Tell us about your ministry.
We work with the tough kids who have been diagnosed with various disorders.Do the boys use the trades you teach them?
Frankly, I think oftentimes those disorders are used as excuses for holding them to a lower standard, both by parents and teachers and by the boys themselves.
They're put in our family atmosphere, and since we have a working ranch, the guys care for the animals. We teach them trades, which gives them a feeling of satisfaction after they master them.
Two things happen. We work in the community a lot, mowing lawns and such. A lot of guys say to me that the last thing they'll ever do for a job is mowing lawns.What kind of families do they come from, and how do they get referred to you?
Invariably, in the first year after they leave our ranch, they end up getting a job mowing lawns.
The same thing happens with the trades. The guys have gone from here into trade schools knowing as much as their graduates do after the first year. They get to be used as tutors, which is just great for them.
The families are generally solid families, who have tried the medication, the short-term programs, and the child just keeps on manipulating or bullying their way out.What's the most transforming thing you do?
We recognize that only God can change a heart. But they will generally not respect God's authority until they respect their earthly father's authority.
References come mostly from parents whose child has come through our program and had good results, and also from our website.
They are accepted unconditionally. We are not going to kick them out, no matter what.How long is a kid normally there?
There's always some testing initially, to see if we'll stand by that, and then they settle in.
That develops the basis of them trusting us.
The average is about 19 months. It takes about 6 months to get the bad habits out, and then about a year to get good habits in their place.
It changes for every boy, but that's the average.
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