What happens when you mix Spring Break, spiritual challenges and fun? You get young men making commitments to lead their lives in fruitful ways. Visiting Dickson Valley Camp last week proved to be just that kind of experience. We challenged our young men to reflect on the mixed messages they receive daily: that they are less than nothing, on one hand, or that they are “the man,” on the other. Either everything or nothing. We pushed them toward interdependence and helped them see that neither response is true; that we all have a responsibility before God to be the best we can be, and that God helps us.
Part of that challenge came through obstacle courses and climbing walls (see pictures in our photo gallery), but part of that challenge was simply in encouraging one another and in being on time for meetings and meals. As you will be able to tell from the climbing and smiles — overcoming obstacles can build a greater confidence, especially when you know that the person belaying you has (literally) got your back.
Recent Updates
- Thank You WGN!
- We often labor in anonymity. And while we don’t do the work that we do for public recognition, it still feels good to get some. So we are grateful to WGN for sending us some shine. And of course, we are grateful to God for the privilege of doing this work. If you didn’t see the [...] Read More
- Hard work on the mural
- We have continued to work on the mural projects this summer, led by our trusty-dusty DJ! He’s done a great job corraling our kids and helping them design, create and implement works of art — and of leading them around the city of Chicago by bicycle. The video above is an example of the in-house, [...] Read More
- This is how we do it!
- The photo above shows the smiling faces of our youth as we traveled from YMEN to the Puerto Rican flags of Humboldt Park by bike. I’m glad they were smiling when we arrived, because some of them weren’t smiling in route. It turned out to be a fantastic day with great weather. And we continue [...] Read More
