Graduation

The last few days of the internship were spent getting ready for camp and cleaning up and moving out of our houses. It was very bitter-sweet! Matt planned a nice graduation dinner for us that we invited our families to and we all had a great time fellowshiping with ranch family and friends. It was very special. I have come to understand how much I love the people here and how much they have influenced my life. I have learned from them, laughed with them, ached with them, sweat with them, froze with them, joined with them in serving others, been served by them and served them. They have been a blessing to me and I hope I have been a blessing to them.

Matt and the interns have been all this and more. We have watched each other learn, helped each other grow, relied on one another's strengths and picked up where there were weaknesses. The fights, the tears, the laughter, the sweat, the blood, the prayers, the stories and the jokes were real and were shared by all. Together we went from being unsure and confused to confident and only slightly confused. I have made memories, acquired skills, formed friendships, built character and gained knowledge that will be with me for the rest of my life.

The internship is over, But summer camp is about to begin! I can't wait to watch RVR come alive with kids! I am excited about using my skills and new insight this summer as I minister to the campers. I also look forward to seeing the other interns thrive in the positions we have been preparing for.

It was a great 9 months! These last three will be even better! Boomstang!

Bleach in....Bleach out

So we have been doing a lot to 1.) get ready to finish up the internship and 2.) get ready for camp. For the last few days that has meant cleaning. We were up at Fort Roller all day yesterday mowing, weed whacking, sweeping, raking, power washing, scrubbing, assembling, re-arranging and disinfecting. Today we detailed all of Frontier Town and then went back up to Fort Roller to finish up some things. After that we moved over to Arrowhead woods and did the same thing. Things are really starting to look good! They were looking pretty bad. We had the privilege of cleaning some bathrooms that have been locked since end of last summer. You would think they would be clean... but no. One word...Mold. We pretty much doused each bathroom with bleach and then power washed them. Then we sprayed them down with bleach again and let them sit over night. We power washed them again today and then gave them a really good cleaning! They look good now! However, we got nasty. We also stirred up a lot of dust while we were sweeping and pollen while the guys were working on the grounds. So my allergies were not happy yesterday. We were all nasty and tired after both day's work but the place really does look good and it helped that we were all working together. Plus it is fun to see camp start coming together. I have been slowly getting stuff together around the house. Most of it is packed now. Just sitting in the closet all sad.... We all had exit interview with Matt today. It just feels so weird that all this is ending. Ohh well, at least I am going out the same way I came in.... scrubbing everything with bleach! haha

Since our internship trip we have been working like crazy! I hosted TNT for a retreat the weekend we got back and then had a nice day off before we got busy cleaning and getting RVR ready for camp. I have been doing a lot of programing lately, to get super sleuth ready! We had an over-night Outdoor Ed. group in this week that we ran meals and activities for. Then we had several groups in over this past weekend that we needed to clean for. Those groups have come and gone and now we are once again enjoying a much needed day off.

The weekend seems to have scattered the interns! Beth has been on vacation in Italy for the last week. Dessa went home for her parent's anniversary. Ryan was on a recruiting trip and then went home. Bill worked paintball for the retreat on Saturday and then disappeared, we aren't sure where he went. Taco hosted the retreats this weekend and I helped with activities and some programing stuff. Today there really isn't anyone around. It is kinda rainy. After church Taco and I went to Gettysburg to do some shopping and then to see a movie! We also got in 9 holes of disc golf! It was a pretty great afternoon!

We are facing the beginning of our last full week as interns.... the feeling is bitter-sweet. This summer is promising to be amazing! but I am going to miss my life as an intern. And I have no idea what comes next.......

spring trip

New look!

Cutest Blog on the Block! Free blog backrounds and banners! Check it out!

Here is what I did this week besides giving my blog a face lift!

Monday: Taco and I went to Shady Maple smorgasbord in Lancaster with the CTI team! Then we played pickle ball and practiced throwing discs at a park. Later that evening we met up with some more ranch people at the Philly stadium to see the Philly/St. Louis game! St. Louis won! There were a lot of great plays and home runs! It was awesome to see the pros play! It was dollar dog night so that was a bonus! Also, a fan hopped the fence and was running around the field. It was kinda funny watching him run around and dodge the security guys... Until he got taized! then it was hilarious!!!!!!!
Tuesday: All staff deep clean day #2! We spent the day cleaning! Then, after work we went canoeing to practice for our trip next week! We had a nice packed dinner by the water!
Wednesday: We have an Outdoor Ed. spending two nights this week. We served them meals and worked on the grounds up at Fort Roller and then wrote a paper!
Thursday: Meals, activities, gathering gear for our trip!

Tomorrow I am getting up early and going to a home school convention in PA to recruit campers! I will be there all day Friday and then again on Saturday! Early Sunday morning we will be hitting the road for our 5 day intern trip! We are going to Assateague island for a few days of back woods camping! We will be canoeing out to our camp spot! Then we are going to spend one night in Great Falls and do some climbing! Please pray for our safety and that we will have a great time! I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post all about it when I get back!

BBC, Blessings in DC, Barnstormers and Benches....

