Click here if you would like to download the full newsletter in PDF format: Fall 2012 Newsletter
What an amazing first Summer at the Breakaway Youth Ranch! We had about 16 kids out for
sessions throughout June, July and August and most were able to come on a regular basis. Brent said
recently at a presentation, “If a picture is worth a thousand words, well then, experiences are priceless.”
How true it is of the time spent with kids and their families this summer. We saw several instances of
kids bonding with a horse in a way that we’ve never experienced before. One young man was able to
earn the trust of Doc, our most untrusting horse. What a joy and privilege to see them working together.
He is still the only young person to have worked with Doc!
We have built some lasting friendships that we pray will continue. Before every session, the
mentors met together to pray for each person coming to visit that day. We were blessed by that time
together. We also discussed a character quality and how we would see that in our lives, in the kids and
horses and how the Bible exemplifies that quality. This was a great way to begin discussion with the kids.
In June, we hosted a BBQ dinner with music by the Gilbert Family. They were wonderful and
we hope to have them out again soon. We had close to 150 people out to celebrate beginning our first
season. What an encouraging time that was!
In July, the Wild Horse Ministry did a demonstration with an unbroken horse. They related
each step of training to our relationship with the Lord and they were able to ride her at the end of a two
hour period. What a blessing those people are! They truly live for the Lord and are so gracious, kind and
loving. We wished they could have stayed longer! Our hope is to have them back next year. Monte’s
Smokewagon provided amazing food for us. What a blessing that was!
That next week in July, the Three Forks Summer Youth Program brought a bus full of kids out
to the Youth Ranch. We were blessed by amazing guests to help teach the kids about horsemanship. The
kids were broken up into groups and travelled around to each station. They learned about tying halters
and braiding ropes, they watched our farrier build a set of horseshoes from a piece of iron, they got to
practice their roping skills, meet friendly animals from a small petty zoo and play some fun games. This
was something we hadn’t planned before, but were very excited and pleased with how the fun day went!
Although we have halted “sessions” for this season, we plan to continue building the
relationships we’ve formed with kids and their families throughout the Fall and Winter months. Our
hope is to meet every other Saturday for a couple of hours with the kids to work on horsemanship skills
through cleaning tack, exercising the horses or organizing supplies in the barn. We also want to
encourage them and their walk with the Lord as they face many different situations at school.
The Lord most definitely blessed the Youth Ranch this summer. Psalms 28:7 states, ”The Lord
is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will
give thanks to Him in song.” We also want to express our thankfulness and gratitude for all who choose
to be a part of this ministry! What a gift your time, energy, talents and prayers are to us all!
