HOOF PRINTS
The Hope Reins of Raleigh Newsletter
Summer 2014
Hope in the Struggle
True hope and real healing is happening
every day at Hope Reins. As we approach
our 4th anniversary this July, I am in awe
of the transformative work that God has
done through our little ranch and group of
rescued horses. Since our inception, we have
served almost 1,000 hurting kids with over 2,300 sessions.
And it is because YOU chose to give of your time, talent and
treasure to support our cause of comforting the hurting.
As we are in full swing with our 2014 sessions, I am hearing
time and again from our parents the difference being at Hope
Reins is making in their child, as well as stories of healing
from our volunteers that are experiencing authenticity and
love through our beautiful community.
Here are a few quotes from a recent parent survey:
“Being at Hope Reins renewed her spirit and gave her hope.”
“Incredible listeners. Amazing session leaders. Hope
Reins saved my family.”
“It is truly such a peaceful place and I really feel the
presence of God here!”
With transformation and growth come challenges, struggles
and bumps in the road. Many of you that follow our weekly
newsletter know we were extremely close to losing Sonny
and Essie this past winter and spring, but you rallied and
fervently cared and prayed for them. Today, they are well.
Other illness has impacted 10 out of our 14 horses this
spring, threatening our sessions, BUT we adapted and have
taught our community of hurting children (150 kids on the
"...God's love has been poured out into our hearts through
the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." - Romans 5:5
active list in need of sessions) how to reciprocate the love and
care they’ve received from our angels in horsehair. Many of
our staff have also experienced difficult times, dealing with
everything from family crisis to a serious auto accident and
spiritual warfare, but YOU stood in the gap. Your prayers,
time talent and treasure have kept us going!
As an organization, we continue to seek the Lord’s guidance on
how we can continue shoring up our foundation and to increase
our capacity to serve more hurting children. We are standing on
the precipice of some BIG changes and opportunities for our
mission to grow – both strategically and financially. Experience
tells us whenever we take big steps to grow; we encounter
resistance and roadblocks from the enemy.
continued on p.2
Hope Reins of Raleigh, PO Box 99152, Raleigh, NC 27624 919 345 4914 www.hopereinsraleigh.org
continued from p.1
Continue to pray for Hope Reins - for our horses healing,
the children and families we serve, our volunteers and staff
to not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we
do not grow weary, and that God would continue to protect
and lead us with His vision. We know that God’s word tells
us that no weapon formed against us will prevail. Therefore
we are standing and holding high our shield of Faith and our
trust and hope is in the Lord.
“The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and
beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been
founded on the Rock.” Matthew 7:25
By Wednesday of every week, the children were asking
"When can we go work at the horse farm? When?" It
was in those days that the tide of change came in for
my family, especially for me. Wheelbarrows and shovels
became therapeutic.
As we scooped poop and pulled weeds on the physical
property, the spiritual filth and weeds in our own hearts
got cleaned up along the way. Smiles returned to our faces.
Where once there was only despair, hope had returned.
The staff, the horses, and the grounds at Hope Reins met
us at our point of most desperate need.
Restored
As time went on, session leaders and "angels in horsehair"
lavished love and understanding on my children, and
angels of a different kind, the listeners, lavished love and
understanding on me. I thank God for that day in the
dead of winter when my life unravelling and He sent me
to a horse farm where hope reined and we were restored.
It was the dead of winter, my family was falling apart at
the seams, the aftermath of an international adoption was
rocking our world, and I was angry. We needed help. That
is when I heard the ad for Hope Reins on the radio.
Sincerely,
Kelli Worley
BY KELLI WORLEY
A small voice urged me to go. The very next day was a Saturday,
and I set foot on the property for the very first time. God's
presence was overwhelming. He had clearly drawn us to this
place. We eagerly signed up for weekly barn chores, and we
learned how to "scoop horse poop" like pros.
A Privilege
to Serve
BY YVETTE NORTON
In 2010 the neighborhood newspaper told of a new ministry
serving children. It described the unique way horses are used
to reach children in need. It was a call for volunteers. Together
with my 11 year old daughter, we answered that call.
With every kind acquaintance we made at Hope Reins
we were quickly enfolded into this dedicated body of
volunteers. We came as if on a pilgrimage, joining the
faithful on a journey where our heavenly father would
reveal great kindness and love. My wish has always been
to serve, to show my daughter the value of serving others
instead of feeding all the wants of her young child’s heart.