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday on a recruiting trip in PA at BBC with the Merson family, May and Dessa! It was fun times goofing off at the booth, playing with Lilah and spending time with Michelle and May's college friends. The part that was not so fun was that it was 20 degrees colder at BBC than it was at RVR. We were not prepared for the snow flurries that we had in PA!

On Thursday we had an outdoor edd. group in! I teamed up with Matt to lead initiatives. After lunch Taco and I had taken the rest of the day off to go see his CTI friends who were in DC. They were playing at a mission so we went to volunteer a bit and watch them play. They were great! After their concert we all went to the Mall to walk around and see the sights. They are great people and are doing wonderful things in their ministry! I was really blessed to be able to spend the evening with them!

On Friday we helped out some more with the group and then cleaned for the next one! It was beautiful outside! It has been all week! After work a group of us went to Lancaster to watch a Barnstormers minor league game! It was fun sitting in the lawn seats, hanging out, watching the game! Our tickets included all you could eat at the concession stands! That was a bonus for all of us! After the game there were fireworks!

Saturday I spent the day with Matt and a volunteer group fixing and painting benches. It was hot out there under the sun all day and I have the sun burn to prove it! By the end of the day I was tired, but the benches looked great! Then I went to babysit at the Zeigenfuses! It was just what I needed! I love playing and then snuggling with those cute little boys and sweet Abby! It was good for my soul!

Unfortunately at some point during the week I must have developed an immunity to my allergy meds. The occasional sore throat and sometimes stuffy and other times runny nose that had been off and on all week climaxed late last night. Probably because I was so tired! After a hot shower I went to bed only to toss and turn and eventually end up on the couch where I could actually breath because I was propped up higher. This morning I took another hot shower because that seems to be the only thing that helps and opted to watch Church on the computer on the couch in my comfy clothes with a roll of toilet paper. (because I don't have tissues) I do feel a bit better though... aside from needing to be attached to the toilet paper. (for my nose) I think I am going to take it easy today....laundry and the race!

Another busy weekend...

On Wednesday we cleaned and worked on program stuff.

On Thursday we finally had a day off! After sleeping in I went to Lancaster with Taco to play disc golf. We also went to Friendly's for lunch and ice cream and to the batting cages! It was a good day with a great friend!

On Friday Beth and I cleaned out the program shed at Fort Roller, then we helped with dinner! We had a group of girl scouts in for a retreat that Dess was hosting, a group of about 70 RVR alumni that were in for a reunion and two Tnt ers that were in to help. So I helped in the kitchen and the snack shop Friday night.

Early Saturday morning I was in the kitchen to help set up a small breakfast snack in the wagon wheel for the early- risers in the alumni group, and to get breakfast ready for the girl scouts. Then we played the divide and conquer game. Some workers stayed in the kitchen to serve breakfast to the girl scouts and some of us, me included, dressed up in our cowboy/cowgirl gear and went up the hill to Chuck wagon to serve breakfast the the alumni group like they did in the olden days. It was so much fun. We spent the morning cooking away over an open fire and then the alumni showed up on horse back or in the hay wagon looking cute all decked out in their cowboy gear. We served them cowboy coffee, scrambled or fried eggs, bacon, potatoes and cowboy doughnuts! It was all soo good! Then some people shared about that the Ranch meant to them and what roll it had played in their lives. It was really great to see that the Ranch had made such lasting impressions. It was also great to meet some of the people who had actually built the ranch! When breakfast was over we loaded everything up and took it down the hill to the kitchen where they were getting lunch ready! We were all working hard to get things cleaned up and lunch out for the girl scouts at 12 and the work crew that was in at 12:30, when Tina asked if we could open the store for the alumni. We were supposed to open it at 1 for the girl scouts so Doug sent me over there early for the alumni. So I ran the store for both groups and then got back to the kitchen in time to help with the clean up efforts! By the time everything was finished it was 2:30! I worked on program stuff the rest of the afternoon and then helped with dinner!

On Sunday I watched the Zig kids for about 30 min. and then helped with breakfast clean up. We went to church and then to the Dutch because Chris Fournier was visiting! After lunch Dess and I watch survivor on the computer while I kept checking the updates of the race. We went to Brad's to watch the last 50 laps! What a race! Then I had a lazy Sunday evening!

53 hours in 4 1/2 days.....

I hosted the youth group that was on grounds for a retreat this weekend. They were a small group but they stayed through Sun. afternoon and the interns were in the kitchen instead of bringing in TnT workers. Then we had a two day Outdoor Ed. group and a work group in the beginning of the week. So we have been pretty busy. We work tomorrow too... but that should just be cleaning and such things. Our day off this week is Thursday and then we have a group in this weekend again.

I counted it all up, (there is no exaggeration at all in this blog, I promise. haha) In the last 102 1/2 hours I have worked 53 of those hours. That pretty much means I have worked for the last 4 1/2 days. Here is what has occurred in my life in that time frame.....

• 12 hour work days
  
• 11 meals served
  
• 10 sessions of zip line.
  
