It was a chilly, rainy day in April when we met Lisa, but she was bright as sunshine and warm as an early summer day. She was so open and welcoming to us whose only connection was through one of her young volunteers. We fell in love with her immediately.

When we heard her story, we were amazed at God’s goodness and provision so we researched H.U.G.S. Ranch online to expand our knowledge of the Ranch. It wasn’t long before the Lord confirmed in our hearts that we needed to tell their story. Yes, H.U.G.S. is an acronym: HOPE. UNDERSTANDING. GUIDANCE. SUPPORT. The Ranch is “Where the Son shines and wounded hearts heal.”

On their Facebook About page, “Our goal is to provide a ranch where children and teens can be mentored and nurtured. One child/teen, one mentor, one horse experience unconditional love, the freedom to trust, and the ability to see dreams realized.” They have an amazing group of volunteers, wranglers, mentors and ranch staff to enable children, and some adults, thrive in a safe atmosphere that honors Jesus, promotes healing.

The H.U.G.S. Ranch story is turning out to be our first in the series “Horses and Their People” that we have been developing for some time. We’ve been working on our film strategy and have actually begun principle filming, which occurred on May 22 at the “Blessing of the Ranch.” We have several stories we’d like to tell, including Bill’s story of growing up with Arabian/Mustangs in Indiana and Missouri. For now, we believe in H.U.G.S. Ranch as a great story that needs to be told. We will depend on God’s provision as we progress, but our goal is to broadcast this episode early next year.

If you decide you’d like to see this story told, too, you may contact us to contribute to the cause.