Capture the little things.

Today is the first day of Spring (officially) and the last day of spring break at Shelterwood. Time has sprung forward and the sun has been shining. This week is spring break at CU so Justin is in town for a few days along with his sisters. Yesterday I took the cover off the grill for first time since last fall and enjoyed the 70-something degree weather with the kids. I have realized, more and more, it's the little things that matter. Life is spent in the mundane. It is so tempting to live for the next vacation, the next promotion or the next "rush" but that is just not how life is marked. When I think of the "little things" from yesterday that brought joy to my life, none of it was planned when I woke up in the morning. I will be off the next few days to spend time with the kids and I am certain that when I return on Wednesday, there will be plenty of drama and incident at Shelterwood. That's OK. Just remember to deal with life one issue at a time and don't forget to capture the little things.

Net Zero

In my last post, I mentioned some of the Beyond Week adventures. There are pictures available on the Shelterwood Facebook page if you're intersted: http://www.facebook.com/Shelterwood

Tomorrow we have a boy graduating at 8:30am. Later at 1:30pm a new family arrives. Net zero. 28 boys in the Guys House. An amazing family is graduating tomorrow. Another story of God's transforming work. I am humbled to be a part of God's handiwork. Every story of restoration and success is due, in part, to your partnership. Thank You.

Spring Break begins on Saturday. We do have 28 boys so breaks look a little different. In this case, we never drop below 12 boys during break, but for us, that's a huge reduction. Please pray for the families of our boys during this time of "practicum" as parents practice the tools they have learned over the past weeks and months. It's a process.

As of Monday, we have 10 big brothers in the Guys House. For those of you not familiar with Doulos, that is ridiculous. 10 Big brothers. When I started back in the fall of 2005, we had two. Josiah and Corey. A lot has changed. God has brought us not only 10 Bigs, but quality men full of integrity. 28 residents, 6 house directors, 10 big brothers, and 3 direct care staff all under my humble leadership. I am sure glad God knows what He's doing because I don't always.

Sheterwood Beyond Week

This past week was our semi-annual Shelterwood Beyond Week. Regular schedules were put on hold, including school, and the entire campus participated in local serve projects. The groups were divided by Lodge and then by Hall. 3 halls in the Guys Lodge, 3 halls in the Girls Lodge, 6 groups total. The smaller groups made for a more manageable experience. I was assigned to Elm Hall.

On Wednesday, we worked with Impact Ministries. Impact is an outreach of Blue Springs First Baptist Church that provides groceries to families in need. Our goal at Doulos is not necessarily to participate in the hands-on ministry but to serve the organization. On this day we cleaned out 3 rooms of storage in the Impact building and transported the items to the Impact Thrift Store. The donated items will be sorted and eventually sold at thrift store prices to bless families. Any profits will roll back to further fund the ministry. In addition we raked up some leaves since the grass had dried out enough to do so. We hauled off trash, leaves and a few truck loads of recycled cardboard on our way back to campus.

On Thursday, we worked with Habitat for Humanity; the local Independence charter. Our group of 7 boys and 5 staff worked in a home that will soon be given to a small family of 3. We painted primer on the entire interior including ceilings. A modest 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. It actually snowed on Thursday so it worked out well to be inside painting all day.

As I mentioned, our group was just one of six. Similar stories trickled in throughout the week of community service and projects. It was rewarding to pause and serve others in our community. The boys seem to genuinely enjoy the act of service as it draws attention to other needs beyond our own.

Valentines, birthdays, and Beyond.

February is full of celebrations in the Albright family. Jena had a birthday last Sunday. We had a nice time together as a family and rounded out the day with the Superbowl and all the million dollar commercial slots. Lauren turned 16 on Thursday, Valentines Day is two days away (note to self) and mom's birthday is at the end of the month. My niece, Nicole, turns 21 sometime this month too but at this point I can't remember when? Plenty of reasons to be thankful in February.

At Doulos Ministries we hosted the parents of our Big brothers and Big sisters last weekend for the annual Leadtime Parent Retreat. The week after next, we will be Beyond Shelterwood; an annual event in February where the entire staff serves the local community. Regular scheduled events including school are suspended. More on that to come. Spring Break is coming in March and during April we will host Shelterwood Parent Weekend and later, take a mission trip to Haiti. I will not be attending the Haiti trip but it will certainly be life-changing for the 20 folks that do. The Guys house is currently at 27 boys. The girls have 17.