• 9 ladies dancing... ohh sorry i mean 9 cookies eaten. (Doug's cookies are that good)
  
• 8 splinters (thanks for getting them out Dess)
  
• 7 episodes of "Boy Meets World" watched on-line. (it's what we do cuz we don't have tv)
  
• 6 hour average of sleep per night (not too bad)
  
• 5 Allergy pills taken
  
• 4 broken nails (3 fingers and 1 toe)
  
• 3 layers of "Sarah you got some sun today." (thanks to all the zip line sessions)
  
• 2 bonfires set up (hence the splinters)
  
• 1 shower (yes, i am an intern)

And that is just a taste of it! I have never felt so exhausted and so fulfilled at the same time.....

You know you're an RVR intern if....

Here they are, the top 10 ways to know if you're an RVR intern.


10. You might be an RVR intern if you are developing skills as a bee fighter.

9. If you have ever been cheese touched by a Zeigenfuse, you might be an RVR intern.

8. If you are an RVR intern you should know where the housekeeping supply closet key is hidden.

7. If you go to bed secretly wishing you were Mike Czaja, you might need therapy, but you would be an RVR intern.

6. If you shower fewer times a week than a normal person should and shave less often than that, you are hopefully an RVR intern and not just a crazy hippy.

5. If your house is falling apart, leaning in three different directions or there is poo in your yard on a regular basis, you might be an RVR intern.

4. If you treat Chick-Fil-A Coupons like currency, you are probably an intern at RVR.

3. You might be an RVR intern if you are secretly forming a plan to touch the bison.

2. If you find yourself saying," Nobody dies today!" on a daily basis, you might be an intern at RVR.

And the number 1 way to know if you are an RVR intern...

1. If everyday you look around and say to yourself in disbelief... "This is my job! I get paid to do this!"... then you just might be an RVR intern.

getting back in gear

So this week at the ranch has been a busy one. Tuesday was our first day back at the ranch from our Easter break. We deep cleaned the ranch with the full time staff. It took the whole full time staff all day to clean the ranch. But boy did it look good! We also worked on spring trip stuff and summer programing. We had our bible classes as well. There was a group in this weekend and so we ran adventure elements for them. They were a great group and lots of fun! There was a second open house on Sunday, it was a great day of meeting new people and showing off the ranch. We were in charge of food and fellowship for the Monday morning devotions so we worked Monday and now we have off today!

On a side note...
There are some decisions that I need to make in the near future concerning my future. Please pray with me that God will lead me into the ministry that He wants and needs me to serve Him in! And that I will have a peace about the waiting and eventually the decision.

Spring Break!

Sunday after the Open house Taco and I jumped into my already packed up truck and hit the road. We made it to my house in 5 hours exactly! We spent the next week watching tv, sleeping, eating, spending time with loads of my family and friends, playing with my puppies, eating some more and watching movies.

The awesome week also included....

• Helping my sister and the rest of the WEC staff get ready for Easter! We labeled post cards to remind volunteers what time to arrive, sorted, packed and loaded up toys to be taken to the rented facility for the Wee World rooms and then helped set everything up in the temporary Wee World rooms.
• Dinner and an evening at Granny's with David and Maize who were in town for a few days!
• A cookout on our deck with Granny and Grandpa and then an evening visiting with Bob and two of his girls. They loved Taco! Addy giggled and said "His name is Taco Bell!" then she told him he looked like a rooster!
  
• Several meals and evenings spent at Granny's with Lisa and her girls and some of their friends.
  
• Disc golf at Newport News park!
• A trip to WCRC to show Taco around, visit special people and tour the new youth facility!
  
• Lunch with Amanda and Megan and Aaron! And then a dinner at the Whaley apartment followed by a walk through colonial Williamsburg and dessert at The Corner Pocket.
  
• A day out on the town with my sister, shopping and eating and getting a hair cut!
  
• Sunrise service at Providence then the earlier service with Waters Edge followed by the regular service at Providence. (Taco helped mom and I with praise songs!)
• Lunch and talking and blowing stuff up at Grandma's all afternoon and into the evening!!

Another lunch at Granny's and a quick tune up of the truck and we were headed back to the ranch, fat and happy! It was a great week and a very good Easter!

Open house

Us girls made it back from Ocean City in time for the open house at the ranch. We spent the last few weeks cleaning out the cabins at Fort Roller and the Tp's at Arrowhead Woods and then Sunday afternoon showing people around. It was good times!

Funniest Question asked me:
Man standing inside the tp with me and his family: "Do these Tp's have lightning rods? I mean I am sure they do because I assuming you wouldn't have big metal poles standing up in the air without some kind of protection."
Me, kinda confused about where that question came from and a little shocked that someone who would know enough to ask a question like that couldn't figure out the answer by just looking around...: "Well, these are wooden poles and they go into the ground... plus they are surrounded by tall trees.... so... I am pretty sure they are safe. I can ask my boss and get a more official answer for you if you'd like?"
Man who is now actually looking around at the tp and seeing the WOODEN poles..:" Nahh, I was just curious."

Ocean City!

