Rapha Ranch Ministries

Josiah has been attending the ranch for the last two years and we are so excited to share his accomplishment! He has memorized every single memory verse, every week that he's attended. Today, at his last session, he received the very first Memory Verse Master award. Great work, Josiah!

“He looks so zesty!”

- our student’s comment on Jireh’s new orange bridle

We are REJOICING because these two sweet souls decided to follow Jesus yesterday! This is what the entire program is about. This is exactly why we do what we do! Please praise the Lord with us as we celebrate the victory that God won, after many years of pouring in!

What's that? Just under two weeks to go until our silent auction dinner? Better scan that QR code and get your tickets!

Our silent auction fundraiser is just over a month away! Have you gotten your tickets yet? It's going to be a great night with good food, live music, and hearing everything that God has done here at Rapha Ranch!

Go to givebutter.com/SilentAuctionDinner to purchase tickets!

In John chapter 4, Jesus asks the woman at the well about her husband. This is the woman who has had five, and was currently living with a man to whom she wasn't wed. Jesus didn't ask this to shame her, though. Not at all - Jesus asked this uncomfortable question because He was giving her the chance to be free. She took it! And because she did, so many others received their freedom, too!

You see, if we never confront and confess our sin, we can never come to Christ. We never have a testimony to declare. It's time we all consider, what uncomfortable truth have we been refusing to speak? What are we holding on to that has actually been holding on to me? Confess it, confront it, and come to freedom in Christ instead.

✨Volunteer Spotlight✨

Meet the amazing Chelsea! Chelsea has been involved with the ranch for several years now and has been an absolute gift from day one. Her positive, can-do attitude is infectious and she spreads joy while serving. She has helped the ranch function over the last two years and we truly couldn't do it without her. Thank you, Chelsea!

Get to know Chelsea
Favorite Color: yellow 💛

Favorite Food: chicken fried steak with white gravy and mashed potatoes 🥩

Favorite Bible verses:
Rev. 1:8 "I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, " who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

I volunteer because this is where the Lord has led me so that I can be of some help to Rapha Ranch. Volunteering alongside my two sons and making it a weekly family routine has been a blessing for us, especially through the family changes we've had in the past couple of years. Rapha Ranch has been the rapha to our little family.

Few things build trust and communication like riding a horse ba****ck!

Out of the Arena

Our team gets the privilege and responsibility of keeping the horses active and attentive when they're not participating in sessions with kids. Getting out of the arena not only provides much needed enrichment and stimulation for the horses AND our human team, but it also exemplifies how a solid relationship of trust and communication leads to purpose and adventure.

Without trust and clear communication, leaving the controlled environment of the arena can be a scary prospect. But having an established relationship between horse and rider with clear and practiced lines of communication empowers both parties to accomplish things far more exciting than simply trotting around an arena. There's so much to do out there!

Just like when we have an established relationship with God and we maintain communication with Him, He can take us beyond merely existing. He has so much more for us to do if we put our trust in Him!

We often use an activity called Temptation Alley in our sessions. Basically, we make a path with poles and place various temptations (like flakes of hay or buckets of grain) along or near the path and ask the student(s) to lead the horse through the path without stopping at any of the temptations.

It can be a tough activity! Of course, this is not a "pass/fail" situation. The whole point is to learn about how temptations can derail us, and gain skills to keep us laser focused on Christ and His leadership.

Notice here that Miss Julia is helping our student lead Zeb through the alley. She's allowing the student to narrate and lead while providing support. Bearing each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2) is an excellent technique to overcome temptations.

What do you think? How do you overcome the traps that try to steal our attention away from the Lord?

✨Volunteer Spotlight✨

Meet Julia! Julia has been volunteering with Rapha Ranch since 2020. She loves horses, loves Jesus, and loves kids. Julia graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in Animal Science, and were definitely very thankful that she tore herself away from the ocean and San Luis Obispo. In February of this year she became certified in Equine Assisted Learning and began leading her own sessions with students. She is an incredible blessing to us and our kiddos and we love her!

✨Some Julia Facts✨

Birthday: August 14

Favorite color: Teal 🩵

Favorite food: Sushi 🍱

Why I Volunteer: I get to share Jesus and horses with others during sessions which are two of my most favorite things. I also enjoy the work that comes with caring for horses.

Favorite Bible verse(s): Romans 8:38-39
[38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.