Impact of Living Streams
Impact Stories
Dana's Story
When I arrived at Living Streams Ranch, I was coming out from an emotionally abusive situation and an extremely dark place of wanting my life to be over. Underneath that were layers of trauma from a broken family, PTSD, manipulation, and sexual, physical, spiritual, and emotional abuse. I struggled daily with anxiety and depression. I had completely lost my identity, my voice, and I didn’t know who I was.​
​The moment I walked into the woods with my session leader, I immediately sensed the presence of God. I knew I was in a safe place and He was going to work in me. I didn’t hold back at all in my sessions, and I poured my heart, soul, and past out to the Lord. As I did, the Lord began breaking things off of me - lies, fears, hurts, soul ties, and all the things that held me captive. I could tangibly feel a difference at times that something was gone, that it had lifted.
The horses were instruments the Lord used to build up my courage and confidence. One day I rode bareback and blindfolded, using only my body language to control the horse and gain its trust. The woods were my favorite place. He used nature in incredible ways to confirm things and reveal His work in my life.
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The Lord brought such an incredible change in my life and heart. I am completely set free from my past. I am facing the future walking with the Lord in complete freedom from my past trauma and abuse. Nothing is holding me bound anymore. I know He can do for others what He has done for me.
Sherry's Story
Before I came to Living Streams Ranch, I was struggling with a lot. I was weighed down by guilt, shame, insecurities, doubt, fear, and worry. These feelings had become such a part of my life that I didn’t even fully recognize how deeply they were affecting me.
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​When I attended Living Streams Ranch, I experienced the Holy Spirit for the first time in a way that I could really hear and feel Him. I found peace, comfort, strength, and wisdom through wise counsel and by digging deep into my soul to confront the things I had been struggling with. It was a transformational experience.
One of the ways I encountered Jesus was simply by walking through the beautiful paths at the ranch. I heard the songs of the birds and noticed details in nature that I had never paid attention to before. Walking those paths, reading scripture, and letting it soak into my heart helped me to see that He was there with me in that moment and is always with me.
Jesus healed me by helping me release my burdens. I would walk through the paths, read scripture, and sit at the cross, emptying all my burdens at the foot of the cross. Learning and knowing that Jesus was with me and what I meant to Him helped heal me.
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​Now, five years later, the impact of Living Streams Ranch is still present in my life. I mentor a young woman who is struggling and have been leading the youth group at my church. I’ve found peace and joy that I never had before because of the baggage from my past. I let it go. It’s just lifted - praise the Lord! Not that I don’t have times of struggle; there are still moments when certain things still trigger me, but then I leave them at the foot of the cross.
Maddison's Story
I was in my junior year of nursing school at Messiah College, and it was the hardest year of my life. Nursing school was demanding, and the stress kept building. I also had a couple of potential relationships with guys that didn't work out, which left me with a lot of doubt and uncertainty. Running cross country and track and field added even more pressure. It all built up into this huge mountain of stress, and I started worrying about everything.
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I developed anxiety, and over time, it gradually turned into depression. I was really scared about how I was feeling because it wasn’t me. I wasn’t operating like I normally did. I stopped finding joy or pleasure in the things I used to love.
I began isolating myself and cutting myself off from other people. I was crying almost every day, multiple times a day, and I just couldn’t function.
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That summer, I started a job but quit within a week because the thoughts and anxiety swirling around my head made it impossible to focus. I was never actively suicidal, but there were days when I thought it would be better if I wasn’t here. I remember driving in the car and thinking, "God, can I just get in an accident?" I was that low—I just didn’t find any reason to be alive. It was a really dark place.
After my mom had been in touch with Deb Rotelle, the Ranch Executive Director, she suggested I try sessions at Living Streams Ranch. At first, I was hesitant, but I thought, "There’s nothing else I can do, so why not give this a shot?" I wanted my life to change and get better. I had faith in God, but it was very broken at that point. I believed a lot of lies and thought that God was upset with me for not being a good enough Christian. I knew I really needed help.
When I came to the ranch in the spring of 2019, it took a while to establish trust, but I gradually opened up to my mentor, Deb. At first, I didn’t care much about anything because of the depression. Deb would always listen and pray before each session, and the Lord would tell her exactly what I needed for that day.
As the sessions went on, I started to feel more like myself. I remember one day when I knew exactly what I wanted to do—ride the horse on the trails. When I arrived that day, Deb greeted me and said, "Today I was praying, and the Lord said He wanted you to decide what you should do." I was blown away by how intimately and personally God knew me and what I needed at that moment.
During my time at the ranch, God gradually replaced the lies I was believing in my head with His truth. I learned that I don’t need to perform to earn His love. I don’t need to be a "good enough" Christian or person. He simply loves me because I am His daughter, and that’s His decision to love me.