The last days of freedom.

I leave for camp in the morning. (And I'm already tired. Super.) Here are some quick highlights of memorable things that have happened since I left Virginia:

- Waiting three hours for Mike the tow truck man to respond to our "priority" need for towing (as reported to him by AAA) after Tina (Preston's 1987 Honda Accord) ran out of transmission fluid at 4:30 AM. (Special bonus memory: an Iowa state trooper confronting us while Mike was en-route, in response to a call the police received about a possible domestic dispute along the side of the road.)

- Waking up at 8:00 AM on a Saturday morning to help drive and sort cattle, followed by a five-mile cattle drive (which lasted about three hours), followed by the branding of seven calves. (At my family's reunions, we eat and sit and go shopping. At Preston's family's reunions, they do manual labor.)

- Finding a huge 80s prom dress (with poofy sleeves and lots of tulle) at Savers (a thrift store in Albuquerque) for $10.

- Taking a daytrip to Santa Fe, where I got to see Jack Kerouac's original manuscript of On the Road (a 120 foot scroll of papers he taped together and ran through his typewriter) juxtaposed exquisitely with a room of his haiku and a room with a d.i.y. haiku exhibit.

- Taking a First Aid/CPR class through Red Cross and meeting Lynn, a professional wildlife photographer who shattered the front of her skull when the horse she was riding bucked and their heads met. Bonus highlight: at said First Aid/CPR class, learning that New Mexico houses the National Poison Control Center, because it has the highest concentration of poisonous wildlife than anywhere else in the world.


This week at Lone Tree: staff training!

Some prayer requests for the upcoming week (and the following weeks at Lone Tree Ranch):
- Unity among the staff.
- Safety for the staff and campers (since New Mexico is highly poisonous, and possibly radioactive).
- Energy for the staff always. Energy for the campers at appropriate times.
- That God will show Himself to the people at Lone Tree.
- That God will work through the people at Lone Tree (both staff and campers) to do amazing and unexpected things for His own glory.


Thanks for all of the support. Stay tuned for another post, (hopefully) next weekend.

Welcome to Lauren's Crazy New Mexico Summer.

In case you haven't heard, I've accepted a summer staff position at Lone Tree Ranch in southeastern New Mexico, a high-adventure Christian camp for middle and high school students.

I figured that, with a busy schedule and the rising price of postage, an online blog would be the easiest and most cost-effective way to keep friends and family updated on the latest happenings at Lone Tree, as well as any prayer requests. I'm going to try to update this blog on the weekends, when I have computer access, so look for new postings on Saturday or Sunday nights.

If you want to write me at camp, my address is:

Lone Tree Ranch
Attn: (my first and last name)
PO Box 523
Capitan, NM 88316

You can also e-mail me directly at camp by e-mailing the camp ( nmranch@lonetree.org ) with my first and last name in the subject line. Also, feel free to make comments on my posts (which you should be able to do) if you feel compelled to do so.

Thanks to everyone who is offering prayer and financial support. It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to the kids who get to attend Lone Tree.

One thing's for sure; it's going to be a crazy summer.