2016 Louisiana Cast & Blast

     This past weekend our Louisiana Chapter held its annual Cast and Blast.  Despite having to dodge the rain showers, it was a great weekend spending time in God’s Creation and His Word with the young men from single parent homes and mentors. We kicked things off Friday night with a nacho taco bar, prepared and served by Mandy and Britleigh Rivers. After everyone was full, we hung out for a bit with just some general conversation and of course some running, wrestling, sweating, and rolling in the dirt by the boys. Afterwards we settled down around the fire for some man time. We discussed what God had been up to in our lives and the importance of being “plugged in” to a youth group at a local church.

     Saturday morning we got an early start with a great breakfast before beginning our activities for the day. There was all sorts of activities for the boys.  They enjoyed clay shoot, archery range, fishing, canoeing, and of course the focus of the day was the rifle range.  All the boys shot really good with Brock Lanoux being the top shooter during practice, but when the competition was over Shane Roy came out on top.  The boys are pumped and ready for the fall deer hunts, with hopes of that once in a lifetime buck for some and others with dreams of their very first deer harvest.

     After all the activity, it was time for some refueling, not only with a great lunch, but with a word from God. Mentor Michael Thomas shared about faith that will take you through the roof, and challenged us to be men of faith. What a great word it was, and our prayer is that the boys along with the mentors take it and apply it to their everyday lives. After our devotional, we welcomed new comer Joseph McDaniel, before heading down to the lake. As everyone gathered at the bank to see what was going on, they saw that Dominique Lewis had come to be baptized after being saved on a Truth in Nature trip to Crossroads Summer Camp in 2015. What a great way to wrap up a program!!!