The Mission | Mysite

Over the years, God has given us various ways of understanding what the mission and vision of Hearts Haven Ranch is supposed to be. One of those ways is through the image of a surgeon performing a heart transplant. When a donor heart is taken out of the donor's body, the surgeon holds that heart in their hands with the utmost care and caution, so as not to bruise it, drop it, or damage it in any way. They carry it like they are literally carrying someone's life in their hands. Because they are. They carefully and gently place this donor heart into the transplant recipient's body, carefully restoring each connection, one by one. And then they wait, with baited breath, to see that heart begin beating .

The Mission

"The mission of Hearts Haven Ranch is to provide a safe haven for people, and animals, living with histories of trauma, abuse, neglect, and disabilities; offering an integrated approach to Animal Assisted Therapeutic Services and Animal Rescue work. Within the unique connections between the people and the animals that we serve, wounded hearts find healing, and the love of God is made known."

Like the heart surgeons, God created every single one of us as vessels, meant to carry His Heart wherever we go. And we must carry His Heart with the utmost care and caution, as if we are carrying someone's very life within our hands. Because we are. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are literally carrying the very Life of God in our hands. That is a sobering thought. And that is exactly what Jesus did. Except Jesus was not only the vessel, He was all in One. He was the donor. He was the heart itself. He was the surgeon. He was the vessel. And He carried God's heart all the way to the cross, dying so that we might have life--the ultimate heart transplant. Once we receive Jesus' heart as our own, that's when we become a vessel.

But we live in a world where vessels are forever being broken, and the heart of God is literally being dropped on the ground, trampled, and rejected. There is a constant battle raging, aiming to see us broken beyond repair, unable to and unworthy of carrying God's heart in our hands. We have an enemy who whispers lies of guilt, shame, pride, hopelessness, doubt, and fear into our souls. Tempting us with sin and selfishness. As sinful, wounded vessels, we are rendered useless, like a surgeon with soiled, shaky, unsteady hands.

But the truth of the good news is that we are made able and worthy vessels by the blood of Jesus Christ, by His Spirit alive within us, by the mercy and grace of our Father. All of us. No matter where we come from, no matter what we have been through, no matter what we have done, no matter how broken we are, no matter what lies have been spoken over us. No matter what. He offers each of us a complete and total heart transplant. Replacing our sinful, broken hearts with the perfect heart of Christ. He restores the connections between our heart and His Spirit. He repairs our broken vessels, piece by piece, so that we might carry His heart in everything that we do.

At Hearts Haven Ranch, broken vessels are mended, to serve as places of safety and refuge for other wounded hearts, where God's love flows freely. Everyone can carry the heart of God in their hands. Everyone. Including those who struggle with past trauma, mental illness, or disability; those who come from hard places, bearing the scars of all they have endured; and those that might need just a little extra help walking out their lives as precious vessels of our Father's Love.

John 9 tells us that, "As Jesus went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'Niether this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.' " Illness and disability do not prevent anyone from being used by God as one of His unique vessels; created by Him to carry His heart, His strength, His power, and His love. This is foundational to what we do here at Hearts Haven Ranch. This is the cornerstone of what God is building here. He is creating a place where all who come are seen and valued for who they were created to be. Where they are encouraged, edified, and assisted in walking out the unique calling on each and every one of their lives. Where God's strength is made perfect in all of our weaknesses.

Another way of understanding the mission of Hearts Haven Ranch is through song. The lyrics of "Where Joy and Sorrow Meet", performed by The Zoe Group, speak of the sacred space where our sorrows meet with God's redeeming love. A haven is not necessarily a place where there is no pain or suffering. It's a place where the pain and suffering exist alongside joy and hope, where there is redemption and restoration, where "all things are worked together for the glory of God and for the good of those who love Him." (Romans 8:28) It's a place where we never walk alone. Where we are never in the fire, or the storm, or the 'lions' den' without God right there with us. A place where we can be okay, even when everything around us is not okay. A place where the goodness of God truly pours out from the pain and suffering.

Where Joy and Sorrow Meet

There's a place of quiet stillness between the light and shadows reach
Where the hurting and the hopeless seek everlasting peace
Words of men and songs of angels whisper comfort bittersweet
Mending grief and life eternal where joy and sorrow meet

There is a place where hope remains
In crowns of thorns and crimson stains
And tears that fall on Jesus' feet
Where joy and sorrow meet

There's a place the lost surrender and the weary will retreat
Full of grace and mercy tender in times of unbelief
For the wounded there is healing, strength is given to the weak
Broken hearts find love redeeming where joy and sorrow meet

There's a place of thirst and hunger where the roots of faith grow deep
And there is rain and rolling thunder when the road is rough and steep
There is hope in desperation, there is victory in defeat
At the cross of restoration where joy and sorrow meet