This will be my final blog entry for the Jamboree. Troops are striking their tents and packing up. Soon the buses and equipment trucks will roll in to be loaded. I am praying the dark clouds do not bring rain as some troops plan on sleeping under the stars or under dining flies tonight.

I finally got to go fishing. I caught a whopping 4-inch bluegill, but I was able to coach a scout next to me on how to cast his line out into the lake instead of beating the water next to the bank to a froth. My first Scout summer camp staff position was the fishing instructor at Camp Tamarack. That was 41 years ago. Good grief!

We're still having Scouts coming by our subcamp headquarters to meet a subcamp chaplain in order to earn the rocker patch. I wonder where they learned to put spiritual matters last? I am resisting the urge to launch into a stewardship sermon right now.

I am dismayed that so many Scouts have left litter and debris alongside and on the roads here. Apparently they were not paying attention when the "Leave No Trace" lessons were taught. I am pleased to see Scouts forming litter cleanup crews along the roads this afternoon. I listened to a father who was here on staff while his son was at the Jamboree as a Scout. He told me of the scams and schemes some Scouts have used to steal or cheat patches instead of fair trading. His son learned some bitter life lessons. I am dismayed that some Scouts so easily violate the first point of the Scout Law -- a Scout is trustworthy. But we also had a Scout find a wallet with more than $200 cash in it and go the second and third miles to return it to its owner intact. More than once I have counseled Scouts on their choice of words. The coarseness and vulgarity of popular culture - including mass media - have dimmed the discipline that a Scout is clean in body, word and deed.  On the other hand, I met Scouts that were considering ministry as their life's calling. I realize that we are a consumerist society, but I question the propriety of the BSA offering a $100 pocketknife anywhere, much less at a National Jamboree, even in a centennial year. I hope the Boy Scouts of America will continue to emphasize religious, moral and civic virtues and values as well as Scout skills and guard against Scouting becoming accessible only to the comfortably middle class.

The previous paragraph notwithstanding, I have had a wonderful experience. I have met hundreds of fine Scouts and Scouters at the Jamboree and I thank God that I was able to play a small part in this historic Jamboree. Not only is this the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, this is the last Jamboree that will be held at Fort A.P. Hill. I have advised the appropriate people with United Methodist Scouting that I would like to be considered for chaplain service for the first National Jamboree at The Bechtel Summit, the new site in West Virginia, in 2013. I figure that I now know pretty well what I'm supposed to do as a Jamboree chaplain so I want a chance to start one with some accumulated wisdom and experience.

I will leave some time mid-day tomorrow and drive as far as I can without endangering myself or anyone else. I look forward to seeing Barbara (and Berra and Regan) some time on Thursday after two weeks away.

If you want to make God laugh, tell him what your plans are.

I had planned to try my hand at fishing. A leading tackle manufacturer has donated all the needed equipment and thousands of fish were reportedly stocked in the lake for the Jamboree, but reports have it that very few fish have been found on the business end of a line. But a call came in and my plans changed. Staying flexible is the key.

Scouting is non-sectarian, but it is religious. While our subcamp chaplains were reprimanded from someone higher up the chaplaincy food chain (yes, chaplaincy is just as hierarchical as everything else in Scouting as might be expected from a movement founded by a British military hero) for ending a pre-meal prayer in the staff dining tent with "in Jesus' name," I have deeply enjoyed the opportunity to talk with so many young and older men about their faith. So many of these young men are so curious about what others believe and why. Scouting teaches them to be personally faithful and respectful of those who believe and worship differently.

After supper last night, we were invited to a troopsite in our subcamp by the Egyptian Scouts. They cooked their traditional food and made a drink from Hibiscus flowers. I enjoyed the food and their attire for the evening..

Between pre-Jamboree patch sales and the offering at our worship service yesterday morning, we raised over $17,000 for Nothing But Nets. That will supply 1,700 insecticide-treated mosquito nets. Since these nets will protect a sleeping area that on average accomodates 4 persons in Africa, 6,800 people will have the opportunity to escape this scourge.

Patch trading is slowing down as some Scouts are realizing they are running out of time to try activities or earn merit badges or rocker patches. An interesting end-of-Jamboree tradition is beginning as Scouts negotiate to trade complete uniforms with Scouts from other countries

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I awoke early like I do every Sunday even though I was not preaching this morning. Our United Methodist Jamboree-wide service was amazing. Bishop Bickerton from the Pittsburgh area was our preacher. We collected our offering for Nothing but Nets in the offering bags designed by Jim and Mary Bargeloh and assembled by the  scouts in our own Troop 352. When Communion was served, my dad's palm wood chalice was used by the Chaplain's Aides I'd recruited.

I played my guitar and led some contemporary worship music as people gathered and during Communion. It really lifted my own spirit to do that. One of the downsides of a church that has younger and better musicians is that I haven't been doing that at NUMC. I'd actually had to convince the chaplain who planned the service to include some music that had been written since the 1990s. It turned out to be a very good thing I had my guitar at the service when the chaplain playing the keyboard (and playing it very well) realized she did not have the right music for "Here I Am, Lord," but I was able to accompany it in a simple guitar key.

The Scouts are realizing that they are running out of time to earn the rocker patches so I and the other chaplains in our subcamp have been doing lots of meet & greets with Scouts working on the Duty to God segment. Hearing them talk about their experiences make me wish I had gone to a Jamboree as a Scout. I hope several Scouts from our church and troop will go to the 2013 National Scout Jamboree.

As you might imagine, a Jamboree involving this many people is spread over a large expanse of territory. In order to maximize safety, the only vehicles on the roads are emergency vehicles. Even deliveries and service are done at night. I have been awakened every morning between 3 and 4 A.M. by the trash hauling company truck emptying dumpsters nearby. A couple of days ago I thought he was trying to dribble a couple of them.

Our health insurance plan encourages us to be active and I can get some money back by taking so many steps each day. They encourage us to take at least 7,000 per day. With my short legs, that's about 3 miles. Today the pedometer logged over 21,000 steps.

My first journey was to Chaplains Corps Headquarters. A Scoutmaster I was visiting gave me a complete set of patches his troop brought for trading. I like to keep patches for events and experiences I've been to (more stuff for my kids to eBay when I'm gone), but I'm not a collector. The hospital chaplains give the patches the subcamp chaplains donate to Scouts that have been hospitalized to help them feel a little less disconnected from the Jamboree.

Later in the day, I walked back to that area and gave a few hours at the United Methodist exhibit in the Relationships Tent. I met a lot of nice people, including visitors from all over the country who were here for the day - talking about Nothing But Nets and Scouting and The United Methodist Church.

After supper, we mobilized for another massed march to the Arena for the 100th Anniversary Celebration. The President of The United States appeared via video along with Senator (and Eagle Scout) Richard Lugar and rocker Ted Nugent. Switchfoot rocked the house along with other acts. The Chief Scout Executive made his appearance by rappeling onto the stage. We saw a preview of The Bechtel Summit in West Virginia where Jamborees will be held in 2013 and beyond. There were reportedly 100,000 people present for this arena show with as many visitors as well as Scouts, leaders and staff at the Jamboree. It was an impressive sight when everyone lit their candles from the flame of the campfire. If you've ever been to a candlelight Christmas Eve service, you'll be able to envision the scene - just magnify the size several times and place it under a night sky. There was a fireworks show that reportedly was the largest on any United State military installation.

The four chaplains in our subcamp worked out a rotation to give each of us some large blocks of free time to experience what the Jamboree offers the Scouts. This was to have been my day off, but someone above my pay grade decided we needed to have another meeting of the chaplains corps and take a group picture. Given the possibilities that could have existed when trying to get 120 priests, pastors, rabbis and imams together, my morning was shot. It kinda' reminded me of weddings - the official photographer wasn't enough. Everybody wanted their own picture taken with their own camera.

After lunch I was able to do a lot of walking around seeing the activities. Many of the activities are restricted to Scouts - as they should be. This is all about them, after all. Still, I was impressed by the Nature and Conservation area and others. I went to a museum that is part of the Order of the Arrow's Mysterium Compass. Don't ask me what this is since I was not under age 18, but the museum was awesome. I saw historical uniforms and insignia. I saw a patch for the White Beaver Lodge of The Order of the Arrow in the old Northern Indiana Council that I am pretty sure my uber-talented brother, Kent, designed when he was still in high school. I also saw the patch for Camp Tamarack 1972, the last year I worked at that camp. I saw a display about the segregated Scouting that existed for most of the 20th Century. It was a societal sin for us in America, including The Methodist Church. I am thankful it finally went the way of the Dodo bird, but it still deeply saddened me. I am so thankful to see so many non-white Scouts here at this centennial celebration.

When I got back to my tent, I discovered I had developed a blister on one foot.

After supper, I walked around to troopsites promoting the weekend worship services. I needed a couple of Chaplain's Aides to help serve Communion and collect the offering. The first troop I visited had so many willing young United Methodists that I had to choose two from them.

