GMA Essay: The Value of Royal Rangers to Me
by Shawn P. Shevitz

Royal Rangers is a program that teaches boys in the Assemblies of God church. It is an asset for all Christian boys in the world. Royal Rangers leads boys in god’s direction. You can see taht in my own Royal rangers experience.

I first started Royal Rangers during the beginning of the summer of 1987. I didn’t really want to go to my first meeting. I was shy and didn’t know anybody there. But the kindness of the leaders and the Rangers made me consider giving this a chance. I made friends and I liked this program.

A few years down the road I was promoted to Pioneers. Pioneers had older kids and it had a harder challenge. I didn’t accept the challenge until Sammy Smith received his Gold Medal. Pioneers also was when I began camping. Few of the campouts were sectional, divisional, and district. My favorite was the district “Army of God” campout.

I started Trailblazers when I began the Gold Medal Trail. Rick Newtzie and Andrew Parshall (both Gold Medalists) inspired me to keep going. I participated more and more in Royal Rangers and help kids in my outpost. I competed in competitions and attended JLTC. Now I’m ending the path of the Gold Medalist.

I have two things to share with you from the past eight years in Royal Rangers. They are JLTA and National Camporama ‘94.

Last year I went to the Junior Leadership Training Camp. It was around 50 boys from Penn-Del District (that) attended. I wanted to go to JLTC to become a better leader and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The first day was great. I felt like the Holy Spirit was with me, helping me. The second night I went to council fire. I wanted to speak in tongues, but I didn’t. Just when I was going back to camp, Corey Richardson and a few other people came up to me. Corey asked me if I wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He told me to praise the Lord and say what the Spirit put into my tongue. I did that and I was continuously filled with the Holy Ghost. I came home a different person.

This July I went to National Camporama in Eagle Rock, Missouri. This campout gave me an opportunity to meet people throughout the United States. Their was also a few foreign guests from New Zealand and Singapore. It was something I will never forget.

The real value of Royal Rangers is the people being saved and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. If that were not so, Royal Rangers would be another “Boy Scouts”.

I would like to say “Thank You” to my leaders: George and Karen Freed-Buckaroos, Tom Parshal and Steve Catale-Pioneers, Randy Reese-Trailblazers and Trail Rangers, and Joe Sorbo- my Senior Commander, for their leadership. I would also like to thank the church for its support of the Royal Rangers ministry and my family. Without all of you, I wouldn’t be this far. Now in conclusion I would like to challenge Royal Rangers everywhere. God is calling for you. Answer Him!