ONLY 6 DAYS REMAINING UNTIL #GivingTuesday2023!
We’d like to take a moment to share some things about Mercy Spring Ranch for those who may be curious about who we are, what we do, and how we do it!
Mercy Spring Ranch (MSR) is a 501c3, non-profit, Christian ministry that serves children in our community who have experienced trauma, as well as their families. The ranch was founded in 2010, by John and Monique Black and was operated from a friend’s property in Wood Colony (N. Modesto) until 2016. In 2018, MSR moved to its permanent location in Escalon. The journey from 2010 to 2018 is a story of God’s amazing grace, mercy, and provision. The story of what the Lord has accomplished on the ranch, from 2018 until today, could take volumes to accurately tell of His continual provision and direction. In the next few days, we will share a few of the wonderful ways God has moved mountains at the ranch in 2023, so stay tuned for more on that!
Mercy Spring Ranch is 100% funded by individual and business donations, fundraisers (heirloom plant sales, Christmas crafts, #GivingTuesday, etc.) and occasional grants. The children and families we serve pay nothing. Everyone working and serving at the ranch, including the founders, are volunteers. In other words, everyone who makes what we do possible serves sacrificially, without pay, and rarely with any recognition. You may wonder, why would anyone do that? While we can’t answer for every volunteer who gives of their time here, for our core staff (who are amazingly dedicated, by the way) the reasons can be summed up in one word – Jesus! The One who met us in our hardest and darkest places, placed in our hearts an unquenchable desire to show others how He can do the same for them. Horses and ranch life are uniquely equipped to show the way to the true author of hope and healing – Jesus.
That being said, the financial cost to do what we do is extremely high, and continually climbing higher. Just the general operating costs we incur to “keep the lights on” has nearly doubled since 2019, making progress slower and more difficult. For example, we truly need, and desire to add to our herd in order to serve more children. However, we must first make certain we can give the best care to the horses we have, who work so tirelessly to help each child they encounter. We stretch every dollar by doing the bulk of the work ourselves with a wonderful ranch community of volunteers who show up to help move mountains! We pray continually for the Lord to give us wisdom on how best to use the resources we’ve been given and wait for doors to open in the direction we should go next.
We invite those of you who want to know more to reach out and come for a visit to see what’s currently happening at the ranch. Take a tour and ask any questions you may have. We love sharing our journey with others! You can contact us to make an appointment by calling (209)691-6054, e-mailing us at info@mercyspringranch.org, or sending us a message through our ranch Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/MercySpringRanch . We look forward to your visit!