Retreat – Wounded Warriors at Nebo

Soldier Songs and Voices

October 8, 2022October 8, 2022
by dottietheadmin

Wounded Warriors at Nebo (WWAN) spent September 15-18 hosting a new type of work shop event for the first time. Seven combat veterans and 4 professional musicians came together for two days of collaboration and mentoring in the art of poetry/lyric writing. They spent the days talking, exchanging ideas, collaborating and fine-tuning their compositions which were based on their military experiences. This was a diverse group of warriors whose age and experience included serving in Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Several participants brought their own instruments. Warrior Cry Music Project donated guitars for those who did not have one.

Several of the participants were joined by their families for the evening meals and for the concert/finale held on Saturday evening. At the concert, each participant was encouraged to share their work. Some sang and some recited with background music provided by the pros. The weekend finished with a few selections from the repertoires of each of the mentoring musicians – Dustin Welch, Butch Hancock, Bernie Nelson and George Ensle.

Comments from several of the participants and musicians indicate that this was a very fulfilling and healing experience for those involved.

WWAN would like to offer a special “thank you” to Janice Ballard of the Texas Heritage Music Foundation for making the initial connections and helping to pay the expenses of the professional musicians for this special event. We also thank Clear River Ice Cream, Bakery & Deli for their generosity in donating Friday’s lunches. In addition, Stephanie Borda and Carlton Turner catered the evening meals.

This event wouldn’t have happened without your help and all the volunteers who participated.

Photos taken during the event can be viewed by clicking on this link. You can view and download all the photos at https://dlroberts.zenfolio.com/p596369359

Retreat

Soldier Songs and Voices

June 28, 2022July 3, 2022
by dottietheadmin

Attention Veterans

Wounded Warriors at Nebo is partnering with The Texas Heritage Music Foundation to provide a Soldier Songs & Voices (SSV) event hosted by songwriting coaches Bernie Nelson, George Ensle, Butch Hancock, and Dustin Welch. Veterans, both retired and active duty, who served in combat areas will work with these professional song writers to create a song that tells their story.

“The Soldier Songs & Voices, a non-profit organization, has been helping veterans using the therapeutic modality of songwriting with the aftermath of conflict duty since 2011.”

Participating veterans will arrive on Friday, September 16th. Then on Saturday, September 17, the veterans and their song writing coach will present their songs.

If you or someone you know are interested in participating in this event, let us know by contacting Elizabeth Fargason at (830) 998-3254 or [email protected].

Space is limited to 15 participants and their spouses.

Remember, food and lodging cost you nothing!!

Copied from SSV’s website: “Soldier Songs & Voices is a nonprofit organization that provides free instruments and songwriting lessons to veterans as a form of post-conflict care. Through music education and community-based outreach, we provide veterans with tools to turn their stories into songs so the nation can hear their voices. Our goal is to create communities that honor veterans of all generations. We do not just support veterans–we invest in them.” Check out their website at https://www.soldiersongsandvoices.com/more information and some of the songs they have helped other veterans write.

Retreat

Couples Retreat May 13-15, 2022

May 17, 2022
by dottietheadmin

Both the U.S. Army and U.S. Marines were represented in the eight couples attending a weekend retreat in Fredericksburg, TX lead by Chaplain Alex. Everyone gathered at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church for welcome by the Wounded Warriors at Nebo team members, orientation, dinner and a short introductory session to the weekend. Their first session Saturday morning addressed finances and was presented by a guest speaker, Mr. Winfred. Lunch was at Hondo’s on Main. Guests were free for the afternoon to go exploring, lay by the pool, go shopping or anything else they wanted to do. Several went to the Museum of the Pacific War. Chaplain Alex spoke about the 5 Love Languages challenging attendees to identify theirs and apply the theory to their lives. Saturday evening meal, provided by the Church of Ladder Day Saints, was a little early so those wishing to could go to a movie. Chaplain Alex held one final session on Sunday morning before releasing everyone.

During their time in Fredericksburg, the couples were provided; their lodging at the Inn on Baron’s Creek, their meals from Friday evening through lunch Sunday, free admission to the Museum of the Pacific War and Fritztown Cinema.

We sincerely appreciate and thank the members of the Fredericksburg UMC and LDS who hosted evening meals and made the guests feel welcome and loved. We also thank the Inn on Baron’s Creek, Hondo’s on Main, the Museum of the Pacific War, Chocolat and Fritztown Cinema for their consideration and assistance in making this a memorable weekend.

A special THANK YOU to our photographer, David Roberts, a professional who donates his time to taking & editing photos to document the events. You can view those photos by following this link to the photo album https://wwnebo.org/photos or click on the “Photo” tab at the top of the page. You may also go to the photographer’s website http://dlroberts.zenfolio.com/f575051704 to view and download any you want.

