You know that saying about how God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called? Well, I've been banking on that statement ever since God placed it in my heart to start a ministry ranch serving disadvantaged youth. I can confidently say that it was a long time in the making, with a lot of tears shed, and a lot of doubt; before the Lord opened my eyes to my calling.

I've loved Jesus and I've loved animals ever since I can remember. Somewhere along the line I realized I had a desire to share those passions with children, particularly those whom my parents cared for that were in the foster system. 

In college, I bounced from academic major to major, always in the realm of animal sciences and education, but never knowing what the end goal was supposed to be. It was at this time in my life, that I realized just how real anxiety and depression can be. It was also during this time, that I was encouraged by a friend to visit Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch. It was here that God showed me what he'd been qualifying me for. 

I came home from CPYR with a newfound confidence in Christ, an understanding of who I was called to be, and a yearning to share the therapy I felt from God's love for me through animals to those around me. I bought a small piece of land to start building my dream on, received my bachelor's degree in Agriculture, a minor in Equine Science, and hopped to it.

God had been qualifying me to be a light for those in need all along, I just hadn't known in the beginning that it would manifest into Firefly Fields Youth Ranch.