Developing Horizons Magazine (2).pdf Spring 2017 DHM A | Page 9

with kids with emotional issues,” she
said.
Rebecca’s motivation strength-
ened as evidence of success became
more and more visible. “You take
an abused broken horse and put a
broken child with it,” she said, “and
I’m telling you, you can just sit back
and watch God work. It’s amazing.
They start taking care of the hors-
es and grooming them. Just for a
little while, they’ve got control over
something. The horse needs love
and somebody to take care of it and
that’s what they do. They’re being
helped, the child and the horse.
Their relationship with the horse is
a lot like our relationship with God.
You can’t make a thousand-pound
horse do anything he doesn’t want
to, but because it trusts us and we
trust God…. We feed and take care
of them, and they let us have the
range to lead. One has to lead and
the other has to follow. It’s neat to
watch the children work with the
horses and the horse bow to their
will and obey because it wants to,
because it trusts.”
said, ‘Yeah, baby. You can come
live with me.’ That was all that was
said and she went back to sleep. I
thought, ‘Poor little thing. That is
awful that you had to worry about
that.’
“There was another little girl that
was in an awful situation and she
was sitting at a table on Monday
night. She asked to pray. She asked
God to help all the ones that have
hurt in their heart. I thought, ‘She’s
eight years old. What should she
know about ‘hurt in your heart’?’
That same little girl prayed the next
Monday night and she said, ‘God, I
hope you had a good time with us
tonight.’ It just blew me away. They
say some of the sweetest things. It
just breaks your heart. It makes you
smile. It’s just a blessing.”
The Spirit
“I heard about the Cowboy
Church. There were several out
West but only two in Georgia. The
one in Lafayette invited me to come
and the next week, I went. Lord,
honey, I knew why I had been
created. I found people that loved
God and the cowboy life and it was
just amazing. I came back and told
the kids about a Cowboy Church.
They didn’t have a clue what it was
and I didn’t either,” she said. They
stepped forward, however, and we
established the Cowboy Church at
Jerusalem.
The Head
The school followed. “Low in-
come at risk,” Alan Morris, mission-
ary for the North Central Georgia
area, said. “Who are these kids
going to associate with in
public school, but other low-in-
come, at risk. Middle income kids
are making fun of them because of
their clothes or their education or
…. They can be so cruel, but she
(Rebecca Hampton) was seeing
these kids dropping out of school,
getting into drugs, getting pregnant.
She thought that what we really
need is a school.”
“The kids would keep coming
and I said, ‘God, what are you do-
ing?’ I felt like he answered, ‘I want
a place where these people can come
and find love and no condemna-
tion.’” Rebecca explained. Many
Rebecca continued, “These kids
of the kids who came were abused
will just break your heart some-
or disadvantaged. Realizing their
times. We were coming back from
need for God, she invited minis-
somewhere one night and they had
ters to meet with them in a shed
all gone to sleep, but a little girl in
attached to the back of the barn.
the back seat woke up. Her mama
Since Double HH Ranch’s founding
was in prison. She was with her
in 2007, many youths have found
grandma and grandpa. She said,
Jesus through these preachers and
‘Ms. Rebecca, if Nana and Papaw
have subsequently been baptized in
die, can I come live with you?’ I
a nearby creek.
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Spring 9