Hay is for Horses!

Today we started our version of what I guess the medical profession would call a clinical rotation! We are going to be spending a few days working with specific programs here at the ranch to get a feel for how they run and to gain some new knowledge and experiences in different areas of camp! Today we started this process of obtaining a well-rounded education in the barn! We had a great day working with Biz and Morgan and the horses up in the Ramuda. Of course this experience didn't come without some fun and a trail ride through the snow! Besides a few basic, hands-on lessons in grooming and handling of a horse we also mucked out stalls and watched the farrier shoe some horses. Over all it was a very productive day!

Shovels, Camcorders and Tubes...

We worked Monday of this week since we had off on Saturday. We haven't been able to get in our classroom all last week because they were putting down a new floor in the new foyer! So after our meeting in the Conference room we got bundled up and went to work outside. There was 30 inches of snow out there that had to be cleared off the walkways and steps of all the buildings around camp. We shoveled snow all morning. Not an easy job, but we got it done. Matt is really great about knowing when we have worked hard and usually rewards us with some play time. Carpet ball anyone? We spent the afternoon taking our turns in front of a camcorder answering questions about the GPS program for the promotional video that we are making for the internship. That was fun and a nice change of pace.

Tuesday we had a bible class in the morning and in the afternoon Matt came in and told us that our job for the rest of the day was to make sledding tracks in the snow! No joke! RVR wants to run snow tubing as an activity for the Winter Meltdown this weekend. So they wanted us to make paths through the snow to the top of the hill by the zip line and several tracks for the kids to tube down. We got bundled up, inflated the tubes and headed to the hill. First we rolled down the hill to help pack the snow and then the only thing left to do was climb and slide over and over again to get the tracks smooth and deep. So fun! So exhausting! We spent all afternoon out there! It was so pretty on the top of the hill! It snowed all afternoon and the big flakes were coming down steady on top of the already deep snow. We had lots of helpers come out too. Just as we were slowing down the ranch kids came out with fresh energy and revived ours. It was fun watching them and playing with them! Zig brought out the tractor to see if we could get the big toboggan to the top of the hill. The only problem was the snow was too deep for the tractor to get to the top of the hill! It did make it up a few times and we dug and pushed the toboggan down the hill to get a path created for it. It wasn't working and finally we decided that the snow was too deep for the tractor and the toboggan. We were all exhausted by the time we called it a day. By that time the day's snow had already added a few inches to the preexisting 30!

I still can't believe that this is my job!!!

Preparation.

We just finished up with another winter meltdown retreat. All of us were able to enjoy a day's rest after the retreat and now are back to work getting ready for the next retreat. As always we have been hard at work cleaning the facilities so that each retreat that comes here can feel at home and comfortable. Last night the ranch got a couple inches of snow that gently covered the ground. As we woke up this morning, the sun was already starting to rise and warm up the ground. We began our day in fellowship and prayer and then proceeded to finish the cleaning of the ranch. Throughout the day, it began to get warmer and warmer and the snow that had fallen the previous evening began to melt away. As I sat there thinking about the snow melting away it got me thinking about the winter meltdown retreats. These retreats are a glimpse of summer to the kids who come here. They are excited and thrilled to be away from school and to have the opportunity to have an adventure. Their time at the ranch brings them joy and excitement which you can see in their smiles and enthusiasm that they have all weekend long. It reminds me why we do the things we do during the week, like cleaning toilets and vacuuming the carpets. It is so that those kids can have the opportunity to experience Christ in a way that they may have not before. During these retreats we are given the honor and privilege of seeing these kids start to grow much like the grass does soon after winter has ended. So we may simply be cleaning and getting last minute details around the ranch ready, we do it for a purpose and that purpose is to help kids enter a new season of their spiritual life, one full of growth and maturity where they can become passionate for the Gospel and make a difference in their world.

Winter Meltdown x2!

sometimes we experience things in life that just blow us away. some things are so simple and some so complex. either way it is hard to put into words how exactly you felt. i am reflecting on how much God showed up, how much He used us as a staff, and how much i grew as well. i must admit that i was excited for winter meltdown, but i was also so nervous. don't get me wrong i really couldn't wait, but you know how nerves can make you feel sometimes! we really had no idea what to expect because we had never experienced a winter program before. i guess that is a good thing so we wouldn't go into it with expectations! sarah's role was to create a reverse poem where it reads one way down and another way back up. it is called I Am. it is an absolutely beautifully written poem that shares about a person (or people in general) who has no hope and has no idea what they believe in. when read the reverse way it is about a person (or people) that has hope and who is living their life for the almighty I Am. she put so much work into it and it turned out beautifully. taco and ladessa wrote a skit/drama about the youth today and what they struggle with. it is about the expectations they feel they need to live up to and the ways they try to deal with pain. it is very powerful and unfortunately hits close to home for many youth. bill and ryan performed a different take on the verse of John 3:16 where they take this popular verse and challenge the youth to view this verse in a deeper way. i get chills just watching and listening! all of these interns are so talented! my role was to recite poems...4 of them to be exact. a few short and a few long. one was about 2 and a half minutes! well, now you see why i was so nervous! haha we were in constant prayer the whole weekend for the children and for the Lord to be our memory and calm our nerves.. He showed up so big.. my coworkers and i were in constant prayer for each other as well. it helped us grow in so many ways praying for each other and for the Lord to use us. we grew so much closer as a group. it is amazing when you do something for the Lord. not only did we grow in our walks, but we also had fun! just because we were working the program didn't mean we couldn't participate with the youth. haha it was a blast. the kids had so much fun as well. the Lord was really moving in their hearts.. around 5 people got saved and some rededicated their lives. we can never truly know the hearts of people, but i so believe that some of these kids came to know the Lord and experience Him in ways they had never before. we are blessed to be a part of this ministry.

winter meltdown weekend number 2 is done! it finished up 3 days ago.. it was once again a great and fun weekend. it was jr and sr high this weekend, so it was harder to get the kids to focus and listen, but i know the Lord was working regardless of that. it snowed a few inches friday night!! it was so much fun to experience a winter meltdown with actual snow on the ground :) a group of us still ran the zip line in 16 degrees while snowing! we had to get a picture of that kind of dedication! :) regardless of the freezing and snowy weather the youth were able to participate in the outdoor activities. we were more tired than the first weekend, but that is expected! this is where it is important to call on the Lord and not rely on our own strength. the Lord was giving us the strength and energy to help run the program well.. winter meltdown is such a cool program. it has some pretty powerful skits, dramas, poems, videos, and other ways kids can see the Lord. it is great to see it all come together.. another cool aspect is that our staff all comes together. we are growing so much closer and with the staff families as well. it is very unusual to see all the ranch families together and i am loving it! it is a cool thing that we get to reach kids for the Lord all while growing as a camp family. we like this camp ministry stuff. :) the Lord is good.

along the journey,
beth.