Retreat

Couples In Relation 19-21 November 2021

November 27, 2021November 27, 2021
by dottietheadmin

Eight couples and Chaplain Alex from the Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX. arrived in Fredericksburg Friday afternoon for a weekend of relaxing and with the Chaplain’s help, focusing on emotional awareness, reflection and growth of healthy relationships.

Everyone gathered at Hill Country Church for a delicious dinner with their first focus session to follow the meal. Church members volunteered to cook and serve the dinner while others were there to visit with the couples as they arrived and during the meal making them feel welcome and appreciated.

Saturday morning started with sessions 2 and 3 at the hotel followed by a break for lunch at Hondo’s on Main. Since couples were to spend the afternoon practicing what they had learned, they could set their own schedule for lunch.

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church hosted dinner Saturday evening. Couples were greeted with flowers for the ladies and individual photo which they were provided copies of to take with them. Volunteers served the delicious meal and made everyone feel welcome.

Sunday morning couples attended their last session. Prior to being dismissed, they received a devotional for couples and a box lunch. Some couples indicated they were going to explore Fredericksburg while others were headed back to San Antonio.

Follow this link https://wwnebo.org/photos to see photos of this event.

Many people worked together to make this weekend run smoothly and enjoyable for our guests. Thank you to all the volunteers from H.C. Church, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, members of the DAR, The Inn on Baron’s Creek, Clear River Ice Cream, Bakery & Deli, Hondo’s on Main, The Museum of the Pacific War, Fritztown Cinema, The Pioneer Museum and the Wounded Warriors at Nebo team. Thank you for the generosity of your time, discounts and donations. Hopefully we haven’t forgotten anyone however if we did, GOD knows who you are!!

Retreat

No Stress Here

February 12, 2020
by dottietheadmin

Saturday, February 7, six women arrived in Fredericksburg for a relaxing weekend. All of these women have very special, difficult jobs. Each one is a caregiver for her spouse. For those of you who do not know what being a caregiver is, it’s a 24/7 job of taking care of someone who is wounded, injured or ill. If there are children at home then that just adds to the difficulty and stress. Getting away for a weekend with others in similar circumstances to talk about what’s going on, exchange ideas and getting a little pampering helps. It lets them know they are not alone which is very important since some are new to San Antonio having recently moved, leaving their families and support system behind so their loved one can receive the treatment he needs.

So after checking into a guest house in the beautiful hill country the ladies met Rene Pennington, a local Christian therapist who moderated some ice breakers while dinner was prepared. She would also be meeting with them Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon the ladies were treated to a manicure or pedicure then spent some time exploring main street before meeting at Hondo’s On Main for dinner.

When asked if they felt the weekend had been beneficial they all said an emphatic yes. Prior to the retreat three of the women had never met any of the other participants. All six left as friends who plan to support each other and reach out to friends who are also caregivers. They also stated at one time or the other that they rely heavily on God to help them through this difficult journey. What a blessing it was to have several of them join us for church Sunday morning.

This is the second retreat in our new Caregiver Retreat program.

Click on Photos at top of Home Page to see more picture of the event.

Happenings

Pampering and Relaxing

October 19, 2019October 19, 2019
by dottietheadmin

It finally came together! Wounded Warriors at Nebo has been working to have a care provider weekend for almost a year. This is a new program we are testing to see if it is something that is needed and helpful to care providers. This weekend was the ‘Proto-Type”. It could be called Pampering and Relaxing.

There was a ‘meet and greet’ Friday evening followed by dinner. Then Saturday there were several sessions with the counselor where the ladies shared experiences, got acquainted, and received tools to potentially help improve their roll as care provider to their husband. Later they were treated to a manicure or pedicure then explored Main Street. We all met at Hondo’s for dinner before they went to the concert at the BackDoor. Of course it rained but that didn’t seem to dampen their excitement and enjoyment of the venue. Sunday everyone attended services at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church prior to returning to San Antonio.

We had a lot of help making this happen. Use of a guest house was donated for the event, a local Christian counselor donated her time, Friday’s evening meal was prepared and served by a local volunteer, Hondo’s gave us a break on Saturday’s meal and tickets to the Billy Ray Cyrus concert were donated. And of course GOD was directing everything.

Feedback has been very positive so we look forward to more of these events.

To see more photos of the event click on “Photos” on the Menu bar on the home page then select the Pampering and Relaxing Album.

Retreat

Identifying & Expressing Your Feelings

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019
by dottietheadmin

Friday the 13th, yes, Friday the 13th, couples and families gathered at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church for the first session of the weekend with Chaplain Shannon. However, in keeping with the Friday the 13th legend it should be noted here that this retreat was to be hosted by and held at the First Baptist Church. During preparation on Thursday the Baptist’s were told there was a broken water main so there was NO WATER and no one was sure how soon it could be fixed. Hmm? Fortunately the Methodist Church was available so everything was moved across town and all of the warriors were informed of the change before they left San Antonio.

