What a beautiful fall at Strong Tower Ranch! Changing leaves, crisp autumn air, noisy geese returning for winter - evidence of the coming of a new season and new expectations.
Our fall programs were full. Literally full, all reaching capacity this year. And figuratively full of love, joy, laughter, and learning.
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SPURS
is a discipleship program that equipped young ladies to go out and share God’s Word, train horses, and love well. They also embraced the value of giving back as they prepared to be servant leaders in our other horsemanship programs and summer camps.
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GATES (for guys)
was led by a true seasoned cowboy, Mr. Craig. He inspired and empowered the young men to be warriors of God by putting on the Armor of God (from Ephesians 6:10-18). We ended with an impressive display of swords, breastplates, shields, and helmets.
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GATES (for girls)
unpacked some history of old hymns and the power of words. They learned that their power can span hundreds of years and still speak to our hearts as if the words were written yesterday.
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Remnants
reached many hearts yearning for the truth, hope, and healing of Jesus through relationships between each child, their leader, and their horse. There were life-changing conversations about His love for us and how to stay close to Him.
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All in all, we served over forty children and teens in our fall programs. An additional fifty-plus came for group demos and trail rides. Each one has a story to share and a heart that carries unanswered questions, hurts, hopes, and dreams. We cherish the privilege we had this fall of catching a glimpse of what is held in those hearts and offering them hope in Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
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Highlights of our season are best shared through the mouths of our participants and leaders:
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From GATES and Remnants Participants:
“I learned about God. I learned that He will stand by me through everything. He will be there for me even when I feel like I don’t have anyone.”
“I am the littlest girl here, but I ride the biggest horse!” (participant who rode Josie our Percheron)
“When I am at the Ranch my body doesn’t hurt.” (participant with a degenerative joint and ligament disease).
“In our devotion discussions, I heard stories from the other girls. I realized everyone is fighting their own battle. I should always be kind to everyone, even if I don’t like their first impression.”
“Last year at this time I was already in the hospital, but this year I am here!” (said with a huge smile from a participant who is overcoming anxiety and depression by choosing Jesus and His truth.)
“I learned a lot about God over the last eight weeks and the thing that really stuck with me is that even though the path God is leading me on might not look right or straight to me, I need to trust Him because He knows where it leads, and He will never stop walking beside me.”
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From STR Program Leaders:
Alexa: “During the fall session of Remnants, I’ve been able to see the true meaning of the verse, Psalm 46:10 when it says, “Be still...”. Taking some time out of my schedule and coming to Strong Tower Ranch has been such a blessing for both me and my Remnants kid. One day, as we were sitting inside trying to warm up, he saw a picture in our Gathering Place. It was a picture of Jesus and a lamb. He asked about it and happily, with the help of Mrs. Brooks, we were able to explain the parable of the lost sheep. After this, he asked about more stories that were in the Bible. The next week I was able to bring him a Bible, and we read it most every week after that! He now knows who Jesus is and all the miraculous works He does.”
Tessa: “My girl in GATES would say every week, that Gideon was the most beautiful and majestic out of the whole herd. He who has been beaten down and scarred and blinded, truly the lowest in the herd, but she saw so much worth in him. How much more does God love us, the broken and sinful. He sees us as beautiful, and He keeps us as priceless jewels.”
Dawn: ‘‘At Thursday night GATES we discussed the power of words, how words can bring life and death, and the power and comfort of God’s Word. The discussions we had were amazing. This was a topic that was close to everyone's hearts. We discussed social media and how words hurt. We made a list of hurtful words commonly used in this Snapchat world and created a more positive list that could be used instead. We discussed the ‘sticks and stones will break our bones’ theory, but we all agreed that bones heal, our hearts take longer. The girls were able to write their special word on their special horse on the last night. This was a great exercise, each girl shared something close to her heart that she learned this season.’’
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BIRTHDAY BASH-JAN 18, 2020
Mark your calendar for our 5th Annual Birthday Bash for the Herd! Help us celebrate all of our four-legged friends’ birthdays at one big party! Details and registration coming in December.
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YOU DONATE. AMAZON GIVES.
Click the image above to find out how you can help Strong Tower Ranch, just by shopping at Amazon! Log in to Amazon Smile, shop, and Amazon does the rest. What could be easier?
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