Much has been happening here at the ranch.  Spring is here!  I can see it in the green grass popping up everywhere, the new leaves on the trees, and the brand new baby goats that arrived last Monday.  Cocoa had three white babies with brown heads (they look like their dad) and Nellie had two, a white girl and a brown boy.  All mothers and babies are doing well.

Spring has also brought several work groups out to help us during February and March.  The ranch now has a garden that is ready to be planted, the fences got painted a bright white, and all sorts of work has been done in the activity building and under the bunkhouse.  The bunkhouse has to have all the utilities hooked up and the stem wall completed before we can begin work on the inside.  Please continue to keep this in your prayers as it feels like we keep having more and more set-backs.  But Lord willing, it will be ready to use by summer camp.

Speaking of summer camp, check the website calendar for all the dates.  We have a lot of new activities going on this summer so make sure you don't miss out!  Along with two weeks of summer camp (ages 8-16) we have a Cowboy Couples Weekend Retreat and a Summer at the Ranch program.  The Weekend Retreat is for any couple who would like to spend Memorial Day weekend at the ranch enjoying the same activities campers get to enjoy along with developing ways to strengthen your marriage.  The Summer at the Ranch program is actually a 4 week summer camp for ages 13-16.  These weeks will include more opportunities than regular summer camp such as Dog Obedience, Ranch Projects, and a more in-depth Bible study.  However, the fun of summer camp won't be excluded as we will still have daily horseback riding time, fun games, and lots of good ranch cooking.  The space is limited so be sure to sign up early to guarentee you won't miss out on any of the excitement!

We are thankful for the First Baptist Christian Academy 7th and 8th graders who came out to help this weekend.  They helped us paint the sides of the small animal barn and put in the fence around the garden.  They even helped dig up a water line across the driveway for irrigation.  It was a busy day on Saturday as all 22 visitors split into three groups to accomplish the tasks they set out to do.  The work was going smoothly until a large rainstorm moved in and drenched everybody.  We had to call work off for the day, however the group was more than happy to continue work the next day instead of taking their pre-planned hike.  So they were able to get the jobs completed.  Sadly the rain washed a lot of the paint off the barn, but they were able to get the whole thing repainted.  The garden fence is completly installed along with the water line.  It was a fun weekend and it is exciting to see things progress here at the ranch.  There is another work group scheduled for this next weekend, so there is sure to be a lot more work being accomplished and a fun time for all.

The bunkhouse is now on it's foundation, but we still need to put the stem wall in before we can start on the interior.  Hopefully we can get some more help to get it finished and usable before summer camp.  If you or anyone you know would like to come down to the ranch with a group or individually please contact us so we can schedule you in.  Thank you to all of those who have volunteered their time.  It is very much appreciated.

Rain has been a common theme this month so it has slowed a lot of the construction down, but we are very thankful for the much needed moisture.  It will make for a beautiful Spring!

Things have been pretty busy around the ranch lately.  Our new bunkhouse was just delivered on Wednesday.  It is a modular home that was delivered to the ranch in two halves.  Due to the amount of rain we are having lately it won't actually be put on it's foundation until later next week.  Also coming up next week is the Agape Youth Ministry's Annual Meeting.  This is the meeting where everyone who is involved with the ranch and ministry get together to discuss the previous year and what the future holds.  It is a long two days of meetings, but very exciting as we move closer and closer to the opening of the residential program here at the ranch.  This is a breif recap of what's been going on at the ranch lately.  We have MMAPer's (Mobile Missionary Assistance Program) busy at work on the dog kennels and activity building, and they soon will be working on the bunkhouse.  It's amazing how much they can complete in such a short time.  We also have a new staff member living here at the ranch.  His name is Jason Morales and he is an assistant to Jake in helping out with maintenance issues.  When we have youth here he will be a Mentor/relief Bunkhouse Parent for them.  So much to do, but yet so much more is getting done every day.  How exciting! 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  At the ranch we had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner on Friday.  It was complete with turkey, stuffing, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, and all the trimmings.  Yum, Yum!  That same weekend we had a staff meeting with Jan and Gordy, so there were a lot extra people around the ranch to help us celebrate.  After the dinner a few of us managed to stay awake long enough to play some lively games of Spoons and Whoonu.  That was a lot of fun.  Then on Saturday we had our monthly meeting to discuss more about the ranch program.  It has been a great weekend full of lots of food and family!

