Happy Halloween

I trust you and your friends and family have a fun and safe Halloween.  The Halloween season is one of the most popular since it starts pretty much after Labor Day with almost two months of preparation.  Last night Jena and I hosted a Harvest party at our home with friends from work. We had the usual fall stuff (chili, queso, and an outside fire pit). Tonight, Jena and I will venture out to Chipotle to get the $2 burrito before returning home to take Kaiden around the neighborhood as Captain America.

Speaking of scary news...last weekend was Shelterwood Parent Retreat.  I am happy to report the event went extremely well.  With over 30 families and 120 folks in attendance, we had plenty of contingency plans in place for the anticipated drama but it all worked out.  God was faithful, families were blessed and that's what matters!

Kansas City Elite

My friend Blake was recently nominated as a candidate for the Kansas City Elite Foundation sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts.  KC Elite is a program by which NAPA gives back to those who serve in the community.  Blake (pictured in the middle), currently serves as a substitute teacher at Shelterwood.  Blake graduated as big brother in June and also works at a local church.  Even though Blake has a seminary masters degree, he humbly serves in a modest role at Shelterwood and as a church volunteer.  To top it off, Blake is an underdog who achieves despite living with cerebral palsy.  With all the credentials mentioned, Blake was awarded the KC Elite prize of $2500 worth of auto work on his beat-up Toyota pick-up truck provided by NAPA parts and local dealers.  In addition, Blake was interview by the Speed Channel, Fox Channel 4 and he personally met the driver of the NAPA Auto Parts NASCAR #56, Martin Truex Jr (pictured to the left of Blake).  I had a chance to watch all of this unfold last Thursday as Blake was honored.

Oh yeah, there was one more small detail.  The prize included two tickets to Sunday's NASCAR race at the Kansas Speedway, VIP parking and access to Hospitality Village in the NAPA tent.  It was a tough sacrifice, but I accepted when Blake asked if I would join him for the race.  I actually had never experienced a live NACAR race and it was incredible.  The roar of the stock car engines was something I will never forget.  In case you're wondering, Matt Kennseth won the race (#17) and Truex finished in 2nd.

In some Shelterwood news, the Beyond Week activities when well last week.  The students served the community on Monday and Thursday followed by Friday's Fun Day.  Fun Day included a co-ed coffee house in the Dining Hall with open mic and later a food fight on the hill.  There are plenty of pictures on the SW Facebook page if you'd like to see them.

This weekend begins our Fall Family Retreat for parents of the boys.  I ask for your prayers for this busy time on our campus.  We are now at maximum capacity of 32 male residents.

Random News from the Wood

At the midway point through October, Shelterwood is trucking along.  Yesterday, one of my big brothers point out the date which read:  10 11 12.   In the busyness of life I sometimes miss those random moments.  I tend to look for significant events to center by blog entries around and nothing epic  came to mind so I figured I would catch you up on some random news from the Wood.

Last weekend we hosted our Girls Family Weekend.  We had another great time providing support for the parents and coaching families as they spent four days on campus with their teens.

Tis the season for the flu and it has ravashed the guys house.  It is now mostly passed but not without a trace.  I believe all but five of our thirty residents caught a piece of it including many of our big brothers.  At one point in the week, 9 boys stayed home from school.  As of today, though, everyone is  healthy!

We have recently hired a Recreational Therapist.  This is a new position and our rec therapist, KaraLee, will be developing therapuetic activities and sessions with our residents on a weekly basis.  I have already been involved in some staff team building and I was impressed.  KaraLee brings a  wealth of experience and the recreation program increases the quality of Shelterwood.

Today we celebrated the graduation of one of our residents, Seth.  Seth actually graduated earlier in the year from Shelterwood High School and was able to complete the final stage of our program at home while attending college.  He returned today for a ceremony and reports from his parents indicate that he is doing quite well back at home.

Next week is our semi-annual Beyond Shelterwood Week.  Two of the five weekdays we will be venturing out into the community into several groups to serve other organizations.  The residents will be in school for two days and one day is reserved for "fun."  KaraLee and her team will be organizing campus wide activities.

Jim Subers is several weeks into a weekly Bible study he leading for the entire guys house.  Jim has a real heart for evangelism and he is taking the boys through the Beautiful Outlaw video series based on the book by John Eldridge.  The boys are really enjoying the experience and it doesn't hurt that some sort of grilled meat is included every week.  

If you have few moments while reading this blog, please say a quick prayer for our big brothers and sisters.  They do incredible work and can always use some extra support from our vast Shelterwood family.