Volunteering

Yesterday I attended an all-day volunteer training program at the Praying Hands Ranch with a couple from my church. It was an absolutely amazing experience! I've been horse-crazy all my life (encouraged especially by my dad, who grew up on a Wisconsin animal park populated with 40 horses and all different kinds of North American animals), so the fact that horses were involved was definitely a big plus for me. The PHR staff and volunteers work alongside people with special needs to strengthen their physical and/or mental health using horses, small animals, and horticulture. They are beginning a program for youth at risk and also plan to help disabled veterans in the near future.

The DVD testimonials of parents whose children were aided was a real blessing. Many lives are being changed through this ministry. PHR is a Christian organization -- a Ten Commandments plaque hangs on the wall near the front door, and the friendly atmosphere and spirit of the place radiates true genuineness. I know that I will enjoy working with the horses, but the real purpose of Praying Hands Ranch is to be a mark in the community that can transform the seemingly hopeless futures of many.

My resolutionary post of the New Year ... and an introduction to an incredible writer

To start off, I might as well wish everyone a Happy New Year and all the other things that go along with it . . . like resolutions which you know will never work, but for some reason you still make them. For example, you may wish to exercise faithfully (the typical resolution, one which I really need), or you may wish to become a couch tomato and spend more time watching TV, eating chips and drinking soda. Anyway . . . I haven't created an extensive list of unattemptable resolutions, just kind of basic things I should be getting done, such as having my quiet time with God every day and getting my college application sent in and finishing a decent portion of my novel.

Now I want to introduce a writer whom I discovered in the now-vanished year of 2008. Jeff Gerke is the creator of WhereTheMapEnds.com and Marcher Lord Press, both of which are devoted to the rise of Christian speculative fiction. MLP launched on October 1, 2008, with three fantastic books and will be releasing three more in the near future--I totally can't wait. Jeff is also a book doctor, and, on a totally unrelevant note of interest, his family is planning to adopt a baby girl from China (follow the journey here as they "bring Sophie home").