Miracle Moments
Brought to you by: Molly Maid of Birmingham, www.mollymaid.com/birmingham
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
I was very young when my mother left me with my father. Thankfully, my grandmother stepped in to assist raising me. My father was a truck driver at that time and my grandmother often required the aid of family and friends to help with caring for me. We lived in various places, moving often. At the age of 6 or 7, we lived in South Carolina.
My dad worked as a mechanic and I recall rising at dawn to make our lunches and prepare both of us for the day. I was always an hour early to school, and sometimes more, so the janitor would greet me to let me in. I had an aunt and uncle in Gadsden that graciously opened their home to me as my father struggled to maintain steady employment or found himself needing professional psychiatric care. Fast forward a few years, and the lack of consistency and oversight drove me to be an incredibly angry teenager. When I was 14, I ran away from home. Once found, I was transferred to a local youth shelter in Gadsden. Unbeknownst to me, my family reached out to Big Oak Ranch. I left the shelter in Gadsden, and a police officer escorted me to this unfamiliar place in Springville, Alabama – the Girls’ Ranch. The ride in the back of that police car would be the ride that most likely saved my life.
I arrived at the Girls’ Ranch as a scared, broken, and angry teenager. Thankfully, that angry teenager didn’t deter Larry and Beverly Elliott. Instead, they accepted the challenge and stood by me as I worked out all my rage. My school grades improved, I was able to take part in sports, and I gained confidence. I finally felt safe. I had structure for the first time in my life. After time, my houseparents were called to serve at another ministry. Through the adjustment of new houseparents, Ranch staff stepped into our home, helping my Ranch sisters and me. Through this change, my world felt upside-down again, but it really wasn’t. God was speaking all along. With nearly three years of family devotionals at Big Oak and involvement in church and choir, I was able to better understand God’s love. The stability, consistency, and accountability from the staff at the Ranch gave me a solid foundation and an example of how good life could be. I credit my success throughout adulthood to my experience at Big Oak.
-Michelle Fogle
