There are times when the Lord either causes situations to
happen or places you in the path of others for the purpose of learning. We spend most of our lives learning, even
when we think we know it all or can learn it by ourselves. It is interesting to see how the Lord
orchestrates natural forces and our lives to prove His presence, His love, and
His control – all to teach us a lesson in life.
The project at the United Methodist Boy’s Ranch outside of
Gore, Oklahoma, provided the setting for valuable lessons. The Lord presented me with challenges that
tested my humility, patience, futility, and patience. At the outset, I was excited to be working on
a ranch and helping to better the lives of boys who lived there. It did not matter to me their stories,
whether involving neglect or errant behavior or any reason. I was anxious to serve the Lord by being a
mechanism of change or being a model to the young men. I realize every NOMADS project is different,
much like the uniqueness of the many missions where I had previously served. This experience tested my tolerance,
fortitude, and endurance. I sustained
myself on faith that my Lord had led me there for a purpose. I just did not know what that purpose was.
The NOMADS projects scheduled during the fall were open on a
first-come, first-served basis. I heard
that the Boy’s Ranch was a nice project and it was highly recommended among all
NOMADS projects. Since I tend to
gravitate toward projects that involve outdoor work and a farm setting, I was
anxious to sign up. After sending my
application for that project to the NOMADS project administrator, I learned
that I filled the last available allotted slot on the team. Hurray!
Soon after signing up, I learned that my daughter was in a
healing facility in Florida. The
facility staff asked me to participate in a Family Week scheduled during my
first week at the Ranch. It was not a
matter of priorities for me; I simply needed to arrange travel to Florida and
excuse myself from the first week of the project. The Lord was already ahead of me on my
arrangements. Prior to the Boy’s Ranch
project, I attended the NOMADS Annual Meeting in Iowa and helped with
parking. The team leader for the Ranch
project was attending the Meeting also.
Further, he was helping with parking too. We were able to meet and discuss my situation
before the project began in Oklahoma, immediately following our week in Iowa. He readily agreed that I should be with my
daughter. For me, the project could wait.
At the end of the Annual Meeting, I delivered my trailer to
the Boy’s Ranch and left it there. Early
the next morning I was flying out of Tulsa on my way to Florida. I spent a wonderful week with my daughter,
which was a fantastic blessing in itself.
The week passed quickly and again I was flying across country toward
Oklahoma.
The project at the Ranch began on Saturday evening, October
1, 2001. Within minutes of arriving, a
woman told me that everyone was attending a pie auction at a local church. She invited me to go and ride with her and
her husband. I learned that the couple
was not associated with the NOMADS but had been volunteering at the Boy’s Ranch
rodeo for the past 15 years.
The pie auction was nice and it was perhaps the first
auction that I attended and did not buy anything. This is not to say I did not want to. I had my eye on one of two very nice cherry
pies, but due to what I would call sloppy auctioneering, the pies went to other
people. Oh, well, at least I got to see
them. I also got to see Elvis. He must have been hiding among the beautiful
hills surrounding the pristine Lake Tenkiller.
He paid a brief visit and sang a couple of songs. I did not get the chance to meet him up close
but, like the pies, at least I got to see him too. He looked good for his age.
Sunday morning began with services at the Cookson United
Methodist Church. It was a wonderful
service. Oddly enough, the pastor seemed
to resemble Elvis in a manner of speaking.
No, it could not have been. Everyone
knows there is only one Elvis. ‘Uh-huh, uh-huh, thank ya very much.’ After church, our team gathered at a local
trough for some good eats. I got a
chance to meet everyone. As I had
anticipated, all the NOMADS were very friendly and welcoming.
Assorted small jobs filled my first week. I helped replace seats on bleachers beside
the horse arena, fix a door on the announcer’s booth overlooking the arena, seal
a new swinging bench that overlooked the lake, and seal two large wooden
crosses. My second week included more
small jobs. I helped install screen on a
door and then mount it, mow around the bleachers, fix fencing around a chicken
coop, and a little kitchen work.
