GOALS

                                         GOALS                Copyright   Frances K. Van Mil

A guide’s honour is to be trusted;

Loyal is she;

Helpful to others,

A friend to all and a sister to each other,

A guide is merciful, a friend to animals;

Orders obeyed–

Smiles, sings, is thrifty,

Pure in thought, word and deed.

Yes, Girl Guides taught me many things about how to live – goals which remain in my life, and reflect the ten commandments.  Indeed, my Christian faith was strengthened at summer camp at Doe Lake, north of Huntsville, as we held our “Guides’ Own Service” on log benches, in the beauty of the woods, singing “ This is my Father’s world; and to my list’ning ears, All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.  This is my Father’s world, I rest me in the thought, the rocks and trees, the skies and seas – His hand the wonders wrought.”

In Girl Guides, I learned leadership, faithfulness, self-reliance, helpfulness, and many hard-earned skills through earning badges.  I remember sewing a dress for my little sister, with puffed sleeves, collar and sash. I was not good at hand sewing:  the stitches came out in the wash.  Or nervously cooking and serving a chicken dinner in the examiner’s home, for my cooking badge.  I still remember learning how to do artificial respiration in a St. John’s Ambulance course.  Indeed, more modern methods escape me-I can only remember the oft-repeated training: remove choking objects, turn head sideways, resting the head on patient’s arms; slowly push down and release rhythmically-and, if necessary, do the dire mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!  Memories come flooding back of following a trail, finding and pitching a tent, starting a fire in the rain with rain-soaked wood, cooking stew and making chocolate pudding in a small group, trying for our first-class pioneer badge.  The examiner suggested using newspaper –which we had thought was cheating – to start the fire.  The tent was leaky, the stew burned, but we remained cheerful, hoping to get brownie points for a good attitude!  We passed –but it was challenging!  I remember failing my first-class swim, which I wanted to obtain so that I might learn canoeing, rather than merely be a passenger.  Although I performed all the skills required, I failed, because the examiner thought that I looked nervous in the water.  I blamed it on my swimming cap, which furrowed my brow!  So it was not easy-peasy, but we had to earn our badges.

          I wonder today if the same goals and challenges are held out to our youth – or even whether adults today carry these values.  Instead of modesty,  we see nudity; instead of helpfulness, self-centeredness; instead of faith in God, atheism, rebellion or anything goes.  Has our society improved with the removal of prayer and Christian teaching in the schools, and wholesome, challenging activities for youth?  I think not.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 (KJV).