No Stress Here

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Board members accepting Certificate of Appreciation from Chaplain Ginsburg

Happenings

March Couple’s Retreat

The retreat was held at Fredericksburg Inn and Suites, Fredericksburg, TX. This month was a couples only event which provided more ‘class time’ for attendees to share experiences and learn from each other as well as the chaplain.

Friday after enjoying the build your own sandwich and banana split bars everyone settled back to enjoy T.J. Smith entertain “with a little help from his friends”. T.J. is very good at impersonating voices-those are his ‘friends’. He is also very generous to donate his time and talent to entertain and visit with men and women who have given so much for this country.

Around 11:30am Saturday food started arriving for lunch. Those First Baptist’s really know how to eat!! They served some of the best smoked chicken I’ve ever had! On top of being delicious (everyone agreed) it was healthy! Ok, Ok, so healthy doesn’t exactly fit in the same sentence as pecan pie and brownies but DELICIOUS does. Anyway, about 3 pm class was over and couples were free to go on a date and practice some of the things they had been talking about the past two days.

We decided this was an ‘international’ R&R because there were attendees there from: Italy, Germany, Porto Rico, Guam and the U.S.

There are more photos in the Couple’s Retreat – March Album

Happenings

February, 2016, Family Retreat

Families came to Fredericksburg last weekend, 2/19-2/21, looking for some respite from their everyday military life.

They were greeted with smiles, hugs and huge welcomes Friday night. Seems they can’t get away from the chow line but this time it was for awesome homemade chili, hot dogs and all the trimmings followed by mountains of chocolate treats!! Then came BINGO!!! Then everyone went to their guest house or hotel for the night.

Saturday after a leisure morning, everyone met at Fredericksburg Brewing Co. for lunch then back to the Methodist Church for some counseling sessions with Chaplain Ginsburg. The kiddos were being cared for by Aloha Sitters while the adults were with the chaplain. During a break Lauren was surprised with a birthday cake complete with candles and singing. The chaplain told everyone to go have a fun ‘date night’ without the children. And they did!!

While here some went to the movie, the gun & knife show, trade days, National Museum of the Pacific, sat on the guest house porch and watched deer, slept – basically relaxed!! No, no one could do all of these things but they had a lot to choose from. Just a few comments from our guests:

“It’s so peaceful.” “Everything is so nice!” “Didn’t Know What to Expect” “Counseling was So Good”

GOD is so good to provide generous people in Fredericksburg willing to support Wounded Warriors at Nebo by donating their guest house, cooking, discounted tickets, volunteering, financially and prayers. Without you all these events would not happen. THANK YOU!!

Photos from the event are in the Gallery Click Here

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Happenings

WW Families in Fredericksburg, December, 2015

The weekend of December 4th-6th was our annual Family Retreat. Everyone arrived and checked in at Inn on Baron’s Creek then gathered in the conference room for orientation and dinner. After dinner it was up to main street for the parade. In case you haven’t guessed, we always schedule the Family Retreat to coincide with the parade. This was the first time in Fredericksburg for some of our guests and others had never seen a lighted parade. Chairs had been set up in front of the Nimitz Museum for the families. If claps and cheers are any indication, everyone really enjoyed the parade. There were several comments about how nice it was to see several nativity scenes on floats.

Saturday all met back in the conference room for an exercise in the 5 Languages of Love. After lunch everyone was free to go ice skate, visit the museum, explore main street or just hang out. During dinner there were drawings for gifts ranging from CDs to Gift Cards to Pray Shawl (every family received an adult gift and one for a child). Then Sunshine the clown arrived to entertain the kids (both big and small).

WWAN thanks Angel Chefs who not only donated all the food but prepared and served it. Also, it was really great to see a couple of families who haven’t been here in a while.

We had good weather, Old Friends, and made some New Friends. What more could you ask for?

All photos from the event can be seen in the “Family Retreat” album.
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