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place to another—running all over the camp. Most of my teammates could not help because they were blindfolded or had their legs tied together or something. The staff made them helpless on purpose, so they would have to depend on the leaders to get them where they needed to go. Even if I had been able to easily find my team members and if they had all beenclose together, this would have been really hard. But it was super-hard because they were spread out all over the camp, and I had to run up and down hills and do a lot of backtracking to get all of them across a big field to our home base. This had not been an easy day: I had worked hard all day long, I had passed out, and I had helped keep my team’s spirits up. I did not want to run around and carry people long distances. I just wanted to stop and walk—all by myself, without being responsible for people who could not do anything to help me carry them.
    I learned so much that day about the importance of not giving up. Even though my team did not win the contest, we had the satisfaction of knowing we had given it our best. We refused to let other teams walk all over us without a fight. We did not win a prize, but we came away with our self-respect.
    One of the biggest lessons I learned that day is that anybody can quit; people quit all the time, and no one thinks very highly of them for doing it. Only real champions and people of character and strength keep going past the point of wanting to give up. Only real champions cross the finish line when they are completely worn out. But that’s where the rewards are.
    PAPAW HOWARD: NEVER GIVE UP ON SOMEONE YOU LOVE
    I can’t write a chapter about never giving up without including a story about my mamaw and papaw Howard. Their first names were Alton and Jean, and they are my great-grandparents on my mom’sside of the family. They lived across the street from me, so I remember them very well, even though Papaw died when I was seven years old and Mamaw died when I was sixteen.
    Mamaw and Papaw Howard were both spiritual giants and great people. Everyone at our church loved and respected them. My papaw was a successful businessman who owned a jewelry store, a chain of discount stores, warehouse clubs, and a publishing company. I will write about these things later in the book, but they are not what made him great. He was also a man of great vision in the church and started several ministries that are still helping many people today. But that’s not what made him great either. What made him great was his love for Mamaw, whom he called “Queenie.”
    Here’s part of their story. My papaw had been to war, and when he returned he fell in love with and married a beautiful young lady. A week after my grandfather, their first child, was born, my papaw was getting ready for work when heard the baby crying. He rushed into the kitchen to find my mamaw staring into space. He spoke to her, but she did not respond. Papaw had no choice but to take her to the hospital. After hours of crying and praying, my papaw heard the sad news that his sweet young wife had had a nervous breakdown. That started the journey that he and my mamaw traveled together for more than sixty years.
    Not many medications were available to help Mamaw in those early years, so my papaw dedicated himself to helping her live as good a life as she could. Even though he was very visible in the community and at church, he was never embarrassed or ashamed of Mamaw. He loved her so much. He never hesitated to invite missionaries, dignitaries, or all of our big family to their home for meals, where he would fry fish and Mamaw would cut up potatoes for French fries.
    As the years went on, better medication became available, and Mamaw’s quality of life improved. It seemed like a miracle. But that’s not the miracle. Here’s the miracle. “Jean Howard” is the name hundreds of people would say if asked to name a prayer warrior or woman of great faith. Papaw also wrote one