Teen Face: Youth believes Scouts prepared him well for adventure

Justin Lombardo has never?been to Paraguay but the 18-year-old Kelseyville resident? was feeling pretty well-prepared as he boarded a plane for a two-year mission in the South America country proselytizing on behalf of the Mormon church.

Lombardo joined the Cub Scouts when he was 8, and over the years he’s learned dozens of skills through the Boy Scouts organization, some of which could prove helpful in maneuvering through his new landscape.

“I’m hoping the cooking merit badge will help,” the Kelseyville High School graduate said during an interview the day before his departure. He noted that he will be living with other 18-year-old boys and it’s quite possible he’ll be the only one with cooking experience.

Lombardo is not just a Boy Scout, he’s an Eagle Scout, a rank bestowed upon him in a ceremony held just days before he headed out of the country. Eagle Scout is the Boy Scout’s highest rank. It’s also a distinction that has become something of a tradition on his mother’s side of the family.

“I’m very proud,” said Lombardo’s maternal grandfather, Charles Van Es of Florida, who earned his Eagle Scout rank in 1960. The first in the family was Van Es’ uncle, Charles Shaw, in 1936.

Van Es’ son Eric also was an Eagle Scout and Eric’s two sons are about to follow in their father’s footsteps, he said.

Van Es said Scouting keeps boys out of trouble, teaches them life skills and instills in them good values.

“To me, it’s a great thing,” he said.

Lombardo’s mother, Kim Tippit, said when she was a girl she wished she could join the Boy Scouts. She was a Girl Scout for a while, but the boys at that time had more fun and adventurous activities than the girls. She later became a Cub Scout leader.

Lombardo said his grandfather always made sure he was on track with the Scouts, phoning weekly to see how he was doing.

In addition to the Boy Scouts, Lombardo has two years of experience with the Kelseyville Community Organization for Rescue and Public Service, or K Corps, which assists the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in locating and rescuing missing persons. Students chosen for the program are on call 24 hours a day, every day and they practice daily, he said.

Lombardo said he especially enjoyed learning to rappel over cliffs and into ravines.

“I really joined for the rappelling,” he said.

It was handy that he already had knot-tying skills learned in the Boy Scouts, Lombardo said.

He said he has little knowledge of what life will be like in Paraguay, other than he will be honing his high school Spanish and wearing a suit as he proselytizes in an effort to convert Paraguayans to Mormonism. Paraguay is a predominately Christian country with nearly?90 percent of residents over the ?age of 10 identified as Catholics ?in a 2002 census, according to Wikipedia.

Lombardo said he’s wanted to go on a mission since his family converted to the Mormon Church, formally called the Church of Christ of Latter-Day Saints, when he was 8.

“I’m excited about my mission,” he said.

But “I’ll miss my friends and family,” Lombardo said. He said he will largely be limited to writing letters and sending emails to his family and friends. Phone calls home are allowed just twice a year and Skype is not available, he said.

When he returns from South America, Lombardo plans to study mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University in Idaho, where he’s already been accepted for the winter semester in 2017.

“I’ve always wanted to design and build things with my hands,” he said.

Lombardo said he expects that his missionary stint will teach him discipline and help him focus on his studies when he returns. He said he was a little lazy about studying in high school.

“Some of my teachers called me a gifted slacker,” Lombardo said.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. ?On Twitter @MendoReporter