I have begun plans to purchase this serene 18 acre ranch in Mission, Texas. I was fortunate to have lived there for a few years and I
always 
knew this ranch would serve to leave a legacy of the man, Rolf Hermes, that had
owned it. He recently passed away and now it is available for me to purchase. I don't have a lot of time. The heirs, his two daughters, want to sell it and they can't wait forever!
My vision is to build a 20 bed facility at the ranch that will serve as a safe place for young ladies that are in foster care that become pregnant to heal from the traumas of their past. I was pregnant as a teenager and I gave my baby up for adoption. I lived with my family and I know first hand how isolating and shameful becoming pregnant can be. And that's with family all around! In the current foster care system, if a young lady, who has probably not had any true family ever in her life, becomes pregnant, she is automatically pulled from that foster care home because the baby is now counted as one more person and either most foster care homes are only licensed to hold so many or the foster parents don't want to deal with the pregnancy. So there is automatic trauma and rejection upon disclosure and then not having people in your life that are going to assist you with all of the choices available during the pregnancy is extremely scary. It is my hope that I can encourage them to either become a great mother or feel confident in the adoption process if they don't feel ready to become a mother. I also would consider adopting these young ladies so they actually have a real mother before they age out of the foster care system if we so agree. I can't imagine living in foster care most of my life, being shunned and moving into adulthood with no real parents to turn to for anything! It just breaks my heart to imagine it.
Currently there are no places for them to go except for very far away. This maternity home will be the only of it's kind here in the Rio Grande Valley. There will be homeschooling, nurseries for their babies, counseling and light medical care given. We will include many types of therapy from music and art to writing and dance and anything else we discover soothes and enriches a young woman's life. I will be seeking out volunteer instructors to assist with teaching and enriching these young women through these venues. 
Also, there will be a large 4 acre garden that will grow flowers and food. The food will be used at the residential facility and as a community project. There will be an offsite restaurant and organic food store that will provide revenue for the center and paid job training for the residents.
Eventually I would like to house senior women who are preparing to move to independent living situations due to becoming a widow or have no other family to take care of them. These women would be able to contribute to the family by tending to the babies and providing skills to the young ladies such as sewing, cooking and crafts.
The final phase would include an independent living apartment complex as a transition to living on their own.
In 2012, I moved from San Diego, California to Roma, Texas. I had recently lost my job. As I was looking for work, a gentleman was visiting our church and told us of a Pastor in Roma, TX that had recently lost his wife and he was looking for an administrative assistant to help him run his church in Roma and the two he had in Miguel Aleman, Mexico just minutes from Roma. I agreed to be in prayer with them and that's when I learned to be careful for what you pray about. Just kidding! Just a couple of months later, I woke up with my head still on the pillow and heard that still, small voice say, "Why can't you go?" I said, "Go where?" and He said, "Go to Roma!" I sat straight up in bed and said out loud, "If you are giving me permission to go, let's do this!" Within about two months, after I sold off everything I owned, I packed my little 1990 Ford Ranger that carries a camper shell, loaded my puppy and we were on our way to Texas!
After living in Roma for a year, I moved to Mission, TX and was blessed to move to an apartment on this ranch. I cried the moment I started down the driveway because I'd never lived in such a beautiful setting. It was while living there that this whole vision came to me in great detail. I have walked around this property and have prayed for it and I know, deep down in my soul that this is the purpose for this beautiful ranch.
Please consider investing in this amazing healing place for these girls and their babies. The initial $2000 will be used to become a non-profit organization so you can use this donation as a deduction.