I enjoyed working in the kitchen. The leader in the kitchen was a volunteer not
affiliated with the NOMADS. She was
gracious to pass around her recipes but the time spent with her was almost more
valuable. She divulged many secrets of
cooking and ingredients. I kept a notebook
at hand and soon had a full page of notes.
For example, have you ever heard of adding Red Hots candies to
applesauce and pies? I helped make
cobblers and fried pies for serving or sale at the rodeo.
My evening activities included two campfires – one on the
lake with hotdogs and 20 or so boys at the Ranch and the other on a rock
outcropping overlooking a valley while listening to one of the volunteers play
a 1941 Gibson guitar. I also
participated in a community meal with the boys and staff. I enjoyed interacting with the boys, hearing
their stories, and sharing great times.
They seemed very polite, gracious, and hospitable. I guess I expected them to be a bit rougher
inside and out.
The staff gave our team a tour of the Methodist Children’s
Home in nearby Tahlequah, which joins the Boy’s Ranch under the Oklahoma United
Methodist Circle of Care for Children and Youth program. The Children’s Home houses girls. The boys and girls come together to
participate in the rodeo and display their horse riding skills. Following the tour, we enjoyed a fantastic
meal at a local BBQ restaurant. I have
not yet experienced a NOMADS project where I went hungry.
Our NOMADS project officially ended on Thursday, October 13,
but I volunteered to stay over and help with the rodeo. My job was ‘flag man’ and I would raise a
small flag to signal the timekeeper when riders began their riding competition. It was joyful to watch the kids show off
their creativity when they acted out a skit put to a popular song. It was also fun to watch the kids ride around
the arena. Some of the games included
two riders side-by-side holding a rope while they circled barrels (without
dropping the rope), a Pony Express relay race, and riding after calves as they
ran from one end of the arena to the other, and then guiding the calf through a
gate. Some of the kids were new to
riding but all did very well.
Oh, in case you are wondering where the Lord’s lessons were,
they were incurred through dealing with other people, not the horses.
The Boy’s Ranch project was fun. I heard there is another NOMADS project at
the Children’s Home in Tahlequah, which is associated with the Boy’s
Ranch. I would like to return to
Oklahoma and participate in either project.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_W7EBFzGR1FGgePOvq05jMxCVhZ9J0WXCPCJmIHAGdHqXQn8mK5GbQp68McS6AMg2oBsz-9iGCO5X_3veTDAxS3CzRs-5gZixQUs_fpr2XqqddX4Xk2E7gVUNSmoPPbLoTyb9TdSsbjQ/s320/Summer+11+129.JPG) |
View of Lake Tenkiller from Boy's Ranch Lodge |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2ErDmxt76d5sOOmK-W7gojRJ8lBj_CbyfUzzYuXL04u107Gk_4GmRep0DwjMXZZjNvrr11AgCgHp4h6AyGmXzZlMpFbS_FKjxtLhuMvl_tLbivtxOQ3yU1XfxULmEUmshS52LfCzS-ck/s320/Summer+11+088.JPG) |
