Road Trip and Good Times

The boys are wrapping up the summer house trip this morning and they will arrive back on campus later this afternoon. Earlier in the week I drove down to "drop-in" on the adventure and spend some time with the staff and residents.

First stop on Wednesday to to Nixa, MO and Neil Farms where 3 boys and staff were involved in a work project designed to provide some intervention. These particular residents have been struggling with the program and so we organized a trip to challenge them on a direct and personal level while providing an opportunity to work down the overwhelming consequences they have accumulated. They have responded extremely well. I arrived in the afternoon on Wednesday just in time to find the boys swimming and cooling off in the James River as work for the day had just been completed. According to staff, they have worked hard and embraced the opportunity finding hope for eventual graduation and a return home.

Next stop: Branson. The next group of boys and staff were lodging on the Shelterwood Branson campus, still owned by Doulos Ministries but closed, as you know, a year ago. It is still a beautiful property and we stayed in the dorms and prepared meals and games in the dining hall. Later in the evening I joined the boys for a Branson show: The Legend of Kung Fu. It was everything you would expect. On Thursday morning, I headed back up to Kansas City and the boys drove down to Rockin Z Ranch in northern Arkansas for some horse back riding and hiking.

Next week, the Shelterwood girls will be travelling on their house trip. The boys will be back on campus for some local fun. We call it a "stay-cation." The second summer school sessions begins on Monday, July 18th.