I promised you a post about Dare Challenge (in the Easter drama) and a Dare Challenge post you shall have!
One of the most heartfelt moments of the weekend for me was when I was standing in the lobby as people were coming in. I saw a middle-aged couple walk in the door and immediately spot their son who was dressed in his costume for the play. They ran to each other and the dad gave his son a tearful hug that lasted several minutes.
When I described the scene to Steve later that night, he told me that the young man’s family had driven five hours one way, just to see their recovering-from-addiction son play a role in a play depicting the life-changing story of Jesus Christ.
The Dare challenge guys did a great job serving as greeters at each of the entrances, in addition to serving as ushers and, of course, acting in the play.
Colton, the guy on the right, went through the program and is now on staff. He leads our youth group (under Steve’s oversight) and is attending school to be a pastor.
And here are a few more shots of the Dare Challenge men in action.
The two seated fellas entered Dare Challenge just before the performances started so they weren’t able to do any acting. We wanted to involve them in some way though, so I trained James (on the left) to help with our projection; Jim (on the right), was a tech assistant. They were so thrilled to be a part of the event and did a great job.
Some of you may remember that I wrote a few years ago about a young man named Cody.
This is what he looked like then.
Here he is three years later.
Cody is still volunteers with Dare Challenge and although he lives a couple of hours away, does everything he can to help them out in whatever way he can. He came to the drama this weekend and to our Easter morning service; it was so great to see him doing well.
One of the greatest joys of the 3-nights of performances is that we received an offering each night for Dare Challenge. By the last night, we had raised just under $4,000 which we presented to Dustin Daniels, the executive director on Easter morning. (Mary Ann, the drama writer/director, is on his right.)
He was accompanied by his guys, some of whom were in costume for a part of the drama they were going to reprise later in the service.
Each student is only charged $800 for 10 months of residency at the center, although the actual cost of providing housing, food, training, counselling, etc. is about $17,000 per man. Gifts like what our church and community gave last week make a huge difference in the lives of these guys trying to get free from addiction. If you are interested in joining us in helping them, you can go to the Dare Challenge link.
I’ll close out with a few miscellaneous photos.
The woman on the left has been Sarah’s boss at Food Lion for three years; she recently cut her hours at Food Lion in order to open an early learning center which means she is also MY boss too, since I work at the center a few hours a week. The girl in the middle is the oldest daughter of our wonderful angel dancer, Elizabeth. The young man on the right doesn’t attend our church but he lives in the neighborhood and had been to several performances over the years. He finally just came right out and asked if he could be a part of it. I love that!
On Saturday night, for the first time ever, Sarah and I got to sit and watch a church production together. In the past, we’ve either been performing in it, or working in the tech booth. As we were waiting for it to start, Rachel, a friend of Sarah’s stopped by for a hello and a hug. Nice to see our gone away college girl getting to reconnect with the Manteo people she loves.
This was the view as people were coming in.
And another view from the balcony, about 20 minutes before starting.
Such a lot of work and a lot of fun. Steve said he feels like it will take him at least a month to truly recover from it all. His job this Saturday is to oversee the taking down and packing away of all those set pieces; not an easy task when you look at the complexity of that stage. Plenty of work, for sure, but plenty of smiles, too.
Here’s Steve with Claudia and Claudia’s husband, Doug, who is a Manteo police officer.
It’s such a joy to get to use our creative gifts to support Dare Challenge, build community, and present not just a great story but the greatest story ever told.
That 5 hour drive was probably worth so much more to the father who came to see his son in such a positive environment! Hoping the DARE guys continue to have success in conquering their addiction. I can see how Steve and you all are of great help and encouragement to them!
Kari,
Those 5 hours probably didn’t seem like much at all in light of what was waiting at the end of the trip. It was such an inspiring sight to see.
How joyful to see Cody 3 years later! Thanks for sharing.
Courtney,
Cody’s mom was telling us again how much that gift of the racing stuff meant to him. He was at a difficult place in life when that gift arrived and it made a huge ifference to him.
It seems like there are so many deaths lately due to drug overdoses. It is great to hear of a program that helps men overcome their addiction. The parents who drove five hours to see their son is heartwarming!
Phyllis,
To stand and watch that dad embrace his son and see him shed thankful tears instead of heartbroken tears (which I’m sure he’s done many times in the pat) was worth the whole drama.
Thank you for sharing the story and pictures with us all. It looked like a fantastic production again. So happy the DARE guys can be a part of it all…The story of the parents who drove 5 hours to see their son had me with teary eyes. Wendy
Wendy,
Teary eyes? You and me both. Such a poignant moment.
I always love the DARE stories. What a wonderful organization & God bless you & Steve & the members of your church for all they do for these men.
Margie,
It is such an honor to have a small part in their journey toward freedom.
As always, I am impressed. I just love reading about everything that you do for Dare. I know in Canada, I had a friend that helped put his son through a program and it cost that family upwards of 50 thousand dollars. 🙁
Where do you store all the things after the stage is torn down?
Mel,
As far as drama storage, we really need a dedicated outbuilding just for all that stuff. As it is though, Steve and his team have learned to pack and store things very creatively–some back stage and some in our Youth House. There is a large empty space over the bathrooms in the Youth House and (with the help of the Dare Challenge guys) they lift a lot of stuff up there.
Top notch stuff as always! You all represent the Gospel so well with the excellence that you do everything. Love the DARE guys and how you so generously support the ministry of Teen Challenge. Super incredibly fantastic job! 🙂
Love, Deb
Deb,
Thanks for your encouraging words! It’s not often I see super, incredible, and fantastic in one sentence so I am feeling very affirmed. 🙂
It is an honor to get to help those guys in any way we can.
WOW! I’m so impressed by DARE. Wouldn’t it be great if they were able to expand and open a “branch” in every major city across the country; maybe even have opportunities for women too? What a difference it would make in the lives of so many. They really do such amazing work and make such a long lasting impression on these men and their families. Do you have to be Christian to be able to enter the program? Great work, once again. The Smith Family and Congregation should be proud.
Jodi, there is a women’s Teen Challenge about 80 miles from us. There is definitely a great need for more of these ministries for women and men.
Jodi, our church supports that ministry as well.
Jodi,
Actually, Dare Challenge is based on a nation-wide rehab outreach called Teen Challenge which has 200 centers across the country and a very high rate of treatment success. You would enjoy Teen Challenge’s founder’s book called, “The Cross and The Switchblade.”
And as for having to be a Christian to enter Dare Challenge: no, that is not a requirement. However, anybody who enters that program just needs to be aware that it is faith-based and that attending church services and Bible studies is part of the curriculum. Anyone who is in need and willing to follow the guidelines of the program is welcome.
Congratulations on a very successful production!! It really is heart warming to see the Dare Challenge guys making such a profound change in their lives and be involved in this amazing ministry!
LeeAnne,
It was definitely a win-win all around. We couldn’t have pulled off the drama without them filling many of the acting roles and their involvement in the production was a joy and blessing to them.
The pictures are awesome. So great to see the Dare Challenge guys involved. What a tremendous witness to your area. So happy you and Sarah could just sit and watch together.
Ann,
I can’t tell you what a joy it was to sit and watch the performance with her. A rare privilege for both of us to sit back and just enjoy.