Barb took the girl interns to Ocean City, MD for a weekend of recruiting! We set off in the Subaru loaded to the max with stuff for the RVR booth and as much stuff as any four women would need for a weekend away! The 3 hour road trip to the Youth convention was filled with unashamedly singing along with the ipod and girl talk. Naturally. Once we got there we set up the booth in the convention hall, got some chines for dinner and checked into our nice, big room at the Sea Breeze hotel! We spent the evenings and Sat. morning in the RVR booth, mostly keeping people from dying on the indo board, but we also passed out some info and got some Youth Leader contacts. We also hung out a bit with Ashes Remain, mostly because we are that cool, also because they wanted to try the indo board. I must say that having four women (and good looking women at that!) in the booth all weekend was one of RVR's better decisions! We did a mighty fine job. (!) On Sat. afternoon we went to the board walk and shopped a bit. It was cold and windy but fun! We also spent some time in the room just relaxing, watching tv and talking. We ate at some fun places with great food! Barb knows all the hook ups! We packed up the booth late Sat. night so we could head out early Sun. morning. The ride home consisted of Duncan Doughnuts and snuggling in the back seat with Dessa as we napped! It was a great weekend! Barb rocks!

Funny things that happened in OC:
* Barb, after asking Kevin about a particular restaurant that we wanted to eat at: "He said to lick your arm pit before you eat there and then tell him which one you think tastes better." (we all burst out laughing, needless to say we did not eat there!)
*Beth, as we are walking down the board walk "Ohh dip'n dots Dess!"
Dessa, who is walking in front of Beth turns around and says in a disgusted voice: "I hate dip'n dots."
*Beth's souvenir for Stephen and what we did to get it! (wink)

Black lung, Fail Tuesday and Charlie...

• We have been cleaning and having classes like usual. The cleaning was expanded to Fort Roller. We have been "deep cleaning" the cabins up there for the open house that we will be having there at the end of the month. The dust is unreal. We make it fun and laugh about the amount of dust that we are bathing in and breathing in. It is dirty work! Hopefully the "black lung" that we all joke about getting doesn't actually happen!
• On Tuesday Matt and Michelle took us to the inner harbor for the day! It was a beautiful day and we were all very excited to get away from the ranch and spend some time together! The first place Matt took us to was the Washington Memorial. We were going to climb up in it but it was closed on Tuesdays. So we just looked at it and then went to the next place, an Art Museum. It was grand looking from the outside and Matt's excitement for showing it to us was getting us all interested. When we found the door locked we read the sign that said it was closed Tuesdays as well. So we went to the third place Matt wanted to show us! A basilica! We wandered around in it for a few minutes before our tour started! It was very interesting, and beautiful! We were all teasing Matt about it actually being open! Because the other activities were closed we wandered around the harbor for a while. We got some bubble tea and then we headed back towards the ranch so we could stop at REI! I love that store! I can't afford anything in it....but it is fun to look and dream! A stop at Chick-fil-a and our day was complete! Not really a fail at all! But we all teased Matt about it being lame anyway! haha
• We had a great week of normal work! Detailing, programing, classes.... The weather has been glorious all week!
  
• We had our last Winter Meltdown! (The one that was rescheduled due to the massive amounts of snow!) It went great! We also had an Outdoor Ed. group in for the day on Sat. so things were pretty busy! Everything ran smoothly and right on time! The two groups had great times at the activities and the staff loved being outside all day even if it was exhausting! On Saturday evening after the service a boy named Charlie was lurking around the back of the OTM, it looked like he was waiting to hand in the cards that the kids filled out as part of the service and so I asked him if he would like me to take it for him. That turned into a conversation about how confused he was. Long story short... Charlie decided to live for Christ! When the conversation ended I could tell that Charlie was still unsure about some things. With him now in the capable hands of his youth leader I trust that Charlie will figure things out and come to understand more fully about the decision he made. It just breaks my heart to see kids so lost.....
• On Sunday after all the Winter Meltdown had ended Taco and I went disc golfing and then headed to Brad's to watch the rest of the race. We couldn't find it, so was watched a movie then brad came home and flipped right to the race channel just in time for me to see the Jimmie Johnson had won the race!!!!!!!! Then we put a bunch of songs on my ipod! good day! Great weekend!
  

Catch up!

The last week has looked a lot like this....

• Detailing
• Classes
  
• Chick-fil-a opening number 3! about 17 rvr related people went! there was a raffle and we all got in! the weather was great and it was a fun time!
• We have started planning our spring trip! it is going to be a blast
• speaking of blast..... Baltimore blast recruiting! fun times handing out brochures at an indoor soccer game/ Hawk Nelson concert!
  
• The snow is melting! it is pretty much gone! we have had some great weather! and even pulled out the short sleeves for a day or two! We took a hike one afternoon in the great weather.
• Then it started raining. Now all the snow is melting plus it is pouring. So not only is there inches of mud but now "the puddles have currents" and are running down hill to the river that is swollen! on the bright side, the grass is turning green again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  

My Birthday Weekend!

• On Thursday after work I was instructed to go into the snack shop and open a birthday present! It was a big box that was moving a little and I was nervous about opening it! I am glad I did because inside the box was my sister! She came to spend the weekend with me for my birthday! She brought with her a box of baked goods (Yummmmmm) and cards from home!!!!!!!
  
