It all began when I was a gangly 13 year old girl who fell in love with horses and against other people's predictions of it only being a phase, the love has only grown deeper with time. I went one summer for a week, and I was hooked. I can remember thinking very vividly that this is the first time that I was not homesick at all - that's a big deal for a kid. To find a place that you feel so comfortable, safe and home. I returned every summer for the next 4 years as a camper, increasing my involvement and time spent there as I fell more in love with the ministry of Grace Youth Camp, now called Grace Adventures. Paradise Ranch has always been a constant in my life, over the years, the people have changed, the horses have changed, the buildings have changed - and yet the place holds a special spot in my heart for the memories created, lessons learned and character molded there. I spent two summers counseling in tipis, living in a big oversized tent, actually held up by sticks that neither kept out the bugs or rain very well and had no electricity. The only furniture was 4 bunk beds and whatever tupperware bins you could manage to squeeze behind and under your bunk. Meals were served promptly at 8:30, 12:30, and 5:30 and in between was spent at the barn getting dirty, smelly and sweaty, in the water, or around the campfire.
In 2002, I finished my last summer as a counselor and decided I was not going to come back the next year. I had other things I wanted to do during my summers, more money to be made, and to be honest, I think I was burnt out. I was getting a little old and was ready to be done. God had a different plan though (as always), and 6 years later he called me back to Grace, this time as the Program Coordinator at the ranch. I spent the summer (and spring and fall for that matter) of 2008, 6 months at Grace in Paradise - both literally and figuritively (and now I definitely was old!) In fact I felt many people judged me for working at a summer camp AFTER college, one woman went so far as to say that when I was finished, then I would start my "real life". I felt a little out of place at times, being the oldest person on staff... but I was so confident it was where God wanted me, and there is no better place to be.
Staff meetings at 7 am, planning and supervising various activities, including games on horseback, capture the flag, s'more night, trips to the beach, trail rides, wagon rides, and so much more. I oversaw the horsemanship classes and stepped in where I needed to to make sure things ran smoothly.
My absolute favorite part of the night was grabbing my camp chair from the front porch of my cabin, plopping down after a long day and watching the kids dance, or joining them in jumping around to the music being played on an acoustic guitar. Lake Holiday with all it's leeches and muck and beauty sparkled next to us and bullfrogs called out to their mates. It was my simple, beautiful life. I went to bed exhausted every night, always later then I wanted, but rolled out of bed every morning with an excitement for the day. I've never felt that way about a job before or since then. The summer of 2008 was the summer that I became addicted to coffee. Without coffee, I would not have made it through those long days. You would often see me carrying my cup to and from the barn, or searching for wherever I set it down absentmindedly. I'm sure the kids thought it was permanently attached to my hand.
The lessons in leadership, mistakes made, and successes accomplished have made me who I am today. Last summer solidified a huge part of my character and instilled a confidence in me in who I am. A leadership position like that challenged me greatly, and I know I did not perform perfectly, but I am so grateful for the ways that God worked in my heart and life during my time there. I learned about prayer and the power of the Spirit's leading in my life. I learned that during times of intense pouring out, that God will fill you up quickly. With only an hour "off" a day, it's a good thing He's speedy. And sometimes that filling up would be a simple phone conversation with my mom, or an e-mail from a good friend back home. It would oftentimes be the Word, filling me up and reminding me of why I am there.
One of my pride and joys of working there was I got to learn how to drive the old tractor. I drove so slowly in the beginning - I'd never driven anything like that before in my life. It also made me nervous because in order to push on the brake, I had to almost stand up and push with all my might - picture flooring it only with a brake, my leg outstretched and I'm holding onto the steering wheel so I don't fall off. I never did hit anything the whole summer, putting hay out three times a week (I cannot say as much driving the big yellow school bus).
Paradise Ranch Staff 2009
My humble abode: Quarterhorse Headquarters
(it's a mouthful - could they have come up with a longer name?)
Ama and I
love her dearly
my boss: the infamous Chad Coppess atop Cruz, his beautiful mustang!
Chad has impacted my life greatly and I have so much respect for him, and his family Tricia, Caitlin and Cale I hold dear to my heart.
Core Staff Training 2008
Stephanie, Ellie, and Kari encouraged me and kept me going when my 4 cups of coffee just weren't enough. We usually only had time for a quick smile, hug and "praying for you", but boy did I need it!
The Great Water Fight of H8!
The story: I misjudged how long it would take for us to finish the games, so we had 30 minutes before we needed to be at campfire. What's a program coordinator to do? Improvise! It was a HOT night, so I let Shana and Max grab the hoses and they all got soaked. I responsibly sat by watching, overseeing from a distance. :) Max thought it would be funny if he yelled "Get Kate!!" Never have I experienced the mob mentality before... and to be honest, I was a little cocky and didn't think they'd catch me for the first couple minutes of the chase, all the way into the barn, where they literally dragged me back up to the arena and Shana hosed me down. Thanks guys - said both sarcastically and genuinely - what a memorable night!
Who rips tapes off the cows the best?? Cowpokes do, cowpokes do! Yes... I put masking tape all over the cows, and the kid's job was to run around and rip the tape off. Only cowpokes (the youngest campers during our last week of camp) get the privilege of this marvelous game. Important fact: It tuckers them out so they go to bed at night. :)
Hannah and I.
Hannah is a future staffer, she was born to be doing camp ministry and one of our greatest assets as a junior wrangler! I have had the privilege of knowing her for many years, one of the benefits of growing up in the program has been watching the work of God in people's lives. This summer was amazing to see my young campers from 6-8 years ago come back as leadership - what a blessing to see the fruit of your labor!
This picture goes down in history because this is me, riding Mick (Chad's old mustang), pulling Chad on an inner tube, for the only time that Chad has ever been pulled and probably the only time he ever will.
I write all this as a tribute to what has been an incredible influence in my life and while this blog entry may seem long, it comes nowhere near capturing the countless stories, memories and lessons I have learned at Grace Adventures. But I daily think of my experiences there, and I thought I would give you a little taste of where my mind wanders off to regularly and give you some insight into who I am and why I am the way I am. Thanks for reading!
