Stories - Page 24 of 82 - The Christian Heart

How Everyday People Live Out Their Christian Faith

Illustrating how men and women display their love for Jesus in their day-to-day lives.
Little things that may have an eternal impact. Might these stories motivate you to use your talents?

Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries
SANCTUARY IN TRAUMA

My world blew up nine years ago because a loved one’s secret sin, when exposed, led to his imprisonment. I was suddenly left to provide for and protect my four children. The challenge was enormous as a stay-at-home who had been in ministry for 20-plus years. I lacked emotional, physical, and spiritual strength as a broken person searching for dignity and solutions in the midst of devastation. While the Lord had been my rock and salvation since childhood, I was shaken to my core. Christian friends and family carried me through the darkest of days, as well as a complete stranger who reached out after having endured trauma. God placed believers in my life who challenged me to seek and know truth. I claimed Psalm 16:8, vowing I would not turn from my Heavenly Father. And yet, I wondered why my story had been radically rewritten. How could God destroy every aspect of my life that had given me purpose and joy? The answer became clear as I shared with others how my difficult journey would be worthwhile if God could use it for His glory. That longing evolved into a calling to be the hands and feet of Jesus for those enduring life-altering crises. I partnered with that “stranger” who became my close friend to begin SiT: Sanctuary in Trauma nearly two years ago. SiT retreats provide a quiet place to help women process their pain, to rest, be encouraged, gain tools to go forward, and most importantly realize that God is trustworthy despite our circumstances. SiT sessions and mentoring reinforce… Read More

June 1, 2022
Children Overcoming Obstacles
CUDDLES FOR CLEFTS

When I was pregnant with my second child, I went in for a routine doctor’s appointment at 19 weeks. I was stunned when the doctor came back and told me our son would be born with a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palate. I instantly became a pool of tears. The doctor really didn’t know how to handle such a diagnosis. He told me to pick a strong name for my son and then hurried me out the door. Our family was shocked. I felt alone and desperate. I could only focus on the television images I’d seen where they’re asking for support for children overseas who needed surgery. A turning point for me was when I connected with a mom who had a cleft-affected daughter. She opened my eyes to the incredible cleft community. How they support one another. In fact, a member of that community sent us a care package when our son went in for his first surgery when he was four months old. And that’s when the idea for my ministry began. Cuddles For Clefts is a nonprofit organization with the mission to provide comfort and support as you or someone you love goes through a cleft-related operation. We want to come alongside you to show that you are not alone in your journey. We do this by providing a care package, called a Cuddle Pack, that is sent to the individual undergoing surgery. Each Cuddle Pack includes four items: a t-shirt or onesie which says, “Every Smile Has a Story”, a teddy bear with a scar… Read More

May 25, 2022
Adoption/Foster Care Children
ASSISTING FOSTER FAMILIES

I understand how important a loving, stable environment is to the well-being of a child. I grew up with parents who were continually trying to figure out their marriage and careers. Because of that, I was often left alone. Except during summer! The excitement and anticipation grew throughout the end of the school year, knowing that I would soon board the plane that connected me to my grandmother’s world; a world of consistency, encouragement, and fun! As I grew older each year, the excitement of those months never diminished. I still cannot wait for the time to come to visit Grammy with my husband and two teenage children every year. In the chaos of my childhood, my grandmother laid a solid foundation for much of who I am today. As a mother, it is a joy to see my own children growing up with an environment that allows each of them to safely and successfully grow into adulthood. As an individual who has overcome an unstable childhood, I have always desired to provide for children with similar situations as my own through fostering. Because of certain circumstances, my family and I are not able to provide this ministry in our own home. God has led us to a church that sees fostering and adopting children as important. I have several friends who do just that. After obtaining my certification to babysit children placed in foster care, I am able to love on and help care for the children my friends and church family are providing a more stable environment to. I run errands,… Read More

