Stories of Transformation through Contemplative Practice:
Lorain Fox Davis of Rediscovery, Four Corners

We were called by the Justice Department to ask if we could take this boy in at the last minute, and it was like in two days the camp was going to start. We were filled; and they said, "We have to get this kid out of town; his life is in danger," and AJ had been on the street for a couple years. He was 15 years old. He had been on the street since, I think, he was 13, supporting himself by running numbers and selling drugs. His best friend had just been murdered and they were out to get him, too, and they had to get him out of town and so the court sent him to our program.

AJ came in and picked a fight the first day, just walked in and saw whoever looked like it would be good to fight with and slugged him and so he was taken away to have a little quiet time. A couple days after that, he was just uncooperative. We had to keep him in the program, but he was upsetting the other kids. He was upsetting the counselors.

Wayne Goss came in to teach rock climbing and he got AJ out on the rocks and at first AJ was terrified. He wasn't going to climb those g-d rocks and nobody could make him. He made fun of the kids that went early and he was one of the last to go up and was very uncooperative. He got up the rock and got terrified. He got stuck on a ledge and Wayne must have sat over an hour talking to him and building his confidence and got him to climb the rest of the way. When he got to the top, he was triumphant, and he came down and was changed. In that moment of his own personal triumph and he said, "I never, I never believed in myself. I always thought I was bad. I never thought I could do anything right. 'cause that's what I grew up learning." He was tremendous. He came back again, trained to be a junior counselor. Wayne Goss came by last week for a visit and he said he's still in touch with AJ. AJ is married. Wayne helped him to go to college. He's got a job. He's steady. His life turned around.