OK, so “miracle” is a little bit of a stretch, but the experience was quite serendipitous and perhaps, I believe, some providence.
This year, the Scouts of the Spanish Trails District selected the theme: “Scouting without Borders” for their Spring camporee at Quail Creek Scout Camp in Southern Utah. The international theme focused on Scouting around the world as they earned the Citizenship in the World merit badge and worked on the International Spirit Award. Lots of interesting international experiences were planned, including a Zoom call with Scouts from Kenya on Saturday and Scouts from Ukraine living in Poland on Sunday.
An unplanned visitor from another country arrived Friday night to join the Scouts. Jakob and his wife Eva from the Czech Republic were touring the United States and needed a place to camp that night. Jakob, a former Scout in the Czech Republic, searched for Scout camps in the area and asked if they could stay at Quail Creek Scout Camp. He and his wife were welcomed and joined in the activities. The next morning, there was a scheduling mishap due to some confusion of the time difference between Utah and Kenya, and the Utah Scouts were gathered one hour earlier than the Kenyan Scouts. As the Scouts were already gathered and waiting, the leaders asked Jakob to talk about Scouting in the Czech Republic and his experiences. Jakob was delighted to talk and was well-prepared. He was able to share a very meaningful perspective on Scouting and the worldwide brotherhood that exists within it.
Given the theme of this camporee, it could not have been planned better. This impromptu program change perfectly illustrated the theme of the camporee, “Scouting without Borders.” So impressed and so grateful were the leaders of the Camporee that they organized a special award for Jakob. As shown in the picture, the Crossroads of the West Council International Scouting Representative Michael Williams presented the Scouting Spirit Award to Jakob.
Miracle or not, this experience truly demonstrates the Scouting Spirit and the worldwide brotherhood of Scouting.