The beginning of December brings with it MMAPer's (Mobile Missionary Asistance Program volunteers).  They are such a blessing to all of us at the Agape Youth Ranch.  I am looking forward to getting to know all of the four couples that are here this month.  They are certainly going to be busy.  The sewer system needs to be installed for the new bunkhouse that is soon to arrive (late January or early February -- as we've last heard) and concrete footers need to be poured.  Work also needs to be done on the small animal barn, dog kennels, and staff house, so we all are in for a busy next couple of months.  It's good to be busy though, that means we are all that much closer to the opening of the residential program.

The fall has brought cooler weather to the ranch, as we had our first frost last week.  I thought this was Arizona; it's suppose to be warm all the time right?  It would have been hard to convince me of that as I was bundled up in my winter coat and gloves trying to take care of the animals.  We had a group from Michigan down to help us on various construction projects and they loved the weather.  I guess it all depends on what you're used to.  The group laid a water line to the new bunkhouse, helped organize Conner's building, and continued concreting the snake wall around the yard.  All this was done with a lot of fun and many smiles.  Groups always bring joy to the ranch.  This one particularly for the Lawsons, as they were from their home church back in Michigan.  Another group is scheduled to arrive the second week of November.  It's good to see progress being done at the ranch as things have considerablely slowed down around here.

Things may have slowed down construction wise, but planning for the up-coming residential program is still in full swing.  This weekend the staff here at the ranch participated in a two-day meeting to discuss the details of the program and the curriculum for the youth.  It is so exciting to know how close we are to getting the program started.  Please continue to be in prayer about the permits for the bunkhouse, as it is one of the last pieces of the puzzle that needs to fall into place before we can get started.  Thank you for all your prayers up to this point.  It is amazing to me to be able to see the hand of God at work even when we don't know all the details.  He has everything planned in His perfect timing and I am content to wait on Him.

As you may have heard, I have been attending Dog Obedience Training School near Austin, Texas.  Thank you very much for your support to make this trip possible.  My last four weeks have been very busy.  I knew I wouldn’t be having much free time when on the first day I was handed a stack of books, videos, and CDs and was told I had to learn them by memory.  Each day I got up early to feed and take care of my dogs before class.  I was given four dogs plus my own to train and care for.  These were dogs from a local rescue group that needed training before they could be adopted out.  I spent the majority of the day training these dogs, teaching obedience classes once a week, and learning about various aspects of the dog training business.  Our class size was very small so I could tailor it to my needs and ask any questions I wanted.  This was very beneficial.  After class I fed and walked my dogs again before going home.  While in Austin I stayed with a wonderful couple who lived not to far away from the school.  They were very nice to let me stay with them and were wonderful cooks!  Thank you Paul & Helen!  However, that was just the beginning of my evening.  I usually had a substantial amount of homework that needed to be completed before the next day.  This could be anything from watching a video in preparation for the obedience class I had to teach, to one of the many projects due before the end of the class.  All this was leading up to the final test.  I had to score well on this test before I could pass the class.  Thankfully, with a great deal of prayer, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I graduated (along with Butterscotch.)  I am now a certified dog trainer!  This means a lot for the ranch, as we can now move forward on our dog program.  Each residential youth that stays here will receive a dog and they are responsible for all its care and training.  They will learn more about themselves and gain responsibility, patience, and love as they work with their dog.  This also gives us as a staff one more way in which to share the love of Christ through one of God’s creations.

Well, it's amazing how when you put something off, it just gets easier and easier to keep putting it off.  I've found that true with my weekly blogs.  However, it's also true from a spiritual standpoint.  Those things you find yourself continually doing that are not honoring to God, you can put those off as well.  Let me tell you, it's not going to be easy!  However, the more you willfully put something else in the place of that sin (and ask God for help!) the easier it becomes.  This is something that the six campers at the Advanced Camp along with their counselors learned during their two week stay here at the ranch.  It was an awesome two weeks filled with scripture passages and application, interactive games (even on horseback), lots of riding time, and horsey knowledge.  The two weeks were split up by a weekend camping trip up in the mountains.  Everyone had a great time and felt that they learned at least one thing during camp.

That was the end of July and now it's the begining of September.  Where has the time gone?  August has been a month of rest for most of the staff here at the ranch.  A few of us took vacations back home to visit family, but mostly we're just settling back into our daily routines.

My schedule is going to change here shortly as I am headed to a dog training school in Austin, Texas.  I am taking my dog, Butterscotch, with me and am planning on learning as much as I can about training dogs so I can then teach the residential kids how to train their dogs.  This is an exciting step towards the begining of the residential program.  Even though it's been a long time in coming, I know it will be here before we know it.  God is awesome how He works like that!

