We are Starting a Horse Ministry
When I started this journey a little over a year ago, I had no idea the path it would take me on. I released Our Healing Farm in March of 2022. I started my blog and social media to share my health journey. I also sprinkled in some farm build stuff because who wants to hear about illness all the time? It wasn’t, but maybe three weeks into that, I boosted a post about how I got even sicker after explanting my breast implants. Eight hours later, they prohibited my post and shadowbanned my account. I had hoped to be able to help those out who got even sicker after explanting. Looking back, I laugh at myself, thinking, why would social media want to boost a Lyme disease story that mentions breast implant illness? Both are controversial. I’ll chalk it up to my brain damage for not thinking that through!
I was so upset when my account got shadow banned, and I lost my ability to boost posts. I put in all this work learning how to do the social media thing and designing a website. Then put myself out there to the world to just have it all come to a slow halt. I went from gaining twenty followers a day to being pretty much unseen.
I told Blake I needed to step away and seek what God wanted us to do next. We decided to go to my stepdad’s cabin for a weekend, where we spent time in prayer. We both felt the Lord’s prompting to open our farm to help others. But we had no idea what that would look like.
About three days after getting home from our trip, I got awakened in the night by the words Horse Ministry. Then I remembered Blake coming home a few months before asking me to listen to a Dr. Dobson podcast with Kim Meeker about her horse ministry. It’s a fantastic podcast that I recommend all to listen to.
So at three in the morning, I sat and prayed on my couch for the Lord to show me what the words Horse Ministry meant. I then Googled Christian horse certification and found Unbridled with Elaine Davis, where we could get trained and certified in Faith Based Equine Assisted Philosophy.
FBEAP is the only equine-assisted learning training program out there that is Christ-centered. FBEAP is a tool that locates lies from the enemy that we have believed to be true and replaces them with the truth that sets us free. It teaches us to recognize and accurately respond to the Holy Spirit. It’s pretty amazing!
Instantly I knew we had to go. So I told Blake, and we signed up that same week. It was such a long wait until September. My mother-in-law also went with us. We drove the long thirteen-hour drive to Minnesota from Michigan. Though it was long, it was so fun and memory-making.
Once there, we were separated into groups for our exercises with the Holy Spirit and the horse. Each person God knew the exact exercise they needed. We witnessed breakthrough after breakthrough. It was one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever had God show me. He was bringing healing that whole weekend to everyone. Blake and I were both shown God’s immense need for more leaders and that we can start this ministry. God also showed Blake to slow down and remember to spend more time listening to him. God helped Sherri, my mother-in-law, with her fear of horses and to not stay in regrets but instead press on into the future.
When I went to the certification, I was overcome with the feeling of Can’t. After being sick with Lyme Disease and having brain damage from it, I couldn’t do many things. So I felt so incapable. I had to lunge a horse in the round pen for my exercise. I had never done that before. Instantly I froze, thinking I can’t do this. I was not going to understand with my brain damage how. I thought all these people were watching and I would fail! Now at first, I did struggle to figure it out. But God kept pushing, telling me I could and could do it all the way. By the end, Cha Cha the horse, was running around that pen! God showed me just because I’m fighting an illness, it may have my flesh, but it doesn’t get my spirit! I can do new hard things when he is helping me!
The certification also specialized in trauma recovery. God opened our eyes to all the different kinds of trauma and what trauma does to our brains. God showed us an immense need for him to heal his people. It was there God spoke to me. I, too, needed to deal with my buried trauma. Unbridled led me to Door of Hope Ministries. An incredible ministry that helps with mental health and overcoming trauma. I completed one of their Immanuel Lifestyle groups, which was life-changing, so much so that we will be implementing Immanuel Lifestyle in our ministry!
God taught us so much that weekend. He showed us the immense need for his believers to get healing so they can better witness for his kingdom.
At Our Healing Farm, we want the people God brings us to receive the breakthroughs we experienced or saw that weekend. We want our farm to be where people can come and have a closer relationship with The Lord. Where they can still themselves to hear the Holy Spirit speak to them. Where some may even find The Lord for the first time.
God has called all of us believers to do something. He has a plan for your life. The enemy tries and many times succeeds in crippling us to accomplish it. How can hurting people help others? I believe it’s to begin their healing journey and get a deep intimate relationship with Jesus.
There are so many Christians and non-believers that are mentally struggling. Feeling distant from God and struggling with trauma. At Our Healing Farm, we pray it can be a place of hope for healing. So people can live the life God has called them to lead!
So if God is nudging you that you want to receive Healing that only comes from The Holy Spirit, and you think it would be so cool to do it alongside a horse, and you live near Caro, Michigan. Please reach out to us. We are here for you. If you are not in Michigan, check out Unbridled’s website and see if an FBEAP-certified place is nearby. Also, I encourage people struggling with deep depression and deep-rooted trauma to look into Door of Hope Ministries. They can help!
You may be reading this thinking I have horses and could possibly do this on my farm. Do it, look into unbridledfaith.org, and get certified. We need FBEAP to take off all over the world! It’s life-changing!
With Love,
Melissa
References:
https://www.unbridledfaith.org/ Elaine Davis Founder of FBEAP.
https://www.doorofhopeministries.org/
