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April 2018 Prayer Letter
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Healing Hearts Ministries Internaional [LOGO]

Dear Friend,


Julie(right) with Linda(left)

The Hem of His Garment Bible Study casts a wide net to reach many women who suffer from their own sins or the sins committed against them. In August of 2017, I was introduced to Linda Padilla, whose husband had been murdered 12 years earlier. She was still suffering from enormous pain and sorrow and wondered if this Bible Study would be helpful to her. The following is Linda’s testimony of grief, suffering, and the power of God through His Word to heal the deepest heartbreak imaginable.

— Julie Zimmerman, Healing Hearts Mid-west Regional Director

"The Lord gives and takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord..."


I would like to share a tragedy that happened to our family 13 years ago. I will also be sharing how a pamphlet in the ladies’ room at my church and a short conversation about trauma helped in the healing of my heart.

I was at a midweek service with my husband and during the worship we were singing the song “Blessed Be Your Name.” There is a line in the song that says, “When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say Blessed be the name of the Lord.“ The thought came into my mind, will you still praise Him even if...? My first thought was about my younger daughter. She was in Africa on a mission trip with our church. We were still healing from two deaths in our family—my younger brother had died in a car accident in September, 2004, and six months later my mom passed away from cancer. My prayer was, please Lord protect my family.

Life goes on... My daughter returned safely and a few months later we started planning a family trip to England with our two daughters and my son-in-law. The day we were supposed to leave, my husband left early to take my younger daughter to work (our flight was not leaving until the early afternoon) and to go to the plumbing warehouse to pick up materials for a job his employees would be working on while we were away. While waiting for the warehouse to open, he drove to a local restaurant to have coffee. He never made it into the restaurant. There was a man waiting in the bushes with a loaded gun who shot and killed my husband. This is the darkness closing in...still I will say blessed be the name of the Lord.

As the days unfolded, so many promises from the word of God flooded my mind and my heart: I will never, no never leave you nor forsake you. The Lord is my strength and my shield; He is my ever present help in time of need. My God, you are sovereign over all, nothing surprises you.

My grieving journey began, but at the same time our family was dealing with the criminal justice system. It was a long and difficult trial that I would wish upon no one. There is no easy way to put into words the pain and grief you feel when someone is so violently taken from you. As painful and heartbreaking as the journey was, God was with us every step of the way. We were not in agreement with the decisions of the court, but all we could do was put it in God’s hands and trust Him.

The Lord gives...My younger daughter married and between my two daughters, six precious and healthy grandchildren have been born into our family. They make my heart happy, always! There has been much joy and sadness along the way. Grief is painful and adjusting to a new life without my husband was and is still hard. I always felt the Lord was with me even through the deepest darkest days—until last year, when I felt a coldness in my heart that was frightening. I would pray but could not hear nor feel that God was with me.

One day, I picked up a pamphlet from Healing Hearts Ministries in the ladies room at my church. The pamphlet listed several life circumstances that they help women with, but the word that stood out to me was TRAUMA. I have read many books on grief and widowhood but none that dealt with the murder of a spouse. A couple of weeks later at a women’s ministry gathering I talked with Julie, a Healing Hearts counselor, and shared a little of my story. I asked her if this study would help me. Julie was so kind and encouraging and told me about a study called The Hem of His Garment, which had helped so many women find peace and healing. The study uses the power of God’s word to deal with issues of the heart.

Through the years I had experienced much pain, but I wasn’t bringing it to the Lord. I just kept pushing it aside. It was too painful to talk about with anyone and I felt silence from God. As I went through the Hem of His Garment study, the Lord began to show me issues in my heart I had not dealt with. Some of these issues were justified, but because I had not brought them to the Lord, bitterness had set in.

When you go before Jesus and ask him to heal your heart and reveal your sin, He does just that. The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. I shared with Julie that this study felt like Jesus was doing an autopsy on my heart. That two-edged sword kept going deeper and deeper into my deceitful heart. The scripture in Hebrews 4:12-13 explains the process: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

I love the scripture that follows which shows God’s kindness and mercy towards us. Hebrews 4:14-16 talks about Jesus, the Great High Priest: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

My pastor shared these words with me recently: “As we go through a study like this, we can feel the boulder being moved from the road.” I know there will be more boulders ahead on my road here on earth, but as a child of God I know He causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes.

I will end with these words on what the Lord has shown me about suffering. Yes, suffering can be caused by people in our lives. In my story it was brought on by a stranger who chose to take my husband’s life. But I also brought suffering into my life by not being obedient to the Father.

There are many reasons why God may allow suffering in our lives. Even though your suffering may be different from mine, I am convinced we can know that God always has a purpose in it. The attached excerpt from John Piper has helped me put my thoughts into perspective. May it be a help and comfort to you as well.

I am always in awe of how God ministers to women through this study, and I’m thankful for Healing Hearts and the forever healing through God’s Word that took place for me as a client sixteen years ago. That same Word heals and changes hearts today and will continue to do so in the future.

client of Healing Hearts

Dear friend and supporter,

As a ministry that relies on the sufficiency of scripture to meet every need of the human soul, Healing Hearts has been given the humble privilege of having front row seats to witness the Wonderful Counselor do mighty works in the lives of those who seek healing in Him.

Linda Padilla’s story is truly an incredible, living testimony to the power of God’s Word when applied to the open wound of a suffering heart. The lifesaving heart surgery Linda experienced at the hands of the Great Physician, with the precise surgical instrument of the “two-edged sword” she described, can be summed up by John Mac Arthur, who had this insight: “If you think you can find answers to your spiritual problems through human counsel or worldly wisdom, you are forfeiting the most valuable and only reliable source of answers to the human dilemma. Do not relinquish the sweet, satisfying riches of God’s Word for the bitter gall of this world’s folly.”

Thank you for standing (and kneeling in prayer) with us as we draw from the “riches of God’s Word” to minister the message of hope and healing to those broken by sin. Your prayers and sacrificial giving, whether $25, $100 or more, are so essential in allowing this ministry to continue reaching out to the brokenhearted like Linda and equipping faithful counselors like Julie


In His Love,

Sue Liljenberg
President/International Director





Ways you can help



To Make a Donation

You 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