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| Annointed Zephyr Winds More About Mellinda "Mel" G. Hansen |
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| Mellinda "Mel" G. Hansen-Holloway email me here |
| My Story. I was born in Kansas and spent my school years in the big city of Kansas City, KS with my parents and my summers in the little town of Lyons, KS with my maternal grandparents. One of my earliest memoires is of attending Vacation Bible School at Ebenezer UMC in Lyons, KS. Another is horseback riding at my baby-sitter's house. Life for me seemed to be about God, family, horses, art and learning. It still is. I grew up drawing pictures, dreaming of owning horses, and going to church. I lived the life of a misfit tomboy who cared more about horses than about boys or clothes. I didn't learn to really appreciate the latter until I went to college. When I was thirteen, I got my first horse, Flicka. She had belonged to my cousin, and was a Quarterhorse / Standardbred mix. A pretty little sorrel with only a small sliver of a white marking on her forehead, she was perfect in my eyes. Of course, she did look a little odd. The combination of a Standardbred head on a Quarterhorse body is more than a little comical, but I loved her anyway. She lived to be 29. We used her as a lesson horse at the barn up until the last 6 months of her life, which meant I didn't get much of a chance to ride the last few years of her life. Bummer..... My family moved from Kansas to South Carolina when I was 13. This was quite a culture shock for me as I had no clue what the Southern culture was about, but I adapted well, and so did my family and horse. As time progressed I learned how to ride English Hunt Seat as well as the Western Pleasure I had learned in Kansas. By the time I graduated from high school, I was a fairly good rider in both disciplines, though I did preferred to ride bareback. I was also creating art work and participating in local art shows. Missionary work caught my attention as well, and I worked with a SCUMC group called Salkehatchie Summer Service. This group is still in existence and during the summer repairs underprivileged peoples' homes for free. All of this activity sent me off to college with a desire to pursue art, horses and God, in that order. Eventually, I reorganized my priorities and put God first. I studied art in undergraduate school and got two degrees in art, an A.F.A. from Brevard College in Brevard, NC, and a B.A. from the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC. I was an active member of the Wesleyan Fellowship at both colleges and participated in the BSU as well. After undergraduate school, I went to Duke Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, NC. I kept up my interest in horses and art, and by the time I had graduated from seminary, I had figured out a way to combine two of the three into a career. I became an Art and Christian Education Consultant to Churches. I teach Christians how to use the arts in their ministries and worship. Meanwhile I still make art. My goal is to eventually combine all three with a retreat center that focuses on art, horses and God. I hope to achieve this sometime in the next few years. For now my husband, Rondell, and I live in Saxapahaw, NC (near Chapel Hill) with our five dogs and three horses. We are expecting our first child in August 2005. I work at a local seminary, Apex School of Theology. I am also working on my Ed.D. at NC State University. I still work with horses. I am now a certified Sidesaddle Instructor/Judge. I offer lessons in sidesaddle riding, and I train and show Arabians. If you are interested in learning more about riding sidesaddle, Art in the Christian Church, or anything else I have mentioned on this website, contact me via e-mail at the address below. |
| Welcome to my page about me! Allow me to introduce myself. I am an Artist, Christian Educator, former Diaconal Minister in the UMC, and an Equestrian. Somehow I manage to pursue all of my great loves. I love God, horses, art, and teaching. True to God's word, I have been given the opportunity to do all of the above. I hope you enjoy learning about them and me in these pages. |