SUMMER UPDATE

Thank you for your prayers and support over the groups who attended camp this summer. We watched God move in big ways over the past three months. He is faithful and generous!

Retreat Overview

Work Week - Our summer started with a wonderful group of volunteers working to prepare the lodge and the grounds. Thank you to our volunteers for your hard work and willingness to serve during this time!

Dadventure Experience - in partnership with Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church (Chattanooga, Tennessee) and Pack Country Outfitters. During this group we got to witness fathers and sons/daughters form a lasting bond and experience a week of camping and adventures on the ranch. The Lord did a mighty work in bringing this community together to form friendships and deepen relational bonds between kids and their fathers. 

SOROCO Middle and High School Retreats – We love our South Routt Youth! It was such a joy to grow in friendship, deepen relationships with one another, and with Jesus during our middle school and high school retreats. The kids experienced joy and triumph while visiting the ranch this summer. We prayed for breaking of chains and bondage from shame, gossip, and sin. Continue to pray for this community and the revival that is occurring within the schools. This is a special group, and we believe that God has great things in store.

VBS - in partnership with Cherry Valley Community Church and The Red Church in Yampa we served 30 elementary students at Destination Dig this summer. This was a record-breaking number, and we are so thankful for the students who the Lord brought through the doors of the church during this week! Students got the chance to uncover the truth about Jesus and see how archeology supports the Bible. They learned that the Bible is true, and history proves it! Thank you to all our volunteers for helping to make this happen. We are looking forward to VBS 2022 where we will learn about who God created us to be and what our identity is in Him.

Horsemanship Bible Camp – in partnership with South Routt Bible Church we facilitated a horsemanship retreat for youth in the community. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with kids that we had served during earlier retreats and to learn from guest speaker, Ronnie Moyer.

Do The Dreams – aging horse woman retreat in partnership with Pack Country Outfitters. The two retreats we ran with this group were inspiring. Our role was limited, but we helped prepare the horses every day and got the opportunity to meet some amazing women from across the country.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:8-10

SPRING UPDATE

MAY 2021

Praying that you are having a wonderful year thus far. We are gearing up for our summer events and wanted to give you a quick update about what is happening this year!

Looking Ahead

This summer we are excited to see our friends and students for a full summer of camps. Our camps this summer include a father/child camping trip, local groups from Yampa, Vacation Bible School, Horsemanship Camp, and a week of discipleship with the staff. We are looking forward to seeing all of the different groups and students again.

Students are getting a lesson about horsemanship and how to properly saddle their horse. During their time at the ranch, students learn the basics for riding and the cowboy way of life. We pray that the students are able to grow in their relationship with Christ and have a deeper understanding of what it means to ride for the brand of Jesus Christ.

VBS

Partnership with Generations Bible Church and the Red Church

We are excited to partner with the Red Church in Yampa to host our third annual Vacation Bible School for elementary aged students. Volunteers from Generations Bible Church in Franktown, CO come to Yampa to help us lead this awesome event. We are grateful for everyone who helps make this happen. This is a great outreach in the community, and we are excited for the chance to unearth the truth about Jesus!

Thank you for your generosity and for furthering the mission of Jesus through your gifts. We are beyond grateful for your partnership!

FALL UPDATE

Hello friends and family! Let’s catch up about summer 2020 and chat about what is next!

Summer 2020

I am blessed to say that despite corona virus we were able to host three groups from the Routt County area this summer. I dearly missed our out of state friends and look forward to seeing you again next summer! I am grateful for the time spent with the local youth and for the opportunity to serve those in our hometown. This summer we worked with South Routt County high school, middle school, and elementary students. We had record numbers at our vacation bible school at the Red Church in Yampa with twenty-five kids in attendance! We spent the week learning about Jesus as our strong foundation. Both the high school and middle school groups experienced a beautiful week at the ranch learning about the Cowboy Code and what it means to find our identity in Jesus and who He says we are.

OFC also partnered with Horsemanship Bible Camp at the South Routt Bible Church. During this camp our staff helped with games, crafts, teaching, and leading in the arena. The camp partners with Ronnie Moyer, a famous rodeo clown and current Fellowship of Christian Cowboys chaplain. It was an incredible opportunity to serve and to learn!

Reflecting on the summer I am forever grateful for the team that I got to work alongside. My four staff members were rock stars and I would not have made it through this summer without their wisdom, willingness to serve, and their genuine hearts for the Lord. I got to witness students dive into the principles of the Cowboy Code and ask the Lord for help in fighting against anger, loneliness, anxiety, and fear. I saw five-year old’s ask questions about who Jesus is and why our foundation should be built on His word. I prayed fervently against any sickness and we did not experience one case during our month of operations. The Lord’s hand was upon us and His blanket covered us. I believe that revival in coming to the Yampa Valley and that God is going to rise up the next generation of leaders who have built their foundation on His Word. That those leaders will be living out their God given purpose, believing that they are enough because God says they are enough.

