With nervous fingers, the twelve-year old boy lit the wooden match and stuck it into the base of the teepee shaped pile of sticks and thatch. The dry grass caught like a dream and flames raced upward to the top of the pile, where a nylon cord was stretched between two sticks. At first, it seemed that the flare of flames from the thatch must surely melt the string in a twinkling. Tense seconds passed, though, and the flames and smoke died back somewhat, and it was clear that the string was not going to break so easily. Nine sets of young lungs blew mightily on the base of the fire and hotter flames from the sticks roared upward. Some support of the now smoking mat of thatch at the top burned away, and the whole top third of the fire suddenly fell to the ground. Before anyone could even start to groan, however, it was easily seen that the hotter, wood fueled flames could now reach the string, and it quickly sagged and parted. With a cheer, the boys handed over their passports for stamping and raced off to the next test of their Scouting skills.

Over 600 Scouts and adult leaders were gathered this fine Saturday at the Cain Hollow Campgrounds in Allegheny State Park, New York to participate in the Passport to Fellowship Camporee. Twelve stations challenged the Scouts to save their fellows from peril, repair broken limbs, lash together antennas, catapults, and primitive vehicles, identify trees and tracks, navigate obstacle courses, and perform other tasks involving Scouting skills and teamwork. At four in the afternoon the rain came and made the last events more challenging than was originally intended. Still, even with the paper maps and plans dissolving in their hands, the Scouts finished their tasks before heading to the trading post, and then back to camp for dry clothes and dinner.

It’s a common riddle among Scouts --- What comes after two days of rain? Answer: Monday! That is how it turned out last weekend. The evening campfire was canceled, but 200 Scouts still attended open-air religious services that evening. Afterwards, I got out my guitar and our troop visited another across the way, where we settled under a tarp and told stories and sang a few songs. One of their boys stood a yard away from me and watched closely as I played, even offering advice on how I could improve a song. I liked that and asked his leader who he was, and then talked to him as we stood in the rain in front of a roaring fire. I walked away thinking, "There is a real Boy Scout," and, you know, I was right!

The Boy Scouts of America welcomes all boys to its ranks, and so you find all sorts of boys wearing the Boy Scout uniform. Boys join for the adventure or to be part of a gang or because they are attracted to the challenge of earning the Scout ranks, but most do not become true Boy Scouts for a number of years. Some never do. My friend of the campfire had become, to my way of thinking, a true Boy Scout that very evening, and I am still pleased that I somehow sensed it in talking with him. I didn't actually hear the story until the next morning.

The trading post sold patches and food and, also, had a great deal on T-shirts. Last year's models were just $2 and they went like hotcakes. My friend had bought one and paid with a $5 dollar bill. It wasn't until he was half way back to his tent that he really looked at his change and found a $10 bill tucked in between two ones. What to do, what to do? $10 is a lot of money to a 12-year old and he went and talked with his Scoutmaster about it. The Scoutmaster talked about this and that and, in the end, told him that he had a decision to make.

The boy walked back to his tent, deep in thought. Many of his friends would, no doubt, laugh at him if he returned the money, but they weren't him, and he had just been told to think for himself and solve his own problems. What to do, what to do?

Sunday morning, we broke camp during a lull in the rain, after a wet and windy night. At 9 a.m., closing ceremonies were held for the purpose of handing out awards to the winners and saying our good-byes until next time. Before the first award was handed out, though, the Camporee Chairman had something to say. "We often talk about what it is to be a Boy Scout, and always hope that all our boys will be good Scouts, but it still makes us very proud when we see someone really take the lessons of Scouting to heart. Would the Scout who returned the $10 bill to the trading post please come up here?" And, out walked my friend, and I felt so good.