As we have continued our involvement and journey in Scouting and while trying to recruit or help other families do the same, I have encountered two very common concerns about Scouting expressed mostly by mothers of young boys or former Scout moms. While they recognize the benefits and intentions of doing Scouting, they have become frustrated or burned out while helping their son earn his achievements. These two concerns might very well have been expressed like this: “I’m OK with my son doing Scouting, but I don’t want to have to hound him constantly to get things done or passed off. I want him ..read more

Last weekend I traveled from Okinawa, Japan to Fukuoka, Japan to attend some church meetings. During our time in Fukuoka, President Spencer and Sister Jane Mack, mission leaders of the Japan Fukuoka Mission, hosted my family and me. When we arrived at the mission home, the Mack’s gave us a tour. We walked into President Mack’s office and I immediately noticed three photos he had on his wall: one of the First Presidency, one of his priesthood lineage, and the third was a photo of him with his three sons, all in full Scouting uniforms. I was surprised and delighted to learn that President Mack w ..read more

By Chuck Jewell Two cities.  Two Latter-Day Saint youth.  One scouting program. Amarillo, Texas Benjamin Jewell was moving from Cub Scouts to Scouts BSA when the Church stopped using the BSA as the activity arm of the priesthood.  He was very interested in going on to Scouts BSA, but he was one of only a couple in the Amarillo Texas Stake that wanted to continue.  He visited several troops in the area and settled on Troop 86 charted by St. Paul United Methodist Church.  Though Covid-19 hampered some of the scouting in the troop over the ..read more

First, I hope that each of you will join us on May 21-22, 2021 for our virtual Vanguard Virtual Little Philmont.  On Friday evening, May 21, 2021 (7:00 p.m. Mountain Time), we will feature a classic talk by Rex Tillerson, former Chairman, ExxonMobil; former BSA National President; former US Secretary of State; recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award – and, in my opinion, the most significant voice for Scouting in the world today.  His topic will be Duty to God and the importance of faith and religion in Scouting.  We hope you will be able to join us for this special evening.  ..read more

While serving as Young Men General President, one of the most exciting parts of General Conference training sessions was the question-and-answer session at the end. In fact, each evening I could hardly wait to get to that part of the program because of the scintillating and searching questions that were asked. One evening an Aaronic Priesthood adviser raised his hand and, when I called on him, said: “President, I’m sorry, but I just don’t get the connection between Scouting and the Aaronic Priesthood.” He then paused and added, “I just don’t get how the [pause…] Fingerprinting merit badge has ..read more

Troop 1692, Serenity Hills Parents, St. George, Utah, Crossroads of the West Council Troop 1692 was formed to give scouts an opportunity to reach their goal of obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout.  Don Fisher, Scoutmaster, saw a need to give boys with desire, self-motivation, and goal orientation the platform need to succeed.  Here is a summary of their experience in their words: Little did we realize what we would face to achieve this goal in 2020.  Pandemic, social distancing, quarantining, lack of supplies, face masks, the unknown, inability to unite.  Tactics changed in o ..read more

It is amazing how things are created – take, for instance, this “Report from the Field” which originally was to be titled “A Note from the Field.” It was intended to reflect wonderful letters from our members and supports around the world – and started with a letter from Bill and Donna Collins, currently in Utah waiting to return to finish their mission in Frankfurt, Germany. Bill and Dona originally wrote the kindness note referring to our recent decision (since reversed) to retire the “Annual Membership” status. I was so impressed with the tone of their letter and their marvelous attitude to ..read more

By: Trevor Bender and Amy Tadlock   During the pandemic, it has become increasingly difficult for youth to connect with non-profit organizations to provide service opportunities for an Eagle project or to complete Religious Award service requirements. Some youth have contacted multiple organizations, churches, non-profits, and community centers trying to find an individual to assist in coordinating an Eagle Scout service project, only to be frustrated in the process. The problem is that many organizations have closed or no longer have office hours or the ability to respond to emails ..read more

Ever pause and think well upon the Scout Slogan to—Do a Good Turn Daily? For this blog I wanted to pass along some thoughts to ponder on this major principle of Scouting. I like to tie doing a good turn to doing our duty to God, as service to one another is a basic tenet of our faith. Doing a good turn is in fact represented in the points of the Scout Law in being helpful, courteous and kind, especially when done with a cheerful spirit as exemplified by the Order of the Arrow’s teaching of cheerful service. The good turn, or service to one’s family/neighbor, has been taught by the Savior as we ..read more

Can I speak for just a few minutes to parents and grandparents in Scouting families? I have a photo of an Eagle, a Cub Scout and his mom on my desk that reads: “This Cub Scout doesn’t have far to go to find a hero” (his mother). I have always loved how Scouting invites parents and other family members into the lives of their children in wonderful, supportive ways. Instead of being disciplinarians, parents (and grandparents) serve as merit badge counselors, Scoutmasters, troop and pack committee chairs, etc. This doesn’t include all the “unofficial” work in Scouting, such as providing transport ..read more