Maybe your the same? You find it a struggle to know what ministries are “sound” or safe to give, serve at, or be a part of?
People fail, integrity can be shaky, and ministries can get so big, we can wonder just how much of our funds actually go to the place we actually allocate them…
As a result, I wanted to just take a minute and share with you some of my husband and my favorite ministries. Most of these organizations are local, people we know personally, or who we have some kind of long-standing connection with…
These are organizations we have personally stepped back and witnessed; their labor, personal giving and sacrifice, long-term credibility, sustainability and character.
Christ-centered focus, sacrificial obedience, and persistent faithfulness is the fuel to any true, long-standing, God-abiding ministry.
All of these organizations are founded by people who have hearts burning towards obedience to His callings, His purposes, and most of all…His heart….
We love that each of these ministries primary goal isn’t to exalt themselves but to “make Jesus known”…
Let me run through a few, and I will tell you why we personally love them.
But first, what I have found is…God’s people, at the core, are generous, sacrificial, and actually find it deeply fullfilling and satisfying to give of their time, talents and resources…
The problem is, credibility, doubts about how much of what is given actually goes to ministry, or questions about an organizations authenticity or transparency.
So, I wanted to spare you all the work of researching, networking, or questioning ministries.
Below are ministries we know, have worked with, supported, and personally recommend. Please bounce around and check each of them out. (They are in no particular order)
STONEWATER RANCH / YD ADVENTURES
A place where bold, outdoor adventures, point people to Jesus
Why do I love and believe in Stonewater Ranch? It’s a ministry birthed out of one man’s vision as he stepped onto 158 acres many years ago. It was there, God opened his eyes to all this ranch could be….
This person was my brother.
If you don’t know anything about YDAdventures, it’s a ministry that takes everyone from youth, children, at-risk teens, mega leaders, church staff, or influential people…teams them up into groups, takes them away from cell phones, business planners, secretaries, drugs, or negative influences…then steps back and watches what God can do!
YDAdventures is all about transforming inward heart conditions through white-water rafting, winter camping, rock climbing and repelling, back-packing, challenge and team-building courses, combined-adventure missions trips, or horseback riding…
It is on these adventures, Jesus, the gospel, team-building tips and help, character issues are explored, deep core issues addressed, or people simply get to know or trust God and others more.
YdAdventures is designed to stretch, grow and expand your love for Jesus through incredible, once-in-a-lifetime outdoor experiences.
Their ministry hosts all kinds of teams, including Boy Scouts, Iwana, Youth Groups, foster kids, teams of business owners, local pastors and influential leaders…The list goes on and on. You can find their Facebook page here.
If you have a youth, or are in ministry, you can also join their team, either as summer staff, leading adventure trips or as a full-time missionary, right here in the states. Read more about available opportunities, here.
Check ’em out. There is an adventure waiting for you!
A ministry using soccer to open doors & share the gospel to orphanaged & at-risk youth around the globe.
We have such a sincere love for these people! This ministry also, was birthed out of the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit.
This testimony and this calling….it will change you, just by listening! (Check out the Rainey’s full testimony here and how God called them to Swaziland, to serve the poor)
What continues to impact us about the Rainey family is that they are one of the most humble, Christ-centered and Jesus-driven couples you might ever meet. These people are also foster and adoptive parents, who work tirelessly, walking out their call with such integrity and grace.
They don’t just sit back and wait for funds to come in, but host Mud and Muck runs, dinners, soccer camps, coach at-risk kids locally…and work diligently to fund trips to Swaziland where they actively reach youth for Christ, in Africa.
As vision keeps expanding, they are also raising funds for the education of children in vulnerable areas of Swaziland. Get connect with this ministry on Facebook here.
Or come meet the Rainey family here? But, whatever you do, don’t leave without listening to their full, life-changing testimony, entitled Stories of Grace, here.
SHEPHERD’S FIELD CHILDREN’S VILLAGE
A Chinese Children’s Home, redeeming lives by providing medical care, love, and education with compassion to at-risk, special-needs orphans.
This ministry was started by two teachers who saw a need rising. They started by adopting in Chi*a, but soon realized the need was so big, they founded this ministry providing medical help to at-risk orphans in Chi*a.
I could write all day about it, but better yet, I invite you to hear the incredible, God-sized story from the man who started this ministry himself. (Click here to watch the story of Shepherd’s Field)
I wish I could explain how powerful it was, my husband and I walking the land God gave this family to start this ministry. Children loved and cared for, a school, homes, playgrounds, their very own vegetable garden for producing food for the children.
Grace…it’s the only word I can think of. It was like a heavy weighted blanket of His grace, you could feel surrounding the property of Shepherd’s Field.
Click here, to watch other videos of their story and mission. Meet some of their special need’s children here. Learn more here, or check out their Facebook page here.
Won’t you consider coming and bringing a team, serving, adopting or giving to Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village here?
Provides wheelchairs, walkers, and mobility equipment locally and internationally, as well as providing funds and resources to families of special needs children (ages 0-18)
I have known Carol, one of the founders of this ministry, since childhood. My husband and I, and our kids have personally traveled with them to Guatemala, and have hosted them in China. Their ministry is not just about supplying material needs. Like the Rainey’s, this family is living the gospel through fostering and adoption domestically.
Here is one of their trips to Guatemala. The work they do is close and personal, created after having their own special needs daughter, Kaitlin.
Maybe you already know, but often times, wheelchairs, mobility accessible vehicles, and other equipement needs for special needs children can be expensive. If insurance doesn’t help, families are left to spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars for equipement alone. And who knows, special needs kids can have their own expenses, including doctors appointment, surgeries etc.
If you want to support special needs kids, are a family with special needs children, or simply want to learn more about how to come alongside a family who is struggling finding equipment, pop in to visit Kaitlin’s Mobolity Foundation, here.
Kaitlin’s personal story can be read here. This family is touching lives, one precious child at a time.