Every day at the Jamboree begins with a formal flag-raising ceremony. July 29 was International Day. To the accompaniment of the Jamboree Band (musicians - this may be something for you to keep in mind for 2013), Scouts across America raised the flags of the United States of America and each of the 50 states and Scouts from around the world raised their countries' flags. As I was typing this some of the Scouts from Saudi Arabia just walked by. It was quite a stirring sight. My only regret is that there were no Scouts from Liberia or Sierra Leone here.

I ate lunch with a doctor from northern Virginia. He is an OB-GYN, which is really not an unneeded speciality at a Scout Jamboree. Scouting in the 21st Century has a women serving as leaders in troops, districts and councils and high-school and college young women actively participate in Venture Scouts and Sea Scouts. The medical staff and facilities are extensive and impressive. Most of the treatments have been heat and dehydration related, but we have the people and facilities to handle almost anything. There are even psychologists, opthamologists and a dentist here along with numerous nurses and other medical technicians. Each of them is a volunteer and many are serving here while their sons are at the Jamboree with a troop.

After lunch, a sudden violent storm blew in. After a very close and loud lightening flash, crash and boom, a Scout ran into the Chaplains Tent clearly agitated. He told me he was close to the structure that may have been hit by lightening. After comforting him and assuring him he was safe, I walked him back to his campsite, talking as we went and attempting to help him understand how he was reacting and feeling.

In the evening, the Annandale District United Methodist Men of the Virginia Conference took the United Methodist chaplains and exhibit staff to dinner at a United Methodist church off base. It was good to sit in an air-conditioned room for a couple of hours. I was surprised and deeply touched to receive the Silver Torch Award from the General Commission on United Methodist Men, Office of Civic Youth-Serving Agencies/Scouting upon nomination from someone(s) from Newburgh United Methodist Church. Thank You!

The storms brought some needed cooling, so I got to use the blanket I bought a few days ago for the first time.

This morning was the first Arena Show - a time when the entire Jamboree gathers in one place for a show. Presidents often appear at the Arena Shows along with other celebrities.

It was quite a sight seeing thousands of Scouts in uniforms massing and marching on the streets. Apparently the weather was even hotter and more humid in 2005 at the last Jamboree; the horror stories I heard from staff who were there led me to wonder if I was embarking on the Boy Scout equivalent of the Trail of Tears. It turned out to be much less than that. The walk was a little more than a mile although some troops proved that not all Scouts can follow directions during the march. The Jamboree organizers had the medical teams strategically placed and lots of water along the parade route and in the arena.

It was stirring to see all of the people there. We heard from Defense Secretary Gates, the Chief Scout Executive, a contestant from The Amazing Race and another from Survivor, some WWE Superstars and Miss America. A Broadway star sang the Star-Spangled Banner. Three fighter jets did a flyover. The Air Force Drill Team, the Army Herald Trumpets and the Golden Knights parachute team also performed.

The hardest thing for me was sitting on the ground for all that time. My back and hips are reminding me that those are positions I have not assumed for that long in years. I have a perfectly good stadium seat in the garage back in Newburgh, but that was not on the official suggested equipment list. If I ever do this again, I will bring it.

When I left Newburgh, I deliberately chose not to pack a blanket or sleeping bag because I checked weather.com and this, coupled with my personal experience with summers in Virginia made me sure I would not need more than sheets. The storm front that did not bring rain did lower the temperature to the 60s last night which made me uncomfortably cold. I am embarrassed that the Boy Scout Motto is "Be Prepared."

I was responsible for the morning interdenominational vesper service in our subcamp. 6 Scouts showed up and 4 of them were Catholics who wanted to check off some requirements for the "Duty to God" rocker patch to go around their Jamboree emblem. Oh well, I at least got to introduce them to Father Harris, our Catholic subcamp chaplain. After the service, I staffed our station in the headquarters area in case we were needed for any situation that arose and to be available to other Scouts who dropped by to fulfill the rocker patch requirement that they meet a subcamp chaplain.

After lunch, the first thing I did was go to the Trading Post and buy an overpriced official 2010 Jamboree fleece stadium blanket. With my luck, the nighttime temperatures will go back up now. When I finished that, I walked around our subcamp and introduced myself to Scouts and their leaders, explaining our services and willingness to help in whatever way we may be needed.

One of the young men who came to see me in the morning said he was raised by atheist parents, but then he joined the Boy Scouts and the Scouts require him to believe in God in some way. He clearly was a young man on a journey to faith and was so unsure of himself he did not know what the requirement for the rocker patch that he participate in at least 3 daily devotions with his tentmate or his patrol meant. I spent time explaining what a devotional time was and helped him look at the suggested daily devotions in his Jamboree guide book. What a great opportunity for ministry to someone who may become a disciple of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Patch trading is a major activity among the Scouts. Since I don't have any interest in acquiring patches other than ones I don't mind the prohibition against adults trading with Scouts. But I did like watch the Scouts wheel and deal. I saw a Scout from Guatemala more than hold his own against the American kid who thought he'd found a live one.

