I've a Warrant for my Arrest

So I know that i have flat out stopped updating this thing. my apologies, but i dont think that i broke any hearts by my laziness. i have been quite busy in the past few weeks saying goodbye to all my boys at the ranch (not as in offspring, as in boys i have a ministry with) and to the staff and Troy and Kim. Put lightly, it has been a very, very hard final two weeks. There is much that has happened and i plan on telling you, but not through the blog. i am heading home and will be on the mountain...at some point. i look forward to seeing you all there. before i go, i will update you on my legal status however.

This picture was taken a few days ago in the Deschutes county Courthouse. I had been nabbed by the pattywagon last week with a warrant for murder, in the third and second degree. I must confess, while i have been in Bend, i have killed several times. It all began when i was driving home from the ranch after a long day of messing things up, when all of the sudden a family of Quail decided it was time to cross the road. As i barrelled down the road at a cruising speed of about mach three, i saw momma leading five little quailettes and then daddy in the back. I didnt even put on the brake, im a born killer apparently. As i checked my review mirror, i saw the atrocity that i had just committed. i destroyed the family.

About a week later, i was driving home once more when a doe (a female deer) stepped elegantly into the road. i hit my brakes, in an attempt to dodge my dark destiny as an animal slayer. The doe saw my black car (and heart) and jumped into the safety of the woods. THUMP!!! once more i looked in the review mirror, this time to see that i had just sent Bambi on to the next life. i had seen him in the last moments of his life as he tried to make it across the road. he didnt know just what kind of a sicko was driving the car he watched his momma dodge. So i had now a running record of killing a family of quail and a fawn. awesome.

The father of Bambi (the little one that i bounced to heaven with my bumper) must have heard about my sin, because two weeks later i had a buck charge me while i was driving home. i was doing sixty and swerved to miss him. it looked as though he was going to make it, when at the last moment he turned his head into the car and left an antler scratch down the side. because of the speed of the car, i still probably gave him some severe brain damage, even though i just hit his antler.

So the Deschutes county police came after me. they broke into my appartment when i was sleeping and arrested me. i gave little fight. they took my mugshot (above) and were about to place me in jail when i broke free from an officer's grip and sprinted back to my car, the antianimal mobile. i took off for the border (between washington and oregon) and thus began my trip back home a few days early.

Ill be home soon, with the police on my tail....and by the way, i killed a rabbit in Wyoming during the middle of the night.

From Life Here

The above picture is of the staff, with Mt. Shasta in the background. Kim is on the far left, then Sam, Laurie (above) and Kelsey, Me Georgia, Jenna (on the cover of second book) Julie, and Amanda



The picture above was taken when the staff was at Kim's sister's house. This is what guy time looks like for me and Sam. Straight up, all the girls just tucker us out.



Eating the hay above is Luke. He is a pretty big Belgium Quarter horse mix. I have ridden him the most while being here and feel a little attatched to him. He is a giant sweetheart for the most part.



These are all the babies that are in the back pasture of the ranch. Most of them are young and will soon carry the ranch's work with children. In the shot above, they have all been turned loose in the arena at the end of the day to run and play with each other. sorry i havent gotten you more pictures from the ranch, i am working on it, but it is hard without a camera. Robbie and Lydia, i know you gave me one but i dont have the cord that makes the magic happen. Ill get more pictures of the ranch happenings before i leave. this will have to do for now.

Fourth of July: A Parade Perhaps

So above, we have pictures from the 4th of July parade that we did...on the 4th of July. So here is the thing, i just now got these pictures and that is why it took so long to get them onto this site...my apologies. The parade is pretty much a time when we take some of the horses from the ranch and dress them up...all patriotic like and then parade them and a bunch of ranch kids around the town of Redmond. It was sweet.

The pictures below are pictures from the night of the 4th when the ranch staff and the volunteers all sat in the back of Troy's big dodge 3500 duely. The city of Bend plays music on the local radio station that is choreographed with the fireworks. So we watched the explosions in the sky to the voice of musical giants like Garth Brooks...It was redneck awesome!