• We went to Panera for dinner. (Yummmmm)
  
• We went to the Cline's to watch The Office. There, everyone surprised me with a birthday party! We had brownies (Yummmmm), and Rita's (Yummmmmm) and I got some great gifts!
  
• Friday I worked and my sister tagged along with me!
• Taco made me my favorite sandwich for lunch! (Yummmmmmmm)
• Joleen Zeigenfuse made rolls and told me to come by and get one after lunch for my birthday! (Yummmmmmm)
  
• My sister and I rode the zip line together!!!!
• I got to run the entrance tree on the ropes course!!
  
• Beth and I went to see Valentine's Day in theaters!
• The weather has been wonderful! (and the snow is disappearing!!!!!)
  
• I got to go to church for the first time in a long while!
• I am watching the race! The first one I have been able to see all season!
  

Recruiting Trip

As part of the internship we all get to go along on a recruiting trip! I was scheduled to go to EMU with Zig and Brad a few week ago but we canceled that trip because of all the snow we were getting. So they decided to send me to PBU on Thursday with Matt and Brad. Because of the now that was falling on Wednesday night we canceled that one as well. I ended up going to Salisbury University with Dan and Zach Thursday afternoon. It was a good trip. We met up with some past RVR staff and had dinner with them. Then we set up our banner outside of a campus crusade meeting! It was a great meeting and we had fun talking with the students afterward. I stayed the night with some former staff and then met up with Zach and Dan for some breakfast and two morning interviews. After the interviews we drove back to the ranch!

Some fun things that happened on the trip:

• Dan telling me his theory on driving.... "to live is Christ to die is gain, I don't mind dieing." (and that is exactly how he drives!!!!! haha I should know, I was sitting in the back next to the banner poles, the TV stand and this big black case that all shifted towards me when he merged or turned. There were several moments I thought everything would come down on top of me and several times they almost did. Luckily I was able to hold things in place for the most part. That or he whipped back fast enough that the stuff shifted the other way before it hit me! hahah jk.... kindda)
• Dan taught me how to play some chords on the piano!
• We had some pretty good conversations in the car and while we were waiting for various things. They are pretty cool guys!
  
• Zach and Dan stayed with a pretty interesting character! I am very thankful for the girls that took me in. Their house was much nicer!
  
• We stopped at Guitar Center on the way home! Zach and Dan ran around like little kids in a toy store! It was quite amusing!
• The lady behind the counter at Hardey's. She was a hoot and Zach and I were greatly entertained while trying to place our order!
  

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! A special thanks to Chester and Ember for letting me ride on them today!

Break it down....

Lets break down this last week.....

• Cleaning, lots of good Bible classes, more tubing (we built a jump! it was pretty sweet!)
• Also, this week we went to see Kutless and Casting Crowns in concert! WRBS was sponsoring the concert and gave a bunch of us tickets! So we hopped on the Metro and went to the city to see them! It was great! So much fun! Have I mentioned that I love my job?! 'Cuz I do!
• Winter Meltdown was awesome! It ran pretty smoothly!
  
• We haven't gotten any more snow!!!!!!!! And the snow that is still everywhere has started to slowly melt away! (Leaving mud everywhere!)
• Taco and I took a road trip to PA. to see some of his CTI friends! While we were there we did some sightseeing! We went by some of the places where my family and I used to go on vacation! We bought whoopie pies at the Bird in Hand bakery, drove past some of my favorite campgrounds, and drove through the Sight and Sound parking lot! It was a pretty great day!
• Our kitchen got a face lift! Every thing moved out. Our fridge moved into the snack shop, our microwave moved upstairs along with all the dry goods and the dishes, and our sink, cabinets and oven went on a vacation too. So the food situation was interesting for a few days! All this so we could get a new hardwood, kitchen floor, (no more hole!!!!!) new tile walls and a paint job! (among many other things) They moved the big appliances back in today and the kitchen looks brighter and has a lot more room. We haven't moved everything back into the cabinets yet but we are looking forward to the day when we can cook out of a functioning kitchen again. (if you can call what we do cooking!) Also, if you find a slightly used jar of creamy peanut butter, an individually wrapped baby sweet potato, and a kitchen table.....they are ours. We miss them and would like them back! (i don't know how we lost them in that whole process! but we did!)

Snow, Valentines and Home improvements!

OK, so on top of the 30 inches of snow that was already on the ground we got another 18! And all the shoveling and salting and sledding that had been done was done all over again! (i am currently looking on amazon for a new back to replace the one that i broke while shoveling all that snow! jk) One day after a morning of shoveling, Dessa and I were sent out to assess a shoveling situation. They wanted us to shovel out a path to the x-barn, in that path was a mountain of snow that the plow had pushed up while it was clearing the parking lot and all the snow that had fallen off the roof of the x-barn! The snow was 6 -8 feet deep and packed, we had a hard enough time scrambling up it to see if we could get to the bard doors! The problem was that with every step you never knew if you would stay on top of the snow mountain or fall in to your waist and have to climb out! It was kindda pathetic and after helping each other out of several holes Dessa and I were laughing pretty hard. Our assessment...."You can't move the snow if you can't move through the snow." They got the tractor to dig out the path!
As Dessa so humorously pointed out on her facebook page..."How is a girl that is just over 5 feet tall supposed to walk through snow that is 4 feet deep?" Needless to say it was hard! (i am currently looking on amazon for new legs to replace the ones that i wore out trudging through all that snow! jk) Over all it was a pretty good week!

