Adam & Chelsea Marshall

Adam Marshall came on staff in January of 2014. He went through the School of Discipleship in 2004 after being a Rancher and on summer staff for about six years. He graduated from the program in 2005 and went into the workforce, where he held multiple jobs throughout the years. From his work, he was able to obtain different skills that he now applies in the Operations Department where he serves. He married Chelsea (McCormick) Marshall in the fall of 2018. Chelsea is a stay-at-home mom and volunteers at the Ranch when she can. Adam and Chelsea have four children. Titus (6), Eliza (4), Lara (3), Tobias (1).

The Marshall Report

Happy Holidays from the Marshall Family, we pray this letter finds you all well. It is crazy to think that we are again nearing the end of another year. As I reflect on this past year I am not sure where to begin. It has been jammed packed with growth for the whole family and I can see the Lord’s faithfulness through all of it. A common theme that I have been learning throughout the year is to hold my expectations for my life lightly. From starting the year with a 2 week NICU stay upon the arrival of Tobias, to dealing with challenges with our children and students, to Adam totaling our van by hitting a deer. I had many opportunities to wonder what the Lord was doing and if I was equipped to handle these challenges. But every time he reminds me that he is the one that holds my days and we need to seek him for contentment in whatever we are facing.

Family Update

Titus just turned 6 and has times where he is very helpful and mature but as many little boys his age do, he forgets to use that big brain God has given him. But we are very proud of the little man he is becoming. We have started school a couple days a week, however we did not have to register for kindergarten this year. My goal for this year is to get him more used to doing school consistently before we have the pressure of having to do it. He has started reading, it has truly amazed me that with little effort he has learned so much. He has a great love for learning about history and wild life and is oftentimes educating me. Hand writing continues to be our biggest struggle at this point. I would appreciate prayers and any tips anyone has in that department.

Eliza is 4 now and is often the one holding us all together as she reminds me of things I have forgotten or am about to forget. She has such a fun personality and imagination. She has been taking Ballet classes with the other staff girls with Rachel Snyder who is on staff with us here at the Ranch. She loves learning and practicing, however mommy is not much help as I have no idea what she is talking about when she is doing it. This is just one of the many ways that Rachel has blessed our children and we are so grateful for her.

Lara is 2 now, she loves playing house and carrying bags filled with random things around the house. We often call her the crazy bag lady. She has a very sweet and caring personality. However we have been struggling a bit with her not wanting to grow up and do big girl things. I am most eager for her to be potty trained but she has no interest in it. We have taken a break in hopes that she just needs a little more time.

Tobias is nearly 1 year old and we can hardly believe it. From day one he has been such a joyful little boy and is almost constantly smiling. He just started crawling and loves exploring and playing with his siblings. He tolerates his sisters but loves being around Titus. At his last wellness checkup the Doctor referred us to a urologist as it did not seem that his circumcision was done properly and she had some concerns that his testicles were not descending properly. The urologist determined that he is in need of surgery to make these corrections; it is scheduled for the end of January. We would greatly appreciate prayers for him.

Ministry update

In September we welcomed a new group of 38 students. We are blessed to have 3 young girls in our adviser group this year. 1st year Leah Haskins, 1st year Lilly Musser, and 2nd year Brie Mitchell. This year has already come with some challenges as two of our girls have struggles from their past. We are so grateful to have an opportunity to love on these girls. We would appreciate prayers of wisdom as we navigate how to help these girls understand who they are in Christ. We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do this year in their lives.

As many of you may know, I spent 10 years working in nursing homes before having children and have a great love for the elderly. After three years of planning we decided to start a nursing home ministry with the students this year. We have started to visit a local assisted living home. The students lead music and have a time of fellowship to build relationships. It has been such a blessing watching the students love on and build relationships with the residents.

In October I was asked to lead a small group discussion at our Ladies retreat. I chose to speak on contentment this year. It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to share what God has been teaching me as well as hearing testimonies of others. I also had an opportunity to lead a class on baking sourdough which has been a fun hobby for me the last 3 years.

As usual Adam and the guys are very busy with a variety of things. This summer they finished up some landscaping work around the new houses in the trailer park. There are many resident staff waiting to move to different housing units, as their houses become empty there have been many unexpected repairs that have been taking some time to repair. Many of these houses have not been updated in 15+ years and while they are empty it makes sense to make repairs. We currently have 5 families waiting to move. As you can imagine this has pushed back the building project on the Conklin’s property (where we will eventually live). We hope that things will get moving on this project some time in the spring. In the meantime we are so blessed to have a comfortable place to live while we wait for this project to be completed. We also appreciate prayers for this as well.

There are 4 young men that have chosen the shop as their areas of focus. We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in their lives and how the Lord is going to use Adam, Mark and Nathan as they work and serve in the shop.

Pray request

• For wisdom as Adam looks for a AWD 12 to 15 passenger Van for our family we are looking to gain a little more room and have the ability to take students with us to church and other events.
• For Tobia’s upcoming surgery
• For the students growth in the Lord
• For all of the construction on ranch housing units
• For health for the family throughout the new year.

We are so grateful for all those who have come alongside us this last year financially. We would not be able to continue in this ministry without your support. If you would like to consider supporting us financially or if you would like a more detailed update please reach out to us.

Adam & Chelsea Marshall