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August 2010 Prayer Letter
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![Healing Hearts Ministries Internaional [LOGO]](https://www.healinghearts.org/nimages/HHLetterhead_Web700.png) Dear Friend, Greetings from the Foreign Missions Department of Healing Hearts Ministries International! We would like to thank you for your support of our foreign missions in the past and would like to share with you about our recent mission trip to Bulgaria and Romania in May 2010. Kathy Kennard and her husband, Richard, traveled to Bulgaria to follow up on a work that God had started 6 years earlier. In 2004, Kathy and a group of Canadian women had traveled to Bulgaria to minister to hurting women all across the country. She met an organization called Mission Possible, where she left copies of each of the Healing Hearts Bible studies, The Hem of His Garment and Binding up the Brokenhearted. Seeing the need of the women there, she has been in prayer for that nation since that time. In June of 2009, she received an email from Mission Possible stating that God had given them a building they plan to use as a domestic violence and training center. They wanted to know if someone from Healing Hearts would come to Bulgaria and teach them how to use The Hem of His Garment, as this was the study which God had chosen for them to use at the Hope Center. After seeking the Lord, Kathy and her husband Richard, were ready, willing and excited to go. Bulgaria/Romania Healing Hearts Ministry Trip- May 13-27, 2010  (Kathy & Richard Kennard) We landed on Thursday and didn't have our first meeting until Sunday evening so we had plenty of time to adjust to the time difference of 10 hours. Mission Possible was also hosting 6 men from England who had arrived to do some construction work on the Hope Center in Dobromirka. They were delightfully funny and men of strong faith and conviction. It was great getting to know them. On Saturday, we all toured Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and did some sightseeing. Ancient ruins and old Orthodox churches. So much to see in so little time!!  On Sunday morning, we were privileged to be able to attend church at a gypsy village outside of the city. For over an hour, men, women and children poured into this tiny sanctuary to worship God. The men were in the upper balcony, raising their hands in the air in worship and sobbing, continually drying their eyes with tissues. The women were weeping loudly, while singing out to the God who had shown them grace and mercy. What an amazing sight to see!! On Sunday evening, 13 leaders gathered at a coffee shop in Sofia to ask questions about the study and to gain insight into whether God was calling them to lead and teach The Hem of His Garment at the center  There were many questions regarding the problem of domestic violence which brought tears to my eyes. This is such a big issue in Bulgaria. But we know that nothing is impossible with God. On Monday morning, most of the same 13 leaders gathered to learn more. They were leaders from four different churches across Bulgaria, and included several pastor's wives. The five leaders from Mission Possible were also there. The training lasted 8 ½ hours, with breaks for coffee, lunch and time for reflection and prayer. It was a bit challenging to take a 3-month study and condense it into 8 hours, not counting translation time. I only had time to take the key points in each chapter and talk about them. God did the rest. The leaders from Mission Possible believed they were there to merely oversee the translation and to make their final decision about whether the study would be truly useful at the Hope Center. God had other plans. They were overwhelmed by what insights God gave them. Each had found answers to problems they'd had for years, and others learned how to counsel someone close to them. The leaders of Mission Possible discovered that they desperately needed this study for themselves and each plan to go through it as soon as the translation is completed. Before we left Bulgaria, Mission Possible was making plans for that translation of The Hem into Bulgarian. On Tuesday, Richard and I took a 3-hour bus ride to Dobromirka, where the Hope Center was located. We were awed by how God is transforming an old Communist administration building into a haven for hurting women and families. There is still a lot of work to be done but you can feel a sense of peace as you walk the hallways and peer into the rooms. You can also hear God's heart as Roumen speaks of using the building to build up marriages and to help women heal, grow and be equipped. God is going to use this building in mighty ways. Although the trip to Bulgaria had been planned in advance, knowing where we were going and who we would meet, the trip to Romania was a trip of complete dependence on God. We were praying for an overwhelming move of the Spirit in Romania. Before we left home, God had shown us that He would do exactly that. On Thursday, we flew to Timisoara, Romania, to meet someone who I had been emailing for over 10 years but had never met. Dr. Cristina Valea operates a pro-life clinic, called ProVita Medica, which is now in her home since the OB/GYN hospital's new director would no longer allow her to use the offices there. She provides ultrasounds, food, clothing, diapers and whatever a pregnant mother may need to help her choose life over abortion. She has a busy practice since in Romania, 65-75% of every pregnancy ends in abortion. She has a wonderful little photo album of the babies her clinic has felt they have helped to save. On Friday, we took a 5-hour train ride to Craiova, in southwestern Romania. There we met Dr. Damaris Ardelean, We were taken to her father's church, where we were housed for 5 days. Father and daughter have a heart for the hurting in Romania.  They work with Joni and Friends, providing wheelchairs to the handicapped. They provide whatever is needed to those around them. Dr. Ardelean's father, George, pastors his own small congregation, has planted a gypsy church nearby and also pastors another Baptist church several hours away. With no car, it makes for a busy Sunday! I was privileged to speak at their small church during both the Sunday morning and evening services. During the week, we toured the dark and oppressive area, where there are no pro-life organizations or crisis pregnancy centers. Dr. Ardelean was excited to see the Binding Up study, which she hopes will be used to meet the needs of the post-abortive women in her area. Before we left, she and her father were already planning the first conference to be held in their church. With the approval and backing of the Baptist Union, it will be translated into Romanian and used quickly in Craiova. Dr. Ardelean is taking a month long sabbatical in September and will be spending most of that time in Portland, Oregon, where she has cousins. I hope to be able to connect with her to renew our acquaintance and to see how plans are progressing in Romania. On Tuesday, as we were leaving Craiova for Bucharest, we inquired if it would be difficult to find a hotel near the train station. We had planned to do some sightseeing in Bucharest before flying back to Sofia and then home on Thursday. Dr. Ardelean and her father contacted some friends in Bucharest for assistance.  One in particular stated that he would be happy to help us find a hotel. After a 3-hour train ride, we were met at the train station by Pastor George Tone. The love of Christ poured out of every pore of this man. Instead of taking us to a hotel, he and his family welcomed us into their home. They provided food and lodging and poured love into complete strangers. We were also treated to a 3-hour long musical performance by three of his children, who are all quite talented. Before we left the next day, Pastor Tone asked why we were in Romania. As I shared with him about the studies, he was amazed. Two days earlier, there had been a conference in his church and one of the women in attendance was the head of women's Bible studies for all of Romania. They had been praying that God would provide them with solid biblical studies that would help their hurting women. Pastor Tone was excited as he believed that God had answered their prayer. His desire is to see both The Hem and the Binding Up study translated into Romanian. We were excited and awed as we were totally caught off guard. We had never met any of these people before and were content to plan future attempts to bring the ministry to Romania. But once again God had other plans. We truly believe that we witnessed that overwhelming move of His Spirit. Prayer Requests:
Kathy Kennard Country Coordinator Romania/Bulgaria We hope that you will join with us in prayer as we continue to send out passionate Healing Hearts Leaders to various foreign missions. Joyfully with good hope in Jesus Christ, Teresa Rinker Foreign Missions Director Healing Hearts Ministries International In His Love,  International Director |
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