When one feels called by God to pursue a passion to serve others, the only appropriate response is to lay down the more trivial aspect of your life and follow His message blindly. Many people who have followed their calling have found that it leads to a much deeper fulfillment than they could ever have imagined.
Serving others through the healing ministry of physical and emotional therapy is a perfect expression of His love. In the case of one woman, becoming an equine therapist continues to be one of the greatest struggles and most spiritually fulfilling experiences that she has ever embarked upon.
To become an equine therapist, Leslie Clark had to embark on a course of studies that required 100-mile round trips every day on top of hours of studying. Hailing from Ridgeville, South Carolina, Leslie knew that she was called to use her land and her horse to bring healing and the Gospel to others well before she knew about equine therapy. Although she found a course of study freely offered by a faith-based service, it was located dozens of miles away from her home.
Still, she braved the long hours of driving, partially sustained by financial aid from Rein and Shine, the service offering the classes, in order to attend. She found a true love for helping others with disabilities through activities with her equine friends that she got to handle through the course. This article published by WORLD even talks about a number of prayer groups that sprung up to help Leslie reach her goal.
Today, Horse In Services (HIS) Ministries, run by Leslie and her husband, Sidney, operates a program for disabled patrons and partners with at-risk youth programs to provide faith-based volunteer work for troubled teens. Since beginning the service, Leslie believes that close to 300 people have professed their faith in Christ and the Gospels by attending HIS Ministries events and programs.
An honest, respectful relationship with the creatures in our domain absolutely brings ourselves into a more perfect union with God. Deer Creek Structures believes that the special relationship between man and horse is one to be treasured for the many benefits it can bring us, emotionally and spiritually.
*Image courtesy of Santhosh Kumar