Big Oak

Oh, such is my luck.  The day I wrote the last post something happened to a family member, and we found out through, you got it, Facebook.  Ugh.  Just when I decide to do it for real, forever, Wayne comes home and says, "Well, maybe we shouldn't delete it."  Great.  This is coming from a man that hates it more than I do.  So, we keep trucking on.

Let's back up three years ago, when Jacob was a little guy.  (He looked like this.)  :)

Grab the tissue box.

Anyway, Jacob was less than 6 months old when Wayne went to hear John Croyle speak at a local church. John is the father of Brodie Croyle, - quarterback at Alabama a few years ago - and he is the owner of The Big Oak Ranch.  This is a place for orphans.  He has said people will drive up in a Mercedes and drop their kids off and never look back.  I cannot fathom how anyone could do that, but I'm so thankful for a place like this that loves on those children.  They have a separate girls ranch and boys ranch.  The girls ranch is on 300+ acres, and the boys' ranch is on 100+ acres.  They have house parents that have up to 8 children each that they take in as their own to raise.  Needless to say, after Wayne hears all of this, he rushed home and tells me we are selling our house, he is quitting his job, and we were moving to The Big Oak Ranch to be house parents.  I brought him back to reality a little bit, and told him that was not something we could decide in one day.  

I did get online, and I found another ministry opportunity that we have been considering ever since then.  It's called "relief parents."  They go in one weekend a month and take over the duties so the houseparents can have a break.  After touring one of the houses, I can imagine how that would be necessary.  Most houses have several teenagers in it, and this one was no exception.  They had the laundry room door open as we were leaving, and I was amazed.  I have no excuse to get behind on laundry for my family of four anymore.

So, now that you have a little background, I'm going to share some pictures with you.  These are the grounds.....nothing like I expected!  (Most of these pictures were taken while going down the road, but you get the idea.)

In this picture you can get an idea what it was like.  It was literally like a little neighborhood of two story brick houses.

Grant stayed with Grandmollie because he was not feeling good, but we had a blast with Jacob for the day!!

And this is what it's all about.  These are several of their teenagers that are on a drum line at school.  They were really good!  (Maybe one day I'll share about their school - really cool!)  

 As the day went on, my eyes welled up in tears several times as I saw beautiful children that parents just dropped off.  I have such a huge heart for orphans.  God put them on my heart at a very young age, and I'm loving this huge adoption movement that is going on around me.  We aren't in a place to adopt right now, but maybe God's giving us another option.  We have a ministry opportunity that would require us to minister as a family.  Something we didn't even know about until we were there talking to the Croyle's.  Something we're excited, scared, nervous, about.  Something that I will share with you if we do feel called to do.  Say a prayer for us if you will, for clarity.  


As for John Croyle.  Did I mention that he played for The Bear at Alabama?  Did I mention that he turned down the NFL to start a boys' home???  There is a special place in heaven for that man and his wife.  There are over 100 children at the two ranches now, and over 2,000 have passed through since it started.  God bless him for this selfless work!!