Hope Rising

Sunday after church I made a quick trip up to Karuizawa to visit a friend and attend the Karuizawa Ladies' Luncheon at which another friend was performing. I took the shinkansen, one of the best invetions ever! Not only does it cut two hours off of my travel time to Karuizawa, it also cuts down on car use, thus helping the ozone and my pocket book by not having to buy gas! Plus, I can sleep on the train which isn't really advisable while driving a car! But, I also get lots of reading done.

On this trip I read a book called Hope Rising by Kim Meeder. It is a collection of short stories about the life and ministry she is involved in. She and her husband own a horse ranch for rescued horses. They provide broken and needy children in the area with an oppotunity to learn about horses and how to ride. Some of the stories made me cry, some made me laugh, and all made me aware of a ministry I knew nothing about but which is helping many restore their broken lives.

Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch is a non-profit organization and they provide all of their services for free. If you want to learn more about the ministry I put a link in the "Sites to check out" side bar.

Besides providing a place for kids to learn about horses and to ride, they also host a Bible study at their house for youth, preceeded by dinner. Kim tells the story that one night just as they were getting started on dinner, the phone rang and it was the father of one of the gals. He had hurt his back while bringing in the hay. It needed to get done so he asked if she could be sent home immediately to finish up. Instead of sending the girl home, everyone went together to bring in the hay. Kim says of the sight she saw while the kids were working: "This is fellowship. Ministry is not confined to a place or a thing-it is who we are. It is what we do with our heart and our hands. It is everything that we choose to give."

Something to think about...