Miracle Moments
Brought to you by: Community Partner Molly Maid of Birmingham, www.mollymaid.com/birmingham
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and truth.” 1 John 3:18
I was 13 years old when my brother and I were placed at Big Oak Ranch. I felt like I was stuck without a choice. My Daddy died when I was very young. My mom did the best she could for my brothers and me. We had a loving home. My Mom had severe medical issues and we were poor. We ate beans and greens or macaroni and cheese every night. We did not celebrate Christmas one year. My brothers and I did not even realize it. We walked everywhere we went. Grocery store, school, anywhere we wanted to go, we walked. 
Mom would often get sick and be admitted to the hospital. Some of these times, my three brothers and I would stay home by ourselves. Neighbors would make sure we were okay.
Mom’s health continued to deteriorate. My brothers and I needed to be somewhere else. Our sister Donnice found Big Oak Ranch and took me there one afternoon. Asking what I thought, I told Denise that I did not want to live at the Ranch. She brought me anyway. Donnice visited and checked in on me, knowing that this was the right direction. Now, Denise and I are close as ever. Big Oak was exactly where I needed to be.
Before coming to the Ranch, I got picked on a lot! Fights and getting into trouble were constant. On the playground at my new school, brothers also living at the Ranch were playing with a hacky sack and asked if I wanted to play. Those fellow Ranch brothers didn’t make fun of me. They were cool to me. It made me feel like a person. Life was different at the Ranch. I didn’t have to fight anymore. I had friends and Ranch brothers. Every day we were outside – riding bikes, playing at the baseball field, or fishing in the pond. I got to play football at Westbrook Christian School.
We were all equal at the Ranch. My house brothers and I were treated the same. My houseparents called me son and made me feel like I was a part of the bigger mission. My houseparents took the time to get to know what was important to me.
-Robert Campbell
To read Robert’s full story, visit bigoak.org/robert-campbell
