Personal Narrative: My Journey With The Order Of The Arrow

The ordeal, the brotherhood that went in hand with the ordeal, was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I could do as a scout. Being in a special type of honor society for scouting was something that I wanted to be a part of for the longest time when I started scouting at the age of eleven and was something that I had always envisioned myself completing while in scouting along with becoming an Eagle Scout. However, as a seven-teen-year-old, I had forgotten about my goal and what it had meant to me to complete the ordeal for the Order of the Arrow (OA) due to new goals and priorities. Due to the persistent nagging from my parents and what they felt was right for me, I went through the ordeal no matter how I felt.

My journey with the Order of the Arrow (OA) ordeal began at the troop meeting on a semi-cold February night at
7:30 on a Monday.
While I was in the car on the way to the troop meeting, I was thinking about how my day had gone at school, and then my mind shifted over towards the troop meeting and how the meeting would be a normal meeting where the scouts would just do their own thing as usually; goofing around outside, playing soccer, playing football, or hopefully doing a productive activity that involved something within the lines of scouting such as a merit badge. In my head, there was no way that there would be a merit badge class going on, simply because the younger scouts did not care for merit badges or the work that came with taking a merit badge class, so immediately that is crossed off my mental playlist of thoughts. As I approach the church where the troop meetings are held I can see distant figures of people walking towards the church. My mom approaches the building and slows down to let me out of the car, and as normal she asks “is there anything that you know of that you need to have finished so you can finish Eagle?” and the same response was “not at this current time mom” and then I walk towards the building. There
inside the building I was by various Scouts, parents, and adult leaders one of whom being Mr. Yost my Scoutmaster. Mr. Yost is a tall and lanky man with a gray bread, with square framed glasses who is a professor at the university of Florida who is generally enthusiastic when I see him. As I greet him with a “hi Mr. Yost!” He responds “how’s it going Devante,are you ready for the Order of the arrow election?” my only thought was crap, but I slowly respond with a“yes sir” five minutes later the meeting began. During this time Mr.Yost introduces us to a man from the Order of the Arrow chapter and he quickly explains what we are doing, with voting for three people who they thought were worthy of going to the OA ordeal