THE MIRACLE WAY,

There was a time and not so long ago that mention of a miracle was rare, but as my precious Diane and I round the bend not only in age but at the head of one of Canada's newest and exciting ministries to young men and women of Canada we are encouraged and motivated by several elements active in our lives.  Number one is our relationship with the one and only Savior and incredible life provider of the world, JESUS. Next would be the life of excitement in our marriage, never a boring moment. Then of course the huge blessing of children, children that so often include us in their lives, which we are so thankful for!

     Now back to miracles, all of the above are miracles in a world of karma and good luck, miracles are still THE REAL THING, all else is a fake sustatute.

    The ranch is blessed with a beautiful church, full of character and history. But how do we get it to the ranch without costing a fortune that the ranch does not have?  Well God puts it on the heart of a mover many miles away to do it for free. 

Then how do we get the basement gutted and prepped for moving beams?  Once again another heart decides to change his plans and arrives with a huge tandom gravel truck and trailer to do the job. Now to get the steeple down, over 40' up, heavy, awkward and fragile. Once again so many helpers with equipment and wisdom and in less than four hours the steeple is loaded and secured to our highway trailer and on it's way to it's new home, Battle River Ranch Camp.

We're also so thankful for all the food prepared and served to us as we worked to get all this accomplished. What a beautiful blessing from the local families in this community. As a community loses a beautiful and meaningful structure they get to witness God's hand and goodness at work to carefully bring the right people together and move this structure to it's new home. 

     As bystanders witnessed and commented, "you must have a great connection with someone to get this done so fast with such big equipment and so many people to help."  One person even mentioned we need to pray for them and their church as they need a lot of work done there also. We are blessed with miracle after miracle from the hand of God. And we are so thankful that so many of you find a place in your hearts to make our country Canada a better place to live and find hope for all the young men and women needing a hand up. 

Thank you once again for taking the time to view our blog. The Battle River Ranch Camp is a non profit organization that is focused on developing trades, life skills and training opportunities for men and women that are searching and find it difficult to get the opportunities needed to develop a productive and positive life skill. A strong confident man or women of God will impact the darkness in our service industry in many ways.

TO DONATE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE:
If you are able to and would like to make a very needed and appreciated donation to this worthy project that is changing lives now and forever right here at home, PLEASE consider making a donation to:CROSSMAN MINISTRIES / BRRC, (Battle River Ranch Camp) or visit our web site for directdonating and more information, thank you very much, we cannot do it alone. Please consider becoming a $25.00 a month donor today. Thank you so much!
*Be a blessing to someone every day*.

--NEW BEGININGS--

 Exciting long awaited day as we all loaded up and helped Sara, James and Cohen move into thier new home. The job is a lot of work but a definite labour of love as so many showed up to get err done. Couches, stands, tables, beds, dishes and so much more all arrive safe and sound. 

     Nesting and preparing to spend thier  first night in thier new home is an incredibly exciting event and a real blessing from the hand of God. All those late nights and working every weekend for many months wind down to this new beginning. Dreams of a home of your own to raise a family and build memories is the hope of every couple filled with the hope and vision God himself pours into a couple committed to living a God honouring life. 

     Joey spent a lot of time doing last minute details and fine tuning to the heating and hot water system. James did hookups to appliances and the TV. The rest of us put away treasures, spotted furniture and the peace settled in to a final few details before we headed out for a nice supper. Listening to the please and thank you's and watching the over flow of hugs for all, what more could a person ask for. Hope to see you all at church tomorrow where ever you live. God has a message for each of us, sort of like your bank if you don't make the effort to go get some money you may go hungry, well if we don't go out to church we may loose hope. 

Thank you once again for taking the  to view our blog. The Battle River Ranch Camp is a non profit organization that is focused on developing trades, life skills and training opportunities for men and women that are searching and find it difficult to get the opportunities needed to develop a productive and positive life skill. A strong confident man or women of God will impact the darkness in our service industry in many ways.

TO DONATE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE;
If you are able to and would like to make a very needed and appreciated donation to this worthy project that is changing lives now and forever right here at home PLEASE consider making a donation to:CROSSMAN MINISTRIES / BRRC, (Battle River Ranch Camp) or visit our web site for directdonating and more information, thank you very much we cannot do it alone. Please consider becoming a $25.00 a month donor today. Thank you so much.
*Be a blessing to someone every day*.

Incredible so incredible

What a great weekend retreat it was our first annual attempt to give road warriors and others a chance to relax and enjoy great speakers, great worship, great fellowship and great food. Everyone that came were greatly blessed and left encouraged. As musicians came and left and speakers came and left the same peaceful spirit was so evident. Breakfasts were absolutely delicious along with other meals by Jim and Joni, Morning  devotions by Bruce Alexander got everyone off to a expect more great love  and provision as we become a people of gratitude for being so blessed. 

     Pastor Corey walked us into the church as bikers and how we can share the excitement of reaching the many lost in our communities as a priority and a mission. We are who we were when God saved us from a pit. Now walking with him on solid ground we can use that crap for good. Hmmmm go figure. 