Looking Forward

Summer 2021

As we look forward to next summer, I ask for your continued prayer and support. OFC would not exist without you and I am incredibly grateful for how you have given of your time and treasure thus far. I am excited about what God is doing through our ministry and where He is leading. I hope to return to full operating capacity in summer 2021 and to see all our friends return to the ranch.

Prayer

Please pray for our partnerships with the local churches, and that God would provide new staff members for the 2021 summer. Pray for our nation and all that is going on with our leaders in our country. Pray for healing and hope. No matter what happens we can live each day with hope.

Talk soon,

Ali

Some of our crew out for an evening ride

Season of Stillness

This spring has forced us to a halt. We have been asked to stop moving, to stop racing, to stop pushing ourselves past our limits. We have been asked to rest. The hustle and bustle of the sounds of busy life have faded away and we are reminded what it sounds like to be still.

Still like the sounds of the ranch after a long day. Still like the hay fields when the wind has gone away. Still like the ditch when the water has been irrigated down a different path.

Life looks different for all of us and there are questions and hurts that we are processing and grieving from this season. Loss of loved ones. Loss of a job and income. No sports, school, or graduation. Loneliness and fear. Gut wrenching heart ache and confusion because this does not make sense and we do not know this plan.

But God is here in this season.

Even when it hurts we can choose to praise him.

He is the prince of peace. He brings healing and hope. His promises are true yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

This stillness lasted longer then any one of us could have expected and as we slowly enter back into the sound of life may we not forget this season. May we process the hurt and name the pain. Feel all the feelings. And may we recognize that God is here. God is teaching us that his dreams are far greater than ours. That his plan is wilder then anything we could have planned. That the stillness is a chance to breathe in grace and let all the weight go.

Join us in Prayer

As an OFC family we wanted to reach out to our fellow supporters, campers, and prayer team members during this time. We hope that all of you are well and wanted to invite you to pray with us as we all face these confusing days.

We are praying daily for the health of our OFC staff and family and for the wellness of each of you. We pray for our students as they have returned home from school and are trying to figure out the new normal of online education. We pray for parents who are possibly spending more time working from home, or who have lost their jobs during the closures. We pray for our students who may not have a home to return to, that their community of believers would rally around them and support them in this time. We pray that our community could be one of support; being called the hands and feet of Jesus, loving thy neighbor and taking every opportunity to serve their fellow human. We pray for guidance for our leaders as they make decisions over the coming weeks. We pray for the safety of those still serving our communities and working in public spaces. We pray against depression and anxiety as we deal with social distancing and a disruption of normal routines. As a body of believers we know that God has a plan for this time and that as we turn our face toward him in prayer and worship we can be filled with a new hope and peace during this uncertainty.   

For the next two weeks or eight weeks or however long we are under the direction to stay home let us turn our eyes towards God and fall afresh into the Word. Here we can lay down our concern, our frustration, our isolation, our fear. Here we will find comfort, security, peace, and rest. May we stand firm on the promises that God has for us, believing that he hears our cries and that he is comforting us in this mess.

For today let us press into Psalm 13  A Plea for Deliverance

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long will I store up anxious concerns within me,

 agony in my mind every day?

How long will my enemy dominate me? 

Consider me and answer, Lord my God.

Restore brightness to my eyes;

Otherwise I will sleep in death.

My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,” and

My foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted your faithful love;

My heart will rejoice in your deliverance.

I will sing to the Lord

Because he has treated my generously.

Preparation for Conversation

By Ethan Arbuckle

“In your hearts honor Christ, the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” – 1 Peter 3:15

This verse is of amazing importance to our walk with Jesus Christ. It says so much about what our walk of faith ought to be. Unfortunately, I think that’s what it can be to many of us, what we “ought to do.” Sometimes we find ourselves questioning what is means to be prepared to make a defense (or give an answer as some translations put it) for the hope that is in us.  

When I think of being prepared, I think of getting ready to go on a cattle drive. You need to prepare yourself in a couple ways. Make sure you are hydrated, make sure you have good hat and clothes to protect you from the sun. Next is the horse. Make sure they have been well brushed, feet are shod, saddled properly with cinches checked, and the horse is in good health. All of these are part of the process, but to even start the process you need all the equipment first. This is similar to how we need to prepare for our everyday battles.

The first step is our life. Before we can start to speak and give an answer, we must first be making a continued effort to have a relationship with Jesus, because our life is apparent to all before, we speak. While we cannot ever be perfect, most people can see if we truly live the way we say we should. In fact, this defense is the most powerful and potent of all, because it is seen by everyone all the time. It shows people that we have a genuine interest and belief in what we belief and that is oftentimes a great beginning to a conversation. In all things we ought to be genuine, and that effort shows others the love of Christ.