Enjoying a 'Sing-along' at sunset |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZV5lfEVT7zXdahR3-7g-vtjN2uR1IiT-BIyIcu3udycz0q4-PmpfxKwdFmVvmJ2V1a0WpUG_Fh-CRVQ6lGV2SgX2ulAOuQhAIQlXeSCnY9eSJk1rMQHRG4ChqGAYZcv8p_MqtGApsSD7s/s320/Summer+11+097.JPG) |
Site of our 'Sing-along' |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6hFhyNM8tm86FJWzPemTjS_YwpU90cp3sEaHOP4Iq3vvEHVu8YZrNMIYrpcEQlNSLA8buhzAiEEqepX-x7A-lYlK_TVTVBk9C5y0uca13dIOyB0-1pXE5gNtLfv7novXYrxzsrGCvow2/s320/Summer+11+101.JPG) |
View of the campsites for volunteers |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2UKR-wYCHtElnHLU7Y8cOYQsjKTaE6-BwltP5QKLUAFEzFU0YSqyblSJwIGFKmX52RdU09A54jdL0GalxND45LtzhBwVRsQV191RmIdGGYkdrU__UMI_BcmcWJA3gKt8mAbHFdgVhax5/s320/Summer+11+103.JPG) |
The Ranch has LOTS of horses |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFerGgDcc4Jq-ur8isIneCOhQqyNJlMXzvw3GHDtOjfLvtxbMBeb8dqmV5XiFSiZnmfp8YBsLYDEHKr2ppadZ90eTQO6YS14Tg6khzu7eJ3zP2u7BI3i_CrJGHMsfk8Qifzx-ZE-YsD7As/s320/Summer+11+104.JPG) |
Replacing boards on bleachers before rodeo |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zH56qAQu46A3dDuO_HgCamksmvC2xWMDTjRNXtEB_4bwZxJ48seoOtyJI9oZnZpX8l6JlF4QG9eP_p5Sa9JzGY7YXbbSymncj4qLOv4hj6lw8LxLN09Bm244HAEOuVwdoIG2z13-0rms/s320/Summer+11+106.JPG) |
Rodeo arena |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RZk_j8UayoGEtM1414ZFVIcbwqb9fdvLqKqJByhF5ZwDiVtsw0f48t3WEww4tcyTnTz8YGJx3zHnsQCYfqS_0BrAPeyLyYL0hZMPqOrgMipWCu7NgrgJf8upVz64q_M8wAcGTlEeJQ1W/s320/Summer+11+115.JPG) |
Cooking up a few things for the boys' hungry appetites |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAvIvbxxb-ofoCPUKKjCM9Od0asFyJhTphJ6Kmz2gPvZwjsc35wgj_tzqCIJvylqx6v5Gmp6v6dx7BJzMw4R3venEV3o3iQTtgVtvsUk_sbC21c4eLMkbAqozKv1ycHk_p9gcBfEk9jbH/s320/Summer+11+128.JPG) |
Fixed the door to the 'tower' |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC30OU5HKjWdkjhl65qGuby8KezFeuZr4hm9iNoE0KxOjEhw44ry656dv9k65-PrNGJZD0Q4z2E4FVN-exNOqoriG5-L-eA8f_WA1qnBKZJuQt3OjgODYmJR9umBnmMUP7Q52GRLrzGqfz/s320/Summer+11+137.JPG) |
Sealed a new swing |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbc5co9R8qbTlElfysovIJNNZWL31jme1Ff8AkfNYPNfQRsaSeroSm2yax42G4tvWapuFxCQvSRNkjJpl8AfL5nlnAuv0YrU0swOsmGzfB66zcRWdqJzUbPgBTZW6qwlGgLHu1rMvOXjp1/s320/Summer+11+125.JPG) |
Cooking ingredients for Fried Pies |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0jP03DaceE81N4JVLUh9XSFZtXYViWsgH-kyc89D_8XO0IT6XrsuaZo4I-LGPkb1fZHR-p9q9TK7h1gUYh8NHJunoxSKkqmY55_96CSTIj8hGMsj8sO18EVDjNVPStpV1j9toMUOQUu23/s320/Summer+11+130.JPG) |
Boy's Ranch Lodge |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3i-9bbX4iaFaT7auQSHoA-nX6cVVE-0frr5UX7ayYEV-LkAEWUYmEtQyrvwSoSFCzj4oi9bLseAtpq4BWNNBGlkuqVASoQ73aa_eDRvmnjQz9uwD80JPHbTSDi-CEOG7ShzqTrbUecMV/s320/Summer+11+135.JPG) |
