Gavin and Heather Falconer from Edinburgh have been serving as Reach Beyond missionaries in Ecuador for more than two years. They are now preparing to return for a longer period. We talked to them about the unusual focus of their ministry.
Q: Your main area of service is in hippotherapy – what exactly is that?
Heather: Hippotherapy is physiotherapy on horseback. It is a great therapy for children with disabilities. It uses the horse's movement to exercise and strengthen the rider’s core muscles, to improve posture and balance. When the horse walks, the rider’s pelvis moves in the same pattern as a human walking. This means that it can really help children who can’t walk well, or at all, to improve or develop their walking. But most of all, hippotherapy is FUN! It makes them happy, and that makes their parents happy!
Q: Does it work?
Heather: Yes!! The science shows that it can be up to 5 times more effective than regular physiotherapy in developing motor skills in children with disabilities. It also helps children with sensory problems (e.g. autism or ADHD) to be calm and to concentrate. Many children will trust and form a relationship with their horse more readily than with a person. We have seen a number of children speak their very first words to their horse!
Q: Can you share a story of a child that’s benefitted?
Heather: There are so many but one is the story of Emily. Emily is 4 and has cerebral palsy with associated blindness. Her mum Magali is a single mum with two girls. Emily first came to us at 3 years old. She was unable to roll over or to sit up. Because of her blindness she got very anxious if she wasn’t strapped to her Mum at all times and so wasn’t developing any motor skills. Her mum was alone, with no friends or family locally to support her.
Through riding, Emily gradually gained confidence. Her muscles strengthened and she started to develop her motor skills. She started sitting independently to play. This helped her eyesight to improve as she learned to look at toys. Recently I visited her family at home. At first Magali was reluctant to let me see her simple home, but letting me in deepened our friendship and gave me the opportunity to share my faith and pray with her.
Q: In what ways is this a ‘Hands of Jesus’ project?
Gavin: The families of children with disabilities are often the poorest in their communities. By developing relationships with them we aim to ‘Be Love’ to these families by helping them in a practical, literally hands-on way. We have seen many examples of parents' lives transformed from despair to hope as their children start to demonstrate their potential.
Q: Apart from hippotherapy, Gavin has a new ministry focus. Tell us about that.
Gavin: I am delighted to have been invited to join the ‘APOYO Pastoral’ project, with the aim of supporting and training pastors of local churches in Ecuador. In practice, we provide training in skills for effective church leadership. Through this we build relationships to provide support and mentoring for pastors who may be isolated both physically and emotionally; leading a church is a very demanding job!
Q: You are hoping to go back to Ecuador for an extended period of five years. How can people get involved?
Heather: Please pray for us! Ask God to provide the funds that we need to continue our ministry of bringing healing through hippotherapy and supporting churches. And pray for the Holy Spirit to touch the lives of all who attend our therapy sessions and for more opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus with the families as our relationships deepen.
To be part of Gavin & Heather’s support team, visit their web page - or to sponsor a number of miles for their journey back to Ecuador, go to Just Giving.
