HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD?

That was our motto and guide these past few weeks. My son ,Benjamin, was struggling with whether to continue to finish the race to earn his Eagle rank in the Boy Scouts. He had ups and downs, encouragements and discouragements. Most recently he had discouragements. He has been really involved in the Boy Scouts. He would spend weekends on outings including teaching, backpacking, caving and camping trips. He hardly ever missed a meeting, which was once a week since he became a Boy Scout. He started as a Weebelo in which he made some friends and they have continue all the way through.

We’ve had many things happening this year and it has been stressful the past few months. My son found it easier to set aside his Boy Scout Eagle things and just participate in the scouts. I had other ideas. I felt it was wrong to get this far and give up. After many talks I found out that he felt under pressure and overwhelmed. He had so many telling him it couldn’t be done. I tried everything I could to encourage him. I felt that he will always look back and wonder, could I have done it? I also felt that if he gave up on this, after reaching for it for so long, then he would be more willing to give up on just about anything that got to be too much. I watched a movie we have, “Facing the Giants”. I asked my son, “How Big is Your God?” I kept asking that and I will keep asking. My son, smiles at me and says, He’s Big.

My son decided to go ahead and try to do it. Give it his best shot. I told him that was all I or God wanted was for him to do his best and give it his all. He had to finish five merit badges, do his project, and make sure he got all the signatures he needed BEFORE his 18^th birthday. His project was to build a fire ring with octagon shaped benches surrounding it at our church. To help you understand the stress and pressure he was under, by the time he decided to go for it, he only had about 14 days to get it all done. All along, I kept asking him, “How Big is Your God?” I also, kept reminding him to keep praising and thanking God and I did the same thing.

He worked hard on the badge requirements. He had problems with getting counselors and that was one of the reasons that he put off getting many of the merit badges done. Some of the counselors wouldn’t return phone calls. He was given a new list of counselors and he contacted them. He was able to meet with the new counselors for all the last of the merit badges he needed and got them all signed off.

We felt he had a lack of support from his troop, especially his troop leaders. Many of the leaders either are tired and their sons are already out or they are new and their sons are just starting into the troop. One of his major problems was his new scoutmaster. This new scoutmaster took over the troop in the spring. Ben had been elected to the Senior Patrol Leader position. In that position he was basically in charge of the troop and made the decisions. He was to let the leaders including the scoutmaster know what his plans were, in which he did. The problem was that the scoutmaster would change the plans without telling Ben. That caused issues for the troop. Also, it discouraged my son as to continuing. Ben was to have this scoutmaster sign his merit badge cards and his project paper so he could even start his project. The scoutmaster refused to sign Ben’s paper so he could start his project at one meeting so Ben sent and email stating there may have been misunderstanding. Two days later the scoutmaster sent a response stating the same thing my son told me earlier. I had my son call him and speak to him telling him that he was misunderstanding what the signature was for. ( The scoutmaster thought it was for finishing the project not permission to start it). I then took my son the next day to get his Physical Fitness Merit badge signed off. He had to do some running and ended up getting really sick because he isn’t a runner, especially in the heat. He did get it signed off and interestingly he beat his original time. We then left there to go get the scoutmasters signatures we needed. Ben begged me to just go home, he was so sick. I ended up pulling along side the road for a few minutes and then continued on. He stayed in the van and I went in with all the merit badge cards and the project paper needing signatures. The scoutmaster looked for Ben but I told him, he was sick in the car and I came to get the signatures on his badges and project paper. I bit my tongue many times because he kept saying over and over, “I wish he would have done this six months ago”. (This man wasn’t even the scoutmaster six months ago). He started to walk away with his pen and I reminded him that he had to sign the project paper. I said, “Ben brought this to you on Monday and you didn’t sign it but you have to sign it before he get even start on his project.” Again, he made some comments. There were many things I could have said but I didn’t. I then left and took Ben home to rest up. He rested and then told me that the scoutmaster still didn’t sign all the places he needed to.

 Now with the project paper signed was able to prepare to do the project, trying to get donations and volunteers. Of course, the weather man wasn’t as promising. The weather report was for rain and thunderstorms all weekend. He didn’t have a choice so with all the needed signatures he went forward and started on the project. He and my husband went to get he supplies needed and donations the next day on Friday, June 27^th.