Session 1 began as Chaplain Shannon, utilizing visual aids and handouts, explained they were going to explore how to identify feelings and just as important, how to express them. The model the chaplain used would be good in any environment, i.e., military, corporate, home, etc. In fact, some of the volunteers asked for the website links for personal use. After the dinner break the children went back to their game areas while the parents and couples completed a second session before heading back to the hotel for the evening.

Saturday morning started with Chaplain Shannon leading the group through a third session where, like the previous evening, there was a lot of ‘audience’ participation. The chaplain then introduced a guest speaker who is a social worker at the Warrior Transition Battalion. She said that couples tend to lose sight of the things that attracted them to each other. Their challenge was to make a ‘Memory Box’ (my words). They were given a plain wooden box and then chose various items with which to decorate it. The decorations were to represent things that attracted the couple to each other and other significant events in their life. Couples took turns showing off their creations and explaining all the elements involved.

The children joined their parents for a delicious catered lunch after which everyone was free for the afternoon. Dinner was provided by members of the First Baptist Church. There was an amazing variety and amount of food for the warriors and families to enjoy. In fact, there were multiple go boxes prepared for the warriors.

During their free time in Fredericksburg, several went to Fritztown Cinema, the Museum of the Pacific War and the game room at Mr. Gattis’ Pizza as guests of Wounded Warriors at Nebo.

In spite of the rough start, this retreat’s 42 attendees left with new interpersonal skills.

Retreat

Fearless Marriage Retreat 14-16 September, 2018

October 31, 2018November 2, 2018
by dottietheadmin

With as much rain that was falling and had fallen one had to be fearless to venture from San Antonio to Fredericksburg for the weekend. However, 15 families with children ranging from 10 months to 17 years made the trip. Members of Running the Race Sunday School Class at First Baptist Church hosted Friday evening dinner and provided child care while parents were in counseling sessions with the WTB (Warrior Transition Battalion) Chaplain. Saturday after several more sessions and lunch the families were free to explore, go to movies, the museum, rest, etc. Yes, it was still raining but it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.

Click here to view photos from the event

Retreat

Couples Retreat

March 5, 2017March 5, 2017
by dottietheadmin

Thinking of February brings up images of Valentines, Chocolate, Roses, Romance, being with your special someone, etc, etc. And being incurable romantics, the WWAN team wanted the couples coming for the retreat to experience ‘it all’!!

There were roses and chocolate to greet each couple when they checked into their rooms. The conference room was set up with red linen table cloths and white china with a vase of roses on each table and of course some chocolate scattered around for munching. Red & silver hearts decorated walls and serving tables. While the couples relaxed around their table getting acquainted with each other, team members served dinner. The hardest decision anyone had to make was which dessert to have. Got the picture? We wanted these couples who were here for some marriage counseling to feel pampered – special.

Saturday morning the chaplain held two sessions before lunch. Then Bethany Lutheran Church kept up the Valentine theme! The tables were reset with white linens and more fresh flower center pieces. They had volunteers who, once the stage was set again, served the couples lunch and made it a point to visit with each person there.

There was one more counseling session after lunch then the couples were dismissed for their date night.

Sunday morning the chaplain held a brief worship service which was actually led by one of the attendees followed by a final session which ended around 11. Judging from comments during the weekend we accomplished our goal – that of making these men and women, some injured, some ill, some just hurting, feel special and for a short time anyway to focus on the positive things in their relationships. And we were honored to be a small part of the process.

This Retreat was made possible through donations from generous individuals and businesses in the Fredericksburg community and surrounding areas. We thank each and everyone of you! And special thanks to the following: Fredericksburg Inn & Suites for the special rates, Bethany Lutheran Church for providing the meal and visiting with the couples, The restaurants who allowed us to pay for Saturday nights meals after the fact (Cultures, The Rathskeller, Panda Chinese, Hondo’s, K-Bob’s), Museum of the Pacific War, Fritztown Cinema.

More pictures from the event are in the ‘Couples Retreat, February, 2017’ album. Click on “Photos” in the menu at the top of the page to access it. GOD IS GOOD!!

Happenings

WWAN Honored

March 17, 2016
by dottietheadmin

The purpose of this ministry is to honor the men and women who have and are giving so much to insure we, the American People continue to have the freedoms we have come to take for granted. We recognize that it’s not just the ones who are physically injured that have sacrificed. Their loved ones whether it’s a spouse, parent, sibling, children or significant other; the care provider and family are significantly impacted. Everyone’s life changes. Our goal is to recognize those involved to the extent possible and do whatever we can to give them a little respite and let them know that GOD and we love them and appreciate what they have done and are going through. Hopefully we expose them to a little ‘normalcy’. And help them integrate back into society in small group settings. All we want is to see that smile or share a hug. So , we are humbled when the Ministry is recognized for its service. And that’s what happened at the March retreat when Chaplain Ginsburg presented the Ministry with a certificate thanking it for its service and a flag that flew over Amman, Jordan. Both the Marines and Army were involved with this recognition. Again, it’s very humbling but also lets us know that perhaps we are doing what GOD wants us to.