How our 12 cabins came to be

​In the early 1980’s, John Yates was eating lunch with Jim Parker at Angels’ Meadow and sketched out on a napkin his idea of having camping cabins.

Blessing #1: The vision is made known and a family in Oregon responds wanting to donate all the lumber for the project.

Blessing #2: A man in Yuba City volunteers to use his big truck to transport the lumber.

Blessing #3: At the weigh-station, the attendant said they needed to reload the lumber to continue. The inspector caught wind of the project, took pity on them and connected them with a friend nearby who had a forklift. 

Blessing #4: The owner of a local lumber yard hears about the donation and offers to bring a forklift out to help unload the lumber.

Blessing #5: Senior-citizen volunteers build the cabins in three weeks’ time. 

Blessing #6: The cabins still need windows, roofs, doors, beds, and carpets. A man calls and wants to donate $12,500 in memory of his wife for the project. (This couple knew of a family whose son’s life was turned around at the Ranch.) The money covers everything except the windows. 

Blessing #7: At the final stage in the project, we learn the windows needed are not a standard size and thus need to be custom made - a considerable expense. Jim attends a prayer breakfast in town where he is connected with a board member at a local Christian camp. He is invited to look at the spare windows they have available at which Jim politely declined because of the size needed. At this man’s insistence, “Now, Jim..., you never know what the Lord can do...”, Jim went, and there they were - our exact need - twelve 2’x10’ windows! 

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Our 12 cabins are still in use today. Along with an amphitheater, outdoor kitchen, and campfire pit, our Meadow venue is available for retreats and church gatherings free of charge.

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