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| REFUGE RANCH |
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Meet Gideon!
enormous tragedy. It was a beautiful, fall evening and my family
and I were working on preparing the ranch for winter. My daughter
and I had just loaded the tractor with flowers and pumpkins to be
thrown on the compost pile when a deafening roar shook the barn.
Instinctively, we ducked and covered our heads, unsure of what was
happening. For a moment, I wondered if we were experiencing an
earth quake. Seconds later, the noise stopped and everything
stilled. I stood and comprehension slowly dawned as I took in the
unbelievable scene in front of me. Our hay loft, just loaded to the
brim with a winter's worth of hay, had collapsed completely.
Trapped beneath the rubble was our dear pony, Raya.
and I were working on preparing the ranch for winter. My daughter
and I had just loaded the tractor with flowers and pumpkins to be
thrown on the compost pile when a deafening roar shook the barn.
Instinctively, we ducked and covered our heads, unsure of what was
happening. For a moment, I wondered if we were experiencing an
earth quake. Seconds later, the noise stopped and everything
stilled. I stood and comprehension slowly dawned as I took in the
unbelievable scene in front of me. Our hay loft, just loaded to the
brim with a winter's worth of hay, had collapsed completely.
Trapped beneath the rubble was our dear pony, Raya.
Thanks to an amazing group of volunteers who were
here quicker than I could fathom and the wonderful
get her out quickly. However, her injuries were too
extensive to treat and she had to be euthanized. We
were absolutely devastated.
Even so, God was faithful to bring good from tragedy,
as only He can. One of the local news stations caught
wind of the story and did a piece on the Ranch, the
loss of Raya, and our need to rebuild the stalls, as
well as a hay shed that would allow us to store our
winter load of hay away from our main barn. A local
family heard the story and decided to contact us.
They had a pony their children had outgrown and
wondered if he might be a good fit for our program.
While Raya could never be replaced, we decided that
this little pony had plenty to offer and made the
decision to add him to our herd.
here quicker than I could fathom and the wonderful
get her out quickly. However, her injuries were too
extensive to treat and she had to be euthanized. We
were absolutely devastated.
Even so, God was faithful to bring good from tragedy,
as only He can. One of the local news stations caught
wind of the story and did a piece on the Ranch, the
loss of Raya, and our need to rebuild the stalls, as
well as a hay shed that would allow us to store our
winter load of hay away from our main barn. A local
family heard the story and decided to contact us.
They had a pony their children had outgrown and
wondered if he might be a good fit for our program.
While Raya could never be replaced, we decided that
this little pony had plenty to offer and made the
decision to add him to our herd.
Gideon has been here since November of 2008 and just like Raya, he has become a favorite out at the Ranch,
particularly among our littlest visitors. His small size is exactly what some of the young children need to overcome
Raya is still genuinely missed, but truly God has been faithful to His word. As a result of the news story we were able
to reach many families and children who would have never heard about Refuge otherwise. He truly does work all
things to the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes!
Just like the Gideon of the Bible, we are trusting that God will use something small in the eyes of men to accomplish
great good for the sake of His Kingdom!
Welcome Home, Gideon!
particularly among our littlest visitors. His small size is exactly what some of the young children need to overcome
Raya is still genuinely missed, but truly God has been faithful to His word. As a result of the news story we were able
to reach many families and children who would have never heard about Refuge otherwise. He truly does work all
things to the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes!
Just like the Gideon of the Bible, we are trusting that God will use something small in the eyes of men to accomplish
great good for the sake of His Kingdom!
Welcome Home, Gideon!
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| 3845 Delay Rd Pawnee, IL 62558 217-498-7679 email: refuge@refuge-ranch.org |