Written by: Matthew Taylor
On Friday, Aug. 9, the main events of the International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, were concluded a day earlier than anticipated due to severe weather concerns. The program, originally intended for five nights, was shortened to three nights instead.
Although the weather defined the camporee as a negative experience for many, it is impossible to ignore the blessings that Gillette offered to tens of thousands of Pathfinders and sponsors from around the world.
I have attended the quinquennial event since the 2009 “Courage to Stand” Camporee in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. My favorite part of camporees was always the evening program, and I would even collect posters signed by the cast. In the 2019 “Chosen” Camporee, I was provided the opportunity to perform as a background extra in the production alongside Leo Aguilera. This past summer, Leo and I were cast to portray brothers Moses and Aaron in the “Believe the Promise” Camporee in its Gillette debut. This was a dream come true.
This incredible opportunity provided a unique point of view into the creation of the camporee. The cast spent the better half of the summer practicing for this performance at Andrews University, and later in Gillette. Although the hours were long and the work arduous, the cast proved their dedication each day through their support, humor and love.
Unfortunately, a lot of factors seemed to be working against the success of this production. First, high winds halted construction of the stage. Despite this setback, the directors used the time wisely to strengthen even minor elements of the production.
Amid weather concerns, it was decided that Act 1 would be pre-recorded in case of emergency. As expected, the turbulent storms forced the first program to be canceled. In a unique silver lining, when the storm passed, the cast and crew took a group photo beneath the rainbow, which we attributed to God’s original promise.
The cast feared how this turn of events would affect the Pathfinders’ experience. However, once the storm had passed, we witnessed groups of Pathfinders cheerfully trading pins while standing in puddles and mud. Despite the negative circumstance, the attendees understood the purpose of the camporee—to build community—and took advantage of this opportunity to make friends from across the world.
We returned the next day energized to perform both Act 1 and Act 2 in the same night. During the first performance, rain started to trickle on the stage and audience. However, in between acts, the rain began to fall more heavily and frigidly. To preserve the safety of the audience and cast, the performance of Act 2 was delayed.
I will readily admit that this shook my faith. I was confused why God would allow so many complications to affect a program where 70,000-plus believers had gathered in His name.
After a successful performance of Act 2 and 3, it was regretfully announced that a more dangerous storm was brewing for Saturday evening, and the event had to finish a day early. I expected that this would dampen the cast’s spirits, but it did not. We soldiered through and managed to spend the entire night through 5 a.m. recording the performance of Act 4.
While performing the final night of Act 5, we pushed through scenes and effects we had never fully rehearsed. Filled with adrenaline and emotion, we stepped through the illusionary Red Sea and into the crowd of Pathfinders. We returned to the stage and sang the finale: “Our God Will Make a Way.”
I was struck with the emotion of the moment. Although we had to finish a day early, we welcomed Sabbath by performing the incredible miracle of crossing the Red Sea. The point of God’s miracle was successfully displayed to tens of thousands. In the finale’s musical number, many of us in the cast were moved to tears at the sheer magnitude of accomplishing months of hard work.
At first glance, many elements could cause this camporee to be considered a failure, but a spiritual event can rarely be described with stats or numbers. God worked a miracle in the lives of those at the camporee.
