Small Potatoes in God's Eyes!

2 Corinthians 4: 15 - 18 "Every detail works to your advantage and to God's glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise! So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.
There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever." ~The MESSAGE ~

Jim and I are exhausted......but God is GOOD! He continues to show us his grace and we are not giving up.....even though that is exactly what satan would like us to do.

We truly believe God brought the Clawson's here three months ago and we believe that God is still in control of this ranch. We don't always understand things but faith is stranger than fiction. The Clawson's decided that this was not the ministry God had for them....so we move on and trust that God will bring us another family to come along side us in this ministry.

We are thankful for the time the Clawson's were here and trust that God will put them in a ministry somewhere that will workout for them.

Please pray for Jim and I as we adjust to having 3 boys living with us now in the small cabin instead of two. Also join with us in prayer for the family that God would bring along side us. He is still on the throne.....and he will continue to carry us through this trial just like he has several.

We will miss you Clawson Family!

Willing Hearts to Serve HIM,

Got Guts Camp 2007, 2008 & 2009

Tried to combine the three years we have had Got Guts camp to share with you a little of what takes place in the summer at Miracles Can Happen Boys Ranch.

We offer this camp to at risk boys headed down the wrong direction in life. This camp runs from July 6 - 11 this year.

We are looking forward to our new bunk house being built hopefully this spring before the camp takes place. God delived $14,000.00 in about 7 months to build this project.....we serve a pretty awesome God. Thanks for all who helped raise this money!

Please pray for the construction of this bunk house......The Filling Station! Also please pray for the lives that will be touched during the 2010 Got Guts Camp!

Thanks so much....ENJOY the video!

G(etting)O(n)T(rack) G(rowing)U(p)T(o)S(ucceed)

Wanted to share my devotion I read this morning!

Lord I just pray that the testing of my faith continues to develop perseverance. Use me God because I love you and I want to be a blessing to someone. In Jesus name, AMEN!

January 20, 2010 VERSE: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. -- James 1:2-3

THOUGHT: "Hang in there!" There are few traits more important than perseverance. Most important accomplishments in life happen because of perseverance. Most "luck" occurs when we've persevered long enough for the "magical moment" to come along -- in other words, Idon't believe in luck. Edison said it best: life's greatest feats,the world's greatest discoveries, his own most fantastic inventionsare "1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." "Hang in there!" and seethe glory of God come through in you, not because of luck, but because of God's grace, love, and Providence!

PRAYER: Unchangeable and Unshakeable God, through the friends you have sent into my life and by the power of your gift, the Holy Spirit, help me to stand up under trial and prove my character true with perseverance when under fire. Give my faith courage and endurance so that my life shows forth your enduring strength. I pray in the name of him who remained faithful even unto death, Jesus Christ myLord. Amen.

Persevering because of Jesus,

Christmas Party!

Tonight we had the board Christmas party......we didn't have as many as we usually do so it was kind of different this year. We had to cancel last week because of the roads and rescheduled for this week. We did our usual tradition of writing a couple stories. We have everyone go around the room and give a one liner and I write it down and then read them our story. We do a funny one and then a serious one about the reason for the season. Here is our serious one this year:

The angel appeared to Mary and Mary said, "I am the Lord's servant." Proud mother was stricken with joy and happiness. She had a baby in a manger and then there was a bright star in the sky. The shepherds fainted -well it scared the heck out of them. The reason the baby was born in the manger was because there was no room in the inn. Thus fulfilled what the angel had said to Mary when she was stricken with joy and happiness. Remembering the long journey and that there was no room in the inn they found shelter from the weary journey. There were animals...MOO...oink...neigh...neigh (this came from a 2 1/2 year old) a humble place for our humble King of Kings and Lord of Lords to be born. For there were three wisemen that brought gifts. They all came to see him and gave him frankincense, gold and myrrh. The END!

Just thought I would share a fun tradition that we started several years ago at our board Christmas Party's for the ranch.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

We, Jim, Cathy, Andy & Hector would like to wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! The boys will be going home for a pretty long Christmas break with their families so pray for them. Pray that they make wise choices and that they help out wherever they can at their family gatherings. Pray that they continue to show their family the changes they have made in their lives because of their relationship with Jesus.

Jim and I are excited to hopefully see one of our past boys over this Christmas break. I wrote about him in the newsletter that I just posted on the website. After I sent this newsletter out he contacted us again and will be in Iowa for Christmas and wants to come out to see us and bring his daughter out to meet us. This is why the heartaches of this ministry are worth every bit of it.

One of our boys and I was having a little heated discussion the other day and he said why do you love us? I said because I do and I will continue. Please pray that this boy will continue to accept this love instead of trying to push it away at times. God's love is unconditional and that is what we have to teach these boys. Some days I will have to say it is not easy but that is what we are called to do and as long as God continues to give us the strength and peseverance we will continue on in this ministry.

Thank you all for your continued support in this ministry.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thankful hearts,

Thankful HEARTS!

Jim and I are so thankful for our supporters....its' at this time of the year that we reflect on what God has done to build this ranch. To think that Jim carried me into a rat infested trailor house when we first started that looked a little like this...... To living in a beautiful log cabin for the next 13 years......

And now living in the 2nd log cabin that was built on the ranch so that we could bring on a family to help us continue on in this ministry as Jim and I are ready to move into the stage of not having boys live right with us and just being the administrators. There is lots of work to do to keep the doors open of a faith ministry.....so it's time we train another family to work with the boys. We will still work with the boys because on the other families days off we will have the boys at our house......so pray for us as we are making this adjustment. The biggest adjustment is moving into a much smaller home...but God is good.....


This is a picture of the small house after we have made it our new home.....we continue to thank God for his goodness in all he has brought us through. As we have been on this journey he called us to 17 years ago.

God Bless you all and may you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

Thankful Servants.......

My poster add for next years MCH Challenge Bike Ride!

Today was our 4th Annual MCH Challenge Bike Ride thanks to Dick Grimm and his wife Karen. Bikers come from all over to ride either 25, 50, 72 or 100 miles. This young man, Cliff Warner, age 70 has not completed a 100 mile ride for 15 years.....until TODAY! Wow can you imagine being 70 and riding 100 miles...I can't even imagine riding 100 miles at my age. But, there are several dedicated men and women out there that ride all over. We had a great turn out....74 bikers. This is just a start of pictures from our bike ride today....I will be posting more on the original website on the Special Event page. Keep checking back if you rode you might see your picture. Thanks so much all you supporters for riding in the MCH Challenge and all you who donated through this fundraiser. We brought in $3369.65. We serve an awesome God that continues to keep our doors open through people like this who participate in our fundraisers. If the doors don't stay open we can't help boys feel good about themselves because of success.

So again....thanks so much and don't forget to check back in the near future on the Special Event page for more pictures from the Bike Ride.

So Thankful,