South Sister

I am in a hurry and I promise that I will get pictures of the things that are going on at the ranch next week, but for now just do with the email update that I copied onto this...and i pasted (with a glue stick) some pics of the staff and I hiking up the South Sister, a 10,000 ft. peak. Sorry again, ill do a better job next week. I just dont have internet anymore due to the move. love and peace

For those of you who actually check this…mom and dad…I just want to apologize for the time that it has taken me to get a fresh update up. There have been two major changes here in the past week and a half.
The first big change is that I MOVED! Yeah, its true, I am now living in a place called Sisters, Oregon. Let me tell you the story so that the Lord’s work may be properly recognized. After hearing that Lana Craig (wife of the family that I have lived with so far) had breast cancer, I began to wonder whether my presence in the Craig household was appropriate or not. They gave me no signs or hints that I needed to find a new place to live or anything; I just wondered what would truly be best for the family. I was already feeling like they were getting less time with me than they had originally hoped for and I figured that, with the onset of chemotherapy and all else that comes along with breast cancer, these tensions would only inflame. I felt like my presence in the household could really be helpful to the family were I able to fill a more significant role. However, due to my priorities of research and work for the ranch, I knew that I would not be able to function as the member of the family that they needed. I also felt like during this time the Craig family should get to be there family, with no additions. I prayed that if it was good for me to move out, the Lord provide me a way and that if it was not good with the Lord and His divine scheme, He would shut all possible doors. I spoke to Kim about my predicament last Tuesday morning and by five in the afternoon I was on my way to meet a couple in their late 80’s who owned a small garage apartment. Two days later, Sam and I moved our families’ houses and into the one room/kitchen/bathroom apartment that I now write this update in. The view of the apartment is gorgeous. I can see the Cascade mountain range right out the windows facing my bed. The only downside to the new living quarters is that I don’t have wireless internet anymore, thus the delay in my updates.
The second big change that has occurred in the last week and a half has to do with my heart, though I want to illustrate it with a story that happened last week. Sam and I were working on rebuilding the roundpen on the ranch when we were told that we needed to go hang out with a three year old little boy whose mother had said (to a mother of the ranch) that she hated her son. To make a long story short, we ended up putting the little boy, who was extremely hesitant of everything, on the most recent rescue horse that is on the ranch (he actually arrived the same week that I arrived). The boy enjoyed it, but nothing really happened. After we were done with the horse, Sam had to go attend some other job and I was left with the three year old boy who had only at that time become comfortable enough for his mother to leave him. We walked up to the grass hill together and pretty much for an hour I just let him spray me with a hose…he loved it. During this time however, I was slightly discouraged with my ‘ministry’ here as I felt like I wasn’t really doing much with my time. Even with the three year old boy whose mother was tired of being his mother, I felt like I was simply baby sitting him. There was a dissonance in my heart…At the very end of our time together, I realized that Kelsey (a long time staff member of the ranch) and this boy’s mother had been talking alone for about an hour. It hit me. My selfishness and my arrogance began to melt away with the realization that if I could just keep this boy content with the hose, Kelsey would have an amazing chance to minister to this mother who so badly needed it. The problem wasn’t with the boy anyway, it was with the mother! And it dawned on my heart and soul that if I, with the rest of my time here just served the ministers, my time would be well spent. I think that much of my time here has been consumed with the desire to do ministry, not to serve those that are already ministering. It is easy to fall prey to the selfish desire to minister to others when there are obvious accolades and I most certainly fell here. However, the Lord has truly changed me in the past week. I have become truly content with just serving the ministers of this ranch in whatever way that I am able; whether it be scooping poop in the arena after their lessons or building them a new round pen. The Lord has been very good to allow the Holy Spirit to work so cavalierly in my heart.
I still have a chance to minister as well though. I have begun leading one on one sessions with kids now and I still get to see most of the boys that come to the ranch. The Justice Program boys did not come this week for some reason, which was disappointing, but I hold that the Lord had His reasons.
If you get a chance, pray for my research. I am now half way through this internship and I am preparing for the harder part of analysis. Much prayer is needed here. Pray that I do a good job, that it will help the ranch, and that I steward my time well. Pray also for my heart while I am here. I don’t want to be selfish with my time here and I really do want to remain as humble of a servant to these people as I can. This must be supported by the Lord of course. Also, if you get a chance, pray for my friend Mark. He was a missionary in Alaska, but now is raising his seven year old granddaughter by himself. Simply put, he and his granddaughter are in and incredibly hard hard place. Both he and she hold tightly to the cross and to the provision of Jesus, but they are being pushed to the very end it feels like. They are our family, so if you pray for anything on this list, please pray for them before you pray for me. They need it.
I love you all, and I cant wait to see you. More later
Peace in the golden fleece
Jimbob…marshall

Wingin It from the Front Porch

The Picture above was taken from the front porch of where I am living. Cameron and I were sitting on the deck just talking when this brillant sunset happened. The next two pictures were taken just looking to the northwest off the deck.

