About Us

Betty Davis and her 4 sons, Frankie, Patrick, Joshua and Ryan, moved to Barstow, California from Temecula ,California nearly four years ago.

A successful Realtor, Betty had come to the Barstow area to search for investment propeperties while visiting her sister. Discussing the plight of the youth in the area, she began praying for the Lord to bring someone to the area who could start a Student Venture ministry to work with the youth. Little did she know that the Lord was sending her, and the only investment she would be making was in the hearts of the youth of Barstow.

Once in Barstow, Betty’s oldest son Frankie was beginning his senior year of high school at Barstow High School. With great determination, Frankie successfully planted the first Student Venture club on the high school campus. Shortly after that, the doors of Barstow Junior High opened up for a lunchtime club. At the current time, the Lord is opening the doors of opportunity on several other campusus in the surrounding areas as well as in the Victorville area. The Lord has shown Betty that He will plant a Student Venture Club on every high school and junior high campus from the Cajon Pass to Newberry Springs.

The ministries goal is to work with the local churches, families and community to give every child an opportunity to make a choice for Jesus.

Student Venture Barstow does several things outside the campsus. From one on one discipleship to group Bible study, they are able to really get to know the young people and dig deep concerning their questions and issues about life and God.

The young people have a chance to go to leadership camp twice a year. Once in the Winter, Fastbreak Winter Camp and once in the Summer, Getaway Conference. They also hold small retreats at various times during the year.

There is a two week in depth Bible School called Bible Boot Camp in the summer.

There are several events each year including the Good Friday Community Crosswalk, ‘One’ which is a night where all of the youth from all of the community and churches get together to worship as one, and they also have fund raising dinners where the community and local businesses do an amazing job supporting our youth to go to camp.

There is a Tuesday night Bible study called Holy Nation where people from 5 years old to 95 years old can come and worship the Lord. Originally started by Frankie, Holy Nation was designed to be a college aged study, but it has grown into an area to meet the needs of several age groups.

The youth in Student Venture works around the community at different times volunteering at the local homeless shelter, the local retirement home and anyplace they are called.

Through this ministry, the staff has been able to deal with several young people in the foster care system as well as homeless youth and criminal youth. In these groups, they have difficulty holding onto these young people. Their lives are so sporadic, they tend to move around. Their issues are so deep, and they don’t feel they get to spend enough time with them to effect lasting change.

The Lord placed it upon Betty’s heart to open a home for these particular young people with these types of circumstances. A place they can call home, and a place where they can experience genuine love, acceptance and care. Her desire is that they would be healed of the wounds from their experiences, that they woiuld understand that their past experiences do not define who they are, and they would someday leave the home and go off to college. It is her prayer that the would become successful, functional and healthy minded adults despite their prior circumstances.

The goal of Betty’s family is to continue to serve Jesus through Student Venture and Dayspring Ranch in the Mojave Desert for as long as the Lord would have them do so. With their staff of 12 including volunteers and interns, they believe they can create lasting and eternal impact for Jesus in the lives of the young people of Barstow, Victorville and the surrounding areas.

Betty and hers sons, Frankie, Joshua and Ryan currently attend First Baptist Church in Barstow. Her son Patrick and his beautiful wife, Crystal, currently attend New Life Fellowhship in Barstow. Betty and Frankie now Co-Direct Student Venture @ the High Desert, and Frankie is also a Junior at Biola University majoring in Biblical Studies.