On Saturday, the 28^th, his volunteers showed up at our church and they started working on building the benches. They also dug the holes for the posts, which was a very, very difficult job and took a long time. They had many problems with this part of the project. His scoutmaster told me that he would be there but he didn’t show up. I overheard his son tell someone else that he volunteered somewhere else. Ben’s volunteers worked from about 8:00am. Until about 4:30pm. When lightening started striking and the down pours came. We quickly cleaned everything up and headed home to start the next day. My husband and I started talking and realized that Ben still didn’t have the scoutmasters signature on some of his Merit Badges. We had Ben call the scoutmaster and arrange to go over to his house to get his signatures and get information about his final requirements for his Eagle yet that night because the scoutmaster was leaving the next day for a week out of town. (I need to explain that this has been very stressful and confusing. He didn’t have a lot of troop support but he did have support of some that did show they did care. It was told to me that if Ben didn’t get the scoutmasters signature before the scoutmaster left for summer camp on Sunday then I would have to drive my son to Louisville to the camp just to get the scoutmasters signature - needless to say that had me a little fuming.) 

Anyway, my husband took my son to his scoutmasters house. I prayed hard because I didn’t know what was going to happen between my husband and this scoutmaster - by the way - my husband was a good boy. LOL

The scoutmaster signed the Merit Badge cards and gave my son an oral scoutmaster conference. He then told him that the assistant scoutmaster could finish the scoutmaster conference sign all the rest of the paperwork. UGH! Why did they put us through ALL the stress in the first place???

On Sunday, his volunteers met us at the site after church about 1:00pm. We built the campfire pit and finished with the benches. One man from our Sunday school class is in construction and he volunteered to help so he actually became in charge of building the fire ring. We had many from church come to see what we were doing. A lady also came and asked if she could help so she went home, changed and came back to help. We also had mixed concrete to pour down into the holes for the bench posts so they are more stable and sturdy. My husband cut the bench edges to make them smoother and neater looking. Again we worked until the rain came about 5:00pm.

On Monday, we met with just a few that could meet to finish up. We touched up the benches with some wood splints and wood putty, we filled the fire ring with dirt, we touched up the outside of the ring with some more mortar and smoothed it as recommended by the volunteer builder and we had to knock off the support braces that were holding the benches until the concrete set. We actually worked for a little, then it rained and we stopped for a little and took refuge in the youth building then got back to work to finish the project. My husband wasn’t able to help at this point because he had to take a business trip, also many others had to be at work so only those not working could help.

One of Ben’s leaders stopped by to see the project and to get Ben’s Merit badges so she could turn them in. She looked over them and then proceeded to tell Ben that he still was missing a signature. UGH!

Of course, it was the scoutmaster. I was ready to scream at this point. I told her we had been to see him twice at his house and Ben tried to get his signatures at the last scout meeting, what does it take to get him to sign this stuff that would hold Ben back? She told me not to worry about it she would take care of it. I asked her again, what we were to do before she left and she again told me she would take care of it.

The project is now FINISHED. The church signed off on it and it is now belongs to the church. The only thing we want to do is make a landscaping rock with the date, the words “Eagle project, etc. on it. We hope to do that in the next week or so.

My son has got all his paper work filled out then met with the assistant scoutmaster, who couldn’t meet until Wednesday evening to finish his conference and sign off on his project and application for Eagle. He then has to go the committee chairman’s house (which is the husband of the lady I talked with earlier) and have him sign the paperwork and then it will be sent in and it is then up to the council.

Unbelievable but the troop Eagle advisor wanted to meet with my son before he met with the assistant scoutmaster. We were running about 10 minutes late because were expecting to meet an hour later. To top it off my son forgot his book (which could have been signed at a later time). The advisor yelled at my son and was very rude. He made the comment, “You know, people have other things to do” or something like that. (well, we didn’t ask him to show up). Ben then met with the assistant scoutmaster and finally got his papers signed, we thought. We had left there and went to Advancement chairpersons house and found out there were still some mistakes and the assistant scoutmaster missed a signature. Also, he marked up a very important paper that Ben ended up reprinting and having to get the signatures again.

Thursday, July 3^rd, my son emailed the assistant scoutmaster and they arranged to meet near the local Kroger to get the signatures. We then left to go get some groceries and proceeded to pick my husband up at the airport. After that we headed home but stopped off at the Advancement chairpersons house to get the last signature and then turned it all over to them. So it is now in the hands of the Boy Scouts of America.

My husband said to me that he would like to spend our anniversary enjoying ourselves instead of being so stressed like this. I told him we could celebrate later, this is important for our son.

By the way, a boy wanting to earn Eagle must have everything completed and all his signatures before his 18^th birthday. My son turned 18 on July 3^rd, 2008 and he was finally able to get it all turned in approximately 9:30pm. He was born at 10:05pm. How Big is Your GOD?