Holding it all Together by Charlie Boardman
The beginning of the Gospel, according to St. John, who is my patron saint, teaches us that all things were made by God through Christ. We see this too in some of my favorite icons, those that show Christ creating the Cosmos and all the animals of the Earth. The Apostle Paul, speaking of Christ in his first letter to the Colossians, teaches that "in him all things hold together". So, Christ doesn't create and then abandon and move on, but actively sustains all of creation, meaning all of us.
It's been easy to see this sustainment from above at St. Innocent Ranch these last few years. In my role as Director of Operations I am in the middle of numerous new challenges that are popping up everywhere thanks to our growth: more children and babies means more complexity in every area as costs increase, facilities need to expand, and more activities need support from our limited resources.
I have always been amazed that any large organization is able to hold it together. When you see how difficult things are on the inside, it becomes easier to understand St. John's and St. Paul's teaching. All things that exist, from all of us individually to our families and churches and businesses, hold together because God sustains them. I thank God for continuing to sustain us with divine love at Project Mexico & St. Innocent Orphanage and for continuing to sustain all of you, our community of supporters.
Your prayers, your visits to the ranch, and your spiritual work on our behalf invigorate us, and it's clear to me you are acting as the body of Christ and making Christ's sustaining love visible and knowable to those of us working here physically. Thank you and God bless you.