The picture below was taken at the ranch a few days ago after I had just returned from having dinner with one of the staff girls, Troy, Kim, and Sam. The picture overlooks one of the pastures of the ranch, and the moutains in the background are the Three Sisters

This week has been a rough one for the family that I am living with. Lana (the mother) found out that she has breast cancer and will be proceeding with chemo this week. Pray for the family as they now begin a hard and rather unexpected path. Callum (the older son) slammed his finger shut in a door and now has to go see a hand specialist.

As for me, the week has come to a close and has left me worn out. We worked only two days due to the clinic last week, but the days were packed. Kim was out of town for the weekend, so Sam and I were able to spend a lot of time with Troy doing everything from trail riding, to watching Silverado, to shootin old west guns and pretending like we were real deal cowboys.

My research (insert laugh here) has actually taken on new form. I have readjusted my design and will now be helping Crystal Peaks write sections of grant literature. I will also be working with one of the staff in designing a pilot survey through which the ranch will be able to acquire the quantitative data they need to gain attention from big time grant donars. All that to say, my research has taken a new path; one which will hopefully enable me to help the ranch while I am here (take five minutes to pray for my research here).

I will not get to see the Juvenile Justice boys this week because they cannot come for some reason. This stinks, as I only have eight more weeks to hang out with them. However, 'Thursday Roundup' begins this week which will give me time with most of the boys that come to the ranch. Roundup is a two hour period when any child can come and just hang out at the ranch. We play all sort of gross games (including anything from chocolate syrup filled water balloons to cow tongues) and just get plain old time to be with the kids.

If you can, pray for Sam and I as we weigh our options and ability to start a small group of sorts for males at the ranch. I personally wont have too much time to really be able to invest in the boys that would be able to come, but hopefully I could help Sam get it started and when I leave, he could carry it on. Ill try to keep you updated as this week goes on. Thank you for your prayers, emails, and comments. They are more encouraging than you realize.

Saturday Night Hike (click to enlarge)

This Saturday night, the staff and the volunteers from Crystal Peaks went hiking to a place called Smith Rock. It was gorgeous. This place is just thirty minutes from Redmond (where I live...and just outside of Bend). The view was amazing as we were able to see all of the Cascade Mountains in this area.

The picture below is of the staff and volunteers once we were on top. We all huddled together on that rock that they are sitting on which over looks several hundred feet of sheer rock face. Look at Sam in the middle of all those dagum girls...I really am so thankful that he is here!

Pictures of the Ranch

I dont have much time to update you about this week, but here are some pictures that I was able to take on Saturday. The ranch was closed, but Sam and I had gone in to do some extra work that needed to get done just on the grounds. The storm had moved in from the west, but you can still kind of see the Three Sisters and Broken Top (snow capped mountains) in the background. The week has been rather uneventful as we had two days off. I finally got a chance to ride, which was awesome! A few boys came to the ranch this week that I was able to hang out with, but for the most part the two days that we were open, I spent time just training so that I can start working with boys and horses on my own. I hope that will be soon, but you never can tell.

Rollin in Oregon! (Click to enlarge photos)

The pictures above are from the family outting that i went on today and from Sam and I watching Pearl Harbor. The Craig family and Sam Staley (the other male volunteer at Crystal Peaks and also my new roommate) and I drove out into the Deschutes National Forest today for a Sunday afternoon hike. In the top picture, Sam I sit just being Hecka-Raddy (that pretty much means that we're cool out here on the west coast). In the next picture, Daniel (age three) runs ever so picturesquely with Lucy. In the bottom picture, stands the famliy: (from front to back) Lucy, Lana, Daniel, Callum (age 5), me (supercool), Sam (middle), and Cameron.

This week has been pretty packed with action. On Monday, I had the opportunity to hang out with the boys from the Juvenile Justice Program. The boys in the program are amazing kids, especially when you consider where they are coming from. We worked on moving railroad ties and building fences for the upper paddock. For one of the boys, Brad, it was his birthday, so not only did we have some ice cream sundays but we also threw him in the water trough. By the end of the day all five of the boys were thrown in the trough as well as myself. Though I remembered to take my beloved cowboy/harley boots off, I forgot that my cell phone was in my pocket. So for the time being, I am out of phone service.

