Strengthening One Another to Continue Serving

On Saturday, May 27, four members of the coaching team at in2Action took a field trip to Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center. The purpose of the trip was to take in the matinee performance of Cirque du Soleil…but perhaps more importantly to get a chance to better know each other.

The show itself was breathtaking which, of course, is totally “on brand” for Cirque du Soleil. The fact that our executive director Dan Hanneken somehow managed to snag second-row seats for us only made it that much more exciting.

Curtain call for the entire cast and crew of Cirque du Soleil.

Curtain call for the entire cast and crew of Cirque du Soleil.

Afterward, the four men headed over to the local Cheesecake Factory for dinner. If you’ve ever been to this particular restaurant, heads up that the entrĂ©e serving portions are “exceedingly generous,” as are the requisite slices of cheesecake served for dessert. Several boxes of leftovers made the trip home to Columbia. Some of the men fell strangely silent as the minivan got up to speed on Interstate 70.

Turning your life around is tough stuff. If it was easy, everyone would do it. The work out here at in2Action is difficult but we all seek to take it in stride.

We all know in our heads that the ultimate responsibility for any man’s recovery rests squarely on his shoulders, not ours. However…that intellectual truth doesn’t stop us from putting our hearts into what we do. Having been the recipients of grace and mercy from God (and our local community) we seek to do our best to open doors and encourage residents to step through them.

We fully embrace the social model for recovery and a new start in life.

Trapeze artists at the May 27 Cirque du Soleil show in Kansas City.

Trapeze artists at the May 27 Cirque du Soleil show in Kansas City.

The guiding in2Action philosophy has always been that people recover and transition into new lifestyles far more effectively when they do so in community. Staff, residents, and peer advisors are all encouraged to spend time getting to know one another. These relationships take shape both on-campus and off. Semi-regular float trips, ballgames, and other special events are merely the vehicle that provides more “glue” for those relationships to strengthen and solidify.

Thanks, as always, to all of our supporters! Your prayers, financial contributions, gifts-in-kind, and tickets to special events keep us going and encourage us to stay strong. We greatly appreciate all of the support we get from our local community!

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.