Retreat Time

Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week we took our big brothers and sisters off campus on a well deserved retreat. Rujon Morrison led the devotional and healing small groups with excellence. She is a gifted speaker and counselor with spiritual discernment. Her husband Steve and I rounded out the experience with worship. Although the time was short, it was full of impact.

Our CEO, Jim Subers, showed the qualities of a true servant by cooking and serving most of the meals including grilled salmon and steak on Tuesday evening.

Jim had quite the surprise in store for us when he divided the staff into teams for a game of ultimate octopus. Similar to the rules of ultimate Frisbee, this gem of a game used an actual squid in place of a frisbee. In the group picture above, Jim is kneeling in front of the cooler that housed the game ball.

Please join me in praying regularly for our big brothers and sisters. They are amazing young men and women who serve the teenagers faithfully. We are blessed to have each and every one of them!

Spring Break

Spring Break officially began yesterday at Shelterwood. Some of the boys will be traveling home to visit with family while others remain back on campus for a week of sleeping in and activities that will most surely include food, movies, and late night conversations with big brothers. The NCAA tournament was on yesterday with all of the brackets posted on the office window for scoring and bragging rights. Other boys were outside skateboarding, sunbathing and listening to a music mix of Jack Johnson and Dub Step. The school teachers are taking a well deserved break and the staff will be catching up on various projects in addition to spending time in the lodges with the kids.

We celebrated a graduation on Monday morning at 8:30 with the Meyers and welcomed in a new family an hour later. The head count in the boys lodge remains at 26. We had a special guest speaker on Thursday morning for chapel. Jay, a local youth pastor, shared with the student body about social status and the misguided theory that blessing equals wealth. Some of the boys attend Jay's youth group during the week.

Following Spring Break, I will be taking the big brothers and sisters on a two day retreat nearby. Our bigs are amazing servants who work hard and the retreat is a small appreciation of their effort. Rujon will be joining us as we focus on rest, healing, worship and community.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Playing Catch-up

At this point, it is safe to assume that winter is going to be mild in Kansas City. I keep waiting for a built-up winter blast but today it's 70-something with a high wind advisory. Crazy.

In my last blog I mentioned the upcoming Beyond Week and it was one of the best I have experienced. I missed Tuesday's activity due to a family arriving at Shelterwood but I caught the next two events with Hillcrest Thrift Store and Spofford Children's Home. The Hillcrest thrift store supports the ministry of a transitional program for struggling and previously homeless families. We had great time sorting through clothes, tagging and stocking the store. The staff was friendly and the boys had a blast. During our time at Spofford,

we worked outside raking leaves and cleaning up the playground for the children who reside in the program.

The senior leadership at Shelterwood recently completed a tour of similar residential programs to gain insight into best practices. They came back with renewed vision and excitement but with the realization of necessary change. The position of residential director was removed eliminating one layer of management. So what does that mean exactly? My boss was the residential director and I now report directly to the Shelterwood Director. I am thankful that God has given us vision and energy with our new leaders and I have grown accustom to change. It is a reminder that God is constant (the same yesterday, today, and forever) and I would be wise to acknowledge Him and lean not on my own understanding. Sound familiar?

Jena and I took the boys on a short vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge last week. The lodge is a rustic hotel near the Kansas Speedway with an indoor water park. The boys had a blast swimming for two days and Jena and I relaxed pool side over some great conversation. I learned about the organizational change at Shelterwood earlier in the week so the scheduled trip was timely for me personally.