We have been blessed with amazing Big brothers in our Doulos Discipleship program. They work hard to stay engaged and look for ways to impact the Shelterwood teens even through rejection and defiance. As you consider ways to pray for the ministry, please remember them. Nat, Zeb, Daniel, Jordan, Brent, Jonathon, Phillip, Robby and Jeremy. Fine young men.

Winter Sun

Yesterday the sun broke through and folks were seen around Shelterwood in T-shirts. It was 60-something degrees outside and it felt like spring or even summer. It was refreshing. The thawing process; however, is not without mess. A fair amount of slush and mud is generated as a result of winter sunshine. Inconvenient but well worth it. As I often mention in my blog, the seasons have a striking parallel to spiritual growth and, although winter is long from over, the winter sun warms the soul. A reminder of hope that brings joy as God shines in the winter exposing the slush and mud of growth.

Comings and goings at Shetlerwood...

We celebrated the graduation of a young lady on Thursday afternoon. Earlier that same day, one our big brothers shared some original hip-hop music during chapel. We were also blessed to hear the testimony of a local young man's journey through hardship and ultimately to Christ. Two new families arrived in the boys house last week and one departed bringing our total to 25. We have also received two new Big brothers. I know it's hard to keep track so you'll just have to take my word. 25 boy residents. 8 Big brothers. 1 new resident is scheduled to come next week and 2 more big brothers are in the application/approval process.

January exceptions

We received the first real snow of the winter season last weekend but somehow I feel thankful because it was much worse it other parts of the country. The local schools were cancelled for 3 straight days. There is still plenty of snow on the ground; par the course for a January in Kansas City. Today, of course, is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday postponing school yet another day. Holiday's and weather are acceptable reasons stay home but it is hard going back when you break routine. Just ask my boys, Corey and Kaiden. Something to keep in mind when you are taking on New Year's resolutions or goals in general. You can't control the unexpected, so it makes the daily discipline all the more important.

Things are moving along at Shelterwood (sort of). I mean, nothing epic to report. A new boy arrived on Friday and 3 more are scheduled on the calendar. Orientation and training is slowing down with the new big brothers and big sisters and the normal schedule will resume by the end of the month. Another big brother, Phillip, joined Doulos Discipleship yesterday. Last Thursday, following chapel, another big brother prospect dropped in. I showed him around for about an hour and talked about the program. As you can see, with the new model of Doulos Discipleship, new folks pass through beyond the old deadlines of August and January. With Shelterwood changing frequently, it makes a lot of sense to have new big brothers with flexibility, although we still target and promote the August and January start dates.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I trust you had a wonderful holiday season with your families. Jena and I had a quiet Christmas with Kaiden. We went ice skating at Crown Center downtown and ate lunch at famous Fritz burgers. At Fritz, your food is delivered to your table on a miniature train that runs through the restaurant. On Christmas Eve we left cookies out for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. On the 26th the rest of the gang showed up. A house full of teenage girls coupled with a college boy made for a rowdy week. The kids all enjoyed our annual slide show; a family tradition. Lots of photos and memories. Jena and I have much to be thankful for today.

Things are back to normal at Doulos. There is a newness in the air. Three new Big Brothers have arrived and two new residents in the Guys House. This week and next is filled with training and orientation with our new staff and the new school semester has begun at Shelterwood. Tomorrow one of our girl residents will be graduating the program. Things always change at Doulos, one of the redeeming reasons I enjoy the ministry. Since I started my new role back in late August as Resident Director, over half the staff in the Guys House has turned over. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing but the new guys share my school of thought so it is encouraging have the right people in place to ensure effective and healthy ministry to the boys and their families.

Finally, I had a chance to share this morning in chapel. A few Truths God laid on my heart from the Creation account. First, "the Spirit of God hovered over the earth" indicates to me that God hovers over my life with anticipation of new and beautiful things to come. Second, "there was morning and night the first day." A key phrase repeated throughout the creation process. It reminds me that life is full of "day and night" seasons. Times of

rejoicing and times of despair. Regardless of the day or night, the third point is that man was not created to be alone. We need each other. A great concept but a difficult one to grasp unless we are willing to get up a pursue others as opposed to waiting for others to pursue us

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I deeply appreciate all of your prayers and support. Thank you for making 2o1o a successful year of ministry and 2011 a promising year of hope!