What Scouting Has Done For Me
Scouting has been a huge part of my life since I have been growing up. There is even a picture of me when I was two years old in a little cub scout outfit. My Scouting experiences are truly invaluable to me and because of Scouting, I am who I am today and have been able to accomplish things that I am proud of in my life.
Over the years my experiences with Scouting have taken me all over the country to meet many different people from different places and different walks of life than my home near Salt Lake City, Utah. Aside from the chances to meet other people from all different types of lives, Scouting has also provided me a place to grow spiritually and has provided real tangible skills that I use often. While I was serving my mission near Seattle, Washington I often reflected on my memories and skills that came from my times with troop mates at home. I also used and refined my leadership skills that I had learned from attending NAYLE at Philmont and through my time in the Order of the Arrow.
Because of all my experiences with other types of people that came to me through Scouting, when I spoke to new people as a missionary I was able to have better conversations than I would have had without the time to develop those skills as a young boy, and especially because I’m generally a very shy person.
Along with the opportunities to learn real skills that help me day to day, Scouting helped me to learn about myself and about my God. The time that I was able to spend in the outdoors and see his majesty and to be unconnected with the world, and ultimately to just be alone with my thoughts and myself at the quiet times in the woods were invaluable. They gave me an opportunity to think deeply and feel experiences and laid a foundation that I know with consistent building can become a great life.
I’m thankful for all that Scouting has done for me and has continued to do for me, even until this very summer where I have the opportunity to be a staff member at Philmont. I am also thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ and all that he has given us, and I know that Scouting was a gift for me.
– Michael Williams, Guest Contributor