Our cadet year started this fall in early September with a father/son hotdog/brat roast at 80 Port Sheldon. Within the next two weeks we participated in a regular meeting and a father/son canoe trip on the Pine River. We camped for two nights near the Pine, cooked our meals over open fires, slept in tents, endured some rains, and finished up on Sunday with a service featuring “Pastor Doug’s” challenges to us...

Within a month some of us participated in the Chuck Wagon at our Grand Valley/Rush Creek Campgrounds. This was a fun campout with other Rush Creek cadet clubs. A committee of counselors from Rush Creek put on an exercise for cadets in which they do some fun (non-cadet) games and in other Chuck Wagon stations put their cadet knowledge to the test. All the time we are pulling our Chuck Wagon to each station. With 20–25 wagons at the Chuck Wagon, our Trinity cadet wagon placed 4th, a point or so out of 3rd.

This year we have four cadres consisting of boysfrom 3rd grade through 7th grade. Our youngest cadre is led by Jim Mc Afee & Adam Yowtz. This cadre consists of boys from 3rd & 4th grades. Our second cadre consists of boys from 4th & 5th grades and is led by Andy Bouma & Troy Boeskool. Our next cadre consists of cadets from 6th grade and is “counselored” by Dan Scholma & Wes Wiersema. Our oldest cadets are 7th graders and are led by Pete Ludwig & Bob Walt. Brian Wright & Brian Koetje are counselors for the Junior Cadet program that consists of boys from 1st & 2nd grade.

We are now starting the second half of the Cadet year. We have a lot of fun things planned. Starting off was our 1st GROW dinner which has already passed. This was a free dinner for the Trinity congregation in which the cadets attempted to express their thanks to Trinity for the support received over the past years. In the future we have planned a sledding night, a Calvin College basketball game, a Snow Derby and Camp-o-ree at the Grand Valley/Rush Creek Campgrounds, a father/son winter campout, a Rain Gutter Regatta, and our annual derby car races. This all takes place around our regular meetings in which we learn about our motto “Living for Jesus”. With our Bible studies, crafts, and merit badges, we have a full year.

Something very special that is planned this coming summer is the Cadet International Camp-o-ree. This “campout” happens every 3rd year and is the premier event of cadets. Somewhere in Canada or the U.S. cadets from all over North America come together for a week of camping, fun events, and also a time of devotions and evening assemblies.

Let me give you some insight into an International Camp-o-ree. Camp-o-ree starts when Counselors and Cadets arrive on-site on the specified Wednesday. The rest of Wednesday is spent making the shelter that about eight cadets and two counselors (or junior counselors) will live in for the following week and getting to know the cadets and counselors of the cadre that the 10 participants have been assigned to. (Every participant is from a different council and has not met before Camp-o-ree). Knots and lashing skills that have been learned are used extensively in the building of this shelter. To all 10, this will be “home” for the upcoming week. Each cadre will be in a “color area” of about 15 or 16 cadres. There will be eight color areas, each with two adjutants who are in “the know” and are in charge of making sure that the 16 cadres of 10 are accounted for and at all functions on time. A typical day consists of opening assembly at 6 a.m. and then comes breakfast made over an open fire. After starting the fire, cooking breakfast, cleaning all cooking utensils and dishes, and putting out the fire, a cadre and its color area are off to their first activity for the day. When that activity is complete, the color area comes back for lunch and cleanup and is then off to its afternoon activity. After finishing and coming back for supper over the open fire, the cadre is off to evening assembly. Something fun is always planned. It might be a magician, a group of very strong body builders or karate experts, an author who writes stories about cadets, or some such fun thing. Of course, all have a testimony of what Christ has done in their lives.

After assembly, it’s back home where all turn in for the day. Somewhere during the day, devotions between the counselors and their eight cadets have taken place three times besides the assemblies; most of the time they are a part of the meals. The typical day just described happens on Thursday, Friday, Monday,and Tuesday. Activities during these days might be geocaching, riflery, archery, canoeing, rappelling, a specific craft for that camp-o-ree, hiking, or some other fun thing. One of these four days is a special excursion that takes two of the eight color areas off-site to something very special. In Alberta we went horsebackriding in the mountains, hiked up to a very high vantage point where we could see the beautiful scenery, and took a boat ride to a unique ranger station in the U.S. In Iowa we went to a water park to beat the oppressive heat we experienced. It’s always a secret until we get to camp.

Saturday is a special day with something unique to the Camp-o-ree. In Iowa we had an airshow put on just for the cadets. Sunday is centered on worship with the cadets’ families. Families are encouraged to come and worship with the Cadets. Normal camp contains around 1500 staff and cadets. Sunday’s dinner will probably be planned for about 4000 people. After dinner, families of cadets and counselors are encouraged to visit the campsites of their cadets. Mom and Dad get to meet the counselors and see what has been going on in their son’s (s’) week thus far. Families must leave by three p.m. and then after supper, cadets go to a special Sunday evening church service. Each color area participates in some special way in the service. The second Wednesday of camp is the day that we all leave for home. After morning assembly the cadre is back to its site to take down its “home” for the past week. After all cleanup and getting all luggage together good-byes are said to new friends that have been made and everyone is on his way back home.

The reason that I’ve been so specific about the International Camp-o-ree is, Lord willing,four participants will be going from Trinity. There will be two cadets:  Kalib Edwards & Ethan Scholma and two counselors: Dan Scholma and Greg Kooiker. 2011’s International Campo-ree is going to be held near Reed City and so our transportation expenses will be much cheaper than the 2014 Camp-o-ree that is scheduled to be held near the Edmonton area. Registration and traveling expenses should be about $350/ person. We have two fundraisers for our expenses. The first one was the sale of cookie dough this past November, and our next one will be a sale of subs. All of the money raised will go toward the expenses of the International Camp-o-ree. We would ask for your prayers and support as we complete the remainder of our year and for those planning on attending the upcoming Camp-o-ree.