Greeting to ALERT Alumni:
With a slight break in the action it’s probably a good time to get off an end of the year wrap up to all of you as well as some thoughts as we look to 2018.
It was our first full year of implementing our vision to “Forge extraordinary men who will Influence their world for Christ.” I appreciate our staff’s enthusiasm as we stand behind this and it reminds us daily for the reason why we do what we do. Continue to pray it will remain our focus in days of spiritual dryness or uncertainty.
In 2017 we had 66 guys go through Basic, a number we hope to greatly improve on in 2018. As you can understand it becomes difficult to run third phase classes when numbers are so limited in earlier phases so pray with us that God would send the increase allowing us to offer more opportunities of training to guys that attend the academy.
Our six week flight program went well in the fall and we are looking at the possibility of running our next class in March. It was exciting to see a number of men receive their private pilot’s license in such a short time. We also hope to run our next EMT class in March along with Cadre for Unit 59. If you are interested in being a part of any of our training in 2018 send us a note to help us plan ahead. Tech Rescue and our Fire Academy are planned for the summer and fall.
I continue to get regular requests from employees looking for good guys to work for them. This month’s opportunity is with the Stillwater Fire Department in Oklahoma. Information regarding the position, benefits, and compensation can be obtained at Stillwater.org or by contacting Assistant Chief Jory Stanley at jstanely@stillwater.org.
We’re targeting March 30-April 1, 2018 for our next alumni retreat weekend with this one to be held in Waynesburg, PA, about an hour south of Pittsburg. We will be using the Conquer Series once again as a focal point. As I mentioned in my last newsletter if you or someone you know is struggling with pornography this really is the event to be a part of. Our Green Lake retreat in October was life changing and I want as many alumni to be a part of it as possible. This weekend is open to your brothers, dad or whoever you know that could benefit. More details to come but I can assure you it will be affordable to all. It also offers great tools for you to use if you are counseling someone else in this struggle.
Finally, we occasionally have individuals we would like to add to staff but their citizenship (usually Canadian) does not allow us to put them on payroll due to legalities. The role we are looking to fill is related to better utilizing social media to get the word out about ALERT. If you would like to make direct donations to such an individual (note it is not tax deductible) let me know and I will put you in direct contact with him.
Have a great Christmas season and please keep in touch. Let me invite you to send us a Christmas letter or photo update to keep us better informed. It’s always great to hear from you and reminds us to keep you in our prayers.
In Him,
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