Summer's Gone?

It doesn't really feel accurate to say it was a short summer; but, it doesn't feel accurate to say it was a long summer, either. Gone are the days of the boys doing work all day one day, fishing all day the next; of hours spent at the lake; of Watermelon Wednesdays with our relief parents; and of constantly losing and ruining socks (actually, that part will probably definitely never end). School has been in session for four days now, and we are re-learning our rhythm, but I think it has been good for everyone. Each of our boys seem to be enjoying school so far (of course, it is really early); however, they are counting the days until our trip to Florida. CS and IG have literally every single class and two-a-days in football together, and on top of being roommates I was sure this would mean they would get sick of each other. So far, it only gives them a million more things to talk about (including talking about girls way too much. Pray for us). We have been really impressed with and proud of how TJ is handling things at school already. We think it is really going to be a great year!

We are now eleven days away from our Ranch Family vacation to Florida. The fact that we are going on this vacation when summer is technically over makes it sort of feel like we are caught in a summer-time-warp; I am dying to start making pumpkin everything, but it feels like I need to wait for the vacation to be over. I think it'll help the boys feel like summer isn't really gone just yet, and maybe that's good for them. Having the boys in school has helped us plan for the vacation, but it also feels a bit like, "only eleven days to make sure we have everything ready to take fifteen people to Florida?!"

If you are counting and realizing we are not including two in that head count, it's because Adeline and Henry are going to stay with grandparents while we are gone. I know Addie will have so much more fun with her grandparents--and she and everyone else would have hated her being stuck in the car for fourteen hours--but this will be the longest Addie and I have ever been apart: ten days. TEN DAYS. I will probably spend the entire night we are packing and the first half of the drive in tears. I'll definitely spend most of the drive sleeping considering we are leaving at 4:30 am.

When it comes to money for the trip, we are so thankful for God's provision--we have everything we need for the trip. This includes rent for the condo, money for groceries, and gas money. If you are still considering sending in money, we would gratefully accept it! Just know that it would be used for fun family stuff--going out to eat one night, buying some snorkeling gear for the boys, or maybe using it to get the boys some souveniers to bring home, like a t-shirt or a hat or one of those big conch shells with glued-on googly eyes.

As we have had time to take a breath now that the boys are settling into school, and we are on the big push toward vacation, I wanted to be sure to let all of you friends of WSBR know some things you could be praying for us about:

• You know how sometimes when you are really, really busy you don't realize how worn out you are until you sit down? That is how we feel. Big time. Please pray for God to use this time to help not just Blake and I, but for all WSBR staff to have some time to "fill up." 
• There are significant changes going on back home for one of our boys that are definitely heavy on his heart. Please pray for him to learn to really lean on Jesus in this time, and that Blake and I would be able to remind him of this. 
• WSBR has caught wind of a young boy who may be able to find a home at the ranch, and he would be in Blake and I's house. Please be in prayer for this boy, his family, and for us, that God would give us wisdom and discernment as we navigate the process from here. This is in very early stages, so this is the only information I can share.
• Please be in prayer for us when we travel to Florida in just eleven days--for safety, for no issues with the vans, for good attitudes, etc.  
• When you are living life and living in discipleship, relationships can become strained. Please pray that the enemy would gain no foothold in our staff-staff relationships and our staff-boy relationships. 
• Most of all, please just pray for the constant peace of our God whose presence so obviously rests on WSBR. When life moves fast and we are working so hard to do our jobs well, it is really easy to look right past what He has already done perfectly. 

Thank you all for your faithfulness to us here at WSBR. We covet your prayers and encouragement. 

WSBR Is Going to Florida!

It's happening, it's really happening!

Now, things do look a little different than we had planned as you read in my last blog post; but trust me, it's much better than we had been hoping for.

• First of all, we had originally been planning to take the boys before school for just four or five days. Now, we will let their teachers know so we can get homework made up and all that jazz, but we are going for A WHOLE WEEK at the end of August/beginning of September.
• Originally, we were going to just take Jon and Whitney and their boys, plus Blake and I and our boys. Now, thanks to generous donors, we have enough money to also be able to take our relief parents and their three kids with us, too! 
• We originally asked for help raising about $1200 for gas and some "fun expenses" (going out to eat, snorkeling gear or something, etc). We had enough petty cash to cover the rest that we needed. Well, WSBR wants to give the biggest "thank you" ever to those who gave so generously, because we have enough money that we don't have to use ANY of the petty cash for housing or anything--donors paid for all of it! We can now use the petty cash for a family outing or getting school stuff for the boys, or even things we need for the Florida trip for the boys. What a huge blessing!

