Wow! What a special night. It’s always great when you prepare and plan and then all of the variables that you had no control over make the night spectacular. Just in time the weather turned from overcast and stormy to cool with a beautifully painted night sky as our backdrop. We had a mixture of old volunteers/supporters and new people who were hearing about HFO for the first time. Our students and their parents did a wonderful job of preparing and serving dinner and the Adventure Crew was there to lead us in song.

These events always cause me to reflect and take in how special these experiences have been. Its amazing to think of all that has taken place in the last year! Its usually then that I find myself able to look forward with courage and excitement, and pray a bigger prayer for this next year!

Special thanks to everyone who made this night possible. If you were unable to attend and are interested in how to get involved please email me at loren@hopeforopelousas.org.

Blessings,
Loren

Hope for Opelousas makes the front page of the Daily World! If you didn’t get to read it in print check out the link below.

Click here

After a hard day’s work helping get things ready for a benefit garage sale, we had a few minutes to wet a line at the Carriere Farm. Trevon and Tavian had recently had a fishing trip in Nashville, but they had only caught small brim. As we got the poles ready Tavian said, “I’m gonna catch a big one today!” The pond had been hit or miss and it was a very hot day so I wasn’t expecting much, but i didn’t say anything to the boys.

So I quickly set the boys up on the deck with stoppers and worms, showed them how to get the worm on the hook then ran to the house to get something. As I ran off I was consumed with thoughts of my to do list, and how this was slowing down my afternoon. All of a sudden I hear the boys screaming at the top of their lungs, “Mr. Loren!! Come quick!” I thought to myself, someone got hooked or fell in, but as I came running I saw them giving each other high five’s. Tav had called it, he was smiling from ear to ear dangling nice big bass on his line! Over the next two hours the boys caught a total of 9 bass all probably ranging from 1 to 2.5 pounds.

I was able to teach them how to bait a hook, hold a fish, and take a fish off the hook. Trevon took the fish to his grandfather who cleaned and fried em up that night.

It’s amazing how much we take for granted the experiences we’ve had in our lives. How many times did my dad, uncles, or poppa take me fishing? This little make shift trip with just a couple of hours of time will be something these boys will never forget!

God has a way of forcing me into situations where He arranges my schedule (without me even realizing it), lets me totally doubt (hot weather for fishing), then does something amazing! I’m so glad His work doesn’t depend on me, and I’m so glad He lets me know it!

Loren

Many middle school kids might spend their summer hiding from the heat and playing video games, but not the HFO Adventure Crew. Our sights were set on the Firey Gizzard Trail in Tracy City, TN, but first we had to survive training!

Training Stats:
2.5 weeks of training
40+ miles of hiking
180 lbs. of gear carried
10 days of swim training
1,000 spiders dodged at Acadiana Park

On Friday July 24th at 3am we pointed our 15 passenger van towards Memphis. Our first stop was the National Civil Rights Museum. Next we hit Beale St. but nobody had the blues because we were too busy enjoying the souvenir shops. Later that day we drove to Nashville and had just enough time to have some Jack’s BBQ before the free benefit concert featuring Sandra McCracken. We arrived late at Momma E’s ranch and set up tarps and our first campfire.

The kids were up with the sun at 5:30–with 13 acres of farm animals, the kids wanted an early start. Our day consisted of home cookin’, fishin’, horse back ridin’, pond swimmin’, and llama chasin’. It was a day of many firsts for our kids, and made us consider things from our childhood we take for granted. We stayed up late, and sang songs around a campfire long after the stars appeared.

Blueberry pancakes and maple syrup started our day. An hour-and-a-half later, we made it to the trailhead, unpacking our gear and throwing last-minute items into our packs. We had 4.2 miles ahead of us to Raven’s Point. The last mile or so was the toughest part of the trip, but the unexplainable high we had when we made the ascent to camp was well worth it. We made camp with the cow ants and cooked up a little freeze-dried chicken enchilada and some mashed ‘tatoes.

Day 2 was long, but steady. It really pushed the kids to see what they were made of. We had to go 6 miles, and at times it was a little tough. The biggest obstacle of the day was about 6 feet long and had a rattle. No it wasn’t a tall baby it was a giant rattle snake! Johnny carefully relocated the snake off the trail and we pressed on with a revived sense of alertness. We faced the feeling of overwhelm with teamwork, and made it to camp together. At this point, we decided to hike out the next day instead of staying another night on the trail at Foster Falls. Around the campfire, we talked with the kids about what the trip had meant to them, getting deep thoughts, and genuine thankfulness.

The walk out was a cake walk, but bittersweet. We were all glad to be “out of the woods”, so to say, but were going to miss the trials and new environment that were bringing us together. We swam at the icy Foster Falls lake and then packed up the van.

From Tracy City we quickly found a Western Sizzler Buffet and then headed out to Bryan College in Dayton, TN. What a surprise when we learned we would have an entire, empty, dorm to ourselves. We chased the kids with ShamWows and played Sardines. This was also an opportunity to have some one-on-one time with the kids and talk about thankfulness and respect again. The next morning, we packed up the van for the last time, and headed home.

But the work wasn’t over yet, the following morning we picked all the kids up again and cleaned out our gear, teaching the kids respect for property, and responsibility. They also cleaned and vacuumed the van, with great attitudes!

When we set out to do this trip, we had no idea what we were in for. Looking back now, we can see how the trip brought us all together as a group and gave us an opportunity to enrich our relationships with the kids on a personal basis, allowing us to influence them in a positive way. God showed up in our adventure and made it one we will never forget.

Special thanks to Momma E, Julie, Bobby, and Bruce Morgan with Bryan College, this trip wouldn’t have been the same without your assistance.

Also, special thanks to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Nekoosa, WI and First Presbyterian Church of Riverforest for the donation from their VBS offerings. We used the money to purchase a bible for everyone who came on the trip and plan to use the extra money to buy bibles for every new student in our program this fall!

Blessings,
Loren & Tory

This summer we were anxious to reach out to more of the kids that live around the Hill House, so we hosted a two week Skills Camp that focused on math and reading and of course a few fun parties. Through this camp we were able to make connections with 15 new kids that will be involved in our HFO after-school program this Fall.

Special thanks to our new volunteers and the Woodson’s and Bassets’ for hosting our parties.

Peace,

Loren