The peaceful retreat that has grown into New Beginnings Ranch started as an inspiration in the heart of one woman. When Evelyn Carlson Turner (Evie) retired in 2006, she deeply wanted her resources and time to be useful to God, and she began praying for His guidance. At first, she didn’t seem to receive any answer, but as she persisted in praying for God to lead her, she finally received her answer. In her mind’s eye, Evie saw a beautiful mountain landscape with pine trees and water; and immediately, she knew that God was asking her to build a retreat on that land. She called her son DuWayne to share what she was feeling led to do, and his excitement for the idea confirmed to her that this was God’s will.
Around the same time, Michael Duehrssen, the founder of the International Rescue and Relief major (IRR) at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, explained to DuWayne that his program was searching for a mountain location for their summer training. Although he had been previously unaware of Evie and DuWayne’s search for land, the two projects just so happened to have the same needs.
The search for land was extensive, but even as the search grew to include multiple mountain states, they did not give up. After months of searching, the search team toured a property in southwestern Colorado. However because it was winter, they were forced to ride snowmobiles to evaluate this new potential site. Evie was riding on the back of one of the snowmobiles, and as they crested one of the hills, Evie instinctively whispered, “This is it…” The realtor turned around to clarify, and Evie explained, “This is what I saw.” Now the search team was convinced that this was the land God had designated for them to purchase.
Since that time, New Beginnings Ranch has grown, and many people have been inspired during their visits to this mountain retreat. Our wish and prayer is that you also will be inspired here at New Beginnings Ranch and that it will continue to bring people closer together and closer to God.