So, in case you are wondering what you have paid for, this is the place we are all (as in, all 17 of us) are staying! There are two master bedrooms for Jon, Whitey, and baby Henry, and Blake, Adeline, and I; there is a room with four bunk beds for our boys; a room with two beds for two of J&W's boys, and another room with a bed for J&W's third boy. Attached to the big house is a guest house for our relief parents and their three kids. It comes equipped with an amazing kitchen and dining room, and (as pictured above) a balcony from which you have an awesome view, and even our own private pool! The person who owns the house even gave us a $700 discount!

All this to say, we are absolutely blown away by God's provision, so beautifully and timely given through all who have donated. If you still wish to donate to the trip, you can use paypal via the website or send a check; we can always use your gifts for groceries or buying things the boys may need for the trip. 

From all of us here at Willow Springs, thank you so much! We are so grateful!

An Adventure Awaits!

First of all, before I tell you the exciting news I have, I just want to shout out a HUGE thank you to the reader responses I received in just mere hours after mentioning things that could be donated to the ranch. We have three bikes awaiting some TLC by my awesome can-fix-anything husband, we have an abundance of embroidered towels in the works, AND we are waiting at this very moment for a queen bed AND a bonus futon to be delivered to us for the guestroom for our superhero relief parents. God is good, and He has shown that through the generous hearts of those who took the time to read about life on the ranch and do what they could to be involved. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity! You are a blessing to us!

So, our exciting news is....*drumroll please*

WSBR is going to Florida!!!!!!!

...maybe.

(P.S. TJ has no idea why we took this picture. Because the boys don't officially know yet.)

So, here's the story. We have a thing called "petty cash" that we receive from generous donors so we can do fun things together as a family that our budget wouldn't normally cover--go out to eat, go see a movie, etc. Recently, both houses received enough petty cash that we thought, "Hey, why don't we save this and all go on a vacation together before school starts?" Jon and Whitney brought up that their boys have never seen the ocean, and we think only one of ours has ever seen it, and we don't even know if he has. Blake and Jon began looking for a place we could afford to go where the boys could get to have the adventure of seeing the ocean. 

We have managed to find a place that we can afford to all stay, and Whitney and I are working on a grocery budget that can feasibly feed all of us without breaking the bank. We are so excited about this opportunity! Taking six boys, two babies, and four adults to Florida is going to be one (crazy?) fun adventure! But we are missing one little thing.

Plane tickets are totally out of the question. However, we think if we can raise the money for gas, that this trip will definitely be doable. We are in contact with some friends of WSBR to see if they can cover gas, but after seeing the loving generosity of you all with the bed, bikes, and towels, I thought I would reach out to see if anyone is willing/wanting to give. To give you an idea of numbers, we need about $900. Ideally, we still need about $1200 total for gas PLUS entertainment stuff (i.e. renting a wakeboard or surfboard, if we all wanted to go out for dinner together one night, etc.). If you are interested in giving toward our trip financially, you can go to the website link I put in the last blog post (but, PayPal will charge you a fee). You can also write a check for whatever amount you like (which we will gratefully and happily accept!) payable to Willow Springs Boys Ranch, and mail it to 880876 S. 3390 Rd., Chandler, OK 74804. 

Thank you all so much for the prayers you offer so faithfully, and the gifts you give so abundantly. We trust that God will provide to give these boys who have been given too many bitter memories one really great memory together as a ranch family. We look forward to seeing how He makes it happen!

A Full(er) House

On Monday, July 7 (exactly one month since IG moved in), the Liddell house will be getting our third boy! KS will be here, and we are so excited! He will be sharing a room with IG, as they are almost the same age and will be going into the same grade when school starts next month. Please be in prayer for KS (I am not sure if his name starts with a C or a K, as I haven't seen the official form for him yet; bear in mind his initials may change :P) as he moves in and begins adjusting to life on the ranch. He has never lived at the ranch before, but has visited several times and is already somewhat familiar with it; I think this could help him adjust. Also, please pray that he and IG will hit it off well; they could potentially be really great influences on each other, or end up being really competitive because they are so close in age.

Something I said in the above paragraph has just really occurred to me--that the boys will be back in school next month! Where has the summer gone? There have been a few extra long days here and there, but the weeks have been short. We work hard and we play hard. The summer has been a great time of learning to work together as a family to get things done, and learning to have fun together when the work is finished.

