Behind the Mask

Written by Corey Lohr

 

April 10th started out very early.

I woke up at 3 am in San Antonio, Texas, which began with prayer and a ride to the airport. My mind was excited and preparing for what was to be encountered. Another session at Mighty Oaks Warrior Foundation at Sky Rose Ranch in California for a Men’s Legacy Program. I arrived in California and began to link up with the rest of the team that is flying in. It was exciting for me because this was the first time I had met some of these guys. There is no fear because we are a true brotherhood. We have one mission, and that is to do God’s work.

 

The Men’s Legacy Program begins when the students start to arrive.

A couple of students drive in before we head to the airport. The nervousness, confusion, and fear of the unknown on their faces and these warriors’ faces were prominent. We headed to the airport to pick up the other students so we could officially begin the program. We arrived at the airport and start to gather the other students. and with every glance from this group, everyone had a mask that they are hiding behind. Not the N-95 type of masks, the kind we all wear throughout life. The fear and anger they hold, the “I am okay and there are no issues in my life” looks, which we have seen many times before. We gather them and head toward the ranch striking up basic, surface-level conversations. We arrive at Sky Rose Ranch and get them settled in and prepare ourselves to begin the session.

 

As with most sessions, we have a multitude of personalities, struggles, masks they are hiding behind, and everyone is guarded.

The walls are up, and security is set. Bill started us off and began to chip away at the ever noticeable walls they had built over the years. Most of the warriors were confused, trying to figure out exactly what it is Mighty Oaks would do to service them. It is made obvious, through many sessions of practice, that we are not there to fix them, but rather to assist them in their relationship with God. The first day ended with a phenomenal meal provided by Kenny and his team. The connection continued to build between staff and the participants. Some students test and try to find inconsistencies within the instructors, but what they found was true genuine men that love God and each other.

 

Throughout this week we saw God soften these men’s hearts, the word of God impact their relationships, and the beginning of a new chapter in each one of their books, and when we departed on Friday, there were tears of joy, plans of a way forward, and most importantly the bonds of brotherhood that God intended us to have with one another.

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(If there is any chance you may be battling with PTSD, please click here to be taken to our application page. We are here for you.)

 

The Mighty Oaks Foundation is committed to serving the brokenhearted by providing intensive peer-based discipleship through a series of programs, outpost meetings, and speaking events. Our Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs hosts such Men, Women, and Marriage Advance Programs at multiple locations nationwide. The Warriors who attend are fully sponsored for training, meals, and lodging needs to ensure that upon arrival to the ranch, each Warrior is focused solely on his or her recovery and identifying purpose moving forward.

We understand that applying to do anything is nerve-racking. We also get that feeling. Every one of our leaders has gone through the exact program you are contemplating applying for. The leaders will be the first to tell you to take that step, don’t procrastinate.