Camp 2 is now only a memory.  But a good memory!  Memories of rain dances, toilet tag, vaulting moves, cricket catching, emergency dismounts, mattress surfing, and "yer momma" jokes are still running through my head.  We had 10 campers with 6 boys and 4 girls and we had a blast!  That's just the right amount to be able to get to know everybody.  I won't say we didn't have any issues, but we were able to work them out and grow stronger because of it.  We had some really great kids this week with a lot of energy and motivation.  And the early rains didn't slow them down one bit!  Wednesday it was nice and hot and we had water games all afternoon.  This was a lot of fun and a needed break from the ordinary schedule.  Then to top it all off we had ice cream sundaes and movie night that evening.  Another big highlight of the week was the Friday night camp fire.  We ate smores, sang songs, and even matched off in a game of football.  Then three of the counselors gave their testimonies and we wrapped it up as the stars shown above us.  Saturday morning was the parents program where each camper got to show off what they had learned that week.  Everything went well and a good time was had by all.  Thanks everyone for a great week!

With all that said, we must move ahead towards the third camp.  This will be the 2-week advanced camp with only 6 campers.  I'm looking foward to another great week filled with fun and excitement!  I've been planning the curriculum for horse science and riding class and know everyone is in for a huge treat.  We're really going to dig in to several different aspects of the horse world and enjoy lots of games along the way.  Without giving away too much, here's a quick teaser of what you'll get to learn:  how to tell how old your horse is, how to use leg aids when riding, what the difference is between a cremelo and a hackamore, and some fun horsey games to play with you and your friends.  On top of all that you'll get some great Bible teaching and some practical advice on how to apply it to your life.  Can't wait to see you all here!

Here we are again with another week of summer camp looming on the horizon.  It always seems so stressful at the begining of the week, but then as the week progresses I realize just how much of a blessing it really is.  I know there are campers out there chomping-at-the-bit, hardly being able to wait the two more days until they arrive, while here at the ranch we are busy preparing for their arrival.  We are evaluating the schedules, pairing horses with campers, and preparing the daily devotions and chapel lessons.  Bring on Week 2 of Summer Camp!

June 7th thru the 13th was the camp for ages 8-11.  We had 12 campers who thoroughly enjoyed themselves throughout the week.  We did games like who could transfer the most Q-tips from one plate to another with the glob of vaseline on their nose and missionary versus head-hunters.  Crafts included shrinkydinks and a rock snake.  The lesson theme was Obedience, with the Veggie Tales Jonah movie shown on Wednesday night.  The campers learned about cattle, goats, sheep, and chickens in animal science.  They even had a special surprise on Wednesday when two of the mother hen's eggs hatched out fuzzy chicks:)  And on Friday we had a visit from a lady who is a hawker.  She brought her falcon and told about the sport.  And of course, everyone got to ride.  We had a few that had never ridden before and it was fun for them to be able to show their parents what they had learned in a week of camp.  A new event this year was driving.  Each camper got to learn how to drive a cart and donkey.  Then at the end of the week, they each received their "driver's license."  Also new this year was the daily puppet show.  The counselors and teen staff got the joy of putting on a puppet show for the campers and they loved it.  Even though the campers were rolling in laughter, I think the puppeteers were receiving the most benifit.  It was lots of fun!

Well, onward and upward, "if only I may complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me -- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."  Ready for another week of summer camp!

We are very thankful for all the help we've had this month at the ranch.  A work group from Phoenix came out last weekend and Eric from New Mexico has been here this week.  The Conner's building has a partition in it now separating the shop from the classrooms.  The activity building is progressing slowly with more doors and windows being added all the time.  And the small animal barn now has shelters and gates for the donkey, pony, and bottle calf!  It's getting closer and closer to being finished.  More exciting news is that we broke ground for the bunkhouse this week.  The ground has been leveled and footings are being dug in preparation for the foundation.

 One week until Summer Camp!!!  Everyone here at the ranch is busily preparing for this large under-taking.  The horses are getting in shape, furniture is being moved, food is being bought, schedules are being created and then modified, and then modified again, Bible lessons and devotions are being prepared, the puppet show is being polished, and most importantly prayers are being prayed (lots of them).  Please help us lift up these weeks in prayer.  That each camper may leave here with a better understanding of who their Lord and Savior is and how they can be obedient to Him.  Please lift up the staff and volunteers as we pour out our love and energy to these campers, all for His glory.  Pray especially for Ms. Eva as she delivers the message during this first week of camp.

Yes! I did mention puppets earlier.  New this year is the puppet show.  The ranch has been blessed with some very nice pupppets and stage that we plan to use this year during camp.  I have been preparing the skits, making props, and adding sound effects all in hopes of providing a delightful show for the campers.  Hope you enjoy!