at the Frontier Adventure
April 25-27 was our Frontiersman Camping Fellowship Frontier Adventure. There were a total of fifteen Young Bucks and Old Timers inducted into the ranks of F.C.F. They learned lots of cool stuff such as black powder shooting, flint and steel, shelters, outfits, knife and hawk throwing, and trap setting. There were also ten Buckskin members who participated in an all night vigil to advance to the level of Wilderness. Wilderness is the highest advancement in F.C.F. Out of the ten, five were district staff leaders.