Ranch Life Immersion
This newspost is Part 2 from a Tenth Mexico Justice Journey, written by Tenth Kids Director, Marie Lee. Part 1 featured our spiritual formation teambuilding orientation in Los Cabos.
On Friday afternoon we said goodbye to our place of comfort - both physically and emotionally - and arrived at Rancho El Camino at night. This amplified the sense that we were entering into the unknown. Strange shapes, vaguely visible rose to greet us. The only source of light was the stars in the sky and a sliver crescent moon, yet the light it cast was still strong enough to cast shadows on the ground. It felt like a foreshadowing of what we were about to experience.
And what a first day! It was a full immersion into ranch life. We spent the morning touring the grounds (which was stunning in the light of day) and meeting the kids who came for kids club. Some of us got to help out with the horses, and others participated in a scavenger hunt, and got to see the kids play and connect with their leaders and have a wonderful time. Some of us even got to witness two kid goats being birthed!
Later that evening we got to be a part of their church gathering - many of the youths and kids we saw earlier in the day were at church as well, so it was a wonderful opportunity to continue to smile and nod (for myself and other non-Spanish speakers) and continue lively conversations (Ana and Michael) with familiar faces. The service was simple, intergenerational, generous of spirit, and full of deep love. Kids and youth were seamlessly integrated into the service. It felt like worshipping with extended family. There was a new baby being passed around and cooed over, and there was a palpable sense of joy and pride and welcome over this new addition to the family.
The next day, as we were driving around the local colonias (materially poor neighbourhoods), Pete pointed out all the places that they’ve held summer camps and gatherings, where they’ve made connections and built relationships with kids, parents and local community centers. It seemed to me that if we were to look at these places on a map, these places of hope would mirror the stars that we saw that first night - points of lights shining the love of Christ in a dark and broken world. If that were the case, the moon would be the Ranch, and the stars - its people.
Pete has said that the Ranch is the community of people, rather than the property. It’s not a physical location, it’s wherever its people are. And the people are lively, loving, warm, welcoming, gentle and generous. You can quickly tell that they not only love each other, they love being with each other. They are quick to smile, laugh, serve, and share. The heart for kids, youth and families is clear to see - many of the current youth volunteers grew up in the kids club, and some have continued on as staff and are part of the leadership program at the ranch as well. It has been a blessing to be invited into their way of life, and as we enter the Sabbath rhythm tonight, my prayer is that the Lord will continue to open our eyes and hearts to what He is doing here.
Pete and Emily facilitate a strong team of leaders at Rancho El Camino in La Paz as they primarily serve children, youth, and families through camps & recreational ministries, community development initiatives, leadership training programs, and church-based ministries.