Horses helping people
Meredith Campbell and Mr Gregson, a 32 year-old rescue horse who loves to be part of the therapy team.
Meredith Campbell wonders what God is up to in YOUR community.
I had the most amazing privilege to go to a conference in Queensland for nine days which was about using horses to help people.
It was organised by EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth And Learning Association), a worldwide non-profit organisation that started in America about 10 years ago.
Instead of having therapy in an office with a counsellor, you can have therapy with a counsellor, a horse person and some horses in an arena.
This is not about riding.
This method produces some fascinating results and many people have benefited greatly from this approach. You have to see it to believe it. The model has really taken off in the US but is still in an embryonic stage in Australia.
Three of us from the Huon area travelled to Queensland for the conference and we are now thinking creatively about how we can develop what we have learned and how we can use our resources to help the community around us and the groups we are currently connected to.
One project is an introductory workshop for the Hartz Region leaders and perhaps a few bishops in the near future. It is an excellent model for team building and self discovery.
My involvement with EAGALA has drawn me to writing letters of support for project submissions using EAP (Equine Assisted Psychotherapy) and offering my services to help in a 'hands on' way.
I am sure there will be many more connections and bridges built with those caring for disadvantaged youth in the Huon.
Fresh Expressions is discerning what God is up to in our communities and then joining in the work that he has already begun. Many in our community are discovering that to be with a horse is a great privilege and much can be learned from these amazing creatures.
Horses are great to look at, feel, smell, ride, discover and be in therapy with. I was reminded once more how awesome our God is, to make horses in such a way that they can actually be used to reflect what is going on inside people - they can often tell what is going on before we do.
How great is our God who made a world in such a way that we are still being surprised by new insights and discoveries!
All the connections that are being made through horses in the community are really emerging in quite a substantial way. It is not just 'horsey' people but youth at risk, local businesses, track and trail people, community health and welfare organisations, refugees, politicians, neighbours and more.
These connections I see as 'preparing the soil' and as I prepare, seeds of God are being dropped here and there which I trust the Lord to water and grow.
I wonder what God is up to in your community?