Emily Havanka
“Horses have marked my life and, most importantly, my faith journey. As a young girl, my Shetland pony, Acorn, was my safe haven and our friendship was formative.
My love for Acorn brought me peace, joy, and companionship. Our bond reflected God’s kindness and inspired my love for the Lord.
I could always find the presence of the Holy Spirit outside with Acorn. My eyes feasted daily on open fields, horses running, and tall grasses dancing in the wind. The smell of fresh air and the view of wide open spaces is still to this day an emotional trigger that floods me with peace and connects me to God.
My pony was a large part of my path to Christ. The aim of Glory Hill is to provide a safe place for children and teens to experience the joy of the Lord and to have a faith focused community to bolster them as they grow and develop”.
Emily graduated from Fairfield University with a Bachelors degree in Marketing. After working in Corporate America for several years, she answered the call of God to start Glory Hill Farm and move from Boston to North Carolina where she met her husband, Caleb. She is now a PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and loves to share her passion for animals and farm life with the next generation.
emily@gloryhillfarm.org
Caleb Havanka
Caleb is a trained and certified Wilderness First Responder skilled at teaching and practicing rugged wilderness survival. Caleb attended a 3 year outdoor leadership/survival program where he received a Bachelor's degree in Leadership Ministry. During his time in the program, he learned survival skills, led physical training, hiked numerous mountains (including a 69 mile hike in 72 hours), and went on many disaster relief trips including Wilmington, NC (Hurricane Florence), the British Virgin Islands (Hurricane Irma), and Louisiana (Hurricane Ida).
In Caleb’s free time he loves to study history, law, and Scripture, go on hikes, horseback ride, and work on the farm alongside his wife and son. His passion is to share his love for God’s truth with the next generation and to equip young men to boldly proclaim and defend the true message of Christ in this pivotal point in history.
Špela Howell, Program Leader
I grew up in Slovenia, a country beautifully diverse in nature but a country that is not familiar with the message of the Gospel nor the knowledge of God’s love for all of us. I was born to parents who didn’t know God and who only occasionally went to Catholic mass. Needless to say by the age of 16 I was deep in drugs, steeped in rebelliousness, and very depressed and broken. It was in the heights of that time that God reached down to me in the form of a friend sharing how she personally met Jesus. I was touched - but skeptical! As a response to the challenge I felt in my heart, I decided to hold God to what i heard about Him and ask Him to reveal Himself to me if He is truly alive. Oh He did! He showed me how free I can be in Him, how He can fill me with Love for others, and how He can make my life purposeful because now I am Loved by the King of Kings and I can Love His most beautiful Son, Jesus. It was the beginning of the best Journey, and the most important Journey, I have ever taken or ever will take. I love God not just because He set me free from drugs, immorality, and depression but because He continually sets me free and reveals Himself to me, because His love is worth losing it all. The best life to live is a life with Him and for Him.
When He Saved me from the destruction of sinful life, I spent countless hours walking the woods, sitting by the brook, and climbing the hills where I could pray quietly and start learning to read the Bible and listen to His Voice. He chose His creation to help me practically, by disconnecting from my worldly friends and ways and to start teaching me His way. So here I am, so many years later, still loving those quiet places of His nature, and I would like to share these special moments in nature that God uses with others too.
Sarah Schlager, Program Leader
Why I love God:
What’s not to love? He has led me through so many specific things with incredible wisdom and faithfulness. The more I realize and experience His stable character and trustworthiness in all things, the more I’m motivated to trust Him and keep pursuing Him.
Why I love nature:
I love being in nature because seeing the creativity of God in the tiny details of even a leaf or fungus makes me talk to Him about it and fall in love with Him more.
Carolina Manser, Board of Directors
Carolina was born and raised in Switzerland; her steadfast love and appreciation for nature, farm life and the outdoors has always been present. She believes the Lord’s Light shines the brightest in the glory of His creation.
Growing up with three siblings, Carolina has graciously learned (and continues to learn!) the importance of acceptance, community, forgiving love, and sharing and the fundamental role each plays in the fabrication of our lives, especially as children. “Children in particular are so enthusiastic for learning. It’s so remarkable what can happen when we provide them with the love and nurturing of Christ, especially from a young age.”
Carolina is passionate about mentorship. Having been both a mentee and mentor herself, she has experienced the ground-breaking impact these personal relationships can have on one’s heart!
Jackie Bakes, Board of Directors
Jackie grew up spending the bulk of her time outdoors- her childhood home was surrounded by thousands of acres of conservation land. She fondly remembers walking around the nearby reservoir, dipping her feet in cool creeks on hot summer days, and listening to the coyotes howl as the sun went down. Her appreciation for the beauty and majesty of creation led her to The One that made it.
After graduating college, Jackie moved to NYC. While the big city is a far cry from how she grew up, she relished even the smallest tree or tiniest garden amidst the concrete jungle. She realized then just how much impact nature can have to quiet a busy mind and to help us refocus our attention on the Lord.
Jackie whole-heartedly believes that teaching children to find God in His creation can leave a lasting effect that will benefit them for a lifetime.