quick synopsis:

looking back on my journaling from the past few days, here's a quick rundown:
-Wednesday- got here thanks to the help of my family and friends working with me when my car died. (rip Josie). this was just a great reminder of the support of awesome people who have helped me along the way up to this point and the fact that they are still there. ahh. immediately i loved the chance to be back at the ranch and also meet the newbies right away. first impressions: i am the shortest girl & poor ben is the only guy. we had a cookout back at chad & erin's. i just love chill time with chill people. after a quick lesson on the mower i took the kiddos for a ride on the sweet wagon hookup chad made. so basically we are bff's and i'm now cleared to mow any day mr. miller's off .
-Thursday- we covered a bunch of ground work: paperwork and tour of the property. i can't wait to see the ranch during the other 3 seasons! i got to enjoy a quick nap in the stage coach with cole mackers (aka coocoowaka). chad reviewed the program, purpose, and policies. it was so good for us all to get this orientation and start out on the same page. i'm looking forward to seeing the beauty of all of the servants uniting together in the ministry of the ranch. we had a nice dinner in the loft and just enjoyed a night of conversing around the table. i appreciate the humble transparency of these girls and just loved hearing of their journey's & the Lord's mighty work in their lives. it's really nice how we are all coming from different walks of life but all about at the same stage of life.
-Friday-Saturday- we got to sleep in a little bit and then started a 24 hr solo. though sitting still is a big challenge for me, it was a great time of detox, relaxation, & refocus time. God surrounded me with an overwhelming, indescribable sense of His power, control, peace & holiness--He alone is worthy of every bit of me. my prayer was that throughout this next year, amidst all of the busy hustle and bustle (which i love), everything i do would be focused on Him rather than people or task oriented. we all met up for a debrief & prayer time. i love my new family. after we showered it was lunch time. we helped out a bit and then headed out for a tour of town, basically tour de hanover. it's really nice to run into familiar people and just spend time catching up with them. i'm looking forward to the opportunity to continue relationships with the workers that come back for the retreats throughout the year. had a girls night at Hope's--coffee + movie = classic.
-Sunday- went to Lifepoint church with the Bonawitz family. it was not Apex, but it was sweet. the passion and joy of true worship was going down and it was great to hear about their ministry so in tune with the Holy Spirit. the message was basically a 45 minute snap shot of my semester of philosophy class. we then went to Codorus for the day & enjoyed a nice canoe ride after the picnic. the weather was awesome. after we got back Morgan took us for a trail ride. let me just say that Blizzard is a stud and our property is gorgeous. throughout the day and night we had good talks about our dreams as far as for the internship and next summer. God is definitely working out some really connections with my passions & past experiences... but it's still a mystery i'm just waiting to see how it all comes together.