The RVR staff and their families got together one night in the snack shop for a pot luck! It was great to fellowship with every one outside of work. Especially since the snow had kept most of the families inside!

Winter Meltdown was awesome this weekend! We couldn't run most of the activities because of the snow. So we had a winter carnival instead. All the shoveling and snow packing was worth it after seeing the kids play in it! On the hill between the pool and the zip line we had our tubing tracks, on the frozen pool was broom ball, in the field across from the pool was a snowman making contest and in the clean snow just outside of the horse pasture we had a "make your own snow cone station"! It was a blast!

Sunday was Valentines Day. In the evening the interns and Steven (Beth's boyfriend) got all dressed up and went to Outback for dinner! When we got there we found there was a three hour wait, so we went to IHOP instead! haha It was a great evening! Many laughs and lots of stories were shared! After dinner we joined some other RVR staff for ice cream and some Olympic sport watching! It was a great night!

In other news:
Over the last few week or so our house has gone through some much needed changes! Our door frame was replaced! We now have a door that latches, a door knob that must turn to open the door and a frame that seals out the cold! Also, the brave maintenance boys made many trips into our basement with 5 gallon buckets and removed all the water, muck, mold, and the pet octopus! As I am typing this men are in my kitchen formulating a plan of action for fixing the hole that is in the floor by the sink! Soon there will be no more hole and no more plywood covering up the hole!

Also, they are calling for 7 more inches of snow today....... This is getting ridiculous!

A Pslam by Sarah

Matt and Zig are leading us in some Old Testament Bible studies. Today the topic was the book of Psalms. Matt lead us in our lesson about the different types of Psalms and who wrote them and when. It was pretty interesting. At the end of the lesson he gave us some time to sit with God and encouraged us to write our own Psalm. I had never thought to do this before, and I really liked the idea. This is my Psalm......

Oh Lord your ways are right,
You have shown me numerous times.
In ignorance I have forgotten those lessons,
In patient love You have taught me again
How to trust in Your unfailing guidance
And rely on Your faithful presence.
Never have You left me Lord.
Even when I was not seeking You,
You held me up under hardship
And strengthened me in my weakness.
Teach me again Lord
How to walk with You.
And help me to not forget
How much you have done.
Empty me till only You remain,
Fill me till I am renewed.
Show me Your love oh Lord
That I might show others.
Give me eyes that see people as you see them,
And a heart that loves people as you love them.
Let my hands be used in Your service,
And my feet go where you send me.
Guard my mind from the things that distract
And let my words always bring You honor.
May my attitude be like Christ's
And my life a powerful witness,
To all that You are
And all You have done.
Here Am I...... use me!

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. Let me just say that snow has officially lost all it's magical powers for me! 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. But a little awkward.... haha. We all got some good laughs in at the expense of the person who's turn it was to stare at the camera!

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 (snow is cold and wet and finds it's way into every layer of clothing regardless of if it was tucked in or not!!!) Then the only thing left to do was climb and slide over and over again to get the tracks smooth and deep. I have no idea how many times I climbed that hill! So fun! So exhausting! We spent all afternoon out there! It was so pretty on the top of the hill! (Snow regained some of it's magical powers for me) 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! They were so cute all bundled up and struggling to get up a hill covered in snow that was almost taller than 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! (the same hill we had been climbing all day!!!!!) 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!!!

Snow Day!!!!!!!!!!!!

It started snowing around noon on Friday. By Friday night we had a few inches. A bunch of us gathered in the Buffalo Lodge to watch movies, play games and make plans for the next day! On Saturday we woke up to snow that was almost 2 feet deep! We all gathered in the snack shop and pitched in to make a delicious pancake breakfast! After breakfast we went back to the Buffalo Lodge to play games and watch movies while our breakfast settled! Taco is teaching me how to play basketball! It stopped snowing not long after noon. Then we got bundled up and went outside. We romped around in the snow that was above my knees for a while, throwing snowballs, diving into the snow banks and rolling around in it. We didn't go sledding because the snow is too deep and powdery. But we found a snow bank that the plow had created at the end of the parking lot. We dug a tunnel through it and them dug out on either side of the tunnel to create a nice big room that 4 of us could fit in! The sun is starting to set later (finally!) and so we watched the sun set in the snow before coming in! I got to talk to my family tonight! (I miss them and wish they could have been here to play with me) Then we all went back to the Buffalo Lodge to play some basketball. I am learning!

Whew... what a day! Best snow day ever!!!!!!!

3 more inches...

