Day Camp, week 1

Strong Tower Ranch
April 11-15

First week of day camp!!! Yesss!!! 

The week went super well, for not having any idea what we were going to do. We had a new schedule this year, which, to be honest, didn't go so well for the Barn people. It turned everything topsy-turvy. But that's okay, because we learned to pull together and fall on God's strength to get us through the heat. And it still went super well, I thought.
So tons happened. Get some coffee(cause that's how we roll on the swamp) and set in. :) If you're interested, that is. *shrugs to make it feel like it's your decision*

 On Merry Monday, I met a super sweet little kid who asked me to pray that he would stop getting sick so much. I noticed that one counselor looks like a younger Dylan O'brien. Another counselor wears an iconic wildflower in his flowing locks. There were also perfect Toy-Story clouds in the sky. 

It was really awesome. Full of Jesus and work. But hey, I like it that way. I also dubbed the group that cleans up the dry-lot as the Poop Squad. So that's a thing now.

Poop Squad: only squad I wanna be a part of.

On Tenacious Tuesday, my dad made me eggs for breakfast before I left. We had the Cowpoke girls for trail rides, and this one little girl made me tear up. If I can get it finished, I'm going to post that story soon. It was the Holy Spirit moving, though. I love that feeling. We also had a group of kids  from another camp come up in the afternoon for trail rides. It was really awesome to see the girls in the Barn pull together and fall on strength that's NOT OUR OWN to give these kids an awesome afternoon. And it was. They blessed us.

On the way to lead trail rides.

On Wow Wednesday, one of the horses got caught on the huge dumpster that we have to walk past, and tore the leather cinch off. It was really providential that the cinch was so worn out where it was, because if it wasn't, and it hadn't ripped...I don't want to think about what would have happened. Solomon, our big half-draft, was the one who got caught. He just tore away with incredible strength. It made me think about the song Face to Face, by Mat Kearney. The chorus says, "Your hand on my side, leading the way, ten thousand horses couldn't pull me away." Think about that for a minute. WOW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3h9ukTeDw4

On Thankful Thursday, we all pretty much hit a wall. It was hot. Mrs. Brooks got very sick and was out for most of the day. The girls were exhausted. Some of them had blisters that were bleeding through their socks. I'm pretty sure my friend Hannah reached the end of her mental capacity. I felt very unwell myself. It was hard. It was so hard. But I kept telling myself, over and over, my strength is not my own, my strength comes from the Lord. All day long, I had the same lines from a song stuck in my head: "I lift my eyes up to the hills; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." The Lord gave us strength, especially in the form of Ms. Kathy, one of the sweetest and loveliest people I've ever met. She rallied through it, keeping her smile bright and her hands working hard. I'm so proud of the wranglers for that day, and how they pushed through.

Best squad ever.

Fearless Friday...the last day of camp. It's always a little bittersweet; a little sad, a little relieving. It's the best day, though. We have a closing ceremony for the campers and their families, and we walk out all the horses for them to see. I love to hear the little voices scream out the name of the horse that they rode. Sometimes they scream the wrangler's name, too, and that makes me smile extra big. There was one kid who was known at the beginning of the week as the problem child. On Friday, he was runner-up for Camper of the Week. Total change of attitude, in two days. Then on Friday night, we have a dinner for all the volunteers. Best part, hands down, is Testimony Time, where people can share their stories of what God has done in the week. It's awesome. I love it.

I love this job. I'm in awe that I am able to do this. And I get to do it for four whole weeks, God willing. It is amazing.

not mine but still STR and WOW

P.S. my pictures are a little bit blurry but i'm not why cause they're not on my computer so
i guess i'll have to figure that out
sorry :/
thanks for reading. :)