By Erin Austin 

A great many things that happen at Joy Ranch originate from what I call a God idea – an idea so grand that only God can bring it to fulfillment. Yet this has been a recurring theme at Joy Ranch from the very beginning. Often, projects are done in spurts, and we watch as God provides for the need. 

The first building at Joy Ranch was fully functional and filled with children for a whole year before bricks were ever laid. The cottage was used with block exterior walls, until the staff and children agreed to pray and ask God to provide the bricks. Mary McHenry said, “The bricks were God’s first anniversary present to us all.” 

In my six years at Joy Ranch, God ideas have been the norm. I remember the first year when I learned of the annual live nativity. Before Covid, after people drove through the nativity, they would park and go into the gym for hot cocoa and cookies. I remember thinking how amazing it would be to decorate the gym and turn it into a Christmas wonderland filled with so many lights the overhead lights would never need to be turned on. The only problem is that Christmas decorations are expensive, and I had no budget. So, we let the community know of the need for Christmas decorations and lights and asked God to provide the need. From September through December, Christmas decorations were donated by the truckful. I have never seen so many people willing to give Christmas decorations from their private collections. Lights, trees, Christmas villages, manger scenes, and even a Christmas window display of penguins from a pharmacy in South Carolina made their way to Joy Ranch. In the end, 67 Christmas trees, a Christmas store with goodies made by the children, a craft station, and a homey living room complete with a live pianist playing Christmas music filled the gym the night of the live nativity. The joy of Christmas filled the gym, and no one wanted to leave. It was one of those moments where I knew something special happened because it was God’s idea and He made it happen. 

The following year the Ranch was on lockdown because of Covid restrictions, so we took the decorations outside. While the setting is different, the theme is the same – light in darkness. This leads into the children and staff’s powerful display of a live nativity, complete with an angel on top of the barn watching over Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. 

Light in darkness. Joy in suffering. Hope in hard times. Provision. These are the promises of our Savior, and we see them all the time at Joy Ranch. 

Chapter 8 of “Feed My Lambs” book by Mary McHenry

The first children had come on March 23,1961; and as our first anniversary drew near, we thought the time had come to brick the outside of the building. (We had begun to use the building with block exterior walls minus the bricks.) So we called the children together for a family business meeting.

We explained to them that we needed approximately 12,867 12-inch bricks. We also told them that although people don’t usually buy things until they have the money, in this case we were absolutely sure that God wanted the bricks on Joy Ranch that spring. So these were “faith bricks.” God would pay for them because He ordered them. But He wanted all of us to be faithful in prayer, believing His promises.

The children at once showed their concern and decided to help God out of a difficult situation. “Just take our spending money to pay for the bricks,” a little boy said with a satisfied smile. And they all quickly agreed and thought they had settled the matter. I quickly explained that the cost of the bricks, material, labor, lintels, etc., would run 20 cents a brick, and “there are almost 13,000 of them. That’s around $2,600,” I said.

Twenty-two smiles suddenly disappeared. “We’ll have to pray,” they said. And pray they did. “Lord, we need bricks to go on Joy Ranch” was attached to every prayer in devotions and also frequently in the grace said before meals. No project ever received more enthusiasm.

One day the children came home from school more excited than usual. (They always came home with gusto, each trying to get his news through the door first.) On this particular day, as they came up the driveway they suddenly realized that we had even bigger news. But they didn’t give us a chance to tell it.

“The bricks have come,” they shouted. “The bricks have come!” And they talked loud and long about the bricks and the money to pay for them. And none of us were disappointed because when the bill came, our Father had already sent enough money to pay for them and to pay the workmen.

When the bricks were laid, a little girl said, “God has given us a beautiful home.” And He had. Praise His name! The bricks were God’s first anniversary present to us all.