Love & Hope – Life Mapping / Story:

Divorce
Parents divorced when I was about 2 yrs old. If divorce can be functional I’d say we did it the best as I was so small I didn’t know any different. I just felt like I had more houses and people to love me.

The Fire
Growing up I recall 1991 losing my dads house to a fire (burned to the ground). Lost everything!

The Flood
In 1993 my mom and sisters house flooded as it was on a 100 yr flood plane. Lost everything!

Saved
I was saved as a young pre-teen at a family ministry house in Killeen on VBS weekend retreat. That certainly changed my life forever! (Writing a book about this Jesus adventure)

Moms 2nd Divorce
Following this would be a devastating divorce my mom went thru and left me feeling abandoned as I headed off to college. (Later I would remember my step father telling me that he stayed for me until I was off the college and I that was his most precious gift and he loved me to the moon and back.)

After living my life dream of being a college pitcher and graduating from The University of Mary Hardin Baylor. I moved to Houston after graduation and started my adult life and it was so awesome.

Plane Crash
Met my husband to be prior to a plane trip to Colorado to ski with friends and ended that trip on a burning plane that never made it back to Houston. This accident changed my life forever for sure. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel pain and something loud doesn’t scare me. I knew at the moment that I felt myself leave the plane, I knew life here on earth was not where it ends and I had confirmed one thing, that Heaven was real!

This is where it all started and the seeds were planted for my purpose and legacy building.

Marriage
Got married, lost a baby which devastated me. Got pregnant and birthed 2 amazing children, Aubrey and Asher. They are my most precious gift of all.

Divorce
Then I got to experience divorce for myself and raising babies alone (Aubrey 2 yrs old and Asher 6 months old). This one is most definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced in all of my life! This one wrecked me but taught me so much. While I needed a husband to hold me, he needed a wife to hold and pray for him. What I learned is that 2 hurting bleeding out people cannot give life support for one another when they are barely hanging on. We found the forgiveness for each other to forgive, support and raise our children together and enjoy friendship thru the process. I thank god for this everyday! Truly a miracle.

The Aftermath
For the last 4 years I prayed “Lord just take me because this burden is too much for me to carry”. I quickly followed with a prayer saying “Lord, please let me stay just long enough to raise my tiny disciples because they need me more and then you can take me”. Between my PTSD and living the life of a single mom was like being strangled with no oxygen – daily. I was torn in this responsibility and loneliness and it had been so heavy and so great that I just prayed to make it thru each day and went to sleep most nights in tears feeling pain in my body, exhaustion, emptiness, alone, abandoned, overwhelmed, sad, thankful, blessed, and every other emotion one can feel. I felt it.

All these things sounds terrible and just outlandish but part of real life (as most of you have also experienced).

In my short 40 years those devastations have proven to teach me this:
– Love is the only thing you really need and it is the only thing worth fighting for
– Things are not of importance but people are
– Life is short so use your time wisely (like sand in an hour glass), you cant get a redo
– God gave you choice, so choose the life you want to live to leave the legacy you desire
– Forgiveness is for you, not them
– Grace is necessary because you yourself can’t bat 1000 everyday
– Life doesn’t end here. Earth is the Devil’s domain. Knowing this helps you navigate hurdles here
– It doesn’t matter how you run the race so long as you finish well
– Failure sharpens the iron so be thankful for them, you are now closer to a WIN

Knowing my history, I want to share what my vision is and has been for some years now. I’ve always dreamed of raising my kids on a Horse Ranch as I got to have as a child riding 4 wheelers, hunting, fishing in stock tank, playing with goats & picking our own vegetables from the garden.

My heart has felt a tug to push me into Ministry to reach people and share with them that they are not alone and provide support and healing for them. My heart goes out to those who have had traumatic experiences that steal from their Joy bucket not allowing them to be the loving husband or wife or sibling or friend they once were. Whether trauma was from a war, an accident or a bad situation you were put in, we all feel the same thing – loneliness, fear, anger, frustration and worry in a spiral that will not let loose. I get it!

Thoughts for you:
For those that are struggling in their marriage, sick, without work, in debt, raising children alone, you’re not alone. Many have come before you, and many will come after you who experience the same. This too shall pass but we will only win and overcome if keep getting up every-time we fall down and focus on taking on one item to conquer at at time. Manage and conserve energy, utilize time well, only let those into your circle and interact with those bringing something positive into your life.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord has lined it all up for his greater good and purpose. If it is his will, which he has put on my heart, this is what our near future looks like:

300+ acres for the following Ministries:
* PTS – Veteran Support & First Responders (Spouses and their Children)
* Equine Therapy (Horse Ranch)
* Marriage Ministry & Retreats for Men and Women
* Youth Ministry & Worship Team

I am a BIG DREAMER but I work for a BIGGER GOD, and he is a BIG GIVER…

God knows our needs are Prayer, Finances (Donations) and Volunteers! We are confident in receiving all 3 of these in his proper timing…

If any of you desire doing this full time and/or volunteering in any way please feel free to email me @ Missy@LoveHopeRanch.org or go to our website @ www.LoveHopeRanch.org to submit a Volunteer Application.

In close, if you chase Jesus with all your heart, you will never waste time and you will find your compass if you do the work. If you choose to go it alone, you will be tired and most likely never master or find the best you. So I challenge everyone to pick up the book and read the Bible everyday and try to prove me wrong. Along the way he will find his way into your heart and you too shall share in this same peace and perseverance he gives me everyday. I wish that kind of love and comfort for anyone who walks this earth.

Heaven shared this with me, “Life is like 2 minutes”, spend it well… No matter what anyone says, I say, chase your dreams, don’t take no for an answer, and turn over every rock. Live with purpose, be present and remember to look up at the clouds and breathe each day to remember “your why”…

My Advice

God did not design us to stand by and watch life pass as we wonder why we aren’t more fulfilled. God created us to take risks in faith & to conquer the giants that paralyze us with fear. Remember those that we’ve lost and let their memories fuel us to make every moment count. Know the hard days won’t be hard forever, nor will the intensity of the sadness, anger or hurt, so long as you keep your eyes up and continue to press on each day seeking joy in the smallest of things.

God created us with the ability to control one thing: “choice”. We can choose to give up or press on. We can choose to be angry & sad, or we can choose to be happy & grateful. We can choose to love even when it’s hard. But choice is a decision that brings great consequences either way. So, if you are tired of the same outcome, do something different to bring change.

Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Turn over every rock, leave no stone unturned because there are only so many tomorrows.

Heaven shared this with me, “Life is like 2 minutes”, spend it well… No matter what anyone says, I say, chase your dreams, don’t take no for an answer, and turn over every rock. Live with purpose, be present and remember to look up at the clouds and breathe each day to remember “your why”…