Hoodlydo from all of us here at the Ranch. Life at Sky Ranch this week continues to be amazing. The plethora of ages of the kids provides a unique (also a side-note: the rule of “an” before a vowel fails when the word following it is unique, in case you were curious) dynamic that we haven’t been able to see yet this summer. As we continue to live out Everyday Grace, many people who know and love Sky Ranch will attest that it is the small things that make camp so much memorable and help us to see grace each and everyday. Yes, this merits a story…

Today for the first time we got to enjoy the Pioneer walk, where the staff dresses up as some of the pioneers who settled the Sky Ranch property and the kids get to time travel and learn all about Sky Ranch’s history. As normal, one of the most beautiful and powerful things here is the kids’ imagination. When they get immersed in the story and join the staff in the silliness of pretending to be in a time they are not they just about give us all face cramps from the constant smiling. However what we tend to forget is that these kids are often smarter than us and can outwit us.

For example…

Unknowingly one of our staff kept her sunglasses on after our time travel only to be so kindly reminded by several of our campers that they didn’t have snazzy sunglasses like that in the pioneer days. It is in these moments where the staff stands speechless and their minds race in agony that I find grace. Those moments that knock us off our high-horses and remind us that we don’t have all the answers are moments of grace. Those moments where we remember that we too are just like them; children of God are moments of grace. And so it is in the smart remarks of the children that we can be humbled and remember that God’s grace is for all, even when we don’t have the answers.

So for now, I hope you all can continue to find grace in the most unexpected places, and maybe, just maybe it will render you speechless too.

In love, Peter Gonia