Saturday's snow didn't last long and the week went on as normal. We spent the days detailing camp. On Tuesday the Czaja family invited the girl interns over to their house for dinner. I love that family! They are such amazing, loving people who are raising solid, adorable kids. We had so much fun laughing and talking with them all. During diner the snow started up again and by the time we were headed home there was already an inch or two on the ground. I was supposed to go to EMU on Wednesday to help recruit summer staff. We were going to leave a 5 am and be back by 5 pm. Tuesday evening they called off the trip because of the snow. I was a little bummed and a little glad. They said they would figure out another recruiting trip for me to go on! We ended up getting about 3 inches that were good for a few trips down the hill on inner tubes! The rest of the week was spent cleaning and catching up on some classes that Winter Meltdown had postponed. We also had some summer prep. time. I am going to be writing the story and the clues for the new Super Sleuth camp! I am excited to get that together! It is going to be awesome! We also worked some on a promotions video for the internship.

Winter Meltdown was canceled for the weekend because of the weather reports.

Zip line in the snow, hole in the snow pants.

Winter Meltdown weekend number 2 came and went just a quickly as the first. Things seemed to run smoother in some areas. Over all it was a great weekend! On Saturday we got snow! About 3 or 4 inches fell Saturday afternoon. The kids loved this and it made everything more fun. I was one of a handful of people who ran the zip line for the kids who were brave enough to fight the elements and ride. Needless to say it was cold. Snow adds a new factor into the zip line equation and we were having an interesting time solving it. The good thing was that we had enough help that we could rotate in and out and stay somewhat warm. The kids had a bit of trouble getting up the hill to the platform, but when they did it made the cold ride down that much more worth it! They loved it despite the cold, and it was worth the cold to see their excitement.

During a break between groups a few of us were huddled around the small fire that we had out there to keep us warm. Earlier that day the fire had been in a barrel. This barrel had a bottom and so when the snow fell into the barrel it melted turning to water and putting out the fire. When the fire went out the water froze, thus creating a layer of ice at the bottom of the barrel. So we dumped the wood out into the ground and got it smoldering again. While we were all huddled around these smoldering logs I turned away to talk to someone. Apparently while I was distracted the fire picked up a bit and got hot, because when I turned back around I had a hole about the size of my hand in the leg of my snow pants at the ankle. My snow pants didn't catch fire, (they were not smoldering) they simply melted. Bummer right! Luckily it was towards the end of the day and so my ankle didn't get too cold.

I found some new snow pants on sale.

Winter Meltdown weekend #1!

Winter Meltdown weekend number 1 has come and gone. Wow, What a weekend! When we got back from the CCCA conference we hit the ground running. Final practices, sound checks, run through and room checks took up most of the last few minutes before the youth groups arrived. Once they did the weekend blurred into one big, well oiled machine. Everyone pitched in and things ran fairly smoothly. Kids really seemed to respond to the worship, dramas, presentations and the messages. That was very affirming! Even the activities seemed to run smoothly. The weekend flew by and before we had time to slow down and catch a breath it was over. I personally can't remember the last time I was that exhausted. But with the exhaustion comes a sort of satisfaction. This weekend was very rewarding in many ways. To see all your hard work come together with other people's hard work and pay off is a great feeling. There is no doubt in my mind that God was in what we were doing at the Ranch this weekend. Because there is no way things would have come together that well in that short amount of time if He wasn't. We still have some things to work on, little changes to be made to help the weekends to come run a little more efficiently. But over all I would say it was a great weekend, (any weekend when God's work is done and people are touched is a great weekend!) and we are looking forward to next weekend when we can do it all again!

CCCA Conference

On Tuesday the interns (minus Ryan because he is on a mission trip to Ethiopia with his church) and Matt went to Tuscarora Inn in PA for the CCCA Mid-Atlantic Sectional Conference. On the way up in the van we took turns playing a favorite song by taking turns plugging our ipods into the speakers. That made for a very diverse van ride! The next few days were filled with sessions lead by Gordan MacDonald, workshops lead by peers and experts in the campground ministry, fellowship around tables of good food, bonding on the volleyball court, practicing Winter Meltdown skits in our spare time and soaking up as much information as our brains could possibly hold. We made new friends, gained new perspectives, tried new things and grew in new ways. On Wednesday Zig came up and Matt went home. (they tag teamed the conference so that they could each have time to work on Winter Meltdown stuff) When Thursday came it was bitter-sweet saying good-bye to the people we had connected with over the past few days! But it was good to be headed back to the ranch! We are all ready to be in Winter Meltdown gear! On the way home we had great conversations with Zig! We also had a flat tire, that was an adventure that caused some laughs, but we made it back safe and sound!

People that touched our hearts:

• Joe; He shared a meal with LaDessa and then came to watch us practice our skits. He was a funny older guy who made us giggle. He was so moved by Beth's performance of a poem that he opened up and shared with us about his past and the struggles that he has overcome! What an amazing story! Joe became a special friend for the rest of the week! We inspired each other!

• Theresa; What an amazing woman of God! She has such a passion for youth and such an open and giving spirit! We couldn't get enough of her. I personally think I could sit and talk with her for days on end and still feel like she had more to offer me.

• Erin and Theresa V.; People in the same generation as us! What fun girls! What an inspiration to see people our age being used by God in camp leadership positions!

• Mr. Francis; Now there is a man who knows what it is all about! Serving the Lord!
  

