Today, I received a short note from a couple who have supported the kids at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch for the last four years. In their note, they asked us to remove them from our mailing list because they felt that the medical expertise we bring to our work has made us too "secular.”
That made me sad.
Their note reminded me that, culturally, we still struggle to understand that the brain is an organ like any other organ. If someone has cancer, we recognize that they need medical treatment and prayer. With mental illness, many folks still don’t understand the physical components of healing. It isn’t a matter of prayer and faith OR medical care. It is always both.
I am sharing part of the letter I sent in reply. I hope it clarifies our work for them and is helpful to you.
You are correct in that we now incorporate much more medical knowledge into our work with children than we have in past decades. I do want you to know, however, that is in addition to our strong, committed, faith-based and Spiritual Life work. It is "with," not "instead." We will always be here to help at-risk children and their families in the name of Christ.
I began working in the human services field in 1994. True brain research was in its infancy. Today, we know so much more about the impact of trauma—whether abuse, neglect, or natural disasters—on the developing human brain than we have ever known before. I believe the technology that allows us to see the damaged synapses and atrophied frontal lobes in a developing brain is a gift from God. That science allows us to meld the very best of health care with the essential hope that only comes through Him. Our Spiritual Life staff has grown alongside our medical team, and the combination brings about incredibly potent healing.
On Monday, I received an email from one of my board members about the church service she had attended over the weekend.
“Yesterday was a beautiful day for our family. Our daughter committed her life to Christ at baptism, and while that was one of the most special days of my life as a parent, there was another moment that was also extraordinarily powerful. As the Pastor shared some of the journeys of the people who were being baptized, she shared the story of a young woman who had been through more things than most humans can imagine. At the end of her story, she shared that her life was forever altered as she found her path to Jesus at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. If I wasn’t already crying before hearing that, I can tell you, I was sobbing afterwards.”
If you have questions about our work, please ask. We truly do want everyone to understand what we do and how.
Please continue to keep the children and staff of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch in your prayers. It is only through Him that we can do our work.
His love,
Joy Ryan, President/CEO
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
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