Heartwarming Stories from a Frozen Week at The Refuge Ranch
Guest User
Thank you, everyone, for checking on the girls and staff out at The Refuge Ranch. Your concern warmed us all during a week full of challenges.
There are 29.4 million people living in Texas and every one of us now share a common story of survival when the polar vortex dipped down to the Lone Star State last week. Of these 29.4 million stories, this one is ours and we want to share how miracles big and small kept us going during the storm.
Snow-covered parking lot at The Refuge Ranch.
As the temperatures dropped on Monday and rolling blackouts began in Bastrop County, we were intermittently out of power and hot water at the ranch. We knew our food supply wouldn’t last through the week, and we also realized our normal pharmacy would be unable to fill the girls’ medications. So, we put out a call to our board members and medical contacts to see if they might be able to help.
Lakeway Police Chief Todd Radford, Holly Mills Gardner, Pat Trecker and Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard loading 23 cases of large bottles of water for The Refuge. Thank you to Richard’s Rainwater, Taylor O’Neil, Drew Oetting, and Creighton Honeck for making this water donation possible!
In a matter of hours, we had a “fishes and loaves” miracle on our hands. Board Member Tracy Steinle contacted neighbors who eagerly donated coolers full of food, even though they no power and running water. Austin Ridge Bible Church, one of our church partners, gathered $1,700 worth of groceries. Others donated cases of water, and still others made financial contributions toward our immediate needs following the storm. Through the support of many, we were able to get the girls’ prescriptions transferred to another pharmacy in Austin. By the grace of God, we found a doctor who was braving the ice to travel to Bastrop for work, and she was able to deliver all the food and medication by Wednesday afternoon.
Austin Ridge Bible Church donated over $1,700 in groceries.
Thank you to Megan Niles for mobilizing your church community!
On the second day of rolling blackouts, one of the girls who loves to cook devised a plan to prepare a hot meal for everyone. She prepped everything while the power was out and raced to cook when it came back on. Working through the intermittent power outages, she was able to prepare two trays of chicken enchiladas, rice, and beans so that everyone was able to have a hot meal that nourished body and soul.
Frozen sidewalks at The Refuge Ranch.
On Thursday, our staff, many of whom stayed overnight through multiple shifts, worked tirelessly to clear the pathways of ice. By Friday, the world began to thaw. The resourceful young chef helped inventory all the donated food and prepared a feast for breakfast, including eggs, sausage, hash browns, and homemade tortillas. We began to put things back in order by washing clothes and dishes for the first time all week. As a staff, we debriefed what we learned so that we be even better prepared for next time we have an event that interrupts power and water.
All in all, this last week was an opportunity that showed us what are made of: the girls were all safe and well supported by staff who stepped up to make sure that there was no interruption in care; all staff put down their roles and picked up whatever hat was needed to keep things moving forward; we faced the challenges with smiles, humor and the knowledge there was nothing we couldn’t achieve if we worked together; and the community that supports the mission of The Refuge stepped up again to make sure we had what we needed to succeed. This last week showed us the collective strength of our community and our team.
We are blessed and grateful for everyone who makes this healing ranch possible every day, and especially during this week of challenges.
