Hello friends! We've had a lot of
blessings this spring and summer, and we hope the same is true for
all of you. Jeff made a comment at work in March or April that led
to one of God's great provisions for us this spring: a big tractor!
He mentioned off hand how nice it would be to have a tractor, and one
of his colleagues asked “How big?” Jeff answered, “Big enough
to not get stuck in the mud.” Well, this man had one plenty big
for that, lives only a short distance away, didn't need the tractor,
and is letting us borrow it without charge!
Other blessings include enough dry
weather to get some relief from mud, yet enough rain to keep
everything growing. God used these weather conditions to provide the
hay needed for this year.
Two huge blessings arrived at the end
of May and beginning of June: Sarah and Marilyn, full time
volunteers who came to serve the ranch for more than a month!
Marilyn brought her dad along for a day and a half, and we were
floored with the incredible landscaping transformation that took
place in that short time, not to mention the overflowing
encouragement and joy he brought with him.
By means of the above blessings and a
few more, we have finished our new pastures, taken down and relocated
a horse shelter, put down a lot of geotextile liner and gravel in our
main corral, and had some significant times of prayer and decision
making.
There are two important blessings we
can't fail to mention. In May, we brought home two new horses! The
plan was to get one more horse who was well trained and of good
health and temperament, because several of our current horses were
not ready to use with children. Somehow, we managed to get two
instead of one...if you have horses, you might understand. :) But now
we need to find good homes for two of the other less useful but still
loveable horses.
The extension to the main corral is
almost finished and work on a new shelter will be starting soon.
Horsemanship lessons increased and intensified for Christiana and
Abigail, culminating in a rewarding and inspiring two day clinic June
15 and 16.
Also in June, we had a week of camp for
several family friends. The children enjoyed participating in Bible
lessons, singing, games, crafts, horsemanship lessons, and other
outdoor activities. It was a huge success thanks to our wonderful
volunteers. :)
God has been teaching us to wait on His
perfect timing, but has encouraged us with many answers to prayer. We
look forward to His continued guidance and provision as we learn to
rest in Him.
“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently
for Him: fret not...” Psalm 37:7a
By Jeanne Burks
