There is something about surprises that make the heart beat fast and bring an excitement of newness. The above picture is our October surprise of snow, everything is whiter, smells cleaner, seems fresher, and is a lot more fun. My sons and I were in the back yard playing in the crisp, clean snow. Our morning was filled with much more joy and excitement because of the snow. The young people I work with at the detention center usually are deep in routine at the facility they are locked into. Much of the routine is to guarantee control and safety, but there is one group that happens during their mundane routine called the challenge course. For those unfamiliar with challenge courses, it involves wearing harnesses, connecting to ropes, and completing objectives 40 feet off the ground. The surprise many of these young people experienced was jumping from a platform high off the ground to catch a bar hanging in the air, much like a trapezee performer. Many of these tough, unreachable youth shed that exterior and admitted they are afraid, I saw humility in them for the first time. We live our lives everyday under the guise that we are in control, but in all actuality, God is in control and our surprise is that He cleans our life of all the junk and filthy and makes it white as snow. Please, remember today that your life is in His hands, you can fight that every day or allow Him to lead your life.

The grassroots efforts of WEM will be with troubled youth or at-risk youth. The goal is to be a court ordered deferment or diversion program. Some people have asked me if we are doing trips this winter. We could fill our calendar with trips with youth from other student ministries or youth in crisis, but our desire is to work alongside the state and fulfill a need they have. To see a similar program visit www.9news.com/wildernesscamp. We are continuing to gain momentum in the juvenile justice facility and youth are being changed by the transforming "good news" of Christ. I want to thank the volunteers who give of their time to the facility and throw themselves into loving these youth that many don't take the time to care for. Our foundation will be working with youth from detention centers and the possibilities are endless from there.