A new adventure has begun! On January 29th, after passing through 14 states in one week, and stopping to see friends and family along the way, we arrived on Long Island in the snow covered Riverhead, New York to work with the Timothy Hill Children's Ranch. Due to delays with the bank, our house was not available for us to move into yet, so we were generously provided with a lovely apartment on the south side of the island. Five young men from the ranch were summoned to help us unload the U-haul, and their assistance was an immeasurable. Our cozy little apartment was quickly transformed into a cozy storage facility with stacks of boxes lining the walls. We anticipate being in our new house by the middle of February, so we don’t want to unpack too many things, but a few things can’t be helped. On our first morning, a fresh layer of snow and a gentle snow fall welcomed us to Long Island. We were delighted by the beauty it created and thankful that the snow held off until our arrival. Amused by our welcome, we cleaned the car off and trusted that our CR-V would be able to get out of the driveway. It was, and we enjoyed the scenery of our new environment as we carefully made our way to the ranch.
In a morning meeting with the director, “Thud”, and social worker, Cheryl, our responsibilities and particularly Kyle’s duties as “transitional housing coordinator” were more clearly defined. Cheryl has taken on much more than her fair share with the expanding programs at the ranch. Much of what Kyle will be doing has been falling on her up until this point, so they have been meeting to clarify responsibilities and for Kyle to be caught up on the residents and how things have been running. Kyle spent the last two evenings observing and leading a 3x/week life skills class which he will become responsible for. I have been taking care of our paperwork , working on this blog post and the video, and visiting with other care takers. By 5:30 it is completely dark outside this time of the year, so our drive home has felt much later than it actually is. Our second evening at our apartment, Kyle set to work on dinner, while I rummaged through boxes searching for necessary items, such as pans, plates, cups, knives and a vegetable peeler. By the end of the evening we had put a few items in the cupboards, had a delicious dinner and found most of what we will need to survive here for the next few weeks, until we move again.
Today we joined two of the residents and the social work intern to go spend the morning at the DMV. Through a series of almost humorous mishaps, Kyle and I were finally granted NY licenses. Back on the ranch, we were asked if we could stay at one of the houses for a few days starting this weekend while the care takers are away. So, I guess this will be our trial run. Nothing like jumping in with both feet!
We are excited and thankful to be here. Please keep us and the residents in your prayers as we build relationships, as we go through a training course next week and as we learn how best to serve in our new positions here.
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14
