“I have been to both SWET I and SWET II and have staffed SWET I. I was the kind of guy who thought that he has his “act together”. And all I really wanted to do when I went to the SWET I weekend was to camp out and hang out with the guys for the weekend. Hey, I’m a guy and that’s what I like to do. However, it wasn’t until I got there on that June weekend and faced my life as it is, that I realized I didn’t have my act together as much as I believed. Through that first weekend and into the subsequent ones, I have become a different guy on the inside. SWET let me discover my demons and gave me the strength and the tools to defeat them. For instance, I never thought I had an alcohol problem, but alcohol was getting the best of me at times. SWET gave me the insight and inner strength to be able to quit all alcohol consumption. I was not the dearest father to my first daughter and I always thought I was there for her. It wasn’t until after I attended SWET that I realized just how much I wasn’t there for my first daughter. Needless to say, I am by all means working on it now. I am really a better dad now.”
“I’ve been involved in two SWET weekends and have experienced the powerful benefits of the weekend from both sides of the emotional spectrum. During the first weekend I was in a place of strength and confidence. I was really able to reach out to a number of hurting men from all walks of life, connect with them, and lend them much needed emotional support. Also, I was joined in the first weekend by my father and we made new in-roads and connections in our relationship. It was a great feeling! The second weekend was during a time of major personal despair for me. Yet, I was able to lean heavily on my SWET brother’s strength, compassion and wisdom to help me through and give me hope. Both experiences held a lot of lessons and growth for me and the camaraderie was great, too.”
“Camping out, completing physical tasks to make the camp work, breaking bread, emotionally and spiritually encountering the dark forces through magical processes were all part of the incredible work we did at the SWET retreat. The awesome power and genuine caring sphere around the camp facilitated me in being able to accept my imperfections, and acknowledge my anger, sadness, joy, shame and fear as okay feelings to have. The power of prayer to my God with the support of my brothers focuses me on my accountability, integrity, acceptance and love.”
“At age 63 I must say that it was the teenagers that taught me the most about myself.”
“I have found that you don’t have to be seeking something or be messed up to qualify to attend a SWET weekend, just that you want to live a fuller life and with deeper meaning and commitment. Yes, I still feel lonely at times, but through the SWET movement, I know that I have many Spiritual Warrior Brothers who care for me.”
