Posts tagged Girls Ranch
Returning to the Girl’s Ranch
Aug 30th
Posted by Refuge Staff in Brazil
Here’s a story from one of our Refuge team members.
As the car pulled up to Hope Ranch (Chacara Esperanza) in Campinas, Brazil, I wondered if the girls would remember me. Last August, I had the privilege of spending a week with them as part of a mission trip from Princeton Alliance Church. My trip to Hope Ranch and the City of Youth changed my life and I had been counting down the days until I could see the children again. Here I was, moments away, and the anticipation was making my hands sweaty. Suddenly, the large wooden gates swung open and immediately I realized that the girls had not forgotten me. As I stepped out of the car, girls wrapped their arms around me, squeezed me from all sides, and welcomed me back. My heart skipped a beat and tears formed in the corner of my eyes. I felt as though I had never left, that I belonged, and that I was loved.
The afternoon was spent giggling, painting nails, braiding hair, and experimenting with make-up. The girls took turns giving me beauty treatments and pampering me. After make-up, hair, and nails were complete, it was time to choose my outfit for that evening’s church service. I found myself at the center of a fashion show and I was the star. We laughed, danced, and laughed some more, but I couldn’t help wondering… How could anyone ever hurt these girls? How could anyone not love them? How could these girls ever overcome pasts full of abuse, poverty, neglect, and abandonment?
As the girls and I walked hand-in-hand to board the bus headed to church, I remembered that it’s because of our God broken hearts are mended.
Chloe’s trip to the Girls Ranch
Aug 26th
Posted by Refuge Staff in Brazil
Here’s Chloe’s story about her visits to the Girls Ranch:
Our group from PAC decided we wanted to do an activity with the girls when we visited their ranch. We made cookies with them! Cookies were a new treat to them. The girls’ house where I was making cookies was busily mixing cookie dough, guessing at the temperature of the oven because it was missing the dial, and finally putting cookies in oven. The oven door kept falling open. Finally one girl decided to place a chair against the oven door. She sat down on the chair and “guarded” our cookies. They turned out great but my heart sank that that was the stove/oven that the girls had to put up with each and every day. I knew at Hope Unlimited that resources were extremely tight at that time and there are so many places that their funds needed to go but I prayed and prayed each day that some time there would be money enough to buy a new stove for that house. Fast forward several months: An answered prayer… We were visiting Hope Unlimited several months later and one of the first things I learned was that ALL the girls’ houses had received new stoves! Yea, God.
– Chloe Colgan, Hope Unlimited visitor 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005
Help us reach our goal of $25,000 so that the boy’s homes can be renovated as well!
You can donate online.
Photos: Girls Ranch
Aug 19th
Posted by Refuge Staff in Brazil
Here are some photos from a recent team’s trip to Hope’s Girls Ranch.
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