Hello again,
It has been a while since my last post so that I could think about how or if to write about the biggest incident that I dealt with last week at camp. I decided to do so. Obviously I cannot and would not use names, but I will try to write it out so you can see some of the stuff I am dealing with.
So the week started off great, I was having an amazingly low number of homesick kids so I was able to focus on just going around and being with the scouts and leaders at their normal activities. Then, on Monday, right after lunch I get a call that a leader is looking for me. I figured that it was a homesick kid so I hurried to get working with the scout. I find the leader, and both leaders for the troop meet me at the entrance to camp, not what I was expecting. It turns out that 11 year old scout A had found out that 13 year old scout B has a sister who is a lesbian. Scout A started harassing scout B and talking about how wrong it is to be gay and that he shouldn’t be gay because it was wrong and against scouting and against God.
To complicate matters scout A had taken off without telling anyone where he was going and without having a buddy with him which is required by camp rules. While I let the leaders and other staff track him down I worked to comfort scout B. I was able to work with him fairly easily, he was still upset about the lack of sensitivity when it comes to something like this, but was over the harassment he had endured. Scout A was finally located and I talked with him about being nice to people and how there are some topics that are inappropriate for scouting to be talked about. He said all the right things, and said that he would apologize. I told him that he had until an hour after dinner to apologize to scout B and he said that he would. I also talked to him about multiple other incidents already in just a day that had occurred with other scouts in his troop.
After dinner I waited for a while and then went back to the campsite. I asked scout B if he had even been approached and he hadn’t. I asked the leaders and they said that the other stuff hadn’t stopped. So I talked with scout A again. Scout B also wanted us to talk with the whole troop about being sensitive in what is said and careful of our wording. This went surprisingly well.
The leaders, however, were getting extremely frustrated with scout A. They even asked the camp director and me if we could support asking his scout A’s mom to pick him up. We said that the decision for that is up to them, but that we would support their decision. This is what ended up happening. After breakfast on Tuesday I was with the leaders when they told scout A that his mom was on the way to pick him up. He proceeded to cuss them out and when I tried to comfort him he cussed at me for quite a while as he packed his stuff. Thankfully, his mom got there soon. She signed him out. She was upset at him and the leaders, but didn’t make too much of a scene.
Then I thought we were going to just go on the rest of the week. That afternoon, however, scout A’s mom showed back up. She asked to speak with me and the camp director. We sat down and she asked if I had told her son that it is okay to be gay, I assured her that I had not and that I had only talked to him about being nice and respectful to all people. She accepted that and then asked who had made the decision to send her son home, we informed her that it was the troop leader’s decision and that we supported leaders when they made those decisions. She seemed to leave quite satisfied.
To finish with this story before going on to the rest of the week… On Thursday the BSA district executive came out and I ran into him talking to the troop leader for these scouts. They asked me if I could support allowing scout A to come back for the last day of camp, since he had been remorseful and expressed intent to not repeat the actions. We talked with the troop and they agreed to give him another chance. I talked to them about forgiveness when we were discussing this. Scout A returned and the last went quite well.
Other than that incident, the week was pretty quiet. Still very busy keeping on top of little situations so that they didn’t get bigger but very enjoyable. Thursday was my birthday. So for the Mass on camp on Wednesday I had invited one of my favorite priests to offer Mass and he did. It was a much smaller crowd than the week before, but very nice. I also took a few hours off on Thursday morning to go to Mass. I’m such a seminarian that this is my birthday gift to myself. I was starting to feel not well, but figured that if I took it easy I’d just get past it.
When we got done on Friday we started a week off. The camp is closed the week of Independence Day since many troops wouldn’t want to come that week, and the camp is able to rent out to an outside group who donates a lot of money. So on Friday night I drove to Stevens Point. On Saturday I slept in until 7:45 and then went to breakfast with Fr. Tom. I took it easy most of the day, went for a couple of nice walks around town and went to the farmer’s market. After the Saturday evening Mass Fr. Tom grilled out for me and another seminarian who is in town there for the summer. It was great spending time with them and just hanging out.
On Sunday after Mass I drove back to my mom’s in Winona and took a nap. My throat was really sore and I was painkillers to get by. I rarely take pain pills, so this was tough on me. After my nap I went down to La Crosse and sat with my mom and Perry while they ate, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to swallow so I didn’t eat. I then met up with a couple of friends to go to Riverfest, the festival in La Crosse for Independence Day. I had a good time, and enjoyed their company. On Monday I decided to go to the urgent care to have them look at my throat, to see if it was strep or if there was anything I could do. The doctor said to just keep taking Ibuprofen to keep the swelling down but that since it was a virus there was nothing more I could do.
After the doctor visit I went to those same friend’s house. We were going to eat lunch with some people and then head to Riverfest again and watch the fireworks. I enjoyed the lunch, and my mom and Perry came in and sat around chatting for a while with us. It was a lot of fun. I decided to go home and rest rather than go to the fireworks. I haven’t done much else during my week off. I did go to Mass at St. Elizabeth’s on Wednesday to attend Mass with the new priest there. It was wonderful and reminded me of the church that I used to know.
I am starting to feel better, but still not 100 percent. I am very thankful that I had this week off to get better.
I will write again when I can.
Peace,
Adam
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