Three young men, Trevor Rushton, Cody Beckett, and Connor Lee were promoted to Eagle rank at a Boy Scout Court of Honor held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rancho Santa Margarita.
Trevor, Cody and Connor together in their boy scout uniforms right before being honored as Eagle scouts, the highest rank given in the Boy Scouts of America
Mike Simpson, Saddleback Boy Scout America (BSA) Vice Chair, presided at the ceremony attended by family and friends. Eagle rank is the highest honor you can earn in the BSA. According to the BSA handbook a scout must earn 21 merit badges, plan and orchestrate a large service project and many other requirements.
Trevor Rushton, troop 767, combined his Eagle project with a humanitarian service trip organized by the nonprofit group HEFY to build an addition to an elementary school in Belize. Near the end of his 2 ½ week trip, a young man from Belize asked, “Why would you leave your family and beautiful country to help us?” Mr. Ruston said, “You can’t explain it, you just have to serve to find out.” Mr. Rushton is now serving a 2-year full-time mission for the Mormon church in Queretaro, Mexico.
* Cody Beckett, troop 747, completed a beautification project for the city of Mission Viejo in October 2012 by organizing and directing 50 volunteers planting one thousand plants near Olympiad Park. Mr. Beckettt says, “I enjoy passing by that hillside and seeing the beauty I helped create.” Mr. Beckett is also serving a 2-year full-time mission for the Mormon church but his is in Sierra Leone, West Africa. After his mission he plans to attend Brigham Young University in Hawaii.
Connor Lee, troop 747, completed a similar project for Mission Viejo, organizing 30 volunteers into three groups, planting over 800 plants at the corner of Jeronimo and Arbolitos. Mr. Lee explains, “The biggest challenge was digging in soil that was hard, rocky and full of roots.” Mr. Lee is now preparing for a two-year mission for the Mormon church at a location not of his choosing. One thing Mr. Lee knows for sure is that earning an Eagle rank in Boy Scouts is great training for the disciplined life of a full-time missionary. A period of volunteer service, usually ranging from 18 to 24 months, when Church members devote themselves full-time to proselytizing and service.
More Information:
For more on lowering the missionary age http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-lowers-age-requirement-for-missionary-service
How are Missionaries Trained Before They Serve? (be sure to click on Infographic) http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-mtc-life What do missionaries do once they get there? (be sure to click on Infographic) http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/missionary-program
Scouting is a Road to Manhoood http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/bishop-gary-e-stevenson-boy-scouts-of-america-national-annual-meeting-keynote-speech
HEFY and Eagle Scout Projects http://www.hefy.org/eagle-projects
Izzy Whiting is an LDS mother and writer living in Foothill Ranch
Pictutes: Karen Lake
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Media Director
Santa Margarita Stake http://www.mormonnewsroom.org
