The Makis among the Trees

He almost looks like a tree. He spends so much time outdoors he might as well be a tree, a misplaced redwood perhaps but he's adjusting to the ponderosa pines.  Prescott Pines Camp warmly welcomes the Makis! A true hearty welcome at that. I should know, as I am one of them (the Makis that is).  Ben is the new Outdoor Education Coordinator and Sandra (that's me) is the new Communication Coordinator. 

We arrived to Prescott from northern California where Ben for the last seven years worked at Alliance Redwoods running the program there. Last year, we spent the beginning of our married life traveling and collecting each others' stories.  Last October, we journeyed to Romania where Ben spent summers working with orphanages and a semester in an internship. Then in November we participated in Camp South Africa helping to run programs for the children of the squatter villages and townships around Camp Town. Spring brought us to China where I had spent the last six and half years studying Chinese and teaching English.  We were both very grateful for the opportunities to be able to connect to such meaningful experiences that have shaped us individually. Each place we went the question on our hearts was always, "Is this the place He would lead us?"  For Ben, the answer came in a call to return home. Childhood was spent in the deserts of Lake Havasu, Arizona but Prescott Pines was a camp he attended as a child and later as a young counselor for the first time. (He can even point to the place he crashed the golf cart into the tree. Ask him about it.)  As for me, I am so excited for the chance to bring my teaching experience to the program. I love to write and infuse others with ideas especially the idea of camp! The job seems a perfect fit for me.

So please come visit us out here in the ponderosas, you can pick out Ben from among the trees!