WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

What does ministry at the Ranch look like?  This is a question I am frequently asked.  If I am honest, I sometimes find it challenging to fully articulate the picture of what God is doing here because He has worked with such diversity and creativity through the people and the horses.  While our mentoring program serves as the foundation for much of the ministry that goes on, the fullness of what the Lord is doing here encompasses so much more.  So what does it look like?  Well…

…it looks like a rescued horse making a connection with a child where, just maybe, they can rescue each other.

…it looks like a group of girls sprawled on blankets in the grass on a perfect, summer day, their Bible flipped open as they seek to understand God’s word and engrave in on their hearts.

…it looks like water fights on a hundred degree day, and a sword fight on the playground with pool noodles.

…it looks like kids who give up their Saturdays to pull weeds and scoop manure and sweat through suffocating heat and humidity to serve.

…it looks like a young girl, too afraid to ride, but finding the courage to lead a horse through and obstacle course around the arena as she seeks to find her way beyond the fear.

…it looks like a mom of 5 adopted children who gets  a chance to sit in the shade and read a book or crochet while someone is investing in her children.

…it looks like friends who cannot minister personally at the Ranch, so instead they pray for safety and provision and that kids would come to know the saving grace of the cross.

…it looks like mentors who pour out their heart to God in prayer on behalf of the kids they work with and love.

…it looks like kids welcoming kids into community where they can find unconditional love and belonging.

…it looks like coaxing a giggle out of a child as she trots for the first time.

…it looks like soft muzzles and inquisitive eyes ready and eager to greet a visitor at the fence.

…it looks like kids lined up in a row on the fence cheering on a friend who is cantering for the first time.

…it looks like cold hands wrapped around a warm cup of hot chocolate sitting by the fire.

…it looks like a group of volunteers who show up to pull weeds and plant flowers, stain fence and playgrounds, mow and trim, and simply do what needs to be done.

…it looks like a baptism in the giant trough.

…it looks like cookouts and pony rides for kids from a local homeless ministry.

…it looks like a child who cannot walk finding movement and freedom on the back of a horse.

…it looks like wheelbarrows and pitch forks and hay and sawdust.

…it looks like kids having the opportunity to plant, grow, care for, and harvest their own food from the Ranch garden.

…it looks like a child’s wonder when a horse chooses to be with them during a join up in the round pen.

…it looks like horse baths and pedicures and paint jobs on a day that’s too rainy to ride.

…it looks like friends praying with and for each other through the hard places in life.

…it looks like fishing and canoeing and shooting hoops.

…it looks like squealing laughter, quiet moments of reflection and prayer, and everything in between.

Ministry here takes on so many different forms and is continually shaped by the creativity of our kids, staff, and volunteers.  Our prayer is that every child and family who walks up the drive would encounter the incredible peace that passes understanding and the tangible presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  It is our overwhelming desire that kids and families would come to know Christ and experience the grace and healing found nowhere else.