Seven of our Leaders for Life, students in the final phase of our Next Steps Program, attended the National Leadership Academy (NLA) last week in Denver, CO. NLA is an intensive 4-day Academy for high school students, focusing on developing heart-led leaders through compassion to others and…
Sometimes the stories that come out of a week of programming aren’t harvest—meaning huge, mind-blowing stories of transformation. Instead, it is a week of smaller stories where many seeds of faith are planted. When you add up all of those seeds, it’s BIG. God promises that these seeds will…
It was her first day at the Ranch and Zoie was done. Longing for home she said, “This place is stupid!” Our staff members suggested a walk first before calling home. Faithe and Kaitlin walked with her to the dining…
At the Ranch for a retreat with his campus ministry, Scott listened as a full-time staff member described our summer program and the ways it changes lives of children. He learned about Cordell, who went from picking fights as a…
In an ordinary low-income Iowa neighborhood, a group of young boys found a book bag full of guns. One of the 14-year-olds brought the guns home to show off to his siblings. In an upstairs bedroom he twirled a gun…
In any given week, countless opportunities exist to bring hope and healing to children at the Ranch. Mission teams offer a practical provision, allowing us to deepen our impact in the lives of our students. We are indebted to these teams from churches and non-profit…