Sunday, Jan. 02, 2011

Granados: Finding a place where Hope Reins

With so much development in North Raleigh, it's hard to miss the few natural spaces that remain.

Drive on Creedmoor Road from the direction of Baileywick, and just past Interstate 540 on your left you'll see 70 acres of nearly untouched land. I drive that way many times a week and delight in seeing the horses roaming or seeking shelter in the shade of trees.

The land has been there for as long as I can remember, but a few years back a mysterious addition appeared: a cross, placed prominently in the field. A sign on the fence bordering this land says the pasture is the future site of the Bay Leaf Baptist Church. The church owns the land, and for the time being, a portion of it is being leased out to a special mission: Hope Reins of Raleigh.

Kim Tschirret is the founder and president of Hope Reins. The group took possession of the property last February. On it live seven horses that have been rescued from varied situations of neglect and abuse. Hope Reins pairs the horses with children who are sick or traumatized in some way. The pairing serves as a mutual therapy for both child and horse.

"The one common denominator with Hope Reins is brokenness," Tschirret said. "And the people who come to us have all experienced some sort of brokenness in their lives."

Tschirret learned of the property when visiting it for an Easter egg hunt sponsored by Bay Leaf Church. She had recently finished reading a book about a project in Oregon upon which she wanted to model Hope Reins. She went to the church to see if she might be able to use some of the land for her idea. The church agreed easily.

"I think they were hungry to have ministry on the property," Tschirret said. "The timing was really right for both of us. Things just happened very quickly for Hope Reins."

To get an idea of the kind of impact Hope Reins can have for children, Tschirret told me the story of one of her horses named Maverick. I met him. He's a gentle giant that warmed up to me quickly after I let him sniff my hand. Before long, he was pursuing me from the other side of a fence, seeking attention.

In his previous life, Maverick did eventing, a sort of triathlon for horses. He was eventually sent to Hope Reins after a cyst in one eye damaged his vision.

On one particular day, Maverick was paired with a 17-year-old girl. The volunteers at Hope Reins didn't know the girl's background, but one of the group's leaders felt compelled to put her with the horse. Later, the leader asked why the girl had come to Hope Reins. Turns out she had three brain tumors, one of which was pressing down on her right eye causing her to go blind. She had more in common with the horse than anybody could have anticipated.

"A lot of the people look at the horses we have and say they have no use," Tschirret said. "They have a real purpose with us."

Volunteers show children how to take care of the horses, feed them, ride them and even clean up after them. The experience gives the children a sense of accomplishment, enjoyment and a safe place in which to open up. And rather than talk to the children about their own issues, volunteers tell the children about the horses' lives and struggles so they can make a connection.

"Everything we do is very side-by-side casual," Tschirret said. "We'll even walk away for a little bit and let the child talk to the horse."

As it turns out, the horses I see from Creedmoor Road when I drive past the field aren't from Hope Reins. They belong to another company and, as of Jan. 1, they're moving on. The cross alone will remain.

That field and the rest of the 70 acres of natural land now owned by the church stayed in that condition for so long because of the Bailey family. They are the original owners of the property. Bay Leaf Baptist Church is the spiritual home for the family, and the family sold the land to the church so that something good could come of it in the future.

Marty Jacumin, pastor of Bay Leaf Baptist Church, said one day he hopes to have an actual church facility built on the property. Bay Leaf Baptist has one location near Six Forks Road and a location in the Wakefield community. With this third location, the church would be able to reach the widest possible number of people. But it will be a while before a church is built on the site. In the meantime, Hope Reins will continue.

"Right now it's just a good way for that land to be used," Jacumin said.

Hope Reins is religious, though it isn't loud about its beliefs. And it's not exclusive. Children and volunteers don't have to agree with the group's beliefs to participate.

Hope Reins' main mission is just to be a force for healing in the world.

"We just feel like we're offering God's love to people," Tschirret said. "And we're doing that through the horses."