At the center of all conversation there is a need for the Holy Spirt. Sometimes we think it is our job to do the soul winning, or even the convincing but it is not us but the Holy Spirit through us. Therefore, I personally often pray right before and especially after I have had a divinely appointed conversation about my faith with another person. This reliance on the Spirit reminds us whose we are, and where our strength comes from. This keeps us centered on what truly matters and our eternal lifeline will not let us down.

All of these things are important for us to be aware of before we start the process of sharpening our tools so that God may use us to lovingly and graciously explain what and why we believe to another. These are tenants that will ensure we don’t fall into the trap of “Because I know the right answer” and keep us focused on the purpose of the gospel, telling other people about our personal, eternal, all powerful savior.

Once we understand these foundational ideas we can start to go out and fight the misinformation, doubts, and just plain attack that we encounter as Christian from day to day.

Why Our Youth Need Steak, Not Milk

Today we are joined by OFC Wrangler Ethan Arbuckle.

Steak, the gold standard of an iconic American meal. It is full of nutrients, filling, and most everyone likes to eat it. Imagine if you could eat a balanced meal with steak or some other form of meat every day? It’s the backbone of a good diet and helps to build our muscles and strength. Now think about if all you had everyday was milk. Yes, just like our babies. You wouldn’t grow very big or strong, in fact you would probably be emaciated. This is what has happened to the Youth inside many churches today.

Now I know many of you may be skeptical of this, but I’d like to ask you a question. When is the last time you went to a Youth Bible study that went deep? Got down in the weeds and talked about not only good biblical truth but some of the harder truths that youth have to deal with today. Many of us would like to act as if the “adult problems” of drug use, sex, porn, depression and others are unique to adults. Unfortunately, we are wrong, these “adult” problems spread to our children. In fact, many times they are worse because youth aren’t meant to handle these and they can feel trapped because they know they aren’t supposed to do something and feel like they can’t get help. Or their parents are part of the problem and they can’t get out.

I’m 21 and not only can I remember my friends dealing with these but in my time working with youth ministry I have meet so many kids that have had to fight battles that I never had to fight. One particular young man came out to the ranch with his church group and it broke my heart to hear him tell of us what he struggled with just the year before. This young man, not even 14, had attempted suicide the week before. He admitted to his addiction to not just alcohol, but sex and wept in front of our eyes at the pain it had brought him. He was from a broken home without a dad, and his mom was busy trying to find a man, and he had been left to deal with these “adult” problems all alone.

This young man had grown up in church. He had been to Sunday School. He knew about the stories, in fact he was one of the more vocal members of his group during our daily devotionals. In spite of all these things he didn’t have any depth to his faith. Where he was raised (thankfully not the church that he was currently going to, Praise the Lord) his teachers had feed him spiritual milk. They had stopped at the rules, the what, and never gone beyond to the who and the why. Our Youth don’t need to just know about the stories (while they are certainly important and helpful) they need to know the who and why of Jesus. They need to know that even in the darkness of sex, porn, drugs, and all other temptations that we have a savior who is willing and able to save them. They need to know about the struggles of these temptations before they get there so they can be prepared for them when the time comes.

Is it hard to discuss these subjects with immature youth? Will it be awkward? Will there be times that you do not feel it’s working or question if it is even worth it?

Yes.

Is it Worth It?

A thousand times Yes.

So, I urge everyone (not just our youth ministers) to be genuine with our struggles. To show our children how we bear our heavy burdens, and that we are there for them. To teach them the details of our faith, so that they have an answer. Let them know that asking questions about what we believe is okay, so that we can give them an answer and not leave them to “figure it out” from the internet or their friends because they won’t always be helpful or right. Let us be open with our problems so that we can help our youth grow up to be strong discipled warriors for the Kingdom.

Teresa Snyder's Legacy

Folks, my heart weighs heavy as I see so many great believers being raised to glory right now. Maybe it just feels close because I lost one of the great faith ladies in my life, that has made me more sensitive to it, but it is hard nevertheless. Too many days I feel like we are going to see her at the next game or trip to the ranch.

But, God has called her to greater glories and even greater battles in the heavenly realms. I do stand in awe of that.

Join with me in prayer for the whole Snyder/ Meyer/ Beckner families as we celebrate her and most importantly celebrate God’s “enoughness” in each of our lives. For this is where Teresa desired her entire life and legacy to point towards….the sufficiency of God.

Below is a message crafted to celebrate her and her faith in God and how she loved so well on our visitors to Outfitters for Christ… as she truly lived the Cowboy Code. I am looking forward myself to joining her on the heavenly trail one day. Peace and Grace to all of you!