From Wednesday until Saturday, the ranch was closed for a clinic that drew 130 people from all over the country. The clinic was designed to teach others how to begin, operate, run, and better Christian equine therapy programs. The clinic was an incredible week in which I was able to see the Lord preparing and improving ministries all over the country.

We have two days off from work at the ranch, so Sam and I plan on taking it easy for one day and sneaking onto the ranch on Tuesday to get some work done for Kim and Troy. Ill try to get some more pictures your way that will give you a better idea about what the ranch looks like. Peace

What Didn't Happen (but could have) in My First Week (Click on picture to view larger image)

I found out this week that this is the very first year that they have let/had males on the ranch as volunteers for the summer. I work with all girls, all the time. I anxiously await the arrival of the other male volunteer next week. During the week i have done lots of upkeep jobs like dragging the paddocks, shadowing other staff in their work with horses, irrigating with Troy, and helping out leaders during lessons with kids. Being exposed to Troy and Kim and thier staff over these first few days has been wonderful. I know about half of the horses already and i know about a quarter of the horeses' stories. I am still waiting to really begin my research for the summer, as i am still getting familiar with the way that things are run around here. I have been slightly comforted concerning my research as Troy, Kim, and the staff have been very open to the ideas that i have run by them.

About fifty people came to the ranch on Tuesday night for a time of fellowship where families and children alike could come and eat food, sing songs, and hear a talk from Troy. This "Ranch Fellowship" happens every other Tuesday night.

I get back "home" around seven each night, where I am warmly greeted by Callum and Daniel (the young boys of the family that i live with). We wrestly, play soccer, or watch Clifford the Big Red Dog until dinner and bed. For the last two nights Cameron (the father) and i have aquired 2 tons of hay for his cattle and loaded the bales up in his loft. One of the his cows is pregers adn is gettin ready to spit out a calve any day now. I promptly told him that if anything went wrong I knew what to do back from my good old lambing days. Cameron has asked me to join the elders Bible study that meets every Wednesday morning at 6:00am. He told me that the group is mostly made up of old farmers...and they were bound to spend most of the time making fun of the long haired city boy.

Overall, it has definately not been easy, but the Lord has truly been good to me in allowing me to be apart of a wonderful family and an amazing ministry. Thank you for the prayers that have been sent my way and if you can, continue to pray when you can remember.

And PLEASE realize that the drawling above is merely for a few giggles, it does NOT represent the staff's reaction to me at all! They have been so gracious to me and have made me feel very very welcome!

Stay tuned, more stories to come...

First Day in Oregon

Three hours before leaving Yakima, Washington, I received a call from a one Cameron Craig. A friend of the ever famous Krue Brock, he offered me a roof to cover my head. The Lord works, and sometimes pulls through on the clutch at the last moment. I arrived at the Craigs last night around 7:30. They have two boys, Callum (age 5) and Daniel (age 3) and they live just outside of Bend. They have a mini mule and twenty cattle in the pastures outside of their beautiful farm house. From the front porch, the Cascade mountain range can be seen looming in the near distance. It is beautiful, espeically since i am not viewing them from my tent. This morning i woke up at 4:30a.m. to help Cameron in launching three hot air balloons, because apparently thats normal around here. Because I dont have a camera at the moment, the paint file above will give you an idea of what this morning looked like. I wasnt able to ride in them due to my long hair (or something) but it was fun putting them altogether. I go to Crystal Peaks this afternoon for the first time...They dont know what they are in for. More on that later.

Anchors Away Tennessee

Saluting sweet Tennessee goodbye was hard. Mike Shaw, Paul Norman, and myself left Sunday, May 6, hoping to reach Memphis in time to catch Michael Rhodes splattering himself with BBQ. We plan on leaving Memphis on Monday and heading for St. Louis. From St. Louis we go to Denver, from Denver we go to Idaho Falls, and from Idaho Falls we go to the Yakima Indian Reservation (we plan on stopping by Yellowstone to feed the bears). Theoretically, if all goes right i will be leaving Shaw and Stormin Norman in Yakima, Washington next Sunday and heading down to Bend, Oregon. I have a condo to stay in for two nights thanks to some church goers in Sisters Oregon. On Monday i begin work...and looking for a spot in the woods to call home. Peace in the Golden Fleece....the Teagueteam