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.
