ALERT Cadet

Since 1998 my family has been privileged to be involved with ALERT Cadets. Our unit here in Tulsa is an amazing group of guys that have all grown to be family. Our unit has become very involved with many different ways in the local community. On Vimeo I have posted two recent Time lapse videos of a few of our activities... 

Below is a short essay I wrote for the ALERT Cadet 10th anniversary essay contest.

 

What Cadets Means to Me

ALERT Cadets will always have a special place in my heart. Why? First, it is the tool that helped my father win my heart. And secondly, it allows me to mentor and be an example to other young men.

We entered ALERT Cadets in 1998. At the time my relationship with my father and three other brothers was “average”. We were missing the excellence of heart to heart relationships. Through spending focused time together in meetings, working on handbooks, serving others, campouts, and other various activities, we have grown close in our relationships with one another and with our God. 

In our unit we each have those exceptional individuals we look up to as mentors and guides and those who look up to us. It is a challenging responsibility, but that is what is so distinctive about Alert Cadets. The unit is the body of Christ in miniature, which promotes our growing into the mature men God has called us to be. Opportunities were provided for my father to come alongside me, and fathers to encourage one another, in the shared goal of turning their hearts toward their sons.

When I think of Alert Cadets, I am thankful for God strengthening my relationship with my father and each of my brothers. It means the world to me that my father, brothers and I can now share our hearts with one another.