Instead we have gotten so much more in return.
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continued on p.3
Opening Up to Hope
BY CHRISTY BURKEY
Rachel Nolen opened her front door 4 years ago on
November 22, 2009, to three soldiers dressed in Class
A’s. They came to deliver a message that changed her life
forever. James Nolen, her beloved husband and father to
7-year-old William and unborn baby girl, Jamie, had been
killed in Afghanistan.
Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may
abound in hope.”
The impact of the tragedy hit William hard - and over the
next several years, Rachel watched helplessly as her once
outgoing and fearless son, withdrew and become shy and
ill at ease. Middle school proved tough for William, and
although she knew he wanted to be strong for his Mom
and baby sister, he pulled more inward. He missed the
strength and reassurance of his father.
When The Army’s Army invited the family out to Hope
Reins for an afternoon event honoring the children of
fallen heroes, William found himself cast among dozens
of furry ‘angels in horsehair’ including Shiloh, a beautiful
dapple grey Pony. Rachel watched her sweet son slowly
embrace the relaxed setting of the ranch, as he groomed
Shiloh, played games with the other kids and talked with
staff members. “It was an amazing moment. The light
returned to his eyes. Shiloh opened up places in my son
that I tried and couldn’t,” said Rachel.
Since that day, William hasn’t stopped talking about his
return to Hope Reins to see Shiloh, and attend regular
sessions next spring. “I cannot thank Hope Reins enough,
and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him!”
continued from p.2
We have watched as storm fronts pull a shroud of black
clouds over the farm and threaten to pour rain. We have
experienced the stillness of the farm covered in snow and ice.
We have watched a herd of five horses grow into 14 and the
breadth of the farm expand to accommodate them all. We
have met horses who stayed for only a short while, sharing their
stories without words. We have served alongside volunteers
who quickly turn into friends, and together we have prayed.
I have held the faces of children, painting their faces with
colorful horses and watching as their faces light up. I get to
Photograph courtesy of The News & Observer
by Ethan Hyman, Staff Photojournalist
hear countless stories of renewal as yet more pilgrims come
hoping to mend broken hearts with the wordless counsel of a
horse friend who evokes God’s grace with its gentle acceptance.
I see members of my church join with other members of The
Church to build bridges. I see the heart of my daughter in all
its quiet strength and adolescent frailty.
For over three years we have served this ministry feeding
and caring for horses, praying for the greater impact it will
all make in the lives of those who enter Hope Reins. We
are privileged to serve even as we are served.
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A very important need
for Hope Reins…
As many of you know, this past winter and spring
proved extremely difficult for our angels in horsehair
– especially Sonny and Essie, both of whom almost
died. Thankfully, your prayers, the amazing team of
Hope Reins volunteers, and the NC State Vet School,
all contributed to a healthy recovery for both.
In addition, illnesses have impacted just about every
one of our horses this spring. Though we are thankful
the health of our horses is improving each and every
day, Hope Reins is saddled with over $20,000 in vet
and medical bills, and we still have 11 summer camp
scholarships that need to be funded. Our goal is to
raise $25,000 to cover these immediate expenses so
we can continue a summer full of hope and healing for
the kids and horses.
Please consider making a
monetary gift in
any amount.
Thank you for your continued generosity and support of
Hope Reins – whether it’s through gifts of time, talent or treasure.
Your heart for our cause of comforting the hurting and broken is truly
appreciated and gratefully acknowledged.
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Mane Event 2014
"The Sun is Rising"
A Benefit for Hope Reins of Raleigh
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Please join us as we share the rare and intimate
relationship that unfolds within the gates of Hope
Reins, as a child leaves pain and loneliness behind to
find a loving companion in an “angel in horsehair.”
For more information, contact Susan Clemmer at
919-345-4914 ext. 9 or [email protected].
God's Provision
God always gives us exactly what we need, sometimes in
the love and comfort of a furry friend, or sometimes in
the acceptance and trust of a human relationship. God
provided the friend eight-year old Abbey needed-- fun,
caring, thoughtful, and genuine…..and likewise for
Miss Bev, her session leader. After-all, in God's family
age doesn't matter. He binds our hearts together as
only He can.
After beginning their sessions with a big bear hug, the two
usually spend some time caring for Shiloh, the kind and
gentle white pony. Bev says she feels as if Abbey simply
needs a place where she feels at peace, a place where she
can escape the troubles that ‘bog down’ her little mind.
