Jesus saw the huge crowd . . . and he had compassion on them. Matthew 14:14  

Jeasian was a handful at T.R.A.C. this summer, testing every boundary possible. Even his camp counselor wanted to cut the apron strings after being Jeasian’s camp counselor for multiple years through both Royal Family KIDS Camp and T.R.A.C. 

Ever feel like a fraud?  

I’ve had several conversations lately with members of our Teen Reach family. Seasoned Christians facing real battles for their children and grandchildren.  

CJ joined the leadership team at T.R.A.C. Tampa, Florida, in January 2020 and became the director the following year after completing leadership training.  

We’re thrilled you’re here with us at the annual leadership summit. This time is designed for refreshing, connecting and growing. 

Over 300,000 teens across America enter foster care for many reasons, including abuse and neglect. Teen Reach provides them with a message of hope, giving them a place to process their stories, while building skills and relationships needed to succeed in life.

No matter how many times I serve or visit one of our Teen Reach camps across the country, seeing the smiles or hearing the stories of impact never gets old.

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.