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Video Slide Show of the wreck on the way up to Pow Wow!  Video of the Golf ride around Pow Wow.

Video Slide show of the canoeing event at Pow Wow.

Pow Wow 2012 in the So. Missouri District has always been the BIG event of the year for me.  It's a time I get to gather with like minded Rangers from all around our District to share in the big Pow Wow camp.  

As always the weeks leading up to the pow wow are filled with preparations of all kinds.  Who's going... it changes by the day up to the end of pow wow... GRIN!  This is always a big issue.. because we have to change our food, supplies, gear to accommodate that changing factor. 

So many things to delegate..if your not delegating... life begins when you learn to do that.  We as RR leaders can't do it all by ourselves.  Sure there is always something we have to pickup and complete and sometimes we find others have picked up that ball and completed it for us.  Blessings! 

Our outpost is blessed.  We have a large church with many hands to help out and get things done.  We meet at our Ranger Building at 8:00 am to load up the Trailers (3) and church vehicles and private vehicles. It took 1 hour to get it all together and on the road... I was amazed.... with 36 camping in our outpost this was a record!  Many hands had been in preparation and most of the work was done leading up to the departure.

God's Grace is enough and what Jesus did on the Cross paid the way for peace in this situation!

We left Springfield around 9:00 am and the 6 vehicles soon were scattered.  My son Marshall was following me in his suv with 4 of them in his vehicle.  I went around 2 18 wheelers and got near the Northview exit on I-44 and looked back and my son was no where to be seen.  He had been following me closely.  I pulled off at the exit and waited until a vehicle came up the ramp and I came down the ramp..no shoulder..(I hate to pull of on shoulders as that is where all the things that make tires go flat are)... a vehicle came in behind me so slowly I entered I-44 again..turning on the radio trying to call my son.  I heard "there has been a wreck at the 93 mile marker and I was at the 95 mile marker..."dear Lord" I said in the next breath the phone rang it was my son.   

Dad you may want to turn around we blew a tire and rolled my suv.  I asked are you alright..yes but Clayton has a broken leg...what about the other 2?  They are ok... Soon the phone was ringing... our outpost bus had come up on the wreck and was feeding me updates as I was forced to drive to Marshfield and turn around then go back to Strafford take the outer road because the traffic was backed up miles.  

I pulled up to the site on the outer road and saw the boys there about 300 feet away in the medium of I-44 Marshall was playing his guitar..one of a few things that didn't get broke from the vehicle rolls..(4 rolls so I am told).  The young men were all in good spirits and just realizing just how blessed they really are.  They strapped them to back boards and hauled them to the hospital in a ambliance.  While they were in route with my wife heading towards the hospital she was pulled over for speeding and given a ticket.   

I waited until my son's vehicle was rolled back on it's wheels and hauled away so I could check under for things that might have been lost.  Just before they hitched the suv to the tow truck a van and a truck hit head on on the outer road where my truck was parked 2 feet off the road...they then wiped out the side of my truck in that accident.  No squealing brakes..just a big crash and smoke... most everyone's eyes were on my son's accident and now all the eyes moved to the head on crash on the outer road with my truck in the middle of it.   

They air evacted the older couple out and the other party left in a amblience.

 I was released to clear out from the accident...my truck pulling the smoker that was going to be cooking dinner that night at pow wow and for the whole powwow on Friday night looked worse than it was.  After some inspection and a little test drive it was determined that a trip to the carwash to get the shattered glass out of my truck I would be able to continue on.. as I just got a call that the boys were heading back for Pow wow!  PRAISE GOD! 

Three of the 4 young men that were in my son's vehicle that rolled made it to Pow Wow later on that  day and one the next morning.  Clayton leg was set and put in a cast with a good report indicating it should all heal up ok.  

We had one of the best Pow Wow's I can remember. Altars were full of boys and young men giving their hearts to the Lord and for the Spirit of God to fill them anew.   

Our outpost 6 arrived in good shape on Thursday and camp was setup quickly and food was on!  We hit the Eldon pool 3 days in a row and enjoyed the cooling off time.  Camp was full of great Ranger related things.  Chopping wood, Rope Swings, Cooking, Eating telling stories, Fire craft, Tool craft. rope craft and so many good things. 

While many of the leaders were involved in the hundred things that it takes to run a Big 604 person Pow Wow the boys were busy helping them do that. It's always a blessing to me to see the men and older boys helping out and running events for our Rangers to participate in.  So many cool events to learn new skills, test themselves and to grow from these things.  

My part on Saturday was to host a canoe race that lasted from 9-11:30 then 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.  Bolivar AOG blessed us with 2 canoes, vests, paddles and I figured while the boys were waiting to get in line..they needed a few things to do... so the night before I left for pow wow I knocked on  my neighbors door and asked if I could have some of his old cedar fence boards..sure take all  you want.  I then cut them into 8" lengths and put 100 blanks in a tote with 4 boxes of matches and 10 pocket knives and 4 water buckets!  Wooo whoo Ranger... A frame fire's the boys got to learn how to split up a board and make a fire Ranger Style.  Then after they got that done they got to fill up a couple of water balloons at the water balloon filling station (water pumped out of the pond) and lobe those balloons at the guys racing the canoes!  DOUBLE BONUS!   

Of course I could see my FCF buddies over there making Root beer, pork rhines, flint and steel and other cools stuff across the lake but couldn't quite reach them with water balloons so I just prayed a blessing on them. GRIN!  

All around Pow Wow was cools stuff being done.  Sports, Trikes, Merits being earned and another 20 other things the boys all had cards to get punched for.  GREAT JOB on the activities..so mo Rangers! 

I was blessed again by seeing you and your good faith in action at Pow Wow.  Blessings to each of you and to your families in Jesus Name! 

Mark Jones

p.s. my truck is about to be fixed...folks kept telling me you sure are taking this well... my faith in in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us at the Cross.  That peace that comes from knowing that God has my back gives me a peace.  Glory to God. We are blessed when we are in God's hands.