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April 2013 Prayer Letter
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Healing Hearts Ministries Internaional [LOGO]

Dear Friend,


Recently, I heard a story about a young woman who had approached her dad with the question, "Did you and Mom wait to have sex until you got married?" This is the question many parents with sexual sin in their past dread! Her dad immediately got defensive and retorted with, "Well, we at least waited until we were out of our parents' homes!" This young woman was taken aback by her dad's defensiveness, so she felt like it didn't really matter if she gave in to her boyfriend and had sex. She was looking to her parents to give guidance, wisdom, knowledge and a godly vision for her life.

Sadly, I remember my own disappointment as a young woman who desperately needed guidance regarding my heart and relationships. I had already suffered the consequences of two premarital pregnancies, yet the only hope my father offered me after I had become sexually active was a box of condoms with a note that read, "I just love you and want you to be safe."
I remember crying and thinking to myself, "Is this all he thinks of me?" Didn't he realize that a condom would be useless for protecting my heart, my mind, my soul? While I know he was probably reacting out of his own desperation, what I really needed to hear at that point was the truth of God's Word. I needed to hear that God's grace was bigger than my sin. I needed to be taken to the places in Scripture that address the deepest struggles of my heart in order to heal it.

Unfortunately, my dad didn't seem to have the knowledge or the tools to help disciple me biblically in these areas. Healing Hearts Ministries has a vision to give parents, as well as youth leaders, and young people a curriculum to help them grow and change through God's Word.
We believe we are fulfilling God's vision for turning the hearts of the parents back to their children and the hearts of the children back to their parents as each heart is turned back to Jesus Christ as their First Love.

"He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." Malachi 4:6 (NASB)

Our new Bible study for young women, First Love: Embracing a Love that Lasts, may possibly be unlike any other currently on the market for teens and young adults! It gets right down to the matters of the heart. The Bible says the heart is the wellspring of life. (Prov. 4:23) This means the desires of the heart will set the course of a person's life.

Our students are beginning to discover that many of the desires in their hearts have morphed into hidden heart idols. However, through the power of God's Word and with the help of the Holy Spirit, they are beginning to turn from the desire to live for these idols towards a desire to live for Jesus Christ!


I would like to share with you some of the trials and triumphs our students have experienced as they have studied First Love: Embracing a Love that Lasts.

From our leaders:
One leader reported how her 16 year old student, who was rescued from sex-trafficking, had really been struggling with a recurring fear of returning to the "lifestyle" once she graduates from the program. Just a few years ago, she ran away from home with a man whom she thought cared for and loved her (a pimp) and began a life of prostitution. During her stay at the rescue home, she became a Christian through the witness of the home's caregivers.
And since beginning the First Love Bible study, she has come to understand what real love is through God's Word. This young woman now has a desire to disciple other young women.

One leader had this to share from her group: "The girls said the lesson on "Loving God with Your Heart" challenged them to think differently about why they do the things they do. They are getting the "heart change" goal vs. the "good behavior" goal in their walk with Christ. The girls then came up with the idea to fast from something this week that they feel competes with their desire for the Lord."

Another shared this: "On Day 1 of the lesson "Protecting Love" regarding how their bodies belong to God, and their future husbands if they get married someday, really hit home to them. They loved how the differences between sexual sin and pure love were clearly listed for them."

From Our Students:
One of our college-aged students said: "I found the lesson on self-injury very applicable because I've struggled with this myself and I'm trying to help my friends who struggle with it. I am so thankful that this lesson isn't like [how my experience with] church has been most of my life; separate from the real life trials and adversities that teenagers face. I am so thankful that it dives into the real issues in life and thank You, Lord Jesus, that I am forgiven for all my past mistakes and that through this lesson I realize I am not used merchandise, but a spiritually pure child of You! Thank you for this lesson!"

Read a 7th grade public school student's sincere comment and request for prayer: "I idolize my friends or popularity and sometimes I feel like that's my identity. I set that as my goal, to be popular and I should set my goal as God for my life."

One young woman was able to confess to her mom and the other girls in her Bible study group that she had an eating disorder. She said the Lord was working on her heart during the week's lesson and she needed to talk to her mom about it. Her mom was very gracious when she heard and the student just kept saying, "I feel like I lost 10 lbs. of guilt!" We were then able to talk about how when we repent; it opens the door for the Lord to say, "Okay, now we can move forward!" But when we refuse to confess and repent, we are stuck where we are. We need the Lord to help us with receiving His forgiveness and grace to go on.

From moms who are studying alongside their daughters:
One mom shared, "This has been a great tool for my daughter and me in leading us to have great biblical conversations that deal directly with the areas she is struggling in. Personally, it has helped me in the area of eating which has been a struggle for me. It has led me to glorify God with my body."

Another mom stated, "This study has been an eye-opener for me. It has helped me to approach topics with my daughter that she is struggling with like self-harming her body. As we are working through Scripture, we are learning together that our bodies are meant to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. The study is helping her to lean on Jesus as her First Love instead of self-harming. It has also brought us closer together."

From another mom, "The First Love Bible study has helped me to personally reconnect with Jesus as First Love in my life on a daily basis through His Word. It's helped me to draw closer to my daughter and broach certain topics with her biblically and to pray about things together specifically and on a regular basis. This has been huge for our walk with Christ and our mother-daughter relationship."

God is doing great things as our young people draw close to His heart through His Word. Parents begin to feel equipped and strengthened in their efforts to biblically parent when they have appropriate tools for discipleship. Youth leaders have a structured guide to help their students process their problems through the lens of God's Word. We are nearly at the end of our piloting efforts which have been on-going over the past 2 years. Approximately 50 young women and adults have helped us to refine and make ready this study for distribution.

It is our hope that you are encouraged by these testimonies. Lord willing, we will begin to promote and distribute the First Love Bible study this fall. We have also begun work on a curriculum for young men comparable to the young women's study. Many of you have already been so faithful to provide prayer and financial support to Healing Hearts so these youth studies can be made available. However, we continue to need your prayer as well as your financial support to do so. Thank you! Let's celebrate together as we are beginning to see the fruits of your giving and our labor.

Yours in Christ,
Camille Cates
Youth Division 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