Josh and Alyssa Bridges

Josh first came to MMR as a rancher in 2009. He went on to attend the School of Discipleship in 2013 and 2016, then joined the ranks of staff in the fall of 2017. Alyssa was a student from 2016-2018 and they married in October 2018. Josh serves as the Camp Director; his job primarily entails oversight of all retreats, events, as well as summer camp. Josh and Alyssa both have a passion for discipling young men and women and enjoy the opportunities the Ranch avails them. Josh and Alyssa have three children, Tessa, Jedidiah, and Montana Grace!

The Bridges Bulletin

October 2024

Dear family and friends,

We’re not sure if we should be surprised that it has already been seven months or only been seven months since our last update. Time has flown by, yet so much has taken place since March that it seems like it couldn’t all fit into that length of time. We have much to praise God for and hope you are encouraged as you hear of all he has done.

Since March, God has blessed us with another fruitful retreat and summer camp season. Josh was able to hire a spectacular group of young men and women to work as counselors and programming staff. A change we have seen in the last few years is that many of our summer staff are returning. This is a great benefit, and it testifies to the fact that serving on summer staff is more than just a job; it is a community that people desire to be a part of. The amount of spiritual growth we see in the men and women who give their time and talents to serve is amazing, and it is a privilege to be used in the work God is doing in their lives. In addition, we had nearly 80 kids who gave their lives to Christ. It truly was a fantastic season of ministry!

This summer, Alyssa enjoyed mentoring three summer staff girls: Alayna, Robyn (our students), and Danae. She always treasures this opportunity each year as it allows her to build a deeper relationship through their weekly one-on-one meetings. She and Cherish (Josh’s sister) also hosted an accountability group on Thursday evenings. This was a time for about fifteen of the girl counselors to fellowship, eat snacks, pray, and hopefully be refreshed and encouraged.

In August, the 2024 class of students graduated. We loved having Robyn and Alayna in our family for eleven months. Tessa adored both of them and was a bit devastated to have to say goodbye. Robyn is headed to the UK to continue her studies and hopes to become a veterinarian. Tessa is quite fond of her British accent and continues to attempt to have one of her own! Alayna plans to continue school online while seeking ways to serve her family and church. Alayna was a favorite among the staff kids this year, as she often purposed to spend time with them. We will miss them dearly!

The new class of students arrived about four weeks ago. There are twenty-six of them. This year, we are co-advisors with Hannah Snyder, who has been on staff in the kitchen for eight years. Once again, there are two girls in our advisor family. Katrina is from Maryland, and she is a second-year kitchen student. Camryn is from just down the road in Corry, PA. We look forward to growing alongside these girls this year.

On May 30th, we welcomed Montana Grace into our family! She has exemplified the meaning of her name, “mountainous grace,” as she is a very pleasant, easy-going baby. Considering that she was born just as the summer camp busyness began, her mama is extra grateful for a baby who doesn’t mind going with the flow. Jedidiah adores his little sister and doesn’t seem to mind being displaced from the youngest child position. His sweet smile and raspy voice melt our hearts every day. He turned two on September 1st and loves to push around a tractor or truck, but his favorite activity is throwing baseballs. He has quite the arm! Tessa has really grown as a helper. It’s a blessing to see her gently encourage Jed to be kind or to share his toys, and she loves to pick out Montana’s outfit each day. Tessa turns five this fall and loves kindergarten, as well as being in the Awana program at church. Alyssa loves having a baby in the house to cuddle again and is excited to homeschool Tessa. She is also excited about fall canning and a schedule that makes us more available to host friends for dinner. We celebrated six years of marriage this month and are in awe of God’s grace.

As many of you know, Josh has been taking college classes for the last few years and was set to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Counseling Ministries this December. However, we received the saddening news in May that his college, Clarks Summit University, was closing its doors after nearly 100 years of ministry. Thankfully, CSU had a teach-out plan with multiple colleges and universities, and Josh was able to transfer all of his credits to Lancaster Bible College. He is saddened that he won’t be able to graduate from CSU, but is grateful that he only had to pick up one extra class to graduate. His new graduation date is in the spring, and he looks forward to finishing his undergraduate studies. We have yet to decide if Josh will continue on toward a master’s degree. His heart is in biblical counseling, and he is considering multiple seminaries with a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling. This is a significant financial decision for us. Many of the grants we obtained in the last few years are not available for master’s degree programs. It looks like the cost would be around $18,000. Please pray for us as we consider our options and seek God’s direction for our future.

To be straightforward with you all, we have witnessed a slight dip in our monthly support over the last year. Though not everyone who receives our newsletters is able to give financially, you all can play a part in helping us with this need. First, please pray that God would provide people to give to our ministry. Second, please let us know if your church would consider hosting us to share about our ministry at Miracle Mountain Ranch. Lastly, if you have any questions about what we do or how to give toward our support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We thank the Lord for our friends and family who are part of our lives both face-to-face and from afar. God uses you all to bless us in a variety of ways. It seems we never lack someone to help bear our burdens or rejoice with us. We are truly grateful for each of you and sincerely thank you for loving and supporting us.

With love,

Josh & Alyssa Bridges

Prayer requests and praise:

• That God would give us wisdom as we parent our children.
• That Robyn and Alayna would continue to be encouraged in their faith, find ways to serve in this next season, and find healthy communities of believers at home/school.
• That Katrina and Camryn would grow in their understanding and love of God and his Word.
• That we would wisely consider whether Josh continues school.
• Praise God for providing exceptional individuals to serve on our summer staff team.
• Praise for the fruitful and well-attended summer camps.
• Praise that Montana Grace arrived safely and that she and Alyssa are healthy.

If supporting us financially is something you would like to do, here are some things you might want to know: • 100% of your support goes directly to us • All gifts are tax-deductible • Check or money orders should be made out directly to Miracle Mountain Ranch, designated for us on a separate piece of paper or in the memo line • MMR does have the ability to do direct deposit withdrawals from your checking or savings account for your monthly giving. This can be done by calling the office at 814-664-7673 • Support can also be given online by clicking the button below.