On August 5, 2024, over two-hundred Pathfinders from thirteen clubs in NNEC converged on Gillette, Wyoming to join 60,000 other Pathfinders from around the world for the Believe the Promise International Camporee. The Camporee had much to offer to the excited Pathfinders, including honors, rodeos, and five presentations on the life of Moses.  One group even visited a dinosaur dig operated by Southwestern Adventist University.

Excitement began to build as the first evening program approached, but a strong storm blew in with heavy rain and high winds.  The program was canceled, and Pathfinders were advised to seek shelter indoors or in vehicles.  NNEC Pathfinders were camped among several horse stables with steel roofs and open walls.  These provided ample protection and let the youth experience the storm intimately, but safely.  The storm took down two tents and a gazebo in NNEC’s territory.  When it ended, the Pathfinders emerged from the stables and were treated to a double rainbow, reminding them of the Camporee’s theme: Believe The Promise!

Activities resumed on Wednesday morning, with Pathfinders fanning out over the entire facility.  By Thursday evening, another storm loomed in the forecast for Saturday evening, having the potential to be stronger than the one experienced on Tuesday.  The Camporee leadership team put the safety of the 60,000 in attendance first and decided it would be best to shut the Camporee down a day early.  Between Tuesday’s cancelation and the early shutdown, the five planned presentations were performed in only three evenings.

The early shutdown caused many logistical problems and the conference team scrambled to adapt.  Buses were rescheduled and lodgings were secured.  In spite of all this, everyone was able to take the flights they had booked months earlier and arrive home safely.

Was it worth it? The consensus among the Pathfinders was a resounding “Yes!”  Cooper Tardif and Elizabeth Egan, two Pathfinders from our conference, were baptized, and all wore huge smiles as they came to know Jesus just a little bit better.  It’s hard to argue with those kinds of results.  It was a Camporee that will be remembered for a very long time, indeed!