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 work field 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 now 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 three children, Titus (4), Eliza (2), and Lara (8 mo).

The Marshall Report

Winter 2023

Fall is my favorite time of year here at the Ranch, with all the beautiful colors and the excitement of all of the retreats and events going on. It is a season of newness and change as we said good bye to last year’s students and welcomed a new group of students. The longer I am here the harder it is to say good bye and start over with new relationships and do our best to continue investing in former students. This season has also become a season of reflection for our family, as we think on the bounty of blessings God has given us this past summer.

Summer Camp

Summer went really well. We had a little over 1230 kids come to camp this summer. There were quite a few kids that came to know the Lord and a lot of recommitments to reading the bible, going to church and just living their lives for the Lord. We had a wonderful group of boys who volunteered this summer. One of the young men who we have worked with for the past two years finally made a decision for Christ. We enjoyed getting to know all the adult volunteers as well. There were many jobs around the ranch that were completed by them this summer.

The New Students

This year we have welcomed a group of 27 students. We are advising two young ladies Cailynn Mayo from Waddell, AZ and Carleigh Matz from Denver, PA. We are also paired with Mattew and Marissa Hungerford as co-advisers. It has been such a joy to get to know these girls, they are both very interested in horses and serving in the barn this year. Please pray for them as they continue to adjust to life here and that they would allow the Lord to open their hearts to learn everything he has for them this year.

Operations Update

As usual it seems that there are many projects going on at the same time. We had a very fruitful summer; we are so grateful for prayers during hay season. Our second cutting hay came in very thick due to fertilizing it after first cut and we are pleased to report that it seems we have enough put away to get us through until next year. Last spring, we acquired a New Holland L230 skid steer that was in need of a motor repair. Adam was blessed to have gotten acquainted with a gentleman named Scott who owns a motor rebuild shop in Ohio. He offered to rebuild it for us. We took a group out to Ohio to deliver the motor and take a tour of his shop. He ended up blessing us with a new motor rather than repairing the old one. Adam and Charley have worked closely on this project and it was completed a few weeks ago. As stated in our previous newsletter we continue to be working to get the two new staff housing units completed. The last few weeks the guys have been able to get the new septic tanks set, and gas lines hooked up. The singlewide needed quite a bit more work than originally anticipated but is completed and currently move in ready. The Doublewide still has some more work to be done but we have hopes to finish this project soon as well. There are many more projects going on, if you would like a more in-depth update on what is going on in the shop Adam would be happy to update you personally. After thanksgiving break, we had 6 students join us in the shop for the year, 2 second year guys and 4 first years, 3 girls and a guy. We are excited to work with the students in this upcoming year and teaching them many new things.

Prayer Request

• Pray for our family to have an impact on the students this year.
• Prayer for the new property purchased by the ranch that finances will come in for the house repairs and land.
• For the 3 staff families that are expecting at this time.
• For staff and student health though the winter months.
• For the Lord to bring staff for building maintenance and accounting.

Personal update

As you can imagine being home with the 3 kids has been keeping me very busy. There are many days that I feel I am just trying to get things done all day and am constantly being interrupted. God has been teaching me to be grateful for what he has for me each day rather than dwelling on what I was not able to get done. A couple months ago I started a bible study with the Single girls on staff here at the ranch. We have been reading though the book of proverbs together. I have really enjoyed learning more about God’s wisdom and the importance to seeking after it in my day-to-day life. The Lord has truly blessed me as I have invested in the young women here.

Titus has been helping me memorize proverbs 10 the first 2 verses have been a great teaching tool as he is learning the benefits of being wise and the consequences of being foolish. A few months ago, he asked Jesus to come into his heart as I was praying with him before bed one night. It was such a blessing from God to have that opportunity to be a part of such a special moment with him. I continue to try my best to work in conversations about God in our daily lives, I love seeing him learn and talk about it with others. He has a great love for people and has quickly stolen the hearts of many of the students this year. I can hardly believe that he is already 4 years old. Liza is also growing very fast and seems to be picking up on more words each day. She loves helping with things around the house and doing anything with daddy. I also can’t believe Lara has been in our lives for over 8 months now. She is very attached to mommy and her favorite time of day is when brother and sister are napping and she gets mommy all to herself. We are truly blessed to be raising these sweet blessings from the Lord. Please pray for us to have God’s wisdom and patience as we raise them.

Canning continues to be something that Adam and I enjoy doing. So far we have been able to can green beans, grape juice, Cranberry juice, peach lemonade, peaches, peach BBQ Sause, pears, turkey, and turkey broth. We have plans to do some things with the tomatoes we have in the freezer from our garden. For those of you looking forward to Jam this Christmas we plan to have blueberry, grape, peach and some others from last year. We also had an opportunity to make 140 gallons of apple cider this year. We will be selling it if you are interested in some please contact us. Adam also has plans to do some meat processing this year. Unfortunately, with everything going on he did not have time to get out for archery this year. However the Lord has blessed Adam with 3 deer so far in rifle season, we praise God for His prevision.

We are so grateful for all of your prayers and support. As many of you know all of the income we receive comes from the financial gifts of our supporters. If you are interested in coming alongside us financially, please contact myself or Adam.

The Marshall Family.