View from Lodge overlooking Lake |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBs3dUjaG6A85WsJ0-hhqxm2ZyeigAKJsqrDpwiC6FDO4Srk3f6losMfd_T802PrIFo-FQJHyG27ZUV0guAb-p_Ra7YFR8nNe6j5XYG4Q64r18ErFkm-BeLyUCvpMAplDkYeqNMYQn_SH/s320/Summer+11+138.JPG) |
Have a seat here and relax by the lake |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYEYMix-MdRZzcFbFE_CuLelTuGSYFEI7320tchF2naCfvsKv1T8pWNfZ8g66BfeqEKj_rcIQ9eS9ZLbuuzDloiSbBebJ-Pt42vmsbZXISGklihkbZWZ6vXZZhL0Bz36m5avf_dbWb2sF/s320/Summer+11+141.JPG) |
The girls get started for the rodeo |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19M-CkNYNAZdpTogspaRHGVcKDkP4XOFyJXV8FtImKNHwFRth1Uf7WoF38CSDCMYnzPGieCBjUbGRJycIff2sSQAQKNqBrCaQs9bm-vU1zz3kqzhVRmUwbCzNlOt4r6LEKmlT10WPPoa5/s320/Summer+11+144.JPG) |
Warming up for the rodeo |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQwmU43IPGyJ32-lgbY_zcA3pflpBx1WFhCInIBM2Cwh599iM5nQaXyJPUqf3KO1fR7S6VvnonNkR9yQBnVtm3Xr6T2iHVQndC5H0QLykz9bO4MG52_n9KDkvgL0nsLxxDtCUHoB9UsjB/s320/Summer+11+145.JPG) |
Young rider shows off his riding skill |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQck7nVmQjdr8UV5L8WAaf-IhIKvQ5mqpWC4dnYcNVMEIuk13O0z5MPucL_tGQZ4sEuxF_qhpsA4UKe2-DhsCcVY6JNAf9coq9qrt7oov0hz6SKA_niAemqeBwsZEYwUvBiYJVeKE_Wo0M/s320/Summer+11+149.JPG) |
Rehearsing Opening Ceremony |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8cv7ToRKedVC11ut-rKU5zwiqZtokokAdDyRYVGRtLThosX3OrsGho04y4alHkZGx_MPqOPTkZqMu-RC9z7Jhc5WAJuSepEjn2F1OdVTPhU-Z1q9lyLTUhIoUtGT-MSKtEqKBccmZNfV/s320/Summer+11+151.JPG) |
Paying tribute to America! |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBp8aoVXM6B0ijYaZSeQ_Z0-53sA2kl-of6j61DlfJhSMzGYY-0Tof2qjR0fV3sX1ctQrQKrXL-h4356NBIIDnRQSdfvCxdmcQy-nrd9O6ChWh7neF6Ip0Sv3wCZdMPQS2mhiR9O2r0fs/s320/Summer+11+157.JPG) |
Heading off the wild calf |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2hDsf2_kwVpWklxpvkxeRCd7Vnu0NB_ghUNiteHxJllfg7MmxVzQDKT-oa5Y-sk9vI79MyE_3ok0VTvPR7GcndvFYq64VQeNqSjJVS7mziJY2vUSKNc8dqrp1TLIDAPmzVcQM7Q_Roqd/s320/Summer+11+159.JPG) |
All kinds of things were offered during the rodeo |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77UTEe6fL2JitOwxsaBxe9ccLuAbz2MqE9m0UfGj5cI6XNMUhTPi5U33lFsoHz8XQeOc0D59quIWRm1n5wIXHIhLkxMriuuWLvpi7-KLXbz_v5VLivEgYqpSUOq_VoDRJkvLPS7KDectg/s320/Summer+11+160.JPG) |
Local school band practices |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcbly32FDWXUvLWeatB-KPc7Ijciunk9NyGpELZISl6v2uAqqBW7PgNxMv-jxuwm7qvQ7gMnmqjjhWD9r6WS3rWDTPftweT9eqedciLAli60oD7oR1ldEjZcyUxd5oIjIjecBmiunpDr2/s320/Summer+11+162.JPG) |
One way of getting around during the rodeo |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgodjCFAZwLxdbQjwnzU7f61Eoq4nFKPHoGR9TQgqQ3jRxO0g_ZOrfHvdYOYIvHVKfQmxNWcvg66CdYuCG9_U1r0F6-0BLIJ3987nJkRDBLnlUwfJ7kcXwQqyEO61sQE4mms3pbgUwrpRxH/s320/Summer+11+092.JPG) |
Boy's Ranch - a beautiful place |
Very inspiring. The last picture -- "Boy's Ranch - a beautiful place", what a great picture. It's one for a frame.
ReplyDelete