May 18, 2022
Adoption/Foster Care Hospital Loss Of Loved One
FULFILLING HER PATIENT’S DYING WISH

I was a nurse in the oncology unit of a hospital when one of my cancer patients asked me a question that took me completely off-guard. She asked if I would take care of her eight-year-old son, Wesley, if she passed away. We had only known each other for 10 days. Tricia had some stomach pains and a CT scan revealed she had an extremely rare form of vascular cancer. She had undergone a number of difficult chemotherapy treatments which had some devastating side effects. She got extremely sick very quickly, and had to be hospitalized. As her nurse on her first day in the hospital, I knew her condition was serious. She wasn't my patient after that first day but I felt a nudge to continue checking on her after taking care of my other patients. I enjoyed our chats and learned a lot more about her situation. After being around her, I could sense that she didn’t have many people in her life that could help. Tricia’s parents had passed away and Wesley’s father wasn’t active in his life. She had moved to Pennsylvania because she was the victim of domestic violence and needed a fresh start. So she didn’t know a lot of people here. She was due to check out after a 10-day stay, so I stopped by to say goodbye. Tricia had just gotten the lab report from her biopsy. It was a terminal case of cancer and doctors had told her there was nothing else they could do for her. That’s when she asked if I would take care of Wesley… Read More

May 11, 2022
Overcoming Obstacles Prison Ministry
MALACHI DADS

My husband Jimmy and I have been working with a prison ministry called “Malachi Dads” for the last five years. It is different from other prison ministries in that we meet as couples with men in the prisons who have children. Our weekly discipleship program starts with the salvation message, and then focuses on the verse in Malachi 4:6: He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. We teach the men about healthy marriages and how to be good fathers to their children, encouraging them to write to them on a regular basis. My husband and I also take time to write each of them on a regular basis. Relationship is the key to the ministry, and the thing that we believe brings transformation. Our year-long program ends with a “Returning Hearts Day.” The prison allows one day for all family members to come for a full contact visit, with everyone eating, playing together and enjoying one another. At the end of this day, we have a graduation ceremony where each person receives a graduation certificate. One of the things that impacted me most through the years of working with these men is that no one is irredeemable. God can do anything, and He can change anyone. Often times, we see that unforgiveness is something that haunts many of them. One inmate we worked with seemed to be struggling with this in his life, so Jimmy wrote him a letter to bring it before God. When we saw him a month… Read More

May 4, 2022
Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries
FIGHTING WITH HOPE

Unfortunately, I have become an expert on the side effects of chemotherapy since I’ve had 35 brutal rounds. I know firsthand what this does to your body. I’m now trying to use this knowledge to help my fellow cancer patients and make Jesus known in a unique way. I was a healthy 27-year-old when I was first diagnosed with colon cancer. Then the wonderful world my husband and I had built was suddenly rocked to its core. Surgeons removed a foot of my colon and all of the nearby lymph nodes after a colonoscopy revealed a “mass” blocking most of my transverse colon. When the pathology report came back, 13 of the 23 lymph nodes were cancerous. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. Even though the surgery removed all of the known cancer, I immediately began 12 rounds of devastating chemo. At the end of those 12 rounds, I was declared “no evidence of disease” and remained that way for about 6 months until a PET scan showed that the cancer had spread to my lungs and I was now considered to be in Stage 4. In my three years of battling cancer, I’ve been through about a dozen surgeries, 35 rounds of chemo, and two months of chemo in pill form. Being on chemotherapy really takes a toll on your quality of life and eventually each treatment tends to no longer be effective. So, I'm now on immunotherapy, a relatively new therapy. A standard chemo attacks and kills all your cells, good and bad. With immunotherapy, the medicine can target specific genetic markers to determine if a cell is healthy or cancerous. If the… Read More

April 27, 2022

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 60

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 38

Loving Your Neighbor 66

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 115

Prison Ministry 11

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 47

Unique Ministries 165

Verbalizing the Gospel 74

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