How Was Your Stay?

     Now that we've been open for several months, and many families have come to visit the retreat and stay in our cozy little cabin, we thought this would be a good time to open it up and hear from some of you.

     So if you have spent some time here at Elijah's Retreat, please take a moment to share a little about your experience.  We'd love to hear from you and I know it will be helpful to others who may be contemplating a trip here.

     Thank you and God bless you!

Generation Rescue

Generation Rescue is a wonderful non-profit organization dedicated to helping kids with autism improve and even recover. In their own words "Empowering Parents with the Truth to Help Our Children Heal". If you've never been to their website, take the time to peruse it. It is a world of information on autism and bio-medical treatments for autism. The following is taken from their brochure.

"Generation Rescue is a parent-founded, parent-funded, and parent-led organization focused on biomedical treatment for autism. Since our founding in 2005, our volunteer families, more than 400 strong, have helped over 15,000 children begin biomedical treatment.

Our children are experiencing epidemics of ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s, PDD-NOS, and Autism. We believe these neurological disorders (“NDs”) are environmental illnesses caused by an overload of heavy metals, live viruses, and bacteria. Proper treatment of our children, known as “biomedical intervention,” is leading to recovery for thousands. The cause of this epidemic of NDs is extremely controversial. We believe the primary causes include the tripling of vaccines given to children in the last 15 years (mercury, aluminum and live viruses); maternal toxic load and prenatal vaccines; heavy metals like mercury in our air, water, and food; and the overuse of antibiotics.

Because of the inherent conflict mainstream health authorities have in confronting autism, parents are left to fend for themselves, prompting the need for organizations like Generation Rescue to be created. Despite hundreds of parental reports of recovery and thousands of parental reports of improvement, biomedical intervention is not receiving the attention of mainstream health authorities. Today, we think all resources should be devoted to finding the best possible biomedical treatments to help as many children as possible recover."

Autism is a huge epidemic in this nation. There has to be an environmental reason for it. One out of every 150 kids is now being diagnosed with Autism. That is too big a number to be attributed to genetics, as our government would like us to believe. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest government cover ups in history. The fact that the CDC will not take ANY steps to change their immunization schedule for our babies, in light of this epidemic, still infuriates me. In third world countries where there are no, or very little immunizations of children, there is NO autism to be found. Coincidence?

My grandson is paying for our nation's negligence. How many more of our children will have to pay? Please support organizations such as Generation Rescue. We need them. Thank you, Generation Rescue for all your good work in educating us and in being bold enough to take on the media in this country.

Elijah's Retreat Set to Open Spring 2009

Elijah’s Retreat will at last open its doors for guests this Spring! We will be giving the first cabin its final touches over the winter, as well as completing the playground and additional fencing around the property. Spring is all about new life and new beginnings. We can’t imagine a more perfect time for our grand opening.

Researching autism on the internet this morning I came across a staggering statistic. The divorce rate for couples who have a child with autism is now over 80%! Life is hard for these families – every day – and marriages are falling apart in the midst of the stress, fatigue and turmoil.

That is why we are so passionate about what we are doing here at Elijah’s Retreat. These families desperately need support. We want Elijah’s Retreat to be a sanctuary, a refuge for these precious folks for many years to come.

(Elijah’s Retreat is a non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible.)

A Grandma's Prayer

Our grandson, Elijah, loves to come to our house, or as he still calls it (a year later) “Nana’s new house”. He loves it here at Divine Acres Ranch. He visits us for a weekend every month to give his sweet momma a little break.

Elijah is not nearly as interested in the horses as we expected him to be. He likes them. He knows all the horses by name and says hello and goodbye to them. He likes Soldier (our big Arabian horse) the best, and likes to rub his sides, but he doesn’t care a bit about riding him, and that’s quite okay. There are plenty of other things to do at the ranch.

He loves to run like the wind through the pastures or down the little road between our house and the barn. He gets a kick out of riding his bike through the barn, out the back door and down the little slope. He likes playing in the sand anywhere that he finds it. He loves to run with our little poodles. He enjoys the new playground that we built here at the ranch – sliding, swinging, climbing the rock wall, playing in the sandbox, or just relaxing in the hammock. When it’s hot we blow up the wading pool for him and he runs and jumps into it over and over and over again. Two of his favorite things are throwing rocks into the creek and climbing trees.

In so many ways, Elijah is a typical eight year old little boy. He likes to run, climb, play with dogs, and ride his bike just like every other eight year old little boy. The majority of the time he is here over the weekends, he is pure joy to be around. He is funny, charming, handsome, sweet, extremely lovable, and he minds very well.

Then there is the other 10% - 15% of the time when he is a bit of a challenge. Those are the times when his sensory issues get the best of him, or he gets frustrated with himself because he can’t understand something or he messes up a page that he’s coloring or he wakes up in the middle of the night screaming and banging his head against the wall. Those are the times my heart aches for him. I want so badly to help him, but often there’s nothing to do but back off and let him vent. It is painful to watch him. It is frustrating to feel such helplessness as a grandparent who loves him so very much.

