July 2, 2009
What do extreme heat, high humidity, and 28 people with a passion to build relationships with young men and serve others through construction all have in common? They all descended on Salem Ranch the week of June 21. Once again our great friends from Calvary Baptist Church, in Rocky Mount, NC came and did amazing things at Salem, through rebuilding our facility. But more importantly, they were instrumental in rebuilding lives.
The team of Bob, Bryan, Steve, April, Cindy, Jeff, Allison, Roseanne, Jessica, Carl, Kay M., Ms. Julia, Zachary, Chad, Kim, Bradley, Clint, Larry, Kay C., David, Larry, Alvaro, David, Scott, and Hope (pictured) and Earl, Donnie, and Scott H. (not pictured), almost did not make it here. After many delays, and a planes, trains, and automobiles type adventure, everyone arrived in three different groups throughout the day on Father’s Day.
The group did not waste a minute getting started, and in what seemed like no time we had new classrooms, a new family room for counseling, new stall fronts in the barn, repairs to our gym roof, new doors to the gym, and a spotless kitchen. You would need to see the pictures to get the full effect and they will be posted as soon as possible. It is nothing short of a miracle what these great people are able to accomplish in a week’s time; even more so when you throw in temperatures in the mid 90’s and high humidity the team had to deal with the entire week.
But that is dwarfed in comparison to the effect they have on our boys and our staff. The group is always a huge encouragement to the staff here. It refreshes our souls to meet with a large group of like-minded believers who, just about the time we think we are making no difference in the lives of our boys, affirm that we are. They are the ones who exhort us to continue the work of the ministry to the glory of God. They are a group who we know have our backs. They are invaluable to us.
But most of, they impact our boys. Each of our guys has a story of how someone on the team impacted them. Many times during the week I was wandering through the grounds at ten or eleven pm, and almost always, there were pockets of the team and kids meeting together, discussing hurts and pains, and how Christ is the Ultimate Healer to all of us. And it was not just the boys sharing with the team. The team was often just as transparent as the boys in sharing struggles they have in their own lives and how Christ working in them is how they have made it through those difficult times.
I am asked all the time, what makes Salem work. And my answer is always the same. Salem works because change happens in the context of relationships: with the Lord first and with one another second. Nowhere was this more evident then at Salem the week of June 21, 2009. Rocky Mount, you guys are awesome. Thank you for giving to the Lord. Ours are lives that were changed. We are so glad you came.
Brent



