Into the woods at JH Ranch
Before leaving for California, Skip Donnell started a list.
On it were topics he wanted to talk to his daughter Margaret about before she left for college in 2012, things he found hard to discuss when they were both “going 100 directions” at home.
But the first night of the week he would spend at JH Ranch with Margaret that summer, he put the list away. As he sang “How Great Thou Art,” he said he realized that it was time to let go of his agenda. A few days into it, he said he wasn’t even thinking about his job, which he was originally worried to leave behind for a week. Looking back, he sees the fruit of the time spent with her away from everyday life.
“Every one of the things on my list was covered in that week’s time period, either in talks or even because the river guide brought it up,” he said. “They made it so easy to talk and communicate with my daughter on a level you can’t get to anywhere else. It made it much easier for me to let my daughter go to college.”
The Donnells took part in a weeklong parent and son/daughter program that provides solo time of reflection along with the adventure and worship.
Since 1979, JH Ranch, led by Bruce Johnson and his wife, Heather, a Birmingham native, has offered Christian-based programs through practical experiences in the outdoors. The ranch is located in northern California, but its offices are based in Office Park in Mountain Brook.
As the ranch continued to grow, many parents saw their kids come back changed and full of life and wanted to start coming, JH Advancement Director David Curran said. In 1994 the parent and son/daughter weeks were born.
Curran said the program is immensely popular and booked by April each year.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to come take a week with your son or daughter, especially for men with busy schedules,” Curran said.
In addition to the parent and son/daughter program, JH offers programs for teenagers and couples and staffing opportunities for college students.
Jeff Grantham, another Mountain Brook resident, said he found his time at JH with son Jack, when he was 14, so transformative that he plans to bring back his youngest, Betsy, this summer now that she’s the same age.
“What they hear through the weeklong program helps instill in them values and wisdom for how to navigate the challenges ahead,” he said. “It made me more thoughtful and deliberate about the passage of time and the responsibility you have to spend it with your children and transmit to them both wisdom and love and parenting during that time.”
For him, the week was not just an opportunity for fun ropes courses, climbing, white-water rafting, hiking, mountain biking and other activities, but about spending time with his child.
Donnell said having an hour set aside every morning to discuss topics raised in sessions with his daughter was a highlight of their experience. He said the first morning was a bit rough, but the second was fantastic and each day got better and better.
“I was a pretty strict hands-on parent and may have been too involved at times, but [being at JH] gave me lot more confidence in her,” Donnell said. “She told me she really appreciated a lot of the parenting her mother and I did and the foundation we had built for her raising her in the church. It really helped me let her go to college and gave me a peace of mind. We came out of there a lot closer and with a lot more understanding of each other.”
Since returning home, Donnell has encouraged friends and coworkers to go to the ranch with their children, even offering to pay for those who might need help affording it.
“Two weeks after I got back, my wife told me I was glowing,” he said. “My heart was just filled not just because of my daughter but because of my relationship with God.”