Vision Statement: Just as the Lord took time away from ministry, Cleft of the Rock Ranch provides a place of solitude for missionaries experiencing the day-to-day pressures of ministry. Ministry fatalities often occur as missionaries face crisis, burnout, transition, conflict, disillusionment, and loss of vision; often because their needs are overlooked and neglected by themselves and others. Clef
t of the Rock Ranch exists to facilitate rest and healing so they can return to or continue in effective ministry. Background: We met in the Air Force (AF) in December 1989 and married March 30, 1990. Mindy left the AF to be a full-time mom and later started her commercial embroidery business that she still operates today. I retired from the AF after nearly 21 years and went back to working for the AF. The call to ministry began in April 2017 when the Lord burdened our hearts to provide a refuge for missionaries. Part of this came from my experience with military deployments. When I would come home, I needed time to decompress and relax and it was difficult to do as I was thrown back into the daily grind of family and work. In April 2017, we first saw this property (57 acres) where Cleft of the Rock Ranch is now located. We knew immediately it was the spot the Lord led us. Our road to ministry took a minor detour as life often does when in August 2017 Mindy was diagnosed with breast cancer. This period became a time of closeness to God and each other that we’ve never experienced before. Just prior to her second chemo treatment, which Mindy was dreading because she had an allergic reaction to the chemo, she read Exodus 33. She found great comfort from that scripture. From there, and the fact there is an actual cleft of a rock on the property, came the name and mission. Mindy is currently cancer free, praise God! We sold our house and on December 1, 2018 we moved into a camper on the property. We lived in the camper for approximately 20 months while the house was being constructed. Our home (the Lodge) is large enough to house missionaries and serve as a gathering place for meals and fellowship. In the future, cabins will be built to provide even more privacy for missionaries. In addition to providing a place of rest, we are developing a network to provide Christian counseling for family, marriage, trauma, pastoral care, or transition to secular employment for those leaving the ministry. All of this will be offered free of charge to the missionaries, paid for by Cleft of the Rock Ranch donations.
