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March 2019 Prayer Letter
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![Healing Hearts Ministries Internaional [LOGO]](https://www.healinghearts.org/nimages/HHLetterhead_Web700.png) Dear Friend,  Part of our 2019 series of leadership testimonies  I first heard about Healing Hearts at the pregnancy care center where I had been volunteering for the past six months as an advocate for the men who came into the center. The center director told me about the post-abortion Bible study for men, Restoring a Father’s Heart (formerly Wounded Warrior), as a possible resource for my volunteer work there. I took a look at the website and saw the men’s Bible study, but I didn't see any “resources” that I thought I could use at the center―I was hoping to find brochures, booklets, etc. A few weeks later, the director asked if I would be interested in talking to a local Healing Hearts leader, and I agreed. The day the Healing Hearts leader came to the pregnancy center, our medical director and I sat down with her to talk about Healing Hearts. After the initial greetings, she asked what she could do for us. I asked her if she could recommend any resources that would be useful in working with the men who came to the center. She then looked me in the eye and asked if I was post-abortive. I hadn't told anyone at the pregnancy center about the abortion I had been part of 37 years earlier. There had been no box to check on the application signifying I had been involved with an abortion, and I didn't volunteer the information. Now I knew I had to confess the truth. I shared with her that I was in fact post-abortive, and right then she told me that I should enroll in their men’s Bible study. After she left, I told my abortion story to our medical director, and she relayed the story to our director, who happened to be out of the office that day. A couple of days later I enrolled in the Bible study, thinking I didn't really need it since the abortion hadn’t been my decision. After all, it had been the young woman’s decision―all I did was support her in that even though I didn't think it was the right thing to do. She had already made up her mind without any input from me, and at the time I thought the best I could do was just go along with it. Like so many people in this situation, we drifted apart after the abortion. With the exception of my wife, I hadn’t told anyone about the abortion until the day I met the woman from Healing Hearts at the pregnancy care center. All those years, I had tried to simply forget about it, suppress it, and sweep it under the carpet. Prior to that meeting, I thought I had done a pretty good job of keeping my past in the past. Even as I began the Bible study, I didn't really believe I needed help dealing with the abortion. But the more I studied God’s Word, the more I realized that I did, in fact, need help―a lot of help! I began to realize how much the abortion had affected my life negatively without my ever having pinpointed it as the source and cause. All those years, I denied having any personal responsibility in the abortion, believing it was solely her decision. Now I understood that my passivity and silence had actually given approval to it. Through Restoring a Father’s Heart and the power of God’s truth, I found the healing and restoration that I had denied needing for so many years. During my time of study, I grew closer to the Lord through His grace and mercy. I realized that it was permissible to grieve for the child that I never got a chance to meet. The burden of guilt and shame was finally lifted. Sometime during the last few chapters of the study, my counselor Alan asked me if I would prayerfully consider becoming a Healing Hearts counselor for men. I responded that I would consider it. I never wanted to have to tell this story, but maybe God saw this differently―maybe God had plans for my abortion story; maybe God wanted to use my story for His glory. After praying about it, I felt led by God to step out in faith and move forward into leadership training. And now this is where God can take my story, the story I tried to hide from, and use it for His glory. Working with men through this ministry has been a great experience for me. I get to personally witness other men find the healing and restoration they seek and need in Jesus Christ. I get to observe firsthand how amazed they are that God is restoring them through the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ.
It has been encouraging to witness the growth of our Men’s ministry over the past few years. John is part of the fruit of your faithful prayers and donations. In addition to updating our post-abortive men’s study, Restoring a Father’s Heart, this past year, we’re excited to share that we are working on another study for all men that will be titled Touch of the Master’s Hand. We would love to see an additional $5,000 raised in the coming year to help us see projects like this through to completion. Thank you for your on-going support and partnership in the Gospel!.
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Ways you can help
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To Make a DonationYou may use the donation form on our website to make a donation, or you may also submit your check to the address provided below. Healing Hearts Ministries is a federally registered non-profit corporation, all contributions are tax deductible. One hundred percent of all contributions made to Healing Hearts go directly toward supporting the various aspects of our ministry no "administrative fee" is collected by a fund-raising service. All donations and expenditures are internally and independently monitored and audited. Annual financial statements are available upon request. We thank you for considering contributing to our ministry. Your contribution will enable us to reach out and touch individuals who need the hope and healing message that only Jesus has to offer. To donate online click this link: https://www.healinghearts.org/donate Send checks to: Healing Hearts Ministries PO Box 44670 Rio Rancho, NM 87174 phone (505) 355-6922 |