     Randy encouraged everyone with the Teen Challenge ministry to men and women, that need and deserve the full life that only Jesus alone can give us. Spensor a very soon graduate of TC shared his testimonies of full out brokenness to full out and total surrender to Jesus Christ and now a new beginning of hope. 

     We spent the afternoon playing snow golf, set up with clubs balls and prizes galore for everyone, thanks to Dale and Sheryl. 

     Bill opened his heart, became transparent and we all wept, laughed and rejoiced in how great the Lord Jesus is and what his love will do for a surrendered soul. If you ever get the chance don't miss Bill's story. 

     Several local families blessed us with a pitch fork fondue that I could never fully explain in a way that says how blessed everyone was. This was a meal of home made onion rings as oderves, steak done to perfection and all the trimmings to go with it. If you are one of those who missed this incredible week end for any reason, you really missed a great time. 

      Thanks again to everyone for your support, encouragement and grateful heart. We can and are making a difference. 

Thank you once again for taking the  to view our blog. The Battle River Ranch Camp is a non profit organization that is focused on developing trades, life skills and training opportunities for men and women that are searching and find it difficult to get the opportunities needed to develop a productive and positive life skill. A strong confident man or women of God will impact the darkness in our service industry in many ways.

TO DONATE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE;
If you are able to and would like to make a very needed and appreciated donation to this worthy project that is changing lives now and forever right here at home PLEASE consider making a donation to:CROSSMAN MINISTRIES / BRRC, (Battle River Ranch Camp) or visit our web site for directdonating and more information, thank you very much we cannot do it alone. Please consider becoming a $25.00 a month donor today. Thank you so much.
*Be a blessing to someone every day*.

Winding down another year of Victories

      Diane and I are so grateful for a Savior that put into play, a plan a long time ago. A plan to have certain people cross and impact our lives in sometimes small and almost unnoticeable ways and other times we look back at the great people that took time to share and live out the beautiful love of Jesus to draw us to an incredible life. Two badly messed up people without direction or hope of a life worth living. 

This year we celebrate 30 years of not just life, but the abundant life, the life God promises each of us, if we just take that step and allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives. We have been so blessed to be a part of God's plan out here at the ranch. Not a day goes by without us seeing His hand moving and preparing the ground for another blessing or miracle. Watching lives changed, by the hope and confidence poured into those lives by grateful mentors who themselves know and understand what God has done in their lives and desire to see in each of the trainees who come to the ranch. 

Gratitude is the materials that are used to build the next blessing or miracle in a persons life. And it matters not if the blessing and miracles are large or small without a grateful heart we can't expect a lot to come our way.

We are sincerely grateful for all the volunteers that bless the ranch all year long. For all the prayer warriors and donors, financially and materially! This ranch couldn't go forward without you, and we are so thankful for each one of you and know we couldn't have done any of it without your help. There are hundreds of you and we would like to thank each of you for your commitment to the lives of the many young adults that are overwhelmed that such an opportunity is available. A place safe and free of alcohol, drugs, cigarette smoke, pornography and many other life degrading habits and addictions. This is what the ranch is about, a safe place to grow in maturity and to learn a trade in which we can make an honest living and to be able to find which trade each trainee is gifted in. 

Our hope and challenge to each of you is that you, in the next year would seek and savour the true and real message of hope that only Jesus Christ offers. 

Sincerely

Harold and Diane Stephan 

Directors of the;

Battle River Ranch Camp

  Thank you once again for taking the  to view our blog. The Battle River Ranch Camp is a non profit organization that is focused on developing trades, life skills and training opportunities for men and women that are searching and find it difficult to get the opportunities needed to develop a productive and positive life skill. A strong confident man or women of God will impact the darkness in our service industry in many ways.

TO DONATE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE;
If you are able to and would like to make a very needed and appreciated donation to this worthy project that is changing lives now and forever right here at home PLEASE consider making a donation to:CROSSMAN MINISTRIES / BRRC, (Battle River Ranch Camp) or visit our web site for directdonating and more information, thank you very much we cannot do it alone. Please consider becoming a $25.00 a month donor today. Thank you so much.
*Be a blessing to someone every day*.

