June

Breezes have always made me think of the Holy Spirit. I recently attended a clinic to help train our staff for dealing with our horses, and it was quite hot. A cool breeze came by at just the right moment to cool me off, as if God were there, saying, "I've got your back." I pray that, as the summer heats up, every cool breeze will remind you of the sweet provision of our Lord.

Now grab a cup of coffee and find out what we've been up to!

Fourth Resident Has Arrived!

Sunday: Spiritual Health Day

Last month I explained how we organize the days for our residents. Over the next several issues, I'll dive more deeply into each day of the week and explain the focus for that day.

We call Sunday "Spiritual Health Day."  We define spirituality to mean how we make sense of the world and our place in it. Research has proven that a healthy spiritual life leads to a healthy mental life, so putting this concept into practice lies at the heart of what we do on the Ranch.

While all of our staff agree with our faith statement and profess Christ as their Savior, we will accept residents of any spiritual or religious tradition. That said, we do invite them to join us at church each Sunday (attendance is not required) as part of Spiritual Health Day. Outside of church attendance, we focus on true “Sabbath” rest and renewal that day, and we generally organize an activity that will promote reflection.

As an example, on a recent Sunday we took our residents to a lookout to watch the sunset and reflect in their journals on God’s creation and their place in it. These kinds of activities give them the opportunity to let go of the coping mechanisms they have used for survival, and also help them open up a space to meditate or pray. This, in turn, reduces their level of arousal. Bringing people back into balance from a constant “fight or flight” place is a cornerstone of our ministry, as discussed in some detail in the March issue of the newsletter.

I pray that you will set aside one day a week for rest and renewal, reflecting on God’s glory and His plans to “prosper you…plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Camp Run Free This Month!

Please join us in praying for our two summer camps during the weeks of June 6th through the 10th, and June 27th through July 1st. It seems that we always need to deal with spiritual warfare before the camps, either with logistics or with the volunteers themselves. You can see pictures from the first camp on our Facebook page. Please pray that the remaining camp will run smoothly and that both of them will bless the youth who will be participating as well as their families.

Answered Prayer: Praise God that, for the first time, we have a fourth resident on the Ranch. We also have access to additional horses for our camps.

Would you consider praying for our mission? Please pray for a large unexpected expense to the Ranch. We are on a septic system, and we now need to replace our leach lines at considerable expense and labor. We've had a couple of partners step forward to help; please be in prayer that this will work out. 

Do you have a friend (or friends) who would also be willing to pray for us? If so, please forward this email to them or post this email on your social media account.

Want to read a past newsletter? You can find them all here.

Finally, let us know what you think (and please feel free to unsubscribe using the link below if you don't want future newsletters). We'll look forward to hearing from you!

Help us in our mission!

Would you be willing to give up one or more coffees each month to support us? Join our "Freedom Wranglers" by clicking on the Donate button to support the important work we do to restore wholeness to female survivors of human trafficking, and to weaken the sex trade through the power of Christ. Your monthly donation of as little as $10 per month can help a resident begin a new life.

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