Apparently, this was the middle week of the summer (which made Wednesday SUPER Hump Day). It was a really good week, and I was sad to let the kids leave (but not so sad to have a weekend of recovery... I slept for ten hours last night, and it was GLORIOUS).
Highlights include:
- First Baptist Church from Las Cruces. All of the church groups this week (we had three) were great, but I spent the most time with the kids (and leaders) from First Baptist. They ran their own program (comparing contemporary American super heroes, such as Spiderman and Batman, to Biblical figures, like Joseph and David), which proved a refreshing break from the Ranch's Exodus-study, and they gifted me with a super-cool t-shirt and water bottle before they left. All in all, they were a blast, and I'm going to miss them.
- The Forest. Lincoln National Forest opened this week, so camp has moved up onto the mountain. Digglers just got a whole lot more exciting (and Rebecca, our camp nurse, just got a whole lot busier).
- Fourth of July. The Ranch staff made an appearance in the annual Capitan parade, while our campers watched from the sidelines. I can't think of a better way to spend our nation's day of independence than chucking candy at children.
- The Trough. Seeing as how this is my second summer at the ranch, it's a little surprising that I hadn't gone in the horse trough before this weekend. But, on Saturday morning, team Australia (composed of kids from FBC) decided my time had come and voted to throw me in. (Good thing I wore my swimming trunks to breakfast.) It was a hot morning, and the water felt cool, but for some reason no one wanted to hug me after that. Go figure.
- The Smokey Bear Stampede. Fourth of July festivities in Capitan include a multi-day rodeo at the fairgrounds, and a handful of our staff made it out to the Saturday night installment. The food was worthy of any carnival (i.e. delicious, overpriced, and without nutritional value), and we got to see real cowboys (attempt to) ride bulls and bucking broncos. Definitely worth the ten dollar entrance fee.
I don't know who exactly is coming this week, but it should be a good one. Here are some ways you can pray for the Lone Tree community:
- Our staff. We need patience and endurance and energy (as always). Pray that we would stay focused on God, that we would have servants' hearts, and that we wouldn't devour each other (or any of the children).
- The kids. Pray for the ones that have already been here, that they would remember what they learned at Lone Tree as they return home, and for the ones that have yet to come, that they would be excited about camp and eager to learn (more) about God. Pray that no one gets seriously hurt, now that the forest is open and we can use the mountain again.
- Rain. Pray that it continues to rain (because the ground needs it) and that camp can continue to function around the weather (since rain tends to hault activities like digglers and mountain bikes). Pray that God would continue to protect Lone Tree as the lightning and hail storms happen more frequently.
- The Fort and Mexico Missions. Pray for Lone Tree's other ministries, that He would be revealing Himself to the people involved (staff and campers/missions groups) and that He would sustain the staffs through the rest of the summer.
It's all downhill from here! (Or so, it should seem.)
