A particular place filled with particular people,
has changed me...
One day I got onto my e-mail. I erased all the Facebook notifications like I normally do and went on reading my e-mail. Well when I finished up a certain e-mail I pressed delete and up popped a notification from Facebook!
"Dang!" I thought, "I missed one." I was about to delete it when something caught my eye... It was talking about a job...
This piqued my interest because just a couple days ago I discovered that I did NOT like working in healthcare! Which is crazy because I thought I would be in love with it, but I just wasn't. I was in search of something more.
So as I read about this job it said it was for a boy's ranch for troubled teen boys. And I was thinking that sounded pretty interesting. It went on to say that this place was called Ari-something or other.... And people thought Tehachapi was a weird name... It wasn't till a couple weeks later I could say the name and now it is a name I will never forget how to say.
So the girl who posted it gave her number out. I decided to text her to figure more out about the job. She told me a little and I got more interested and then she told me that it was eight days on and six days off. Welp, thats it. I aint doing that!
I went about my day and a couple days passed by, but I seriously could NOT stop thinking about that job!!! I kept telling myself it wouldn't work. My plans were to stay as a phlebotomist until I went on my mission and then when I came back I would go back to school and work some random part-time job till I finished up with my schooling.
Still nothing I would tell myself got me to stop thinking about that job. So I texted that girl again to ask about the pay. Then I did the math... Strangly enough I would be making more at this ranch job then I would as a phlebotomist. So I called up my parents. My mom was all for it!! We both agreed this would be a great opportunity. My dad was harder to convince. I told him they pay me, give me food while I am there, the gas would be about the same, so overall I could save up quite a bit for my mission! So my dad looked at it and said okay!!
So then I texted her and said I would like to apply. Well basically I just had to send some guy an e-mail about why I wanted to do this job. I explained that I was searching for another career path in a different field. I was thinking about speech therapy like my mother or to become a counselor. And that I grew up with five brothers so I will feel at home at the ranch.
So I got a reply back and they said I was hired! Well that was easy!!! They sent me some paperwork to fill out and I scanned it and sent it back.
Then at the end of August I was leaving my house at 5:00AM and getting into a truck with a girl I had only heard about from church...
The ride was actually pretty good. I liked Brook instantly. Little did I know that she would become one of my best friends.I got to the ranch and unpacked my stuff in our little portable. It had the tiniest shower I had ever seen. But it was cute, thanks to Brook. And you know it was good. It has walls and a roof. That is all I really need. Later I came to learn it leaks a lot when it rains and the hot water for the shower rarely works, but hey when you work at a boy's ranch you really do not need to live in luxury. I barely spent anytime in that place anyways.
I walked out and there were boys everywhere! Yeah... I guess I knew I was coming to a boy's ranch, but you know.
Brook showed me around the place and showed me the bunk that I was gonna be in and told me a little bit about some boys in there.
Then we all gathered around the flag pole. They announced that they had a new "wrangler". They said a long memorized thing called the creed. And at the end they all gathered in and yelled the words. Yep! Boys for ya!
Then after I swear I had a million boys come up to me and tell me their names... a couple lied about their names... :) And I felt a tad overwhelmed. Then brook kinda showed me how the schedule works and I walked into the bunk and followed my partner around.
At first I was really awkward talking to the boys... This was different. I had brothers, but really we spent most of our time playing sports together or wrestling. And when they talked well, they never cursed and talked about drugs. haha So it was different. I realized though that it was not foriegn country though. I did go to high school and I did hear that kind of stuff there.
Well my first week was a little rough. Brook kept telling me the boys like to test you and see if you will stick around. I was positive that they just did not like me at all. I decided to start writing on the back of my schedule all the good I saw in each of the boys and the good things I saw happening. So when moments got rough I could look at that and remember that there is good all around me. I'll admit I had a ton to learn about truly loving these boys and seeing them as people. And yes I kinda got in a fight with a boy my first week. Yikes!! And I cried later that night! haha
Brook went in to cover for me and I went up early to the portable. Brook texted me telling me that the boys kept asking if I was okay and that they do really like me and that they think I can help them out and be kinda like a Mary for them.
That helped me feel alright. I told her.. "So they really do just test you, huh? Well good thing I am not going anywhere."
The last day on my first shift I got to be in the advancements meeting and in cowboy council. A boy put himself up for Cowboy council. And as he got up there and talked about the things he struggled with it hit me like a brick wall... THAT IS ME. I wanted to run out of the room.. MAN! it HURT! I did not want to hear it. The boy's pain was reflected in me. Tears began to drop, but I fought it. The only thing that kept me from leaving was that I should listen to what he has to say, it could help me and that it would be rude to get up and leave in the middle of this esp. when he is letting so many in and see his pain. As soon as he was done I got up and left the room. I cried. I couldn't help it.
I got some books to read about Arbinger, which is what we teach the boys, and I began to read. I started getting it. In a lot of ways it is not too different from the Gospel. It teaches to in essence love everyone, in the purest way you can. And is that not what Christ asks of us?
I started to apply Arbinger to my life and then it hurt bad... I wanted to push it away and to just stop it. And I did... for a couple of days.
Soon enough I discovered things about myself that I needed to work on. I had a lot to do.
And I no longer wanted to keep Arbinger out of the picture. It was time to do some work! On me!
But you know what?? I knew I could do this.
Why?
Because of the amazing boys that were surroundiung me everyday at work. They are STRONG! They are GOOD! And they are just about the most AMAZING people I have ever had the pleasure to meet.
I saw them conquer their issues and I was filled with hope. I can do that too! And so yes, I found out early on about my health stuff and found out I should not go on a mission. Was it hard? Yes, but it was not that bad because I got to go to work every week and be with these boys. I got to learn about them and their hardships. I got to hang out with them. I got to talk with them. I got to learn and grow with them.
In a way being at the ranch is like a mission. Boys will say that I help them and that feels really great. But you know the truth?? Each and every one of them has helped me way more than I could have ever helped them.
I am so blessed to be among them and to be with them. I am so blessed to have met these remarkable souls that have so much to give to the world around them.
Are they troubled... yes. They are. But who in this world isn't? Do they make mistakes? Sure. But you know what, that doesn't make them bad. I have made plenty of mistakes in my life. What matters is the heart. And the heart that I see in these boys is a heart of gold. I have never had anyone love and care about me the way these boys have. I have never had such incredible and wonderful relationships as I have been able to form with these boys.
So in a way Arivaca Boy's ranch has changed my life.
But really... my amazing co-workers have changed my life. They have become some of my greatest friends.
And most surely these troubled teen boys have changed me and my heart and the way I view this world and those who roam in it.
So really how can I not express my gratitude for this place and for these people?
Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!
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