Day 4 (Monday) Depart refreshed
Valor Council 2023
We depart today refreshed and invigorated to live our lives to serve our Lord and serve others as Men of VALOR!
Recovery sleep.
Luke B shares.
Paul U shares.
Worship.
Ultimate frisbee / football.
Framework of VALOR.
Day 3 (Sunday) Worship and Connection
Walking through the mist at sunrise.
The day begins with a 0530 reveille and walking through the rye in the mist at sunrise. Reminiscent of Maximus returning home to his farm after leaving the Roman Legion in Germania.
Worship of our Mighty Creator led by Jeremiah and Andrew S.
“Importance of Community” led by John M.
Meanwhile, the men on the mountain discuss purity and manhood.
Aquatics training led by Peter H.
Equestrian training led by John and Cora F.
Wilderness Survival Debrief
Adam T leads a scenario that requires the young men to move quickly over land and water.
Community Dinner with families
Bonfire from above.
Day 2 (Saturday) Introduction to farming and a Challenge
Picking rock.
Begin the day with reveille by Evan Duncan on the bagpipes. Aaron Chonko leads a physical training (PT) session. Men and young men break into groups to conduct farm work.
Men repair a rock wall that was built in the early 1800s.
Young men pick rock out of a field so it can be planted.
Grant shows young men and fathers his menagerie of animals and crops.
Young men load hay onto a wagon.
Teenagers go up the mountain
Young men learn land navigation with Dave.
Young men learn marksmanship with Aaron and Cory.
“Trainwreck” shares with men of Valor.
Eric “Trainwreck” Burkett lost his legs as a Marine MV-22 pilot. He now teaches archery at the world class level. He shares with the young men of VALOR part of his story. How God brought him through the after-effects of the devastating crash during Exercise African Lion in Morocco where two Marines lost their lives. During his 4 years, 1 month, and 1 day at Walter Reed, an old lady (Mary Respice) shared with him while he was feeling sorry for himself, “My cocky pilot, you need to know one thing here. You’re forgetting something. You’re forgetting that this isn’t about you (5:30). This is about God and about God’s plan. Obviously you have some work there at Walter Reed. So maybe instead of whining about things, maybe you ought to pick your spiritual kit up, put it on your back, and get to work.”
“I’ll tell you, I hated her for it. But she was right on. It was the truth.”
“What I had forgotten through all this was that when I had accepted Christ into my heart and asked forgiveness for my sins, is that I was taking another oath of enlistment. I was taking an oath of enlistment in the Army of Christ.”
“It’s not about the individual. It’s about the Mission. Sometimes there is a lot of sacrifice to accomplish that mission. Sometimes it costs lives to accomplish that Mission. What is different about the Army of Christ is …”
“His mission is already accomplished.”
“The battle is won.”
“What I had forgotten all along is that it’s not about me. What does God want me to do?”
Day 1 (Friday) Arrival
Valor Council 2023
Valor had its first annual Council at Pax-Terra Farm in southwestern PA from 16-19 Jun 2023. About 30 young men and 20 men joined Valor from five different states to meet each other, do some farm work, learn land navigation, marksmanship, ride horses, swim/canoe, and conduct wilderness survival for over 30 hours. The most important aspect of the three day experience was learning from each other and sharing eternal truths given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The goal of the weekend was to connect, encourage, equip, and get feedback. Each of those goals was met. The young men were challenged, learned important skills, and forged new relationships. The “old” men were refreshed and inspired in fellowship with other men serving the greatest Leader of all time, Jesus Christ.
Brandon Whitis shares a bit of his life story.
