Our highlight Was Celebrating Harvey’s 101st Day of School
Dear Friends of Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch, we are so grateful for each of you and your continued support of this ministry. Your generosity and prayers truly make a difference in the lives of the children here, and we are thankful to share a glimpse into what this season has looked like for the Stark Family.
This spring has been full of exciting moments for our family. One highlight was celebrating Harvey’s 101st day of school. They had a themed day where children were encouraged to dress up as a Dalmatian, which he certainly did! Scan the QR code to see a video of us making the costume and then him wearing it to school. We continue to see him grow and thrive, and we are excited to share that we plan to begin homeschooling this fall! Harvey will be entering 1st grade, and Gibson will begin preschool at home. We are looking forward to this new chapter together.
Life at the ranch has been full, as always. Ryan has been working alongside Brian Ellermets to teach archery during PE classes at the Shiloh Christian School, and the kids are getting really good. It has been exciting to watch their confidence grow as they develop new skills. We have also been helping out at the school this quarter by covering classes when teachers are absent, doing electives, and Ryan has had the opportunity to teach chapel twice recently, which has been lifegiving to use his teaching background again.
We’ve had several opportunities to spend intentional time with the kids through some fun activities and outings. From hosting LEGO contests with kids on relief, which we aren’t sure if their focus on their creation was creativity driven or the prize money that made them think outside the box with their next level creations, to taking a group to Quincy for a day at the playground, bike rides on the nature trail, and a short time at an indoor bike park. These trips have been full of joy and connection! One especially memorable evening was taking the Kolars kids to the circus, where they were impressed by the unique and interesting performances.
It’s not uncommon to find Mrs. Stark singing and dancing in the kitchen, so it was exciting for our family when we learned about an opportunity for her to travel back to Keokuk and reunite with her high school dance team. They performed at the annual Feather Follies show where she participated in an alumni routine. It was fun for Ryan and the boys to watch her do something she enjoys and is still good at.
We were also encouraged to see that the Shiloh bees made it through the winter. Opening the hive and seeing the queen and lots of eggs was a great reminder of growth and new life. Harvey was pumped to use his bee suit that he received from a supporting church at Christmas time. We added a few new boxes and anticipate drawing some honey out this summer as well as this fall.
In addition, we recently filmed a new video for Shiloh and are currently working through the editing process. We hope to have it ready to share by summer and are excited for it to help tell the story of what God is doing here.
Thank you for partnering with us in this ministry. Your support allows these moments—both big and small— to happen every day. We are deeply grateful for you and continue to keep you in our prayers too.
With heartfelt thanks, Ryan & the Stark Family