Fields of Grace
Pastures of Grace in Gazelle Helps Women Heal Through Ranch Life…
When it comes to dahlias, the more you prune, the more they bloom. And in life, God works the same way. When we deadhead and release things in life, God fills our hands with more,” explains Jennifer Klever, the CEO and co-founder of Pastures of Grace, a nonprofit and u-pick fruit and dahlia farm on a spiritual mission to help young women in crisis. “Pastures of Grace is a life restoration ranch where women in crisis come to learn how to slow down, heal and rebuild their lives from the inside out. It’s a faith-based program rooted in daily rhythms of discipleship and hands-on ranch work to find purpose.”Klever has always been drawn to life on the farm. “My parents split when I was young, and my dad had a ranch and was a stone fruit grower in the San Joaquin Valley. Of course, I always wanted to be with the cows, horses and pigs, but he made me drive the truck. As for wanting to live on a farm, I think it’s something you’re born with,” explains Klever.
Now, 27 years into her marriage with her husband and Pastures of Grace co-founder Mark, they’re using those ranch-life connections for a higher purpose. “At one point we were standing in our kitchen, and there was a news report of some kids who’d lost their parents. I looked at Mark and asked him if we could be the kind of family that could just adopt kids like this, and he told me that we absolutely were. That began our trip down the road of foster care,” recalls Klever. Four biological and five adopted children later, the Klevers have also hosted dozens of other kids in foster care.
Then, a special encounter opened their hearts to a new way to help children and mothers before they got pulled into the system. “We came into contact with a young mom where we were really able to work alongside her. She was in her home, and I was able to teach her how to bathe her son and what it looked like to feed him and put him to sleep. She learned what to do when he was crying and not get flustered. And, we got to truly just walk alongside her. I didn’t have the words at the time; I didn’t know it meant
life restoration. I just knew that having a place that women could learn skills and find meaning was the next right thing.”
The “next right thing” turned out to be establishing Pastures of Grace and leasing the former Belcampo Ranch in Gazelle as its home site. “We have pigs here. We have cattle, we have chickens. We have over 200 fruit trees, everything ranging from stone fruit to apples and pears. We have the dahlias. We even have mulberries,” lists Klever. She also says that ranch life gives women in crisis a chance to regrow their own lives. “There’s science in putting our hands in the soil and what it does for our emotional state. The idea of just standing next to a horse and hopefully letting some of the heavier burdens fall away. The work teaches them to rise early and show up daily, which requires humility, consistency and attention. Typically, we are working with individuals who have major trauma, and or are recovering from addiction. Those things need to be stripped away in a safe place, where they can’t lose their job. So, it’s not necessarily about the work, but rather the work is a building block. It’s more about the connection within our community that hopefully gives them a solid foundation to build on once they leave here.”
The u-pick aspect of the ranch, including several varieties of stone fruit like cherries and apricots, as well as the dahlias, is seasonal and open to the public via appointment. But there are many ways to support the mission. “There’s a lot you can do with just one woman. It’s a willing heart and an open gate. But we need prayer. We need more hands and feet. We need partners and volunteers. We like to say there’s always room at our table, but there’s also always lots of work to be done. It’s quiet, slow work. It’s Kingdom work. But we are always honored when someone wants to walk alongside us.” •
Pastures of Grace • www.pasturesofgrace.com
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