SDA guard of honour
By Paul Shalala
YESTERDAY, Adventist Youths from Kamwala Main SDA Church in Lusaka Conference mounted a Guard of Honor for President Hakainde Hichilema when he arrived to worship.
Pathfinders, Ambassadors, Senior Youths and Master Guides were part of the Colour Party.
It is an unwritten rule that any civic leader or senior SDA leader who visits an SDA Congregation is given the honor of inspecting a Guard of Honor.
What better and befitting welcome could the church have given our very own ordained Elder and invested Master Guide than having him inspect a full Guard of Honor.
Usually, a Parade Marshall is an Invested Master Guide who commands such a big squad for a visiting dignitory.
But as you can see in this short video, a Pathfinder (between 10 and 15 years) led the President in inspecting the Guard of Honor.
This just shows you how the SDA Church trains young people to take up huge responsibilities at such a tender age.
With such training, this young Pathfinder can take up any role in the church and even in the secular world.
In the SDA Church, youths do a course called Drilling and Marching which is earned at great cost.
The course involves classes and physical exercises to earn a badge which is worn proudly on a sash.
Drilling and Marching helps one become disciplined, alert and work with other youths to achieve a similar goal.
I said discipline because even if you are a Master Guide (above 16 years) but your Parade Marshall is a Pathfinder (between 10 and 15 years), you are obliged to do whatever that young Marshall tells you to do.
He or she can even nyoweka you (punish you) and as a disciplined Adventist Youth, you oblige and follow all commands.
In marching, we learn how to be alert at all time and follow all commands.
When you are marching in a formation and you are alert, you can’t be left by colleagues and find yourself in a wrong position.
Otherwise when you mess up, you end up doing what we call Kulambwaza.
Marching also helps Youths become physically fit because they do drills almost at every meeting.
If it’s Pathfinders, all their programming starts and ends with drills because these are children who are growing and they enjoy adventure.
By the way, did you see how President Hichilema marched when he was inspecting a Guard of Honor mounted by the Zambia Police when he went to officiate a pass out at Sondela in Kafue earlier this month?
Bally just displayed his Pathfinder Skills, those turns he made to the amazement of the Police where not a mere coincidence, he is a trained Master Guide.
Once you pass Marching and Drilling in the Adventist Youth Movement, you can use your skills anywhere.
Today, we have many Adventist Youths who are serving as Chaplains in the Zambia Army, Zambia Police Service, Zambia Air Force and Zambia National Service.
They went through this same training as Pathfinders and today they are a vital tool in the nation.
Happy Sabbath brethren.