Pirates of the Allatoona

Here they are; 10 cub scouts, one den leader, and 2 den chiefs (the one kneeling is Callan, and he was ours). The other den leader was me, and I was behind the lens. We were Den 12, the Powder Monkeys. Our cheer was "We are the Powder Monkeys, lowest of the low; But when you light our fuse, really watch us go! Gooooooooo Powder Monkeys!" I am proud to say that our ten boys were probably the loudest of any of the dens at camp. And it was a BIG camp; over 320 Cub Scouts, and when you add in the Boy Scouts (Den Chiefs), Pixies (brothers and sisters who had to be there but weren't Cub Scouts), and volunteers, it was well over 500 people. It was, also, incredibly well-run; I am still amazed at how few problems I encountered all week.
I cannot put into words just how much I enjoyed being a volunteer at camp last week. I was just hoping to get through it; hoping that the boys wouldn't run circles around me, hoping I wouldn't pass out from heat exhaustion. Hoping I wouldn't look like a total idiot who didn't know what they were doing. And so, I prayed. I truly did; I asked God to use camp as a way for me to get closer to Him and to be a good example to the boys. I am convinced it was that prayer that put me in a place where I only saw the good. I felt like we had the very best den chief in camp, the very best Cub Scouts, and I felt that everyone there poured their hearts into their jobs. In this jaded, "whatever" world in which we live, it was a long, cool drink of water to be in the presence of so many people who LOVED being where they were. We cheered, we chanted, we laughed, and we learned. All of us. And next year, I'll be ready to do it again.