December 2013 Newsletter

From Guys Marathon Day...

A glimpse back at the group of guys enjoying their huge steaks who came
to play hard all day during the guys marathon day at Fort Stewart.

Sweat, competition, ongoing flag football games, the longest football throw contest, lunch with Gordon Ramsay’s special recipe gourmet burgers and finishing the day with the perfectly marinated 1+ pound sirloin steaks all allowed our young men to be truly themselves and get to know other students and leaders in the 12 hour day known as Guys Marathon Day. The day was put together with a few ideas in mind – building community and camaraderie together as young men and competing well throughout the day. Although they were exhausted to the point where some took multiple days to recover, the memories and discussions continue and lead us to what I recently experienced with our high school guys. Although we’re in December, if it weren’t for the amazing God-inspired outreach produced in our Guys Marathon Day back in September at Fort Stewart, the relationships  that have continued  wouldn’t ever had happened.

…to camping in the woods. 

Holbrook Campground is a place which I find rest in God in so many ways, whether the peace of His creation, through a campfire made and the smell it creates or the solitude of silence away from the busyness of my home in town. In our recent journey out to the campground, I had the pleasure to observe and experience time with a small group of high school guys who were ready to enjoy some time and awesomeness together. Eager anticipation for the event might have been built up when I shared I would take care of getting tons of food for these always hungry young men. Whatever it takes!

As we were settling into our location, I found out that two of our guys had never camped  in their life. Let alone the antics of the rest of the guys trying to spook them, the basics of cutting wood, setting up a tent, building a fire and cooking over it were mostly foreign to our guys. The majority of the guys hadn’t ever swung one before either.   Luckily one of our boys brought an axe to the campout. It wasn’t long before the testosterone and fierce competition broke out with our guys on who was the best at chopping up the huge logs for our fire that evening. By the end of the evening, it was nearly a dogfight of whom was next to get the axe – even to the point where the camp master had to come by and remind us of quiet hours had started 1.5 hours earlier!  Let me share with you about three of these guys.

Austing showing his 'swole self' carrying a
huge log on his own for our campfire.

Austin, who is a junior and respected among his peers, decided to attend the campout only a day after having his wisdom teeth pulled. Austin was one of those young men who couldn’t put down the axe for the majority of the night. He was always willing to go out into the woods with a group of guys to gather up the largest pieces of wood to be chopped for the fire – sometimes carrying it on his own! It isn’t uncommon for normal activity to affect someone from having a procedure like that done, but this young man could care less. He was all in for the competition and fellowship together with the guys. This opened the door for Austin to share his own personal story with all of us and how he had broken his own purity with girls. He even went further to share how he has grown up with a father who had been Mormon most of his life but recently had heard his father share he didn’t believe God existed and his mother was a Baptist which essentially has pushed him into not knowing if and what he believes today.

Paidan and I goofing around
after a long day of hard
competition together.

Another junior from the same school, Paidan, chose to hang out with us and even stay the night for his first time camping in his life. It’s amazing to provide an experience as basic as camping to these young men who haven’t experienced something in God’s landscape before. Up to this point, Paidan had been hanging out at Club and getting his feel of where he fits into this group. Our Leadership Team could tell he was used to being the “ladies’ man” wherever he went. He has continued to attend whatever event we put together for our students to get out of the house and be themselves with one another. It didn’t take long for Paidan to break out with some heartache with the guys once the fire was lit. I personally read it all over him. He was frustrated and needed to share some stuff. When first offered to take out some pent up issues with the axe, he declined. Soon it wasn’t long until we all saw Paidan valiantly (valiantly, is that the word you meant?) swinging at the firewood to let it all go. It’s such a blessing to see something so basic which can be used to become a therapeutic tool for comfort in rough times.

As soon as he heard there was a basketball court,
John was seen making an epic layup at summer camp.

John is a guy who chose to come camping after I personally reached out to him on Facebook. He rushed to reach his folks and with a great blessing of a student picking him up, met us at the campground. It didn’t take long for John to adjust to his first time camping as well. John feels validated through his amazing ability of athleticism on the basketball court – sadly though he has high doubts of his own talents. To be able to see this young man also chop firewood with the axe was awesome. John has continued to grow since participating with our group at summer camp this past summer. His hunger to come out and serve us during middle school Club has been amazing and its apparent God has struck something deep in his core.

What really rocked my world was how raw and real our young men got with me in front of our campfire that evening. They were willing to tell who they were, what they were all about and even shared about their unbelief in faith with us. Truthfully, it still scares me a bit how much they could care less about believing in anything. I wonder if they’ll feel that God’s call on their lives to live for Him will take root within their lives or not. I see that we are now reaching the lost military teens more than ever before on Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield.

I amazed at God’s mosaic coming together over a year-long intentionally planned program in our ministry. We have a special calling in military youth ministry – to truly seek those teens whom are lost whether emotionally or spiritually in the chaos of their ongoing lives. If it weren’t for obedience to the call to build relationships with one another and come alongside them just as they are, trust would not have been built.

So, please join me in prayer for these young men as well as all of our teens we are reaching and those we haven’t even met yet. Also, pray about coming alongside me as a financial partner in this mission, since the past year has been a bit of a tough one with some people coming out of season in their giving. Would you consider coming on board for $30 per month?

In this Christmas season, truly I’m thankful for this mission and calling as God continues to direct my steps.