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Out of the mouth of babes. Hey, everybody, it's Joe Artis Horn. I'm out here at the beautiful Whispering Ponies Ranch serving the children that are wards of the state. These are kids that have been abused, neglected. They've been harmed in every inconceivable, unimaginable way. And I gotta tell you, as heavy as some of the moments are, there are also hilarious moments. Moments of joy, moments of adoration, affirmation, growth, breakthrough. And all of this, of course, made possible by you, the viewer, the supporter, the person that's been praying with us and partnering with us to make these camps take place this year. Thanks to you all, we were able to get these camps underwritten this year by the grace of God. If you remember, a couple of weeks ago, I revealed a video where, you know, our funding was in crisis. And I followed that up a few days later with a video update on how God completely parted the Red Sea. And you all responded to that plea. And we have now what we need to finish our summer camps for these amazing kids. But in 2024, some of you might remember me as I was traveling across the nation speaking at conferences about a young man named Jasper. And I talked with you about this ruse where he would put a handkerchief over his face so that you didn't know who he was, and he would run around poking people in the ribs. And he was just having this hysterical time with this ruse. And of course, everybody's kind of agoging it on and playing along. My daughter Juanita, who was 13 and a half, I think at the time, maybe 14 at the time, she's playing along, and we're at arts and crafts with little Jasper, and he's doing this ruse where you're not supposed to know who. Who's behind the mask. And he's poking people and he feels like he's getting away with it, and it's just absolutely hilarious. Well, guess who came back this week? None other than little Jasper. Only this time, Jasper's not so little anymore. He had. He had gained, I think, almost a foot in height and what looked to be 30, 40 pounds. The kid is growing like weeds. And in 2024, for context, he and I were at arts and crafts, and I was able to participate as kind of a counselor slash support staff member for that year of camping when we were displaced here at Whispering Ponies Ranch and had to go up the road to our good friend Tom Sacenti at Camp Eagle Rock for camp. And I got to build a clock out of an old record with Jasper. So we took an old record, and then there were. There were little gears and hands put on this record. And then the job that we had to do was place little stickered numbers all around in a circle and build a clock. And I asked him this morning when I saw him again, I said, hey, Jasper, man, you're. You're growing like weeds. Look at your big muscles. What a guy. What a guy. And I said, do you still have that clock? And he goes, I sure do. It's on the wall. And I said, does it work? He goes, it sure does. That's how we tell time. So we had a good laugh at a high five, and this was so hilarious, I just had to jump on and share this with you. I said, so, how's life treating you these days? And he goes, well, much better. And he tells me that his grandparents have adopted him. And he makes a heartbreaking comment, but also one that we hear a lot here at Whispering Ponies Ranch. He makes the comment about his grandparents being very good to him and he's not living in a home anymore with a father that is constantly screaming at him. And this is the part that is so funny, though. I go, well, Jasper, that sounds great, man. So how you doing? I mean, it's got to be. It's got to be good times, right? And he goes, this is out of the mouth of babes, you know, to show you where his priorities are now. He goes, oh, it's great. Life's great. I'm at camp. This is my favorite place. And back home, grandpa takes me to McDonald's every week. And it's just the look on his face. My oldest daughter, Kate was there. The look on his face when he's telling you. You know, it's this whole rap sheet of good things, you know, great life, grandpa, grandma, new house, better treatment. And. And. And the icing on the cake if his face could just speak. He goes, and, you know, grandpa takes me to McDonald's every week. Like, you know, where do you go from there? Kind of a thing. So anyway, I know I hop on here and I give you these updates. I'm sorry, it's been a few days. It has been incredibly busy. And that's the understatement of the century. The. But today was so funny, and it just tickled me and Katie to death because all of our family remember little Jasper. I told stories about Jasper at conferences as I traveled across the nation a couple of years ago and did conferences and told the story of the masked river that was poking people in the ribs and our time as a family getting to be counselors that year and how we made this clock. And so to kind of buttress that legendary story, Jasper the masked river poking people in the ribs with his handkerchief mask to conceal identity so nobody would know who was up to this mischief. What a. What a funny deal, man. What a funny kid. Life is great and grandpa takes me to McDonald's every week. So you know, that may seem trivial, but if you know where some of these kids come from, if you know the difficulty that they've had or the abuse that some of these kids have been confronted by, it's hard to put into words how wonderful it is to hear something as simple as life is good. And grandpa takes me to McDonald's. So you guys keep praying for us. If you're new to the channel or you've never seen us talk about this place called Whispering Ponies Ranch and you want to learn more, you can simply go to skywatch tv.com there's a button at the top that'll take you to where we have all kinds of information and pictures about Whispering Ponies Ranch so you can learn more about what we're doing. And we're at about the half, we're at about the halfway mark already. We are looking at probably another four to five weeks of camp before the season is finished. And we are so grateful to all of you that made it possible again this year to serve these kids and to stand in the gap for them here at Whispering Ponies Ranch. It's all Christ centered program. So again, if you're new to the channel or you don't know what it is we're doing, these kids come here for rest, reprieve, hope and rehabilitation. We love you. I got a split. I got a Zoom call in three minutes. Here we go. It's a total sprint, 24 hours right now, but we love you and whenever I can I will jump on here and give you guys updates.
Date: June 27, 2026
Host: Joe Ardis Horn
Theme: Uplifting stories and updates from Whispering Ponies Ranch, focusing on the transformative experience of at-risk children, with a heartwarming reunion featuring Jasper.
This special episode centers on a joyful and humorous update from Whispering Ponies Ranch, a sanctuary for children who've suffered abuse and neglect. Host Joe Ardis Horn shares the return of Jasper—a camper with a memorable past, now thriving in a loving family. The episode weaves heartfelt moments, gratitude to supporters, and a celebration of hope and small joys.
On Jasper’s memorable ruse:
Jasper, illuminated by gratitude:
On the impact of kindness:
The episode is told with warmth, humor, and hope—balancing the weight of the children’s backgrounds with moments of genuine laughter and uplifting transformation. Joe's conversational storytelling highlights the joy of small victories, the importance of support, and the enduring impact of kindness.
For more about Whispering Ponies Ranch or to support their work, visit skywatchtv.com.