I have been asked frequently what it is like to have rambunctious older boys and a toddler all in one house. Our one-year-old daughter, Adeline, has played a very special role in our ministry at WSBR. What a blessing it is that even at her young age, I already see how God can use her to minister to others (obviously she isn't aware of this--but her mother is). The way her eyes light up and she smiles or laughs when she sees TJ or IG seems to fill them instantly with joy. They will just chase her in the living room or try to coax her to walk or do everything they can to get giggles out of her for hours! It seems like she is good medicine for the wounds they have endured in their lives before moving to WSBR. As for how the boys are for her, I was worried for quite a while before we moved to the ranch that I would have to constantly run damage control, but I knew that God would protect Adeline more than I ever feasibly could. The boys are absolutely wonderful with her--we seldom need to remind them to be gentle with her. They are extremely protective of her, and always hate when it's her naptime or bedtime because they want to keep playing. However, neither of them ever seem to be around if she needs a new diaper. ;) I am confident that, even if it doesn't happen as quickly as it has with TJ or IG, that KS will also adore Addie, and that she will love him just as much. :)

Here is a list of prayer requests and needs you can be aware of if you wish to be a part of what God is doing here at WSBR:

• As stated in the first paragraph, please especially be in prayer for KS this week as he moves into our house.
• Prayer for TJ and IG to remain open and welcoming as they adjust to KS becoming a part of the family. 
• It isn't really a ranch thing, but we are weaning Adeline off of her pacifiers. She may still need to take one to the nursery at church, though, or I have a feeling she will borrow one from another baby. :/
• For good attitudes about the balance of work and play and being a family to continue, and on some days improve ;)
• For whatever future boys God will bring to either the Mac house or the Liddell house. When KS moves in, there will be three boys in each house--so there is definitely room for more. :)

Some needs which you may consider donating:

• As always, if you would like to give financially to WSBR, you can go here. 
• We had one bicycle for a while that was quite old that our boys used to all share, but it was already on its last leg and quickly became unrideable. There is lots of room for riding bikes at the ranch, and I know the boys would just love if a bicycle (or bicycles, plural) were donated. If you have a bike sitting in your garage that is taking up space, we would love if you considered giving it to WSBR. 
• Our relief house parents just had a baby girl a few months ago, and have two young boys as well. All of them share our guest room when they come to do relief for our days off once a week. The bed in our guest room is fairly old, and is only a full size bed. If you or someone you know has a queen sized bed in good condition they could donate, it would certainly be well received! 
• This isn't really a need, but if you're one of those women I envy who have a talent for embroidery, Blake and I thought it would be really neat if the boys had two or three towels with their initials, name, or a monogram of their initials embroidered on it so that they could always see whose was whose. Just an idea :)

If you are reading this, thank you, thank you, thank you for investing your time in these boys and in the ministry of WSBR to catch up and be aware of what God is doing, and of needs that need to be met. Yours prayers are coveted and appreciated! 

Ebb & Flow

For those of you who have been praying for the possibility of a new boy coming, thank you! IG moved in this morning! He is too busy playing with TJ (I realized going by just first initials could be potentially confusing as our house grows) to have unpacked any of his suitcases yet, which is fine. He is almost fourteen; but, so far, the age gap between he and 10 year old TJ doesn't seem to matter. I'm sure this could change soon, but I digress.

Since my last blog post, I am sad to say that A decided he still did not want to be at the ranch. We have a saying here at WSBR, though: "We'll love you wherever you live." I think TJ is sad about this off and on; he misses his brother and wishes he would have stayed, but TJ is sold out to the ranch. Even if his brother couldn't buy in, he has determined that he's not going anywhere.

Please continue to pray for IG as he starts to adjust to life at the ranch. He is excited to be here, but it is still going to take getting used to :)

A is Back!

And, no, I'm not talking about Pretty Little Liars (but I did finally watch the entire fourth season and I swear at this point I'm only watching it for closure. It drives me--and my husband, because he hates that I watch it--crazy).

If you keep up with us on Facebook, you are probably aware that our latest pictures have included two boys instead of one. T's brother, A, is finally back at the ranch! Things are going pretty well so far, and we are hoping that when summer starts he will still be doing well. :) I do not want to disclose too much personal information about our boys through the blogisphere, but I will ask that you pray for A's continued healing and well-being.

Recently Blake and I arranged a space in the back of the utility closet to serve as a prayer closet, that anyone in our house can use. I left a journal from India and one of our Bibles in there, and both boys have utilized the space a few times. Something about being behind a closed door, in a small space, where it's really quiet, somehow seems to help them feel more like God is really listening. Perhaps it feels like being in God's secret clubhouse or something. It seems like it has been a good thing for them when they have used it, like they can come out a different person, or at least feeling closer to this God that I think neither of them would say they understand at all. I would go into deeper detail about where I feel they are at with God personally, but please understand that I am trying to really guard these boys. You'd be surprised (or maybe not) by what kind of personal questions people ask them, and they are already pretty guarded--so I try not to give others more information to freak them out with ;)

Okay, so back to where I was going when I started talking about the prayer closet. I think one of the biggest things that boys coming to the ranch need to understand is what grace is, and why it is so important. Obviously at the ranch there are rules and expectations that need to be followed--but grace is the cement that holds this place together. And let me tell you, as a house mom, I need a lot of grace. Blake needs a lot of grace. Our bosses and our fellow house parents and relief houseparents and our counselor need a lot of grace. The boys need so much grace, and it's really difficult for them to understand (and hey, we all have trouble understanding it, right?). So, please, pray for an abundance of God's grace around us, in us, through us.

