Saturday, 26 June 2021
As the sun rises in Nassau, our staff members wake and begin setting up onboard the Morning Star as we await the arrival of this year’s Valkyries. The past 48 hours have been spent traveling and preparing for what we hope will be a week of growth and healing. For staff, this is one of the more stressful days – we ask Chaps to pray for the safe travel of all, that connections are made and luggage arrives, and that the hearts and minds of our participants are open to the week in front of them.
The arrival of Veterans is a mixture of emotions but the excitement this year exceeds any we have seen before as this group has had to wait an entire year for their retreat thanks to the pandemic. Most are excited, some apprehensive, nearly all are exhausted from traveling through the night or very early departures from their homes. For some, this is the first time they are traveling without the assistance of a loved one, others are leaving the country for the first time since they returned home from combat. All are out of their comfort zone. We strive to make everyone feel welcome and work through the process of transportation from the airport, to the docks, loading onto our Vessel, and departing for the Exumas. Paper work, bunk assignments, more paperwork, issuing gear, verifying certifications, and of course lunch, all before we can depart.
Before lines are tossed and the boat can leave the harbor, we address a couple of false truths with this year’s group. One is the idea that this program, or any program, can completely heal a Veteran. While most share common themes in their trauma, it is still unique to each individual and how they process those events. While these men and women will receive more counseling in a week than many traditional programs offer in 6 months, we cannot return a Veteran to who they were before their trauma. This program is meant to serve as a pivot point for an individual who is not satisfied with the status quo… for someone who is looking to change the trajectory of their life. We are going to address hard concepts and difficult topics. We may challenge their ideas and understanding of trauma. But if they can have faith in our process and, if only for one week, be vulnerable enough to go all in, we promise them that their life can be changed.
Once everyone has arrived safely, crew and staff introductions are complete, safety briefings finished and some critical repairs to the boats refrigeration system, we depart Nassau harbor for the crossing of the Yellow Bank towards the Exuma Cays. The weather is a bit rougher than we have seen in the past with heavy wind and rain on the horizon. Chaps prays for the group’s success this week, for a safe week at sea, and for those still in harm’s way in distant lands. We are blessed to be in this amazing place where real healing can begin.
