If learning about nature, conservation, survival and safety sounds appealing, along with
looking for bugs under rocks, firing arrows at targets, dissecting owl pellets and mastering camp
setups, then “Women in Nature” (WIN) might be an ideal ministry opportunity for you.
For the first time in the nation, an outdoor skills and leadership training event combining women’s
ministries with TSAO (The Salvation Army Outdoors) was held at Camp Mihaska in the Midland
Division. At the inaugural four-day camp, which was supported by and partially funded by Safari Club
International, women learned skills and received leadership training in archery, conservation, animal and insect identification, basic survival and making spiritual applications through nature.
WIN was conceived by Major Charlotte Hall, Midland divisional women’s ministries secretary, who
was searching for a way to introduce a new kind of focus group to women who love the outdoors as much as she did.
“The materials taught at TSAO field training events are mainly used in camp and character-building programs, but they can be easily expanded into adult programming,” said the major. She added that
women often are the ones who teach character-building, as well as adult programs, in many corps.
“My hope is that the women who attended this event will use the skills they learned to reach women,
men and children for Christ,” she continued. “I believe this could be a fantastic focus-group opportunity to reach women who might not come to a craft retreat but would love to shoot a crossbow, start a camp fire with nothing more than a 9-volt battery and some steel wool,
and throw a tomahawk!”
A competition for the best s’mores recipe produced a winning strawberry cheesecake combination consisting of a Town House cracker lid and bottom, strawberry cream cheese and half a roasted marshmallow. Other entries included lemon meringue pie, pumpkin spice, peanut butter cup and even
one with SPAM!