Another thing you can begin to pray for is a boy that may be coming to the ranch some time after labor day. He is thirteen, and he will come look at the ranch next week. We are hoping and praying that he will find a home here at the ranch; please join us in doing so!

Thank you once again for your continued intercession for us. We love and appreciate you!

A Long (But Ultimately Awesome) Weekend

To explain everything that went on this weekend, let me give you a brief prologue.

Please be in prayer for Blake's grandpa, Paul. He has been diagnosed with liver cancer. This patriarch of our family means so much to us, and has been battling various health issues for almost two years now. For me, personally, all my grandfathers and great-grandfathers have passed away or just simply aren't in the picture. Paul is my grandpa; and anyone who has been close to a grandparent or parent knows how difficult these situations are. Blake's parents, Odus and Paula Kaye, are back in Texas tonight and will find out more about Paul's diagnosis and treatment options tomorrow. We are optimistic that God will do a mighty work in our family through this situation, and that everyone--especially Papa--will come out stronger on the other side. On Sunday, two of Blake's brothers came to stay with us here at the Ranch for a week while Blake's mom and all of his sisters went to stay with his grandparents in Texas to help take care of Paul.

With Blake's two brother's here for a whole week, T got to play with boys closer to his age, and also have a tiny idea of what a bigger family dynamic might look like when we have more boys here. It was neat to watch T get more involved in helping things run smoothly and have more of a "part" to play in the family. He volunteered to help with dishes--twice! In a row!

On Friday, Blake, his two brothers, T, and all the boys and Jon from next door went to the mens retreat at Falls Creek. Blake said it was a lot of fun, but he wasn't so sure how much T got from anything because he was a lot younger than most of the men that went; but, when we were driving to Shawnee on Saturday night, Blake asked T what his favorite part of the retreat was, and T said his favorite part was the worship/tabernacle time. Blake's response was, "You're not just saying that cause you think that's what I want to hear, are you?" and T said, "No, there was lots of cool stuff, but that really was my favorite." You just never know with boys that come through the ranch how guarded they will be, depending on where they are coming from--T is so open to learning, and asks so many questions (some days too many).

On Saturday night, we all stayed in Shawnee with Blake's family to discuss Paul's health. T sat in on our family meeting, and even though his face definitely communicated "I have no idea what's going on here," you could see him trying really hard to understand and be a part of what was going on, and trying to understand the complex combination of the pain that comes with dealing with the reality of sickness in a loved one, and the hope we have that Christ is stronger than that pain. I think that by the end of this weekend, he was starting to feel like he was really part of this family--not just Blake and Adeline and me, but also our extended families.

Today we ALL went to church together, where Blake, two of his sisters, our friend Luke, and I all led worship and his dad preached. At one point today, after it was said several times in church "We are just so glad the Comptons are with us today" and the like, T leans over and whispers to me, "I'm a Compton, too, aren't I?" There's no denying when you get thrown in with all the Comptons, you're going to feel the love; and T really felt the love this weekend, and really saw how being a family is being a team. Even with the undertone of sadness in discovering Papa's cancer, this weekend was such a blessing.

So, after this long story, here's some praise and prayer points for T and for our house:

• Praise: T is doing A LOT better in school. He brought one of his grades up TWO LETTER GRADES from the last nine weeks to this nine weeks. 
• Prayer Point: Adjusting to Chandler schools still has its challenges. We are hoping that after the summer he will be adjusted enough to be excited to go back to school. 
• Praise: As far as I know right now, we are up to four possible new boys to come to our house. These are still in early, early stages, and would wait until after school to come (because why change school's when we have only a few weeks left to go?). 
• Prayer Point: for these four boys, please pray that God would bring their parents/guardians wisdom, that God would help these boys to find a home here at the ranch, and that He would prepare our hearts and our home for whoever He brings.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for interceding on behalf of our family and on behalf of WSBR. We so covet your prayers. For more information about our part at WSBR, you can sign up for our monthly email newsletter here. For more information about the ranch as a whole, you can like our Facebook page and check out the link on my blog. :)