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    Every little girl dreams of having horses, well at least I did.  My mother told me one of my first words when I was little was “Horsey.” I always loved them but didn’t ever own one until I was 19 (but we will get to that later in the story.)

    Now I know you are wondering where the troubled teens part comes in right?! Well I grew up in a great family who loved me very much, but I always seemed to have friends who were less fortunate then I was. Some didn’t have a great home life, or maybe they did but got into trouble. I always seemed to gravitate to those who always needed help. (Sorry to my friends who are reading this I love you all very dearly, just remember you helped mold me into who I am today!!!) So fast forward to when I was 15, my sophomore year of high school, I didn’t know what to do with my life and this brings us to my calling from the Lord.

   Here I was, 15, lost in a world of opportunity and I didn’t know who or what I wanted to be when I got older. I was sitting in a huge event hall at our Holiday Youth Convention, a youth event for the UPCI general youth division in Michigan, when the speaker started talking about where the money that was collected for “Sheaves For Christ” went to. They said many different programs and missions and all sorts of different things but only one caught my eye. “Lighthouse Ranch for Boys.” At that moment I knew I heard the voice of God say, “Julia that’s what I want you to do. I want you to have a youth ranch where the teens come onto your farm and get therapy from horses.” At 15 I knew what I was meant to be. 

    I went to school at MSU in the Agricultural school studying their Horse Management program and have a Certificate of Completion there. Then I went on from there and went to LCC and have a Certificate of Completion in Corrections. From there I started working at a Youth Facility and I’ve also worked on a few different farms. 

    So why now? I’m a 33 year young woman who took a lot of time off to get married and have children. I’ve been married going on 12 years and have 2 beautiful children and I know it is time to start my dreams. I have a lot of things I still have to do to get this going, but I know with lots of Prayers and support from my friends and family that this is the time to get going on my calling. 

    I’ve lived in a lot of fear and what ifs, but like my favorite verse says in: 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. So I will live in the foot steps of God and let him lead my path.  Continue to pray with us as we move forward in faith!