Day Two: Poop and Fences

I learned things today. I learned that shoveling poop is not glamorous. I learned how to milk a goat. I learned that Walker Sullivan is a rabbit and goat whisperer. I learned that when Josh Ransom does devotionals, he is filled with God's grace and willing to share. I also learned that beef liver patte' is not a favorite of mine (even though Walker says it tastes better with salt and pepper) and that I would prefer my soup hot, but chilled is alright too.
Yesterday, as soon as we got here, we jumped into chores which were not like chores we were used to. We herded sheep up the mountain like some warped version of Sound of Music and I've never seen something so funny. Imagine kids attempting to bully loud, terrified sheep past a huge garden filled with vegetables they would much rather be eating.. Chaos. Last night we had a good meal that included stuffed peppers with quinoa and sausage, beet salad, and strawberry rhubarb tart for desert. For a bunch of kids from the south I think everyone did a really good job with trying the different foods (disregarding the carrot-ginger soup served today at lunch which was a little too orange for some).
I can't continue any further without mentioning what we did for our service project today. This is the big lesson of the day- don't volunteer for tasks without knowing what they are. Molly, Cammy, Caileigh, Joe, Josh, Ariel, Jonathan, and I volunteered blindly and ended up with the crappiest (pun intended) job of the day - shoveling compacted poop from the stalls that were two feet deep! Dubbed the Poop Group, we had a pretty awesome time singing ourselves through the trauma. The other group did an awesome time building an enclosure for the ornery llamas (who remind me of grouchy old men).
Overall, the group seems to be having an excellent time, full of traumatic poop shoveling, boulder moving, orange soup, 5 am sunrises, and great devotionals.
Tomorrow we move to the global village- which will be a great source of entertainment. We will be sorted into different villages deep in the wood, complete with realistic living conditions (no power or running water) and some of the villages have dirt floors and no doors. It will definitely be an adventure (especially if our group is near the Yak which is said to be aggressive).
Before I end this blog post, it's important to touch on what Josh preached to the group about tonight and a quote that was just what I needed to hear. "Let go and Let God." As Josh put it, "Ask God not for things, but for him to prepare you for his things." We are learning to let go and let God on this trip, and tomorrow will be a true testament to that philosophy.

Olivia Huey

(PS-our youth leaders have been phenomenal this trip, after-all, how often can you see yourself becoming someones friend that saw you at the worst, most unflattering time of your life- middle school?)