December 2024
Dear Friends and Family, we hope this finds you warm and well this Christmas season!
It has been a full year for us with 4 busy teens, school and church activities, and life on the ranch. We began a new adventure in the spring raising cows, starting with two heifers and three expecting mothers who each delivered healthy calves early this fall. Soon after, Brandon got some baby chicks to add to the farm; fresh eggs to come!
Our oldest daughter, Julia, turned 20 in June. From some medical issues she faced that stemmed from her car accident last year, she took a medical withdraw from college at OBU in January and moved back home. Praise Jesus, we found a local doctor that was able to treat her as she was dealing with neurological numbness and pain in her body. God has been so faithful and good, even in the midst of the hard and unplanned circumstances. She began a ministry podcast called Taste & See, serves in preteen ministry at church, and began Liberty Online this fall with plans to graduate with her undergraduate degree (Apologetics and Christian Studies) in May! We have seen the goodness of God on display and Romas 8:28 come to life as He is healing her body, growing her faith, and using her circumstances for her good.
Alyson turned 17 in May and began her senior year this fall. She graduated from the New Life Ranch 3 yr leadership development program in the summer where she served for 5 weeks as a wrangler working in the barn with horses and leading campers. In July she went on her first Global mission trip to Dominican Republic with students in her senior class where they shared the love of Jesus to children there, an impactful experience she says she’ll never forget. Alyson is thriving and crazy busy with taking college classes, on the cheer team, as well as competing with her team at cheer competitions, taking home first place at each one so far! December 21 is State, then we (I get to go too!) head to Orlando in February for Nationals. Alyson will graduate in May (on her 18th birthday) with plans of attending the University of Arkansas next fall.
Josiah turned 15 in March and is a sophomore this year. He began his first of three summers on the leadership development program at NLR and absolutely loved it. Year one is Nehemiah Team where you start from the bottom doing various jobs such as working in the kitchen, cleaning bathrooms, and behind the scenes work on the ranch.. really getting to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He made many new friends while there and cannot wait for year two, Timothy Team next summer! This fall, Josiah played on the Junior Varsity and Varsity football teams as an outside linebacker and kicker. He stepped up and kicked during the playoffs and did very well, even scoring the team 5 extra points in the State Championship game in Little Rock where they took Runner-Up.. a huge accomplish being in the 6A division!
Elijah turned 14 in November and was determined to take the drivers test right away.. fair warning, he is now an official learner’s permit carrier and excited to begin! For his dad and I, we need to focus on getting the child ahead of him practiced up and ready as he turns 16 soon, ha! Elijah is in 8th grade this year and played on the JV Jr High and Junior High football teams, playing right guard and defensive lineman positions. This was his year to grow and change the most as he literally transformed from a boy to a young man and grew several inches! Elijah loves playing his guitar and all things technology.. if it involves a computer, a controller, or flies in the air, he is all about it!
This past May, Brandon took a new role at Tyson as a VP in Prepared Foods leading a team in supply chain. When Brandon is not busy at work or cheering on the kids in a football game or cheer competition, he is happy to be on the ranch working on a project or planning and working toward the future vision and ministry here at Grace Haven Ranch.
As for me, I manage to stay busy from day to day, whether taking care of the home, subbing at the front desk at school, or hosting a party or event. I enjoy our evenings when we can all be home together.. it’s fun to listen to the kids at the ages they are now and their deep, intellectual conversations, or their hilarious banter and funny perspectives; they are quite comical teens and young adults, there’s never a boring or dull moment around here!
While we have faced joys and challenges throughout our year, one truth remains: God is good, and He is our source of strength and joy. We hope you, too, know that kind of supernatural joy that runs deeper than happy moments or hard circumstances and challenges. Only through Jesus, the greatest Gift of all, can we experience the true meaning of the miracle of Christmas!
Love to all, and Merry Christmas!
The Campbell’s
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