Abbey has suffered plenty of disappointment and
instability in her life as she constantly deals with the
upheavals of moving between parents, schools, and
guardians. Anxiety at home makes spending time
with Bev and the horses at Hope Reins even more
of a sanctuary of peace and freedom for Abbey.
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do
not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts
be troubled and do not be afraid.”
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God's Faithfulness
Finding a place to call home was
difficult for a little girl who lived
in three different foster homes
in one year. With a childhood
full of abuse, addiction, and
ultimately the death of her
mother, Zephi began to hate life,
fear adults, and lose touch with
her emotions. The 15-year-old
came to Hope Reins, fragile
and wounded, from subsequent
years of multiple foster homes
filled with violence and sexual
abuse.
Thankfully, a wonderful loving
family adopted Zephi and so
began her journey at the ranch.
“I actually felt at home,” Zephi
recalls from her first session at Hope Reins. "It felt so
open, and people actually cared and listened to me.”
God reached down into this beautiful girl's life and
opened her broken heart to His loving kindness. Zephi
has learned that although she cannot understand all
of God's purposes in
her pain, she knows
He is going to use
her story of Hope.
Zephi now serves
at
Hope
Reins
as a junior camp
counselor
during
the summer.
She
welcomes
the
opportunity to help
hurting kids – very
similar to herself
many years ago – and
teaches them about
God’s faithfulness.
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith – and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Staff Profile: Pat Zimmerman
Pat Zimmerman initially came to Hope Reins as a
listener. Her desire to be with families to lend an ear or
shoulder blossomed six months later into becoming the
Family Intake Coordinator for Hope Reins. Pat is the face
of Hope Reins; she is the first person families talk with as
they begin to navigate through the process of necessary
paperwork and scheduling appointments for hurting
children.
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What are the aspects of your
daily job?
I am the family intake coordinator
here at Hope Reins. My job
entails communicating with
the families about specific information about sessions as
well as helping them get through the paper work process.
continued on p.7
continued from p.6
However, my job is much more than that. The ultimate
goal I strive for is to help the child learn something about
themselves through the caring and love the horses can
give which in turn translates back to a relationship with
God. I believe that the hope of Hope Reins is the hope of
Jesus and that is what I want to get across to the families.
What are your favorite parts of your job?
My favorite part of my job is communicating with the
families. The families come in so hopeful and inspire me
in such an amazing way. When I began this job, I did not
know just how much these families would not only inspire
themselves but myself as well.
Are there any moments that stand out for you?
Another amazing part of my job is seeing the programs go
into effect. Once I see a child smile during a session or receive
an email saying how profound their experience was, that just
proves why this is such an important job. It is so amazing to
see this miracle as God using the horses, the farm and the
land to inspire the families which is such a great blessing.
What are some challenges you face and how do you
overcome them?
The largest challenge I face is reading the stories in
which it is clear the families have been through so much.
However, the way that I cope with this is that I know
that God picked me to do this job and He gives me the
strength to do this. It took me awhile to realize that Kim
has created a wonderful place not only for the families;
but for volunteers as well because you are able to grow
with your relationship to Christ which is the highest goal
and honor. I also wanted to include a personal thank you
to all that contribute to make this possible, because it is
such an incredible thing to reach out to a child and make
them smile and help them.
YOUR DONATION CAN HELP
CHANGE A CHILD'S LIFE.
Yes, I would like to partner with Hope Reins
to support children, horses and families in need.
$360 – 1 child for 3 sessions
$720 – 2 children for 3 sessions
$1,800 – 5 children for 3 sessions
$3,600 – 10 children for 3 sessions
Other _________
My gift will be paid monthly
in the amount of ____________
A check payable to "Hope Reins of Raleigh"
may be sent to:
P.O. Box 99152
Raleigh, NC 27624
Secure online donations can be made at www.hopereinsraleigh.org
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Hope Reins of Raleigh
PO Box 99152
Raleigh, NC 27624
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Raleigh, NC
Permit No.751
MAIL ADDRESS/POSTAGE
(front)
At Hope Reins we believe God provides comfort and hope through our rescued horses and broken stories.
Hope Reins offers children 90-minute
sessions, pairing them with a horse and a
trained leader free of charge. The ranch
is home to 14 horses with over 150 active
volunteers. Hope Reins has provided over
2,200 sessions with a child in need since
opening its doors in July 2010.