Just a little over one year ago I sat in my office out at BRC Recovery and began mapping out some of “the plans” for the new young adult extended care program; Spearhead Lodge. I had several meetings with Marsha Stone where we discussed the vision that she had regarding our new program. Meeting after meeting and idea after idea things started to come together. My colleague, Alex Penrod, and I spent a lot of time creating new curriculum that would cater more specifically to the young adult male population. In looking at the binder where I kept many of the plans and notes for the new program, I can’t help but laugh. Wow! What a difference a year of time makes! They say if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him what your plans are… As I reflect on this past year at Spearhead Lodge I can’t help but think about the day we were opening the doors to our treatment facility. There were three men scheduled to admit on day one. I remember experiencing a lot of excitement and fear getting out of bed that morning. I walked into the group room where there was a circle of chairs setup and felt led to hit my knees in prayer. As tears came into my eyes, I began asking God to bless the program, our staff, and each man that enters into our care that we may serve them and their families in whatever capacity that He sees fit. Shortly after this prayer the first man arrived, then the second, then the third, and so on. We have admitted around 90 men into our program in this first year and each one of these men has impacted the program in some way. There has been a culture of real recovery that has been established at Spearhead Lodge. A culture that is based in love, empathy, understanding, and compassion. We have had a lot of fun, as a staff, working with the men who have come to us and have made connections with clients and their families that will go on forever. The staff here is passionate about recovery, wellness, and healing evidenced by the hard work that each of them do with the clients. We believed this was possible when we started but didn’t know it was going to be as sweet as it has been. Lives have been changed for the better and families have been restored! This morning as we sat and reflected upon year one as a staff, we laughed, and I was reminded about the work we are doing with these young men and the joys we have experienced at Spearhead Lodge. I am floored when I think about the miracles that we have seen take place in our first year of operation. To top it off, I had a conversation with a father of a client on the front porch of the Lodge this morning. He shook my hand, looked me in the eyes, and very sincerely said, “I want you to know that I would never not recommend Spearhead Lodge to another family.” I teared up as I entered the facility. This, to me, was confirmation that all of the hard work and long hours each person at Spearhead Lodge put in had paid off. I know in my heart that God showed up through that man on this special day. I couldn’t help but smile and think, “He Did it Again!” We are looking forward to an even more spectacular year two at Spearhead Lodge and know that there are many more wounded souls that will enter into our care and they too will find the healing that they deserve! Lane Rust Spearhead Lodge