Finding Faith

Faith’s parents divorced when she was young, and her stepfather, the man she called “Dad,” died of a heart attack when she was 10 years old. As she and her mom both grieved, their relationship deteriorated.

“Me and my mom didn’t really get along and would get into lots of arguments and disagreements,” Faith said.

Faith, now 14, was having suicidal thoughts and said school was especially difficult.

“I struggled a lot with going to school and keeping up on my grades. I was also being bullied and didn’t think anyone cared about me,” she said. “Before I went to the Ranch, my family and my friends were really worried about me. I needed professional help because I was starting to really go downhill.”

At the Ranch, Faith felt safe, and with the help of her Ranch therapist, Devin, case manager, Ashton, and many others, she started slowly understanding just how many people cared about her.

“It took me a while to get it through my head,” Faith said. “I like the Ranch a lot. It was a good change of scenery, and it helped me. I have better confidence and self-esteem, and I am definitely better at coping with things.”

Faith learned and practiced breathing exercises, and about halfway into her stay, she started writing poetry and stories to help her cope with her emotions without hurting herself.

“I always used to journal and write stories,” Faith said, “but I stopped for a while before the Ranch. It also helped me to be around people who were struggling with some of the same things. It’s different, but a good different, than being with people who didn’t understand and didn’t know what was going on.”

Faith also rediscovered her faith in God while at the Ranch.

“I’d been to church, and every now and then I would pray, but it’s hard to think of that when you’re struggling,” she said. “At the Ranch, I tried to open myself up to that. I went every single time we had chapel or spiritual life group, and towards the end of my stay, I started going to chapel early to help set up.”

Faith had a few last words for Ranch donors.

“It is definitely worth your time and effort and money. It is a place where you have professionals around you 24/7, and it really helps,” she said. “And you still get to go outside and do fun stuff. It’s not like the Ranch is keeping you from doing normal human things!”

“People at the Ranch made me feel like I was at home, and I knew they were there to help. I will definitely look back on this and be like, ‘Wow, I didn’t think I was going to make it this far.’ I am very thankful for the Ranch staff and everything that went on there.”