The scenery and the activity level all around me changed profoundly today as buses of Scouts, their leaders and equipment began rolling through the gates of Fort A.P. Hill. Many of them had been touring Washington D.C. and other sites before they came here full of energy and enthusiasm. I helped several troops find their campsites by guiding their buses over the tank road and through the woods. I only had to deal with one POSM -- perterbed ornery Scoutmaster and very few real glitches occurred as tent cities bloomed all around us. When problems arose, the dedicated staff volunteers and military personnel dealt with them promptly and professionally. I ate dinner with 4 young members of our armed forces, including an Air Force lieutenant who told me he would be deploying to Afghanistan in a few months. I hope you join me in praying for the safety of all the men and women serving in our military and for the day that we human beings will no longer need to ask such service and sacrifice of our sons and daughters.

Tonight the Rhode Island National Guard Band, Rock and Load, gave a concert at the Central Region arena, but the clear focus of most Scouts' attention was the Baltimore Ravens' cheerleaders. As I type this there are still a lot of Scouts waiting in line to get their autographs. I did not go to the concert. I could hear them well from my tent and the band was quite good. I am responsible for the interdenominational devotional service tomorrow morning, so I spent time preparing for that.

Started the day and week off right by worshipping with a few hundred United Methodist Scouters and one lonely Episcopalian. Shared the Lord's Supper and look forward to next Sunday when all of the Scouts will be here. It was good to sing old standard hymns and use pre-merger (pre-1968) Communion liturgy, but I hope we will be more current when our average age drops dramatically next week.

Learned how and where we will greet the buses filled with anxious Scouts as they arrive tomorrow starting at 6 A.M. Chaplains are bus greeters and we get to show the bus drivers how to find the campsites. It will be interesting watching and experiencing charter coach drivers negotiating a tank road (and you can tell there have been tanks on it recently). I am serving in Sub-Camp 10. We have 202 staff and tomorrow we will welcome 45 troops totalling 1800 Scouts and leaders. We are one of 21 sub-camps.

The weather forecast was threatening, so we battened down the hatches in our camping area and they cancelled the arena show for the staff. Naturally, the storms missed us. God's providence became apparent, however, when another staff member came looking for a chaplain. I spent some time talking with this person and then realized that if I had been at the arena show, the whole ministry opportunity would not have happened. Chaplains minister to staff as well as campers.

Had a good and productive day -- meeting with the 3 other chaplains in our subcamp, learning the role I will play when the Scouts arrive by the busload on Monday morning and discussing a rotation of headquarters and walkabout duties. Had a meeting of the entire chaplain corps. Was awed to see we had 3 chaplains in their 80s here and to hear of the cooperative efforts of the Muslim and Jewish chaplains to make sure their Scouts and leaders have meals that comply with their religious dietary laws. The Boy Scouts of America teaches values that are consistent with all faiths and it teaches respect for those who believe differently than you do. I was most moved when I heard from the man who survived the tragic accident that claimed the lives of some others at the 2005 Jamboree. Now he has returned as part of the chaplain corps. We've spent a lot of organization and preparation time about dealing with emergencies, but we're all praying for a very safe experience for everyone. The heat exceeded 102 degrees this afternoon. One of my responsibilities will be to remind Scouts and Scouters to take care of themselves and drink lots of water. I am practicing what I will be preaching.

Arrived at Ft. A.P. Hill this morning. Left Newburgh around 6 AM Thursday. It took an hour and 15 minutes to cross the Ohio River at Louisville. 2 big bridges aren't enough, especially if there are problems on the bridges or the approaches. Spent the night in Crewe, VA with John & Rosie Brenneke, my aunt and uncle. John is a pastor in the Virginia Conference.

Despite all the warnings and horror stories, check-in was a pretty painless process. I found my tent easily and some Jamboree veterans helped assemble my cot. The sub-camp leadership assigned the 4 chaplains -- me, a Lutheran, an LDS chaplain and a Catholic priest in the same tent with our subcamp garbage engineers. Does someone have a unique sense of humor or are they trying to tell one or both of the groups something?

This is a huge undertaking. Just watching them feed the staff was a lesson in logistics and standing in line in the hot sun gave me a greatr appreciation for those who have served in our military. It is very, very hot and humid. Along with our staff credentials we were given a card with the heat and hydration index. This afternoon they issued a black flag warning meaning we were supposed to drink a quart an hour. If I didn't, I came close.

