Exodus Farms

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”
Psalm 91:1 (NIV).

To every single amazing person at Redding Rodeo Association and their various groups……we cannot thank you enough for the wonderful and generous donation!!!! We are so blessed by you all! And volunteering with y’all during rodeo…truly one of our yearly highlights! Thank you so very much for ALL you do for our community!

Hank and Tommy would like to welcome you to our FIRST DAY OF SUMMER SESSIONS!!! Our dedicated volunteers arrived a few minutes early this morning to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible for both kiddos and horses on this first day back. We prayed, we played, and we enjoyed the (relatively) cool summer weather and the beautiful breeze as we worked through a session about sharing, about helping others, about lending our strengths, and about the wonderful way that God has designed us to lift each other up!

Hank, for his part, spent the whole morning waiting eagerly for HIS moment to climb on a horse - he was as excited as some of the kids! 😂

We all had the joy of seeing returning students (some back for the first time in several years), and several brand new kiddos, one of whom was there for her first horse ride ever (on Angel, of course, who her sister very graciously offered to share with her because “it’s her first time!”). ❤️

The horses were stellar - Bob and Gatsby, Cedar, Angel and Daisy, Gypsy, Twiggy, Tommy, and Gilead - even Prizm joined us to hang out and join a session with one of our longtime wranglers on board.

We are so very thankful for every opportunity for these amazing kids to visit the farm, to play and enjoy the horses, the swings, the dogs, and the community of friends and volunteers, and for the chance to share God’s love for each one of them through the simple action of showing up, listening, and helping them with their horse.

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“We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.”
Proverbs 16:9

How is HE directing your steps this week….or this summer season…perhaps He is pulling on your heart to spend a couple of hours a week on a beautiful farm making a hurting child’s summer extra special….its not too late….summer sessions start tomorrow morning!!

We have not shared any bathroom posts for a bit…..we were at a standstill for a few weeks as we waited for our dear friend, Charlie Dyche to have time for us! But, boy howdy…..was it worth the wait!!!!!!! Beautifully stained and sealed concrete makes the whole build! And now electric and plumbing finish…..and then our final!!!!!! As always, we are blown away at all of our community who has donated their services and supplies so generously in order that the kiddos will have something so special! We can’t thank you enough…..and Concrete Floor Polishing by Charlie Dyche?? You rock, sir!
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Though we’re a touch tardy, Exodus- and Larry! would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Wags for faithfully coming to shear our beloved Larry the sheep. We appreciate you, Wags! Thank you for your commitment to keeping Larry comfortable for so many years! We pray there are many more ahead for you both. ❤️

All of us here at the farm are counting down the days until summer sessions start!!!!!! We are so excited….one of our favorite session blocks! Just a two month season that starts June 9th and ends August 15th. All sessions start at 8:45 am and done at 11:15am….Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. We still need volunteer wranglers to make this the best summer our kiddos have ever had! Don’t miss out on the fun!! Message us or call Ginger at 530-953-7178….It will be the best summer you’ve ever had!❤️

Today, we're bringing you a look at some of our "behind the scenes" work at the farm. Our program adopts in all of the horses who work with the kids, but we have always received more calls for horses than we could possibly house on our 13ish-acre property. Whenever we can, our team visits these horses to get an idea of their rehoming needs and then does our best to reach out to people in our network who might be a good match. This sweet mare is one of our recent matches. ❤️

The owner who contacted us about this mare was an incredibly kind, understanding woman who had put a ton of work into learning to get along with her on the ground and re-start her under saddle. She knew that the next steps were beyond her current horsemanship level, and - wanting to avoid injury or upset for herself or this sweet mare - reached out hoping we would know of an equally kind adopter with the skills to finish her riding re-training and work through some of her farrier-related trauma. "I just want her to be happy," she told us.

We made several visits to assess the mare's groundwork, her movement, her willingness to learn, and to trim her feet (thanks, Kelsey, for your incredibly patient trim!!!), and eventually, we were able to connect her with a wonderful horsewoman who had lost her longtime riding partner and was looking for a new horse to bring along.

As the weather turned warmer, this kind-hearted mare moved to her new home. She has settled in beautifully, and is already adventuring with her new adopter to play days.

Rehoming doesn't always work out this smoothly, or this fast, but we are very thankful for God's timing on this one, and for a happy new home for sweet Sugar! This work is just a small behind-the-scenes part of what the farm does, but we are very grateful for the opportunity to help both a wonderful horse, and two wonderful women who love her!

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I think our first trip to Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch was in 2011…..and we have been going every year since…sometimes twice a year…in May for the Ignition Clinic…….and in November for the Inferno Clinic….many ask..”why do you keep going?” You couldn’t keep me away!! They have had such a profound impact on Exodus Farms and on me as a leader!! Each time we go, we are drenched in love and encouragement, sprinkled with a bit of conviction and skill sharpening! We are challenged to always chase after Jesus, to always pursue excellence in all we do, to always be intentional and purposeful in relationships (“come on …let’s go get a coffee!!” Will forever be in my tool box now!), to always LOVE!!

Our visit this May was extra special as we took a handful of our young adults who want to pursue what God has for them in leadership….i was so deeply blessed that Miss Barbie and Bob were willing to make the trip with me!! We soaked up every sunset and every sunrise, survived one CRAZY STORM, played a lot, explored new parts of this beautiful country, played lots of dominos, ate 5 pounds of fudge, walked ALOT, laughed more!…made new friends……and loved spending time with dear old friends. We learned new things…….and were reminded of some old things……but most importantly, our hearts were lifted each and every day by the incredible team of CPYR ….who serve tirelessly to so many ranch ministries at no charge in order that we leave recharged, restored….and recommitted to all that God has called us to do! We are ready to charge forward!

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27