On October 14, 2019 Teresa Snyder passed away. The moment that she stepped foot onto the Fish and Cross property Teresa knew that this land would be used to glorify God. She told Allen that she wanted to run a ministry on the property and share the beauty of God’s creation with all those that stepped foot on the land. Allen and Teresa founded the ministry alongside their children.

Teresa demonstrated the servant heart of Christ, as she created safe and loving spaces for so many in her home. She shared her gifts of cooking and hospitality with all those that she encountered, always making time to sit and chat with kids from the various youth groups and sponsors alike. She was committed to praying for every single person that stepped foot on Fish and Cross Ranch, desiring for Christ to make himself known within their hearts. Teresa believed wholeheartedly that every student and leader that visited the ranch was there for a specific purpose and that God orchestrated it perfectly so that they could experience a small piece of what his grace is like. She never claimed to be perfect, and more times then not she would share of her short comings, explaining that only through faith in Jesus and by his mercy, grace, and loving kindness was she able to stand. Her heart warming smile, laugh, and Cowboy cookies brought students rushing to the kitchen to partake in a conversation, receive a hug, and share in a moment of feeling like they had found a home away from home. Teresa knew that the property of Fish and Cross Ranch was given to the Snyder family to be used to bring families together, kids to new experiences, and for love to be shown at every turn. As students passed through their week at the ranch, Teresa would be asking the Lord to show up in a unique and significant way for each individual person. After hearing the life stories of various students, Teresa would get on her knees and pray for the Lord to cover their situation with his light, truth, and peace. One would often find her standing at the kitchen between cooking meals, praying over the students and leaders. Her heart desired for Christ to be made known.

This Saturday, December 7th we are celebrating the life of Teresa at 2 o’clock in the afternoon at First Baptist Church in Yampa, Colorado. In lieu of flowers we ask that you consider making a donation to the UC Health Jan Bishop Cancer Center, or to Outfitters for Christ which she and Allen founded.

Living a Cowboy Life

Too many times and in too many places our hectic lives have sucked out our desires and passions. We have been convinced that it is okay to lose sight of what sets our hearts on fire because we need to provide for our family.

By falling into this trap we lose a part of ourselves and rob our family of all that God asks us to give to them.

I have experienced and witnessed this too many times. There are those “go-getters” that are driving the machine of industry each day. They are climbing ladders and finding ways to create new markets and new streams of income for their businesses. But, when asked if they spend that same time pouring themselves into their family, I get a blank stare. Usually followed by a justification such as, “well, I mean…I do the best I can”.

BOOM!

That is where it happens, the Thief has robbed a family of the gift of time. And with that the world slips a little further from Christ and a little closer to meaninglessness.

So what do you? How can it be changed or at least curbed? What are the ways that a person can reclaim their family while driving business forward and finding the harmony with their faith and mission in life?

I would suggest that you step back and take a look at life with a Cowboy’s eye.

The Cowboy life is one filled with both great perils and great achievements. Cowboys tend to work while there is daylight, meaning long hours and hard work. Show me any good ranching operation, and I will show you a family that is always involved. They all work and play together. It is not a one man show. Each family member plays their role, but all of them understand what the other does. It is truly a team that wakes each day to take on what needs to get done. I would suggest that we refocus our perception that Dad (or Mom) has to leave to go to work (and I am not sure what they do, but they get paid for it), to one that says, “Dad is off to work to do his role as part of our family”. This changes the attitude from a “me to we”, or the Cowboy way of doing things. I believe that if we would remove the barriers we build between work, family, faith and mission life, we would be able to function in each area as a whole person. Bringing all the gifts that God has given us to each area. All of a sudden we would be able to pick out where God is at work in each area. We would be able to see where God has been preparing us to take on the next challenge. I truly believe that would change the world.

I would recommend you taking these actions today:

1. Make a list of the time spent in the 4 areas of life (Work, Family, Faith, and Mission). Be honest and log the time. Set this aside on a piece of paper.

2. Write down your desires for each area. Dream big and write it down. Set this aside.

3. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 in the 4 areas of life. 1 being “not at all” and 10 being “my full attention”. Set this aside

4. Lay out each piece of paper in front of you and see if your time spent is lining up to your desires and if your desires are receiving the investment of yourself through enough time to make them a reality.

My guess is that you will fall short. We all do. But, by taking the steps to write it down, you have now moved from just dreaming to documenting. You now can begin to work your desires into your current jobs and schedules. You can use your list to prioritize your time investments. This will help you to have a simple tool to decide where to put your time and talent. If you spend time evaluating where you are against where you want to go, you will be able to make decisions that pull more “we than me” into your life. It will give you the ability to apply your same gifts you use at work to your family. You will be able to step closer to that Cowboy way of life.

The Cowboy does work hard, but he also plays hard and stands at the ready to help family and neighbors. Each of us has the ability to be intentional in how we give of ourselves and bring our family into our daily focus. Ensuring that they also get our best.

See you on the trail!