On June 24-26 2005, approximately 150 CGIT leaders, girls, alumnae and executive participated in the seventh Ontario Jamboree to celebrate CGIT’s 90th anniversary. Our jamborees have been held every five years in various locations in the province since 1975. This event was wonderful in all areas from the opening campfire to the weather to the New Adventures And New Friends (the theme for the weekend) to the closing ceremony. New Adventures were in the challenge of field games, hiking, crafts, archery, swimming, singing, compass orienteering, ropes and drumming and dancing in the Tribal Thunder Drum Circle. New Friends were met from groups across Ontario to our guests from the west and from the east – three leaders and six girls from Saskatchewan and one leader and two girls from New Brunswick, one girl from Nova Scotia and one girl from Prince Edward Island. They had the extra challenge of flight fatigue. Each morning opened with a Morning Watch – a time alone with God, and each evening with a Vespers devotion and campfire. There was even a Rain Plan from the activities for the weekend. Fortunately we didn’t need it this year.
This fantastic weekend was held at Lambtom United Church Centre and even more fantastic was the welcoming ladies of the Lambton/Sarnia CGIT Workboad, who presented each of us with a “made by our hands” tote bag full of little treasures: magnet, pen, pencil, notepad, CGIT tattoo, and CGIT, trillium and Sarnia pins. On Saturday night we dressed in our CGIT Middy and Explorer shirt to have our special celebrations and official picture taken. Six people were chosen to cut our birthday cake – two leaders who each have served 40 years, Ontario CGIT President, the CGIT girl and the oldest CGIT girl and an Explorer girl. The 90 blue and white balloons gave the area a very festive flair.
I feel this CGIT weekend was like baking a cake. All of us were being baked with ingredients of the weekend and every cake must have a delicious icing. Our Sunday worship collection was being donated to Sleeping Children Around the World. The national theme for the 90th anniversary is Steps to Tomorrow. This was an excellent way to support and encourage the less fortunate in the world. We were using sleeping bags, so why not provide them for others to help them Step into tomorrow? Our icing was $540 – enough for 18 bedkits to help those children. As we left the worship service we were singing, “Siya humba kuka kweni kwencos” – we are marching (singing, praying) In the Light of God. We formed a huge circle of friendship for our closing Taps and Goodbyes.