   

From Darkness to Light (abundant life)

Dear Battle River Ranch Camp followers,

I thought this was the perfect time to write my blog, now that I'm half way into completing the five month program here at the ranch. Many wonderful surprises have happened since coming to the ranch. Just to fill you in here a little about my background.  I’ve grown up in a dysfunctional family where my father had left my sister (Brittany ) and I because of his serious addictions to drugs and alcohol. My mother also had her addictions so life was hard.  As I grew up I did start to realize and understand the commitment my father had made. Praise the Lord! He has been clean since September, 02 of 1995.  My mother unfortunately has been continually struggling, and so I pray for her and ask for your prayers as well. Well, at age 13 I had been smoking cigarettes, marijuana, drinking alcohol and getting into trouble with the law! I was a troubled teenager having the ‘‘I don’t care attitude’’ disrespecting authority, elders, my self and not only that, our wonderful Father who has created me. I would only get worse from now on, eight years of probation for my crimes and always going to the extreme of trying all kinds of drugs. These drugs would bring me to my bottom of bottoms, hurting people to get my next fix, begging people for money downtown London Ontario. Stealing, lying anything to get what I wanted and when I wanted it. I had been so broken inside, seeing what I was doing to myself and to others. When I was serving more time in jail for another crime I had committed in January of 2012, I had started to pray to God again, for him to show me and guide me on the right road again. I had been learning and also knew inside my heart that God could somehow change me. I had read other testimonies about people way worst then me being totally set free by His divine power. I could feel it, but knew that was a commitment I had to be totally ready for. I was selfish and didn’t want to let go of everything. I thought to myself “I’m still young, I want to have fun."  Well shortly after I had miraculously been let go from jail I was straight back to what I knew best. While I had been in jail I met a man named Tim Horn an aftercare worker for New Life Prison Ministries. Tim would try to meet with me on a regular basis; he would always show me his love like Jesus would. Knowing he was a faithful man of God and when we would meet I would be so convicted I knew I had to change. I knew that I wanted to be like Tim one day! So I started to make contact with Teen Challenge Saskatchewan. I left Ontario knowing that if I left far away having no distractions whatsoever that I could spend one complete year at Teen Challenge seeking God so he could raise me up and use me for His kingdom. So I battled through the tough times at Teen Challenge learning how to cope and use my skills. Learning how to deal with life skills, always being in communion with Christ. Having good fellowship with my other brothers that are making that step to living the new life Christ offers. In my last three months I was getting close to finishing my program. I knew I always wanted to be a plumber. But the door wasn’t opening. I then was reminded of Harold and Diane Stephan from Battle River Ranch, and so my friend said to me “why don’t you just give them a call and see what happens?" and sure enough when I made that call God had already opened that door! Well you’re in for a treat now!! God has blessed me with a new life. I’ve graduated the twelve month program at Teen Challenge and now I’ve been at the Ranch and have been clean and sober for a full 15 months. I’ve been able to come to the Ranch and develop and enhance my skills in the trades. 1 Corinthians 2:9  "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

This Scripture blows my mind!!  And is truly real!  I’ve been places and seen things now that I couldn’t ever see lost or  trapped into my addiction. Blinded from the plans God had in store for me. God has taken me places because I started being faithful. Finally giving up the old life, He has blessed me ten fold and even a hundred fold. I am now half way into the program and those who have said that “they can learn nothing in five months."  Well I can truly prove that statement wrong. If you put your full potential into the short five months and ask God to help you and guide you! Piece of cake for Him!  Anyways, I’m trying to say that I am already training others to do plumbing!! Recently our other student here at the ranch has felt led by God to also pursue a career in plumbing. Haeden and I have had  the chance to do our first home together, setting up all the main water lines, system, shower hook ups and currently working on our drainage and that’s what I have learned today at Battle River Ranch.  Watching Harold’s sons teach me to do something I love doing, in a Christian way!! I am blessed again. Well I am also planning on my exit plan so I know five months can go fast. I only have two months left. I am praying that maybe I could stay at the ranch and get to work everyday. I am praying that God will provide a vehicle for me to get to and from. The reason why I want to stay at the ranch is because of the great atmosphere here. Coming from a broken life, living the dark life I was in and now coming to freedom through Christ. I am not ready to put myself into a situation where I don’t need to be if I don’t have to. I am also praying what great asset I could be to the ranch. So I am also praying that I could possibly be a mentor to our new students coming to the ranch. I have been asked by Harold to consider that. Well, that is currently where I am at the ranch. I have been encouraged In living the life God has designed for me today because of how encouraged I am being here at Battle River Ranch Camp! Only because you have made this possible through your support. I am thankful because I now have a career in plumbing, all because of God and people like you. Special thank you to Harold and Diane for being so faithful in carrying the vision God has given you. I pray Lord God that you keep them strong because we know this is not possible without you. I also thank you God for the people who have blessed us here at the ranch and now having me where you need me to be. God,you are good. Amen!

 Sincerely,

 Jason Primrose

       Thank you once again for taking the time to view our blog. The Battle River Ranch Camp is a non profit organization that is focused on developing trades, life skills and training opportunities for men and women that are searching and find it difficult to get the opportunities needed to develop a productive and positive life skill. A strong confident man or women of God will impact the darkness in our service industry in many ways.

TO DONATE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE;
If you are able to and would like to make a very needed and appreciated donation to this worthy project that is changing lives now and forever right here at home PLEASE consider making a donation to:  CROSSMAN MINISTRIES / BRRC, (Battle River Ranch Camp) or visit our website for directdonating and more information, thank you very much we cannot do it alone. Please consider becoming a $25.00 a month donor today. Thank you so much.
*Be a blessing to someone every day*.