A GivStory by Cathy Robinson | Franklin, TN

Have you ever been changed by helping others in need?  Do you ever feel you have nothing to offer?  Are you held back by thoughts like “what could I possibly do?”  Here is a testimony of a family who put legs to what God spoke to their hearts and has experienced His blessings in return. 

 “My husband, Ronny, is a businessman and I (Cathy) recently obtained my degree in Spanish.  We have one daughter, Courtney, who is 24, and a son Michael, who is 16.  We reside on a farm in Franklin, Tennessee, a 160 acre retreat called “Rancho El Paso.”  The name was inspired by the Lord a couple of years before we were introduced to Rancho Los Amigos just across the border from El Paso, Texas!  The children from Rancho Los Amigos are always surprised when they visit and see our sign at the entrance.

Although our church is very involved in missions and evangelism, our first mission trip outside of the country was with our daughter’s school in 1997.  We had supported Youth With a Mission over the years, but had never been to any of the operating locations until then.  That is when we first became involved with Rancho Los Amigos.  On that trip we helped build a home, did some evangelism, and visited the children.

Cathy pictured with the children of Ranco El Paso

When we returned home, we began to sponsor one of the boys we had met there.  He really stole our hearts!  During the summer, he came to stay with us for 6 weeks.  Then at Christmas, he and his brother spent 3 weeks with us.  Shortly afterward, their mother was released from prison and their family was reunited.  Later, I had a dream about them and felt that the Lord wanted us to visit them.  They were not easy to find, but the staff of Rancho Los Amigos helped us locate the boys and allowed them to stay at Rancho for a couple of days while we visited.  We had the most blessed time!  It was awesome that their mom was willing to “share” them both with us.  We visited them again a few years later and they are now wonderful grown men. 

On our second trip to Rancho Los Amigos we were able to spend more time and witness first-hand what goes in to providing for the children.   It was an amazing revelation to us and we felt called to help in any way we could.  We began to host various children at holidays as well as hosting a drama team of some of the children who visited the USA during the summer.  The Lord knit our hearts with the children as we watch them grow and mature through the years.  He also called us to support those who lay down their lives for the sake of these children. 

Looking back over the past ten years, we have lost track of how many times we have been able to visit the home!  We have celebrated Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve with them, enjoyed snowball fights, hosted Vacation Bible School, babysat for staff retreats, been on wild bus rides through the mountains of Mexico with them, hosted construction teams to help with ‘face-lifts’ to the property…and the list goes on!  Each time we visited, we found God to be faithful in returning the blessings ten-fold.  Blessings never go in just one direction!  Our friends who have visited there have felt the same, many of them returning again and again, just as we have. 

We have reaped another huge blessing through our relationship with Rancho Los Amigos.  We can honestly say that the current home directors have become like family to us!

Everyone had been praying for a couple to come and wisely ‘parent’ the children, but I do not believe anyone expected the answer to those prayers to be quite so amazing.  Fernando and Maria Luisa Carpinteyro had already successfully raised their four kids, who grew up to become missionaries, so who would be better than this wonderful couple to disciple the children!  They and their family have poured wisdom, love, and numerous talents into this home.  I use the word “home” very literally, because it truly feels like a home that just happens to have 33 kids living in it!  We are continually blown away by their tireless dedication and amazing ingenuity as they seek to train the children up “in the way that they should go.”  We are confident that the children of Rancho Los Amigos, due to the godly instruction they receive, when they are old, will not depart from the Lord, just as Proverbs 22:6 promises.

We encourage people to become involved with Rancho Los Amigos for many reasons.  It’s not too often that you can have such a personal relationship with a child that you sponsor and with those who are taking care of them.  I would tell others to come and see for themselves what an awesome thing the Lord is doing for the ‘least of these’ through a few selfless individuals who are heeding God’s call.

Here’s a word to the wise, however…be prepared for your life to change forever!”

Get Involved:

Find out more about Rancho Los Amigos: http://ywamepj.org/page.aspx?ID=35820

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