Recently, the Blackbox team spent several days in the Dominican Republic, training and counseling and planning together. One evening, happy but a little drained, they gathered in the living room of the boys’ home, relaxing and visiting, until Blackbox Counseling Director Jeremey Wolfe started some music.
And all at once, they started to dance.
Everyone danced–the boys, the houseparents, field directors Roger and Elaine Twitchell, the counselors and even Abuela. They started a conga line that wound throughout the little house. Then, one of the boys spun Elaine round and round, as the fatigue from the week melted away into laughter and joy and freedom.
But one boy remained on the couch.
At age 14, he pretended to be too interested in his computer game to notice the fun around him. His eyes, though, looked shy, as though he wanted to join in, but wasn’t sure how.
Elaine approached. She took his dark hands in hers and said with a smile, “Let’s go!”
She pulled him off the couch and he joined the dance, laughing and playing and experiencing the security and love and fun of family.
And that’s why we exist: to bring boys from bondage into the freedom of the dance. So that those who’ve never known joy or love can encounter the Christ who came to give them a rich, full life. We’re here to bring hope and healing to as many as we can, through a stable home environment, through compassionate counseling, through education and art…and even through music and laughter and dance.
“Let’s go!”