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Elliott Yinger worked six summers at the Ranch from 2004 to 2009. During that time he was a counselor, the assistant camp director, Forerunner lead, Ranch Camp director and Furnace Director. He also lived at the Ranch with Clay and Lisa Staires from 2006 to 2009 in the Eagle’s Nest Program. He once mopped the floor in the kitchen hall and Kim the Cook declared it the cleanest she had ever seen it. You may have encountered one of his siblings: Claire or Luke Yinger.

Each summer at Shepherd’s Fold was an incredible experience for Elliott. The staff became family and he still holds close relationships with individuals that were his campers and staff as far back as 2004. Some of his favorite camp activities include low ropes, ultimate frisbee, canoeing, night games, and the infamous Optional Eco Challenge.

After finishing college, Elliott decided to move out to the Fold to be mentored by Clay and Lisa Staires in the Eagle’s Nest program. Elliott spent three years living in Avant and enjoyed every moment of it in the before cellphone tower era ( B.C.T). He wouldn’t trade those three years for anything.

Elliott and his wife Megan met at Shepherd’s Fold Ranch in 2004 during their first summer on staff. They have been married for four years and have one daughter named Heidi. Their second daughter, Olivia, will be with us sometime around the end of October. They recently moved from Norman, Oklahoma where they were members of Antioch Community Church. They are both lifelong Foldies and are very excited for the opportunity to serve at the place that brought the most dramatic changes in their relationships with others and God.

Elliott has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Internet marketing. His professional work history consists of teaching/training, legal work, and customer support. He has bagged groceries, tele marketed, sold knives, couriered, sold fine apparel, prepared food, taught wellness education, patrolled university domicile hallways, pastored college students, sold electronics, provided cable service, installed lights, taught high school in a Title 1 school, private tutored all subjects, worked in the oil industry, and most recently worked at a web application developer in an emerging industry. Of all these jobs, nothing ever came close to the enjoyment and fulfillment he felt working at Shepherd’s Fold Ranch.

Megan and Elliott have a heart for seeing transformation in people. They both emerged from the summer of 2004 with burning hearts to see bondage broken off of other’s lives. They both love to see people succeed and grow in the calling that God has for them.

Now that you know a little bit about the Yinger’s you can see the photo they were most proud of this past summer at a SFR Open Meeting: