By Erin Austin Common sense and modern-day thinking tell us to have all the money before we start something new. There needs to be a plan in order to succeed. Yet God works differently than us. One needs to only read the Bible to see that God often tells His people...
Thanks to Grayson County, VA for a wonderful field trip on Wednesday! Their "Foundations of Freedom" exhibits tied in perfectly with our study of early American history this year. During our visit, we got to experience the VA250 Mobile Museum "Out of Many, One." plus...
It's been said that a quilt will warm your body and comfort your soul. If that's the case, a personalized quilt made with love will do even more than that! Back in the fall, Joy Ranch residents were blessed to receive handmade quilts personalized with each child's...
By: Erin Austin Life at Joy Ranch isn't all hard. In fact, I would say the good far outweighs the bad. We've learned to celebrate, laugh, and find joy in in simple things that many would bypass, but it's in those little victories that healing happens."We learned that...
Tokens of Love By Erin Austin Working in a children's home is hard. In fact, if one were to look at the national average of how long employees work in a children's home, it's nine months. And I get it. Evil is very real, and we see its long-lasting impact on a daily...
Recently in our homeschool history class, we viewed a video about preserving your own history in clay pots. Then, we had Sandra Horton from Quilt House Pottery come to share with our class about her experience in pottery. She also had our kids make their own clay pots...
by Erin Austin "Caring for 22 children was no small matter to us. The home was not underwritten in any way; no money at all was promised. But we stood solidly upon God's promise: 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be...
On December 4, Mia had a life-changing experience when she got to fly an airplane! She dreams of being a pilot someday, so her case manager (Erin) and one of her homeschool teachers (Mandy) took her for a Vision Flight at JAARS (JUNGLE AVIATION AND RELAY SERVICE) in...
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...
Chapter 7 - BENNY LEE (Excerpt from "Feed My Lambs", the Joy Ranch story) By Mary McHenry To the beginnings of Joy Ranch belongs the story of Benny Lee (not his real name), a boy who lived through 161 visiting Sundays at the home with no visitor he could really call...