These are the times I pray and give him again into the Lord’s hands. Only the Lord can help him when he retreats into his own world so full of anger, pain, and frustration. I ask the Lord to fill him with peace, to calm him, to love on him, to hold him when he doesn’t want anyone to touch him, to comfort him, and to heal him. I pray for wisdom and discernment as to what to say or do at that particular moment. I pray for patience and understanding and a peace within myself, so that I don’t lose it or fall apart myself.

Ever since Elijah was born, before we ever knew he had autism, I have prayed that the Lord would one day use him to bring many to Christ – that he would be an awesome man of God with a powerful testimony of God’s love and grace. I still pray that, and I believe with all my heart that the Lord will answer that prayer – the quiet prayer of a loving grandma.

Perseverance, Patience, Trust

Perseverance, Patience, and total Trust in the Lord - these are the qualities God is trying to hammer into us lately.

Elijah's Retreat, which was going at a fast and furious pace for a couple of months there, has slowed down to a trickle as Jeff and I continue to nail up paneling and finish out the interior of the cabin with the few building materials that remain. During this time, we have been on our knees seeking the Lord's help and guidance. What He has told us is this:

Keep going - you are right where I want you. Don't fear or lose heart. Persevere and do not worry. Trust me, seek me, cling to me and I will see you through.

Perseverance, Patience, and Trust in the Lord - good attributes all. God is in control. We wouldn't want it any other way.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

Cabin Update

Knowing there are 28 families out there who are waiting to visit Elijah's Retreat, thought it would be good to give you an update of where we're at in completing the first cabin and being ready for our first guests.

The adorable two bedroom cabin is 85% complete, meaning that the exterior is done and the interior is getting there. We've almost finished putting up the paneling inside. Next we need to install the kitchen cabinets (which we've already sanded and painted). We still need to do flooring, trim, countertops, install the toilet, vanity and sink in the bathroom, and install the air conditioning ducts and hook up the air conditioner.

The electric wiring in the cabin has been run, but the outside wiring from the pole to the cabin has not yet been run. The electric company has to do that and it costs $1,600 (thus the delay). The septic system still needs to be installed as well, which will cost $2,500. We are only able to complete as much as we have money for, and we're kind of at a stand still at the moment until the Lord provides some more funds. My husband's business has slowed up a bit so the dollars are having to stretch farther right now.

We are in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status for Elijah's Retreat (a non-profit organization), but it's a long and tedious process. Until we get that it's very difficult to raise funds because we can't give people a tax write-off. So Jeff and I have funded everything ourselves so far. The plan is to do some fund raising once we get the 501(c)(3) so that we can continue to build cabins and make this retreat a really great place for your families to visit year after year.

We are not discouraged. We know that where God guides, He provides - and we believe that God sent us here to build this retreat. So, we know He will provide in His perfect time. We trust Him completely and are resting in His love.

Please keep Elijah's Retreat in your prayers. Thanks so much!

Kathie

P.S. - We'd love to hear from you!!!

Welcome!

Elijah's Retreat is a Christ-centered, non-profit organization (currently applying for 501(c)(3) status). We are located in the beautiful green hills of East Texas, just south of Jacksonville on Divine Acres Ranch.

We are building a family retreat for the use of families dealing with autism. The retreat (when completed) will have 6 individual cabins, a large recreational center, and a playground. Right now (June 2008) we have one cabin under construction (85% complete), and the playground 75% completed. As soon as the cabin is ready, we will open for business. There are already over 20 families on a waiting list to make reservations.

Each cabin will have two bedrooms, one bath, a combination living/dining area, a full kitchen, a laundry room with washer & dryer, and a front porch with porch swing - a cozy little home away from home. There are hiking trails, a stocked pond in which to fish, horses and bicycles to ride, hammocks to nap in, and 50 acres of peace and quiet. It's a chance to spend time on a working ranch, out in nature, and you may even spot a few deer roaming about while you're here. We are trying to keep the price of a stay very low - $25.00 per night to begin with. Hopefully we can raise enough support to keep it that way.

We have been blessed with some wonderful folks who have come alongside us to see this vision come to reality. 911 Air Charter sent a group of 15, not once but twice to help with the construction. They are a wonderful group, so giving and helpful. What a blessing! A local construction company, D.R. Ramirez Construction, here in Jacksonville, Texas also donated a lot of time to the project. Wonderful folks from our church have volunteered many hours of time to Elijah's Retreat. Leigh Attaway Wilcox in Frisco has donated many hours of her time to help us with marketing to large corporations. Folks throughout Texas have donated appliances, furniture, all types of things!

We can't thank you all enough for all that you have done for Elijah's Retreat. God bless you!

Kathie


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