Timbers 2024 Issue 2 - Big Oak Ranch

TIMBERS MAGAZINE

As I say often, the choices of today are important because they serve as a catalyst for our children's and our mission's tomorrow, therefore, today deserves our best. In that light, as we pursue our goals to expand Big Oak Ranch's influence and reach, we practice, each and every day, the dedication to being better in all areas of our mission. We make the best choices today in order to become better at filling gaps for children in crisis because the story we get to tell is worthy.

You see, this story of Hope is an incredible story of redemption that gives eternal purpose to the 50-year story of Big Oak and to each person who is and has been a part of it. Houseparents don't just "take care of kids," they serve as the mom and dad our children desperately need and equip them for a bright future full of Hope. Our Facilities Team doesn't just "maintain our buildings," they help create spaces on Ranch and at ASCEND where our children, young adults, guests and staff can encounter Hope. Our Communications Team advocates on behalf of children who desperately need Hope, not by merely "sharing pictures, words and videos," but by connecting you to the heart of our mission, to the needs of our children and to meaningful opportunities for you to point them to Hope. As a partner in our mission, you don't just "support," you mobilize help to children in need so they can discover the Hope that breaks negative cycles of the past. The harmony in our service is a song of testimony that declares the story is worthy.

In leading our families, let's define the specific gaps God is calling each of our family units to fill. Let's make sure our spouses and children truly understand the unique and eternal roles they have in helping fill these gaps through sharing the story of Hope. Those in need around us will be moved by the harmony in our stories. Let's diligently practice filling the gaps to which we've been called, realizing that today's efforts deserve our best...because the story is worthy.

HOPE STILL CHANGES EVERYTHING

- - Has lived at Big Oak Boys’ Ranch for six years
  - Lives in the Spradling-Mason Home with houseparents, Dave and Dana Williams
  - Attends Catalyst Community Church with his Ranch family
  - Is active in the student ministry at church
  - Is in the 8th grade at Westbrook Christian School and is on the A-Honor Roll
  - Plays football for Westbrook
  - Will participate in a mission trip to Honduras this summer with his houseparents
  - Makes good decisions, is very responsible, and tells the truth even in hard situations

Pathways to Independence.

ASCEND effectively prepares our young adults, ages 18-24, by guiding them through their chosen pathway and helping them take ownership and gain independence along the way. ASCENDants are now able to live in community both socially and physically thanks to the grand opening of ASCEND in Birmingham. This 2.32 acre and 45,770square feet of living and learning space was meticulously planned to provide enough independence for students but not without the support of fellow ASCENDants as well as on-site Village Guides. We want our ASCENDants to experience community and a culture of growth, perseverance, achievement, and trust in God’s perfect plan for their lives. Our goal moving forward is to secure the support needed to operate the program for up to 48 ASCENDants.

Guiding our Young People into Successful Adulthood.

Through ASCEND, our children learn to fully transform the dependent habits learned on the Ranch into the independent habits necessary for adult life. Most parents know how difficult it can be for young people to transition from high school to college or career training successfully. There are so many challenges — social, academic, spiritual, financial, and emotional. It can be a make-or-break time for many young people.

Resources to equip young people during this crucial period, even for those who haven’t come from broken homes or painful pasts, are vital. It’s a widespread need that affects young adults from all walks of life.

We teach the essential life skills that every young adult needs, and each ASCENDant earns greater accountability and responsibility along the way. We provide the spiritual, professional, and personal life preparation that helps each young man and woman walk the path of their unique, God-given purpose.

My parents divorced when I was young, and my mother was granted full custody. She married an alcoholic who physically abused her and began sexually molesting me. Even after I told my mother, she chose to stay with him. Fortunately, my kindergarten teacher noticed the signs of abuse, took me into the hallway and gently asked if I was being hurt. I trusted her enough to be honest. DHR was called, and I was immediately placed in my father's custody. Then came lawyers, my first court hearing and meeting with a judge. During this, my stepfather was also in a drunk driving incident that took the life of a young lady. Those charges were added to what was pending from my case. He took a deal and plead guilty for a lighter sentence, which spared me from having to testify against him in open court. I was five years old.

