We started today with a devotion out of Psalms; we are all wonderfully complex and marvelous creations…and we then discussed the “masks” we tend to wear to protect ourselves from allowing others to see how we are really feeling inside. God sees and knows everything about us and accepts us just as we are. No matter how you feel inside; hurt, broken, depressed, etc. God loves us and wants us to know we are special, unique, valuable, etc. Later in the day, we did an activity to help the boys express how they were using masks. It was amazing to listen in to some of the discussions as the boys were opening up about their feelings, challenges and struggles. Our social worker, Ron, was able to follow up with some powerful one-on-one conversations around this topic.

At the barn today, the boys were able to drive a cart with a mini-horse to solve a problem in the arena. They had to work together through the challenge and take turns driving the horse. Both groups were able to complete the task, but o let by working together.

One of the more “plump” horses decided to escape today with Jorge! Against Jorge’s best efforts to turn him around, Magic, the horse, decided to push through the arena gate in search of greener pastures…and when I say “greener” I mean yummy grass! Luckily, the wranglers were quick to catch him and return him to the arena.

Just before lunch, the boys were involved in some great activities led by Next Generation Entrepreneurs. This activity helped the bots improve their communication skills.

In the afternoon, the staff was able to join the boys on horses for the trail ride. It was a great culmination of all the skills they have learned this week!

We spent the evening by the water enjoying each other’s company and watching the sunset on God’s beautiful creation! There was a great Facebook live video posted around 4:30pm today with the boys on the water slide!

Tomorrow morning we leave for the Manistee River Trail.  Please continue to pray for the group as this is not an easy hike.  The weight of the packs coupled with the terrain makes for a challenging first day.  We may have limited connection so do not get nervous if you don’t see a post from us on the blog.  Please check back daily on both Facebook and this blog and we will do our best to update you.  For parents, we will see you at the celebration on Sunday!