"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

"First I want to thank my Heavenly Father above for His grace and for sending His Son to die on the cross for me and paying the penalty for my sins and for saving my life. Coming here to The Father’s Ranch is exactly where the Lord wanted me to be. For 27 years I was so unhappy in my life. I became addicted to pain medication because of some health problems. I thought the pain medicine was the answer to all of my problems and I could handle every day struggles better.  It affected my relationship with my daughter, because I was focused on the drugs and not on being a parent. It caused problems with my family and I became distant from them. I needed more and more medicine to get the same feeling. At times, family members would find me unconscious and call the ambulance; I would wake up in the hospital and not know where I was. The doctors told me repeatedly that it was fortunate that I was even alive.

Then about ten years ago, because of the pain medicine, I began to struggle with not being able to sleep. I was diagnosed with major depression, and the doctors put me on psychotic medications. So I was on all this medicine and I just couldn’t function. I wouldn’t come out of the house except to get more medication. I couldn’t work and I didn’t even know what was going on around me in my life anymore.

In December 2010 my twin sister and I went to her pastor and he prayed with me and I received Jesus Christ as my Savior! We started searching the internet to see if there was someplace I could go to get help. That is when we came across TFR’s website. I wanted a change in my life and I knew I wanted to learn more about Christ. I wanted to learn how to face the uncertainties of my future without fear. If I didn’t do something... I knew I was going to die.

At TFR I began learning what God says and what He means in His Word, and I started putting His truth into practice. This equipped me for the everyday circumstances of life and enabled me to deal with the pain of my past. Then I started noticing that God was actually starting to transform my life, and I started having a deep and abiding relationship with Christ. The Holy Spirit was also working within me. I started replacing bad thoughts with memory verses. This was working! I know this because I have a sense of freedom from guilt of all my past sins. The Bible says (2 Cor 5:17) that if you are in Christ you will be a new creation, old things will pass away and all things will become new. I am definitely living proof that staying in God’s Word and living according to His will results in God putting your life back together. (Joshua 1:8)

I am in no more pain and I sleep all night long. There’s been forgiveness from my family, and my daughter said she’s never seen me like this...happy and living for God’s glory. I thank the Lord for TFR and for everyone who has shared God’s Word with me. I also am thankful to my family and church in Texas who continue to pray for me and who never gave up on me. I love all of ya’ll!"

Lesa A., Lufkin, Texas