Have you scheduled time to rest before and after serving campers at T.R.A.C.? Are you encouraging your volunteers to do the same? Did you know there are seven types of rest?

Due to interest, Teen Reach is thrilled to announce a third T.R.A.C.life National Leadership Training this year.
When: October 19-21
Where: Tampa, FL

Olivia Paulson is a TBRI practitioner. In addition to training others on trauma-informed care for youth from hard places, Oliva lives out TBRI in her home, her local church congregation, and throughout Central Florida.

Recently, Alliance Redwoods Conference Grounds in California sent an email that caught my attention.
Do you know what is the most urgent mental health problem in America today?

We’re pleased to announce Gary Holzhouser has agreed to join Preston Wood as the National Challenge Course Co-Director. Gary Holzhouser has been part of the Teen Reach family for a total of 18 years, serving at the local and national levels.

As I read Acts 16 last week, I recognized Teen Reach volunteers to be like Lydia of Thyatira.

At girls’ T.R.A.C. a few years ago, one of the campers smiled constantly and looked out for everyone around her. This is sometimes a tell in foster kids who are the oldest sibling and have been put into an overwhelming position of responsibility due to a challenging home life. This young girl, a mother hen to all the other girls, was very standoffish from the male staff

Be intentional.

Give your bodies as a living sacrifice.

Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around life—and place it before God as an offering. Romans 12:1 MSG

Meet Cindy, T.R.A.C.life mentor from Santa Rosa, California. She joined T.R.A.C. when the program started three years ago in Sonoma County.

Shout out to Nick and Jess Mehle, former T.R.A.C. directors in Ventura, California. The two have you been involved in T.R.A.C. since 2012, first as camp counselors, then as directors starting in 2016.

This trip is theirs . . .
Serena recently shared the quote above with me when I was frustrated over a former camper and T.R.A.C.life mentee (now age 22) who keeps returning to an abusive boyfriend and the father of her four-month-old son.

Protection and care for vulnerable children has been a defining mark of Christianity since its first days. Even as a persecuted minority in the Roman Empire, Christians were known for rescuing and raising children abandoned by their pagan neighbors. Early church documents required that candidates for leadership be known as lovers of orphans.

Martins Ferry, Ohio, T.R.A.C.life recently had a scavenger hunt at the mall for mentors and their mentees. Three teams competed for various gift cards.

Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better by Brant Hansen is a must-read! During the Prayer & Vision Casting retreat, the national team read and discussed this incredible book. Check out some of our favorite quotes

Do we fall prey to the tyranny of busy? The whirlwind of a hurried life?
Why does time often seem the most difficult to manage?
In the Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren wrote, “Never confuse activity with productivity.”

Dawn, a T.R.A.C.life mentor from Austin, Texas, recently took her mentee to get their nails done together. Ashlynn left the salon, saying the day was her best ever.  
Simple things.
Moments many of us take for granted.

Thank you to everyone who completed the short CrossTalk survey. Here are the results from 43 responses. While the curriculum is complete for 2024, we will incorporate as many recommendations as possible in the future. However, as you can see, the responses are split on the preference for offering a rotation every 4-5 years or having a new topic every year.

Recap: Summit 2023 – Panel Discussion
NOTE: Camper Placement Coordinator binders are
NOW available on the Teen Reach website
under T.R.A.C. RESOURCES on the STAFF PAGE.

Panelists: Sylvia Gray, Retired Social Worker, Covington, LA
Roger Franklin, T.R.A.C. Norman, OK
Kathi Franklin, T.R.A.C. Norman, OK
Amy Jones, Eastern Regional Director

The Andea condor is the largest soaring bird in the world. Impressive indeed at 33 pounds with a 10-foot wingspan.
When researchers strapped cameras on these massive birds, what they discovered was amazing.
They only flap their wings 1% of the time. The other 99% of the time, they soar.
How do they do this?

The 2023 CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans) Conference was an event full of connection, learning, worship, and more. You can watch the recorded sessions at CAFO.org.

One of my greatest takeaways came from the More the Enough Initiative. For a community to be more than enough for foster care, the following is essential: