By Larry Reinhold

As I begin writing this, the theme music of How The West Was Won is playing. For those who have attended Rainbow, I am sure you recall some of wakeup music in the past. Songs such as Chariots of Fire by Vangelis, Aaron Copeland’s Rodeo (everyone knows it around here as “The Beef Song”), the theme Music from the 1988 Seoul, Korea Olympics and others have joined How the West was Won to rouse sleepy campers. I enjoy writing to music and I can’t help but be excited about the return of many young friends from around the country as we begin another camp season.

Yesterday, I spoke with a lady that was asking about making up a gift certificate for her great granddaughter as a birthday gift. This same grandma and grandpa were also very influential upon this little girl’s daddy, as they always made sure he came to camp at Rainbow as well. It is rewarding to see the concern and involvement of one generation to another. Perhaps you have grandchildren or neighbor kids that would benefit by attending a session at Rainbow Bible Ranch. Your gift or assistance could be life changing. We would be very willing to work with you in accomplishing this.

March has been good for us in that we have seen some much needed moisture. We have received 16” of snow in the last two weeks alone. Along with that, we have had some very cold weather. That is on the heels of the warmest winter and nearly the driest winter on record. We are looking forward to some much needed runoff to fill our ponds and reservoirs for stock water as well as provide for good fishing. We have seen some very good bass fishing over the last few years. We continue to manage this for the enjoyment of our campers. Many kids have never experienced the simple joy of fishing, let alone the thrill of catching a big bass. Opportunities such as this is what makes for a camping experience that will add memories for years.

Recently, I was visiting with a former camper and staff member that is currently attending college and pursuing his studies in the ministry of Christian camping. He told me of the many fine camps that he had been to in the last couple of years. However, what struck him was how “cookie cutter” they are and how unique Rainbow is.

We are committed to providing this unique and effective outreach. We will be the first to say that God gets the credit for any successes that we have enjoyed. It has been obvious that God’s will is at work, and my, I don’t want to stand in the way of that.

Legacy, our discipleship and training plan for teens, contributes to our uniqueness. We are staffed nearly 100% by young people that have “grown up” with Rainbow. This affords the privilege of partnering with people that understand and love the work of Rainbow. They have seen it lived by leaders that they know and see on a regular basis. This is not an “in and out” job. Each one of our staff have been observed and encouraged for years as their roles have developed from camper, to Legacy participant, and on up the ladder as they become group leaders and wranglers. They “know the system” and contribute to betterment of the entire process. The 17 or so participants of Legacy III 2002 are “family members”. This adds to our uniqueness and is very rewarding as well.

In February we were blessed by having Jerry Frith, Mike Torpe and Mike Malenovski give us a hand in our remodeling projects. These capable individuals constructed the new bathrooms upstairs for the Quest Dorms. They also finished up the trim in the dining room and breezeway. It is impressive to see what can be accomplished when capable hands are combined with willing hearts. These men are contractors and took time from their busy schedule to contribute.

I have a great appreciation for any willing heart, but I am also a firm believer in lining people out according to their gifts and talents. I know we all must have the chance to learn; however, the hand controls the hammer much better than the foot and I am glad that I don’t stand on my head when my feet do so well at holding me up. We each have different capabilities and we must act accordingly in order to have a “well oiled machine”.

What can you and I do in the operation of Rainbow Bible Ranch. I know some wonderful young people that are willing to spend sleepless nights in a dorm with a bunch of happy campers, but they don’t have much money to help feed those campers. I know there are those among us that have been blessed financially, but we don’t do very well sitting in a saddle all day long teaching kids to ride. Perhaps you can do sheet rock, but you can’t make a sheet cake for dessert.

This outfit relies on the Lord, but is made up of many people. That is the way God wants it. And that is the only way to go.