Birthday Reflections

Yesterday was my birthday and although I am not much for attention, it is perfectly fine to mention it the day after when it's too late to acknowledge.  Of course I had to work at Shelterwood and it seemed like the whole day was filled with meetings.  Ugh.

The highlight of the day was my lunch appointment with Jena at our local Mexican restaurant.  In an attempted surprise, my good friends from work joined us making the  mid-day celebration rich with meaning.  The folks I deeply care about-- Blake, Adam, Tom, and Daniel-- were all present.  Being the sweetheart that she is, Jena orchestrated the whole thing.  And no birthday is complete without wearing a ridiculous sombrero while listening to an off-key serenade from the wait staff.

Settling into Fall

As the weather finally begins to cool in Kansas City, the fall schedule is heating up.  Nothing unusual.  Our new big brothers and sisters wrapped up orientation and training on Friday and have officially been launched into service.  Sometimes it's entertaining to observe the cycles at Shelterwood.  King Solomon was right all along when he recognized that nothing is new under the sun.  The new bigs were tiring from all the training and eager to begin ministry with the students.  Meanwhile the current staff is tiring from the demands of ministry and desiring more training. Funny how that works.

We have seen a significant influx of new families in both lodges.  We have two families arriving tomorrow (Monday) which will push us up to 29 boys.  Our regular chapel schedule resumed on Thursday morning.  I enjoyed the opportunity to lead worship with the students and staff.  Many of our bigs have rotated through worship so it was nice for the "old dog" to get a turn.  It was a tough crowd at first.  Literally only two of the 27 boys stood up to participate in worship but thankfully God showed up.  It's a good thing it's not about me.  Fellow staff and friend, BJ, shared about the wanderings of Israel in the dessert with a message entitled, "Why the heck am I here?"  Timely.

I appreciate your faithfulness in support of Doulos.  God continues to bring us families to heal and young adults to mold.  It does matter!

Georgia on my mind

Jena and I just completed a much needed vacation  through the southern states down to Savannah.  We started out our adventure by driving to Knoxville and spending a few with days with our good friends Doug and Lita.  Our two days in Knoxville were filled with late night conversations, a beautiful lake view and even a trip to Dollywood.  Jena and I met Doug and Lita two years ago while on a Carnival cruise to Mexico.  They are ministry veterans with a similar blended family experience.  We have stayed in regular contact over the years and finally had a chance to re-connect.  Amazing how God orchestrates divine appointments.

Following our stop in Tennessee, Jena and I drove the rest of the way to Savannah and spent the week on Tybee beach with Jena's folks.  Between the pool, high tide surfing, beach volleyball and long walks searching for sea shells, I stayed plenty busy.  We try to make down to Savannah at least once a year.  Of course it is Jena's hometown and Tybee is the location of our wedding engagement.  Sweet memories.

Post summer break started last Friday at Shelterwood.  It made for a nice quiet return to work today.  Our new big brothers and sisters arrived today.  A fantastic group of young men and women.  Over the next two weeks we will be walking them through the Shelterwood orientation process including a Healing For the Nations retreat led by our director, Rujon.

I will be taking on a new role at Shelterwood as an advocate for the big brothers.  I will still operate as the House Director but, in addition, I will be overseeing the mentoring and growth development of our big brothers.  It should be an easy transition with my passion and appreciation for the big brothers.  Please remember our bigs in your prayers over the next two weeks as they adjust to the next chapter of ministry for their life.