The Hootenanny Accomplishes More Than Raising Funds

Raising funds is certainly important, and we are extremely grateful for all of the time, energy and money that poured into making our 9th Annual Hootenanny a success. But the Hootenanny does so much more than that. It connects people in our community, helps people see the impact we are making, educates people on what human trafficking looks like in our area, provides opportunities to connect with new volunteers and friends of the ministry. For example, a plumber at the Hootenanny heard about our plight of a significant water leak  and offered his labor for free to repair our issue! The quotes we received put the total repair costs at roughly $8000! Then, Canvas Community Church in Virginia and Mile Straight Baptist Church in TN stepped up to cover the cost of parts. What was going to be a large, unexpected expense became an opportunity for us to partner with individuals and churches alike to meet a serious need. I know that there will be more stories like this in the months to come, of people who came to the Hootenanny and were moved by God to help us in ways that far surpass our expectations.

The third phase is more of an independent living phase after the women have successfully completed rigorous treatment and programming. Moving this transitional phase  off site will allow the women to have more practice living independently with some oversight and accountability, and to have easier access to the services they need as they transition to independent housing and jobs. This will also have the effect of opening up three additional beds on the ranch for ladies who are just beginning their healing journey. It is our hope to have this completed by August of 2025! Stay tuned for more about this development!

Community Corner

This month, I spoke to the Bryan College’s nursing students and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Senior Social Work class about trauma and its effects on the limbic brain system. 

If you are part of an organization that could partner with us for training or raising awareness of human trafficking and the trauma it causes, you can contact us through Blazing Hope Ranch’s Contact page, or by replying to this email.

Answered Prayer:

Praise God for a successful Hootenanny that even the rains from Hurricane Helene couldn’t dampen!

Praise God that my other knee has been replaced. Once I have healed, I’ll have less pain and more mobility.

Praises for the plumber who has stepped up to help us with our water line repair. We are grateful for his expertise and generous heart.

Would you consider hosting a meeting with your philanthropically-minded friends? We would be happy to visit your home and make a brief presentation about our mission to people you think would like to support us financially.

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.

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