Hannah Snyder

Hannah Snyder grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She began attending camp as a rancher, and then continued on to be an in-training and summer staff. She then came as a student to the School of Discipleship in 2014 and stayed through 2016. From there in the fall of 2016, Hannah began working as staff as the head cook in the kitchen.

Hannah’s Newsletter

November 2017

Hey friends,

Time has flown by and I can hardly believe that it is almost Thanksgiving. This fall has been fairly busy. After summer camp finished, thirty-six students graduated from the School of Discipleship and I am so excited to see the adventures that God has ahead of them. I am becoming more and more excited with each passing year to see the things that God is doing in lives. This year there are thirty-one students. I have the privilege of being an advisor with Noelle Miner. The students in our group are Christine Glasscock and Olivia Stafford. I have already been tremendously blessed to be a part of this group and to see what the Lord is doing in their lives as they seek to learn more about Him through this school year. As advisors, Noelle and I have the opportunity of cooking a homemade meal and spending time with Christine and Olivia every Tuesday evening, as well as grading monthly projects. But the part of being an advisor that I am most excited and terrified of is the opportunity for discipleship that I have as an advisor. As advisors we encourage our students to come to us with questions and also to spend time with us interacting in everyday life. We seek to set the example of following after Christ whole heartedly. This is an area of my life that I have been challenged in recently.

As an advisor, and also as a child of God, I am continually challenged to evaluate the decisions that I am making and the things that I am seeking after. Janet Aucoin, in one of her sessions during the Ladies Retreat, spoke on the different paths that we take and the thing that determines what path we are on is not what we say, but rather the decisions that we make. Each decision that I make is either helping me in my Christian walk or it is hindering me. I have seen in my life a pattern of soft decisions, doing the easy thing, that in themselves are not wrong but when I look at those decisions in context I see that they are decisions of selfishness and laziness—that they are decisions of idolatry, me putting myself above God.

But God has been drawing me towards Him through His conviction and discipline in my life and also His showing Himself as something to be delighted in far more than any passing pleasure. It is truly only in finding the surpassing beauty of Christ that I can kill sin and do that which is right.

This fall has been filled with retreats, day events, and weddings. As a kitchen we have four different weddings that we have catered this season! This has been a great opportunity for the two second year students majoring in food service (Haley and Grace) to be able to get experience in what it looks like to cater food for an event. They have also been able to enjoy other classes such as candy making, cake decorating, and baking soft pretzels. I have enjoyed being able to continue to learn how to teach these different things, as well as learning how to smoke different meats. I also am continuing to enjoy experimenting with baking breads.

As a summary, God is doing a great work in my life teaching me who He is and showing me His greatness and I am ecstatic to see the work that God is doing in and around me. I love the work that I am able to do here and am so grateful for the many different people here that are willing to invest into my life and also the opportunities that I have to give into the lives of those that God has placed around me. I want to thank you all for your prayers and all of the other ways that you continue to give into my life. I would not be able to be where I am, doing what I am, without you. God has blessed me so much with so many of you who are willing to challenge and support me and He continues to provide for my every need.

Prayer Request:

• For the Students that God would continue to do a great work in their lives
• For me that I would continue to adjust to change that God is bringing and that I would be excited to step into the great things that God has for me
• For the ministry of the Ranch that we would continue to focus on God and that we would love and serve those that we interact with

If you are interested in supporting me financially you can donate by addressing a check to MMR with a separate note specifying “support for Hannah Snyder” or you can use the button below. You can also contact me at 101 Rodeo Drive, Spring Creek, PA 16436.