Dear Mom,
I’m camping out in the woods with some junkies. And having fun!
If I’ve learned one thing so far on the race, it’s that you have to be ready for anything. This week our ministry did a bit of a 180… Where as last week we had summer camp with high school kids, this week, Caleb, Nathan, and I were asked if we wanted to join the men of the local rehab center on their annual camp out. Of course we immediately agreed. So on Tuesday morning we loaded up our packs, laced up our boots (chacos), and set off.
Now what we had been told was a hike really turned out to be a much more casual affair. It was three relaxed days full of camping, fishing, swimming, sunburning, and bonding.
The best part of the trip, however, was just bonding with the guys of the rehab center. One of the guys asked me what kind of music I liked, and his eyes just lit up when I mentioned punk rock. Turns out, before he sobered up and found the Lord he actually was a guitarist in a local punk band. Later that day he brought out his guitar and we harmonized blink-182 songs. Another guy actually had his degree in “drama arts”, and told us all about how he had traveled all over London and Edinburgh studying Shakespeare. We were able to listen to all these men tell us their struggles of substance abuse and depression. Each one had a different tale, however, they all had the same ending. Every single one of these men would tell us that this specific center was different than any they had been to. We would ask why that was, and the same answer was given by each one of them. Here I found Jesus, they said. When you want to walk with Him, you know longer want to chase after drugs or alcohol any more.
There’s really no better way I could put it than that. When Jesus is first in your life, there’s just not any room for detrimental habits.
So that was a bit of week two here at camp, mom. We had fun, ate fish, and played in the woods! My counselor’s ringing the dinner bell, so I’d probably better go.
Love you!
Mac
