PRECOVERY
LEARN MORE ABOUT
Your Life Is Worth Rejoicing
EMBRACING THE INHERENT VALUE IN EVERY PERSON
At TrueStep Ministries, we're dedicated to helping those who are coming out of difficult situations, whether that be generational or personal addiction, abuse, depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, neglect, or all of the above. We know trauma must be worked through by reestablishing trusting relationships and experiencing healing environments. For children and young adults, our precovery services are focused on helping them see goodness in themselves and the world again.
HERE'S A LOOK AT OUR PRECOVERY PROGRAMS & MATERIALS:
STAR RANCH
STAR
=
Saving Those At Risk
"I don't believe what my eyes are seeing. She's actually smiling again!"
WHY WE DO IT
It's been proven hands-on interaction with horses reduces anxiety, stress, and depression in troubled kids. Even just being around the horses, watching them move about, listening to the sounds they make, and touching them lifts their spirits. Being in the company of a horse is often less intimidating than being around other people at first.
Caring for the horses builds confidence and trust. It increases the participant’s ability to communicate. It even shapes their concept of who they are and what they are able to do. As the horse responds with trust, and depends on the care the participant provides, they begin to see themselves as worthwhile. Their self-acceptance grows.
Working with a horse and attempting to direct its behavior gives the participant a new perspective about boundaries because they see the effect of their actions in the horse’s response.
HOW WE DO IT
At STAR Ranch, we work with at-risk youth to gently offer healing through working with horses. It’s incredible to see a smile on the face of a child as they heal from broken homes, abuse, and so many other issues. We also work with youth and young adults from the court system and from the community. Hopefully, with your support, we will be able to purchase more ranches for sale in order to expand our operations in the future.
Through the incredible majesty of horses and the excitement that working with these beautiful animals can bring, at-risk folks from all walks of life have the chance to experience healing in many different ways.
Here, participants explore issues such as trust, responsibility, confidence, and expectations as they learn to care for, and ultimately ride these fantastic animals. Past participants have included children, teens, and adults dealing with domestic abuse situations, recovery centers, and those with emotional or physical disabilities.
WHAT WE DO
Participants learn how to feed and groom the horses along with specialized winter horse care from animal to animal. Usually the horses feed from an outdoor horse hay feeder but they will take food from hands too. They learn how to handle a horse, how to saddle it, and eventually they learn the basics of riding the horse.
As a participant works with the horses, we use the interaction to teach them lessons about how horses learn and how they react with instructions. For example, we might ask them to try to get the horse to move to a particular location without ever touching the horse. They may try clapping or yelling, only to find that the horse gets confused or frightened. Because of their own abuse, they can relate to the way the horse feels.
When a participant first tries to lead a horse, they may pull on the rope as if trying to drag the horse in the direction they want to go. When the horse balks, they discover that the best way to lead a horse is not in front or behind the horse, but by its side. Again, not so different from their own reaction to authority.
SKIPS TO JESUS
A collection of 14 short videos each with a combination of puppetry and animation, Skips to Jesus follows the character "Much Afraid" as she journeys to the high places and is loosely based upon the novel Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.
Hinds’ Feet on High Places is an allegorical novel by Hannah Hurnard that illustrates the Christian journey from immature believer to mature believer. It was published in 1955 and follows the story of a girl named Much Afraid through her journey to the peak of the mountain. The story is an allegory for the journey of a Christian to Christ. Throughout the story, Much Afraid must go through trials to connect with her higher self. Although the tests seem extreme, and she wonders why the Shepherd is not helping her, he is allowing her to find peace in her suffering and continuation of the journey. She could listen to the negative emotions shouting at her and turn back to live in spiritual distress, but she continues going. Her pain purifies her, and when she reaches the top, she is able to look compassionately through the eyes of Christ at the suffering of her fellow man.
AN ANIMATED SERIES TO HELP KIDS PROCESS HARD CONCEPTS AND OVERCOME TRAUMA.
Every name in the book is the embodiment of some part of the human condition, both good and bad. Everything that Much Afraid experiences is directly related to what our spirits go through as we grow up and learn to connect to our higher selves. She is transformed by her experiences and able to overcome some of the more base human emotions. This transformation changes her outlook on the rest of the world and where she got her start. The allegory is much-beloved by many Christians and offers a beautiful look into how we can come out on the other side of our suffering healed and as more compassionate people. Much Afraid becomes something altogether beautiful through her painful life experiences and is able to return to help transform others.