Found David Krantz and Jeff Chapman from NUMC at Trading Post B. Jeff's wife, Darlene, is working there, too, but she was eating lunch. Also found Brian Willams and Al Brothers, 2 of my fellow Indiana Conference Trustees at the Central Region Headquarters. I hope the Annual Conference doesn't need to the Trustees for anything for the next couple of weeks.

Tomorrow I will have a couple of sessions of training and orientation for Jamboree chaplains. Scouts arrive Monday and then this place will get really interesting.

When I was 7-8 years old, I discovered my dad's old Boy Scout Handbook on the bookshelf in his office in the parsonage in Warren, IN. I started reading it and was caught up in the excitement and the adventure. When Dad was a boy, one of the requirements to earn First Class Scout rank was to demonstrate how to stop a runaway horse. That was the kind of adventure I wanted to have. I wanted to be a Scout.

There was no Cub Scout Pack in Warren, so Dad went to work with the pastor of another church in town and other adults and a Pack was organized and chartered. When the time came for me to cross-over from Webelos to Boy Scouts, the Boy Scout Troop chartered by the American Legion Post was dead, so Dad rolled up his sleeves, recruited a young man from our church to be the Scoutmaster and got Troop 122 reorganized. We moved to Fort Wayne shortly after that where Dad's church chartered Troop 58. Dad made sure it had good leadership and even spent one week at Camp Big Island with us. I remember being so nervous, yet proud that Dad, who could not swim at all and therefore never got to be a First Class Scout, went on a canoe trip with us. When Dad was appointed to East United Methodist Church in Mishawaka, IN, it had Troop 120 -- a tremendous troop. There I earned my Eagle and God and Country Award. Again, Dad went to Camp Tamarack with us and I continued to worry proudly about him on canoe trips.

While many other men had very positive impacts on my life through their involvement with me in Scouting, I do not believe I would have such a deep love for Scouting were it not for my dad. Dad never got to a Jamboree, but a little bit of him will make it to this one. I was instructed to bring a chalice for the August 1 worship service which will include the Lord's Supper. When we were in Liberia, Barbara commissioned a woodcarver to carve chalices out of palm wood with the African continent on one side and our initials on the other for Dad and me.

I'm taking Dad's.

On Sunday, August 1, all of the United Methodist chaplains will lead a worship service that is expected to have 5-6,000 Scouts and leaders in attendance. A bishop will preach and we will share the Lord's Supper and, of course, receive an offering.

The offering will go to Nothing But Nets, the National Good Turn of the Boy Scouts of America and something our church focused on during our Change the World Sunday in late April of this year. This is part of the effort to eradicate malaria worldwide by providing insecticide-treated mosquito nets to families in malarial regions of the world. Since Barbara came down with malaria when we were in Liberia years ago, this effort is more than dear to my heart.

So, my creative mind started whirling. How might we take up the offering in a way that really symbolizes the effort we are supporting? Those of you who know me well know I am a guy who can come up with ideas, but often has no clue how to make the idea a reality. I went to Mary and Jim Bargeloh and asked them if they could figure out a way to make offering bags out of mosquito netting and something to hold the bag open. They came back with a wonderful idea that simply used the netting and a wooden embroidery hoop. It looks like this: 

Our own Troop 352 helped assemble the offering bags at their troop meeting July 18.

The Boy Scouts of America ask their volunteer staff to pay their own way to a Jamboree. I won't disclose the amount, but am very thankful to Troop 352 for a generous contribution, And to Barbara for not getting upset at the additional cost of all the uniforms and equipment.

Thanks to Jim and Mary Bargeloh for figuring a way to make the offering baskets for the United Methodist service out of mosquito netting and embroidery hoops.

Thanks to Art Dyson for making the pvc pipe frame to hold the mosquito net over my cot and a hat press for my Smokey Bear hat.

Thanks to Priscilla Campbell for sewing all of the patches and insignia on my uniforms.

Thanks to Brad Betsworth for setting up this blog on the church website.

I've been involved with Scouting in some way since I was a 9-year old Cub Scout. I was a staff member at Boy Scout summer camps for  6 summers in positions ranging from fishing instructor to archery instructor, rifle range director and program director. I've been pastor of churches of various sizes and character for 24 years. I've served as a missionary in Africa.

But I've never combined my call to ministry with my love of Scouting like this.

On July 23, I report to the National Scout Jamboree at Ft. A.P. Hill in Virginia where I will serve until August 4 as a United Methodist chaplain.

This is the 100th anniversary of Scouting in America and there will be more than 50,000 Boy Scouts and their leaders from across America and around the world.

This blog will help me keep you posted on my experiences.