In the beginning, living with my dad was great, and I felt safe. He remarried, and together they made sacrifices to accommodate me. My father worked a lot to provide for us, so the day-to-day responsibility of the home, including my care, primarily fell to my stepmother. Over the years, bitter ongoing conflicts with my mother took their toll. In middle school, my father's job moved us 45 minutes away. It gave us distance from my mother, but also took me away from my friends, my school system, and my grandmother - my only consistent safe space in life. Homesickness caused me to struggle socially at my new school. At home, things with my stepmother were rapidly deteriorating. She became pregnant and suffered a late-term miscarriage. She couldn’t even look at me afterwards. In hindsight, I can’t imagine the grief she struggled to express. "Hurt people hurt people,” and disagreements between us eventually led to a physical altercation that prompted me to ask my dad to leave.

The weight and gravity of my question had enough impact on my dad that he called Big Oak Ranch. A few days later, my stepmother drove me to the Girls' Ranch and dropped me off. Seeing her drive away, I felt instant relief from the long burden of living in the midst of her mental health crisis.

The years at the Ranch healed me one day at a time. I developed close bonds with my houseparents and genuine “forever” relationships with my Ranch siblings. I thrived at Westbrook and made friendships I keep to this day. I excelled at sports and loved being part of the youth group at our church. The stability of having a Christ-centered family showed me that forgiveness is possible even in the deepest of hurts. The Ranch salvaged what was left of my childhood and taught me that the generational curses that wounded me didn’t have to be left unhealed to bleed onto my future children.

I would love to say I did everything correctly after leaving the Ranch, but I made some decisions that went against what I had learned there. I had a daughter out of wedlock and then entered an unhealthy relationship with an alcoholic who exhibited abusive behaviors. One particularly hard night, I felt the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit say “You are repeating the very things I delivered you from.” And I was. So I prayed, “If you free me one more time, I will put in the work to heal and not do to my baby what was done to me.”

As He always is, He was faithful. I left that relationship, with His guidance every step. I started all over again as a single mom until I met the man that came in like warm sunshine after a long rain. Lance loved my little girl as his own from the day he laid eyes on her. My greatest and most unexpected blessing, she deserved every drop of love he could give her and more. She was happy to tuck herself safely in his heart as his daughter, and seeing their relationship grow allowed me to begin to forgive my own early mistakes as her mother. Lance and I are married and have also added two more daughters to our growing family with our fourth child due any day. Our girls, Gracelyn (15), August (3) and Junah (2) have parents that have committed to being spiritually and emotionally healthy and consistently present in their lives. We are firmly rooted at Victory Church in Pell City, where we also live. Lance works for the Anniston Army Depot and serves as an assistant baseball coach at Victory Christian, where Gracelyn attends high school. I primarily stay home with the littles but also freelance as a writer for Big Oak.

I kept my promise to God. I have actively sought to immerse myself in relationships and resources that benefit my personal growth and spiritual maturity as a wife, mother and friend.

Big Oak was the vessel Jesus used to show me what He could do through a healthy family that served and loved Him. While I have come a long way, my legacy, the Ranch’s legacy through me, is my deep unyielding heart for Jesus, my beautiful marriage and my precious babies. The greatest “thank you” that I can ever hope to give to Big Oak in return for what it has given me is to raise a generation that will never need the Ranch for themselves, but will have hearts and hands to maybe one day serve it in some capacity for those, like their mama, that find Home through its gates.

GET TO KNOW

Drew & Sissy Jackson

Big Oak Cattle Directors

We are the Jackson family. It all began with a blind date that both of us said no to several times. Once we saw a picture of each other and the "blind" part was out of the way, we quickly agreed to a date. We will celebrate 10 years of marriage in October. Labor & Delivery Nurse, Travel Nurse, School Nurse, Realtor, Government Contractor, Alabama Power Contractor, Oil Salesmen, Bronc Rider, Farmer, Tree Surgeon and House Flippers are a few of the titles and adventures we’ve had together… but, our favorite title we’ve held is Mom and Dad.

We are the Cattle Directors, meaning we oversee all things horses, cattle, and pastureland. Basically, we put the “Ranch” in Big Oak Ranch! Our family ate over 24,000 pounds of beef this year, and we got to raise every pound on-property. Ranch work provides countless opportunities to teach our children about stewardship, accountability, work ethic, trust, teamwork, and the list goes on. We love that our family gets to know, teach, and love our kids through the horse and cattle program.

Full-time ministry was never in our plans, but thankfully, God’s plan prevailed. We can now look at our first 10 years of marriage and see how God was preparing our hearts and guiding us to Big Oak from the beginning. We joined this family in February of 2022. That’s exactly what Big Oak is… a family. We love God and each other, we are honest, we stick together, and we live out disciplined lives. This family is on-mission to love and care for every abused, abandoned, and neglected child, and it is our greatest honor to serve here!