Turn on your cookies for the best browsing experience.

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer.

These cookies are essential to make our site work. We use cookies for a variety of reasons, including giving and content preferences.

Instructions to turn on your browser cookies:

https://www.whatismybrowser.com/guides/how-to-enable-cookies/auto

LocationsWatchAboutCareGive
Menu My Dashboard
Sign In

Sign in for a personalized experience.

    From Served to Serving: Why the PEACE Farm Is Now Accessible to All

    07/30/2021


    Twenty years ago, Carl’s life tragically changed forever. Twenty years later, God is still using that tragedy to transform other people’s lives for the better. One of those transformations has been the PEACE Farm at Saddleback’s Rancho Capistrano Campus, which thanks to Carl’s hard work, is now accessible to people with physical disabilities — something near and dear to Carl’s heart.

    20 YEARS AGO

    Carl vividly remembers the day he received the phone call that no parent ever wants to receive. His 17-year-old daughter, Kali, had been in a car accident and was hospitalized. She was in the hospital for two months before she could open her eyes. Her spine had been separated from her brain, leaving her unable to speak and with very limited mobility. 

    “It was the lowest moment of my life,” Carl said. “I really didn't want to live anymore at that moment.”

    Carl and his wife have been taking care of his daughter full time ever since. He acknowledged that it has been hard, but the limited ways his daughter can communicate make the work worth it. He says she still lights up when he walks in the room, even though she hasn’t spoken a word in 20 years. 

    “It was some pretty dark times,” he said. “But the Lord eventually showed me that, ‘You know what? As much as you want to fix everything, you can’t fix everything, Carl. Some things you can’t fix. And this is one of those things.’”

    “If I can help even one person survive something like what I’ve been through, then it’s worth it.”

    20 YEARS LATER

    The PEACE Farm provides Saddleback’s grocery distributions with fresh produce grown on campus at Rancho Capistrano. 

    “The food distribution system that Saddleback Church has for feeding the community has done an incredible job,” Carl said. “The fact that they can use this food that was grown with love to feed the people in our community — what a blessing is that?!”

    This year, Carl worked with the PEACE Farm team to make the farm accessible by constructing aisles, filled with a wheelchair-friendly soil, in between the planters. This makes it possible for volunteers in wheelchairs to serve at the farm. Carl said he wants to help in any way he can, but that creating opportunities for  people with disabilities is especially rewarding.

    “I've been through a big hurt here, with my daughter,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “I wouldn’t wish that on anybody to go through that with their kids, but my prayer is that through this experience if I can help even one person to survive something like what I’ve been through … then it’s worth it. And the PEACE Farm has been an incredible blessing to help serve the Lord and make an opportunity for people to get out here and help participate and be part of the story. That’s huge.”

    To learn more about getting involved with Saddleback’s PEACE Farm or grocery distributions, click here.

    Keep Growing

    IMAGEDESC
    Activate

    Activate is about helping you explore faith and God’s purposes for your life, while discovering opportunities to get connected and make an impact at Saddleback Church.

    Learn More

    IMAGEDESC
    Your Saddleback Companion

    Use our new app to watch the service, take notes, get in touch with your campus, discover and sign up for upcoming events, access care resources, connect with your small group, and so much more!

    Download Now

    My Dashboard
    LocationsWatchAboutCareGive

    Get Involved

    Adults

    • Newcomers Connection
    • Activate
    • Small Groups
    • Volunteer
    • Mission
    • Events

    For Your Family

    • Kids
    • Students
    • Parents

    Get Care

    • Prayer
    • Celebrate Recovery
    • Counseling
    • Support Groups

    Resources

    • Pursue Growth
    • Message Resources
    • Small Group Studies
    • Financial Tools
    • Podcasts
    • Apps

    More

    • Internships
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    © 2024 Saddleback ChurchPrivacy Policy