From a Parent at SFR
“Thank you to all who are involved with Shepherds Fold Ranch, everyone from the cooks, to the counselors, to the administration, to the Stairs family, to the maintenance people. Our boys love Shepherds Fold Ranch. The camp has been a continued place of connecting with God, connecting with other outside of their normal peer groups, and strong spiritual growth. One of the things that continues to amaze my husband and me is how much our boys love worship at Shepherds Fold Ranch. And one of the things that amazes me personally is how easy you are to work with. Whatever you guys are doing keep up the good work! You are wonderful examples of the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. Thank you for investing in kids lives.”
-Amy (February 2012)
Martha G.
Hey! My name is Martha Glover. I first experienced SFR in 2000 as a Treehouse Village counselor. I remember feeling like I had entered Vietnam when we started staff training. I had never been quite so dirty in my entire life!! Yet, that summer, I learned how to plunge a mean toilet (chalk one up to country plumbing!) and I encountered Jesus in a way that would irrevocably change my life.
I continued to work at SFR through the summer of 2005, spending two years actually living at the Ranch. Even though time has passed, I still consider it a home. I suppose that is because Home is where foundations are laid. Through my time at the Ranch, the Lord laid in me a foundation of trusting in Him. I learned that He was good and that He was worth following, regardless of the cost. The lessons I learned were not always easy and often included tears and pain, but they have proved essential. I now live in Washington, DC–a world far removed from camp life–yet I daily apply the lessons I leaned at the Ranch. I can follow Jesus closely here because I learned to follow Him closely there (and, on the same token, I can plunge tolilets here because I could plunge them there!).
The Fold and the people that I did life with there hold very dear place in my heart. I had fun. I met with Jesus in life changing ways. And that’s Shepherd’s Fold.
Martha Glover, Attorney, Washington, DC
Jon F.
Jon Fouch here, signing on to throw a little bone your way to chew on and think about. Let’s get through the basics first: grew up in Tulsa, went to Jenks High School, played lots of sports, liked sports and kept playing them at Evangel University, survived college and got a degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Management…and now I am doing something really awesome that will be mentioned in the near future…like further down the page.
The real story of how I ended up at SFR…my brother worked at camp in the summer of 2004, and I needed a place to work off the 50 hours of community service I received for driving way too fast and not wearing a seatbelt…true fact. At this point in my life, I had just been baptized at my church and was trying to figure out how to actually follow Jesus(and I still am!!!) SFR rocked my world, and I ended up coming back the next summer to do lawn maintenance work every Thursday…and play lots of Frisbee, go swimming, and eat delicious camp food. After my first year of college, I decided to look past my own fears and inadequacies. Yes, I became a camp counselor. I think my biggest reason for working was because my best friend Stephen Pyle wanted me to….but I also was excited to think about what God might do in my life as I committed my summer to Him. Well….He ruined my life. hahahaha. I found passion in my heart for Him, and I developed a passion to see others experience Him as well. The next three summers of my life were dedicated to SFR…and it all started with a really big speeding ticket.
What do I love about SFR…EVERYTHING!!!!!
The big question to ask is WHY? Why should you send your child to camp? Why should you go to camp? Why should you join the furnace? WHY!?!?!?!?!?!
Jesus said, “I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full.” SFR is a place where people can experience fullness of life….and I am not just talking about all the crazy fun that is to be had. It is a safe environment to trade with God, and God always trades up. He gives us beauty for our ashes. And at SFR, you never walk alone. The community is absolutely amazing.
So, you are probably wondering what I am doing with my life now….I have allowed that passion for God and others to grow over the past 4 years, and I am currently a missionary in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I share the gospel with university students who have never heard of who Jesus is. One of my Kazakh friends asked me a question after spending a few months discussing the gospel…he asked, “Did Jesus only come for the sick and the poor?” HE DID!!!!! I thank God that He captured my heart at SFR and set me free from my sin.
What will the SFR experience do to you or your child’s life?
Jon Fouch
Missionary
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Alyssa S.
My name is Alyssa Smith, and I am on the Summer Leadership Team at SFR as a Ranch Camp Coordinator. This is my 4th year on staff, and I have gone to Shepherd’s Fold Ranch since I was 9 years old. I first came because my mom heard about it from some friends at our church and she signed me up. Before I knew it I was jumping off this gigantic tower made of sticks and metal in some country pond, partaking in the legendary dance parties of W.A.C.K.O (Wild and Crazy Kiddos), and hanging out with some crazy life-changing counselors. From that week on, I was set on a course of continuous encounter with God, (the course we were ALL created for), so I kept coming back. The Lord taught me how to worship Him out on the hilltop in Avant, OK, and the seeds that were planted in my heart then are flourishing today as I get to lead worship at SFR and now at Shepherd’s Fold Community Church.
I love SFR because the community is INCREDIBLE, and there is such a culture of love, acceptance, and grace that is essentially God’s kingdom working on earth. SFR has trained me up to express my love for Jesus with no limits. There are so many ways to worship Him, and I first discovered this freedom at Shepherd’s Fold. Shepherd’s Fold is a place for kids (young and old) to come and ‘do business with God,’ and every time I go out to the ranch I feel as though I am coming home. Here I learned the importance of being open with God and others. I have received so much healing, created relationships that I will have for the rest of my life, and experienced the love of God on increasingly deeper levels than I ever thought possible…and there is still SO MUCH MORE! Praise the Lord!
Everyone should have the chance to experience SFR! Each summer we gain a deeper understanding of the Father’s love through living in kingdom community, causing us to grow more and more into our identities as son’s and daughter of the Most High God, and everything else in our lives will flow from this truth. What could be greater?!
Alyssa, SLT 2010, Shepherd’s Fold Ranch
Christina O.
Hi! My name is Christina Ortega and I am blessed to be the Camp Manager at Shepherd’s Fold Ranch. I love it here because I am able to serve others, especially by helping them find a place in the country to do business with God. With my position, I have the opportunity to be a part of EVERY thing that goes on here! And that is continually exciting.
I came to Shepherd’s Fold Ranch right before my senior year of college in 2004 and was hired to be the camp photographer. During that summer I experienced relationships in ways that I had never before believed possible. That left me with a hunger to experience more. As a result, during my senior year I moved back out to the Ranch and have been there ever since.
I love Shepherd’s Fold Ranch because it is a place to grow in your personal relationships and in your personal relationship with God. It’s a place where you are able to learn and experience new things – things that would not have been possible before. SFR is and will always be, all about relationships.
By being here you are able to learn things that you can take with you for the rest of your life. It is a training ground for all you want to do and be in your life.
At SFR I found that knowing Jesus is all about the depth of my relationship with and commitment to Him. And that relationship is not wrapped up in the rules and regulations of society, it’s wrapped up in Who He is and how you follow His Word.
Christina Ortega
Camp Manager
Shepherd’s Fold Ranch
