Before coming to the Ranch I struggled with bitterness, hurt, emotional immaturity, loneliness, and self-deprecation. I was disrespectful and irresponsible. During the Girls’ Igloo trip in February, a turn began to happen. I gained a lot of self-confidence and began to let other people see past my walls that I put up to protect myself. I felt so free and for the first time in a while, I felt joyful. I found that the walls that I put up in self-protection can be just as harmful as what I am trying to keep away.
- Hannah, high school graduate
What do I do in the midst of all the griefs and blessings? How can I be rejoicing? Because my God does not fail. Where I love inadequately, he loves steadfastly. Where I am harsh, he is gentle. When I am impatient, he is long-suffering. Where I am weak, he is strong, and more than that, his power is made perfect in my weakness. Not despite it, in it! Meaning he uses my weakness to his advantage. How generous is He to allow me - us - to join Him in His work. Redemption, healing, reconciliation, growth, and miracles, brothers and sisters! God is doing these things through you and me! And this reality overwhelms me - to the point of rejoicing.
- Wynter Moseley, one-year intern
What is cultivated in an internship, at the Ranch, is supposed to last forever. The healing that takes place that we get to be a part of. The way we are met with forgiveness at each level here. What we have here is a tiny glimpse of what Heaven will be like....
- Grace Bunn, two-year intern
I broke trust in every situation and I had lost control of my actions because the pain of my past became the sin of my present, and it seemed like it would become the chains of my future. I was lost, I felt anxious, scared, I was tired all the time and I felt alone.
[At the Ranch] I grew in places I thought weren’t necessary and I also grew in places I never thought had been hurt. The healing I needed to happen, was with scars I didn’t know I had and now I am working forward. Even when I slip up I know that the consequences of my actions are to help me grow. I am learning to accept correction and discipline with open hands.
- Phoebe, high school graduate