Things that made us laugh:

• The Game show.... you had to be there, but trust me, it was hilarious! (we all got up on stage and played... even Zig!)
• The little peddle bikes.
• The speakers. (camp people have great senses of humor!)
• Uff' da! (it means " Awe Nuts" in Norwegian, and the Inn has a Norwegian background, so we picked up the phrase and then naturally we all bought T-shirts!)
• And much, much more......
  

Gloomy Sunday

Maybe it is because of the rain, or because I feel like I have been working like crazy and have only now gotten a chance to sit down and slow down, but I am feeling sort of gloomy tonight. There is a lot of thinking and praying that I need to catch up on. But for some reason tonight I would rather pretend that those things don't exist. Which doesn't help, and has been done too often in the past. Maybe that is why I feel gloomy. (viscous cycle) Anyway, I thought I would share the train wreck that is my thought process for your entertainment and hopefully for my benefit.

I have been watching a lot of chick-flicks lately. (just finished one) Mostly because it gets dark so early and it is too cold to be out so we stay in and watch movies. Which is fine... But chick-flicks put me in a weird mood. I don't know what it is...they either annoy me because they are so cheesy or they depress me because my life is so...less than romantically inclined. That is why I would much rather watch something blow up. How can anyone be depressed after watching something blow up?! Maybe I just need to take a break on the movies... I think they are effecting my brain! I am starting to see nonexistent budding romances between the people around me...

That reminds me....we got our parts for the Winter Meltdown skit. I play Bill's girlfriend and am supposed to seductively distract him from Jesus on the cross. I don't know how that happened. "Let's cast the home schooled Mennonite in the part of the skank." There is nothing in me that even remotely hints at the possibility of being anything close to resembling seductive! gulp.....I still don't know how that one is going to work out. Bill said we would work on it... still not sure how that is going to work out either. Can you say awkward? Haha Ohhh well!

I didn't mean for that to sound like I am complaining. I am just trying to find the humor it the situation. Because it is funny in a pathetic sort of way. (I don't know if you understand just how bad I am at it...)

I am trying not to complain about things. I really don't have anything to complain about. I have a great life and amazing opportunities. But I sometimes catch myself being ungrateful. I am trying to take Paul's advice and rejoices in the Lord. I am trying to be content, to keep my heart and mind on Him and things that are pleasing to Him. I can already see that it is starting to take hold in my life. It is a moment by moment struggle sometimes. But I am slowly finding it. I have started to make an effort to celebrate the small victories! That is it's own little accomplishment in and of it's self! haha

It is hard to be content, especially when I am so anxious about the future. I need to be making decisions about what position I will have this summer and what happens after the summer. The end of the internship is starting to creep up on me. I am scared that one day I will turn around and it will be here. That thought makes me very sad and very nervous. I don't want it to come. Maybe because I love it here and I love what I am doing and I love that I am learning and growing so much, or maybe because I don't know what I am going to do after this and I dread having to figure that out, or maybe because I am scared that I will spend another year looking for my next move. I don't want to leave RVR and I can't figure out if that is me being selfish in not wanting to leave what is safe and start over again at another camp or if it is God telling me that He wants me here. I know in my heart that God has everything under control and that His plans for me are better than I could even dream of and that as long as I am in His will I will be happy and fulfilled, but my head has a hard time understanding that. Or maybe it is the other way around, my head knows that but my heart has a hard time believing it. I don't know....

sigh....I just feel so wide open right now and that is a new and rather unpleasant feeling for me. Maybe that is why I am so gloomy tonight....

Well, getting it all out there was helpful. At least now I have more specific things to pray about....

Boba tea, Skis and Sushi....

The ranch had their counselor reunion over New Years and part of the reunion was going to Baltimore Harbor via Metro to ring in the New Year! It was awesome! The best fireworks I have seen! I love those people and I am so glad I got to celebrate with them! While we were there Taco found a place that sells boba tea! It is a drink that he had in Taiwan, and we tried it! It was pretty good, there were tapioca pearls in the bottom and so you drink it with really big straws. The slimy pearls shoot up the straw and into your mouth. It is really weird and funny at the same time.

On Monday it was Taco's 21st birthday and so we all went skiing! Well, we went skiing and it was his birthday but he likes to ski so it is all good! Anyway, Taco was a very patient teacher and I was soon up on the skis and doing pretty good! I didn't fall off the ski lift!!!!!!! and I didn't wipe out too bad! He did have to help me up a few times! haha I loved it! I went fast (because i couldn't stop) and i went backwards ( because i turned too sharp) and i did some flips (because i wiped out!!!!!) It was awesome! Some of Beth's friends came with us and one of them got hurt fairly early on in the day. She couldn't ski anymore and since we all came together they gave us vouchers to come back and finish our passes! I can't wait to go back!!!!!!

Tonight was Merson Madness! We go over to the Merson's house for dinner and games the first Thursday of every month! We made sushi! It was fun and yummmy!

Other things that have happened:

• our pipes froze! they are better now!
• we went to sandy cove with beth to meet some of her friends.... and the boy!
• i went to the zigenfuse house for dinner again! love them!!!!!
• the intern girls sang "girls just wana have fun" at the rvr coffee house
• we had a girls night in at the ranch girl's house! girl talk, chick flick and pedicures!!!!!