Scouting helps prepare for missions

At a Little Philmont event in West Point, Utah, on January 28, 2012, Stake President Mark Thayne closed the conference with the following observation:

The most important awards/certificates a young man will earn in Scouting are the temple recommend and the certificate to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. Everything else we do in Scouting, including earning awards leads to these two.
The most important outing a young man will go on in Scouting is the trip to the temple to receive his personal endowment. All other outings should help prepare a young man for this experience.

Via Brad Harris.