Pathfinders

Maybe you, like I, have spent a lot of time trying to figure out your life. The books and blog posts tell you to look back in your life, find the things that made you most happy, and think about how you can build your future around similar activities. When I read that sort of advice, the first thing that comes to mind is always Pathfinders.

Pathfinders is an Adventist-based youth group. Some have described it as ‘Boyscouts but with Jesus.’ You start at 12 years old, as a Friend, and move your way up through the ranks until you reach Guide at 16. After that, you can be a staff member and work on Master Guide, the Pathfinder equivalent of Eagle Scout. There are workbooks with requirements for completing your rank. There are uniforms, with special patches to identify who you are and where you’re from. There are plenty of honors to earn. There’s marching. And there are lots of camping trips. I love all of it.

Here’s my uniform. On the left I have a patch for my club name, a Teen Leader patch, and the generic Pathfinders patch. On the right is the Carolina Conference patch, then the Southern Union patch, and then my chevrons. There should be more than one, but this uniform is no longer up-to-date. I have a Guide patch above the pocket, because that’s the highest rank I’ve attained. On the pocket flap are my pins, although I’m missing a few. They mean many different things, such as if I’ve been baptized and how long I’ve been in a leadership position. The dog tag may not be officially recognized by the union or NAD, but I was told I could wear it for managing to survive APEX, which I did. So I wear it with pride.

The scarf goes around the neck like a boyscout scarf. These shirts are worn with black pants or a black skirt, a Pathfinders belt, and black dress shoes. Some of us more rebellious teenagers would wear converses with them, though. It’s hard to march when your feet aren’t comfortable.

A lot of people don’t, but I love these uniforms. I think they look very spiffy. If there existed Pathfinders-based fashion items, I would wear them. You can also get more fancy if your club is on board and you want to pay extra money. You can get berets and white gloves. Mostly people who are really good at marching and do marching competitions do that. Some clubs have a drum corps, although I could never convince my club to go for that. And boy did I try.

Pathfinders has without a doubt been one of my favorite things in life. I don’t think I would be the person I am today without it. Maybe I wouldn’t be as attached to my denomination, or so invested in seeing my church succeed. I also wouldn’t be so enthusiastic about camping and survival skills, and I would have never known the fierce determination and want that comes with seeing someone who has a five-wide sash absolutely filled with patches. For all of these experiences, I feel like I’m a better person.

If I was offered the chance to do Pathfinders as a job, I would in a heartbeat. I joke that someday I’m going to take the job of Stanley Knight, the Carolina Conference Youth Director. But also I’m not joking. I want his job. Mr. Stanley, if you’re reading this, please name me as your successor.

Unfortunately I can’t rely on Stanley Knight relinquishing his job to me, so I’m not sure where this leaves me. How do I follow the advice of those books and blog posts? I’d work at summer camp, but my family is always traveling during the summer. It may come down to me having to miss some really cool things so that I can work at a summer camp, and that’s painful to think about. But maybe that would be the first step towards a life of work I really enjoy. Or maybe I would realize I don’t like it as much as I thought I did. I’d take either one at this point.