HEARTFIRE HAPPENINGS: March 2024
We are so excited to begin sharing monthly updates through our brand-new Heartfire Happenings blog! Here, our team will be able to share what is going on both on the field and behind the scenes. We hope you feel encouraged and empowered to share the Gospel both at home and around the globe
STORIES FROM THE FIELD - Valladolid, Yucatán
God is moving in our participants!
“On the second morning of our week serving in Valladolid, a trip participant came up to one of the leaders with something to say. She shared how only 2 days into the trip she felt God was doing a work in her heart. She said she realized that even though we go to serve the people in the Yucatán, God is really blessing us by reminding us how much we need Him and shaping our hearts to be more like His.
After this special moment - the leader shared:
‘On most trips I've either led or participated in, this is one of those "heart moments" that I'm always keen to watch for. Most of the time it works like this, "We're here to serve the 'least of these'. That's why we do this." Now this isn't incorrect, but it's not the primary reason I think our Lord calls us to His Kingdom work. I think it's to mold us (maybe even break us down a notch or two) to be more righteous and to bring glory to Himself and once that happens we're infected and can't wait to do the "work" of missions, which is to serve those whom the Spirit brings to us.’”
God is moving through medicine!
“Emeliano is a man in his mid-60s who quit his pattern of heavy drinking and smoking several years ago. He came to the clinic in January of this year because he’d been diagnosed with cancer of the lymph node. The cancer had metastasized to his tonsils, causing a lot of obstruction in his ability to swallow. He came back to the clinic during our time there in February for resection of the lymph nodes, and the tonsil that had been affected by the cancer. After a 5+ hour procedure, Emiliano spent the night and then went home the next day. Everything looked good as far as the surgery was concerned. He came back on our last day for the removal of the staples in his neck incision. You can imagine just how emotional that was for him, his daughter, his wife, and certainly us too. His life is very very different now! What a beautiful encounter to see the Lord heal our friend and bring more peace to his life!”
-Amanda | Heartfire Intern
ON THE HORIZON - Summer Trips
Are you ready to serve where it’s needed most? This summer, HEARTFIRE is bringing together world-changing teams to Lebanon & the Holy Land. We know that the Lord is moving and are gearing up to bring care and love where it’s needed most.
*Due to the uncertainty of the coming months, we are waiving the deposit cost for both Middle East teams. Apply at the link below for no cost - when we confirm the details, we will reach out to the team for a final confirmation.
AT THE MOMENT - Mission Season is HERE!
Mission season is HERE! Over the next month, Heartfire is sending 4 teams to the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and the Yucatán. College students, doctors, nurses, and medical students will be serving in OR settings, village clinics, local schools, centers for special needs, and individual homes. Be praying for safety, miracles, and wisdom over our teams this month - we can’t wait to hear miracle stories from all over the world!
VERSE OF THE YEAR - Romans 8:18-19
In praying for 2024 and all that God is doing, our team felt led to Romans 8:18-19:
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”
Life gets hard, both globally and personally. In the tension between how we wish life was and how it actually is, impatience sneaks in. We start wondering if God even sees what's going on.
But He does see. And His word reminds us that what we don’t see the whole picture. This is all temporary, but what awaits us is eternal.
Tension is all around us. The tension between our current circumstances and His promises. Between this present life and our eternity. Between the brokenness we see in the world and the promise of restoration. But that’s just it - the Lord’s promises are real, true, and coming.
This year, we challenge you to join the Heartfire team in meditating on this truth. We may be living In the Tension, but we also rest in the truth!
DAY IN THE LIFE - Heartfire Internship
“Hi everyone, my name is Addie and I am a college year intern at Heartfire!
On a typical day at Hearfire Headquarters, we start off with Soulcare. Soulcare is where we sit around our round table and dive deep into God’s Word. We do Bible study, pray for each other, and seek the Lord together first and foremost. Our desire is to tithe back a tenth of our meeting time (but we usually go beyond that - it’s our favorite time of the week!)
After Soulcare, we move on to our big team meeting. We go around the table and discuss current and upcoming projects, prepare for upcoming trips, and update the team on what God is doing in each part of Heartfire. This month is Heartfire’s busy mission trip season, so there are lots of things to do!
For example, next week, me and 4 of the other Heartfire interns are going to Cuenca, Ecuador! As we gear up for this trip, I am tasked with assigning Roles & Responsibilities and HIM Time songs for each team member, 2 crucial parts of each Heartfire team (want to learn more? Join us on a team and you’ll see!). As we prepare and assign these tasks, we place people in positions that we see best fit, but also that will grow and stretch them. I can’t wait to see this play out on our Ecuador team!
We greatly appreciate your prayers for our team’s safety and for the hearts of the people of Ecuador and for your continued support of our Headquarters team.”
-Addie | Heartfire Intern
WE NEED YOU!
Over the next month, our teams will be met head first with the abundance of need in communities all over the world. The generosity of people like you empowers Heartfire teams to serve further and farther than ever before. We are looking for people to help support:
Surgeries: our medical teams will be providing desperately needed surgeries to children and adults in the Dominican Republic and the Yucatán this month. This entails surgical instrumentation, OR fees, post-op care, medication, etc.
Humanitarian Aid: our teams will be serving the local communities in a multitude of capacities this month. Food for families, school supplies, building supplies, and other items will be purchased in each location.
Did you know? In the DR, our team will be building beds for children who don’t have one. We can’t wait to see what God will do through this immediate need!
Village Clinics: in addition to surgical care, our medical providers will be working with people in the Yucatán and Dominican Republic to treat a variety of conditions. Medication, clinical supplies, and more are purchased to provide for these needs.
These needs are only a snapshot of what we know God is doing in each destination and team. Whether one-time or monthly, we are praying for an army of people to sow into what God is doing! As our Heartfire Family, we want to invite you to consider becoming a monthly partner as we continue serving vulnerable communities worldwide. Remember that your donation is not only making a global impact, but an eternal one.
Make a one-time donation for our upcoming trips HERE.
Want more information on how to join our monthly donor team? Check out heartfiremissions.org/underground. As an Underground monthly partner, you’ll receive monthly updates from the field along with opportunities to pray for specific projects. Use your finances to sow into the movement of the Gospel today!
CLOSING THOUGHTS - Easter is coming…
Heartfire Family, we want to take a moment to wish you a happy Easter and let you know we are praying for peace and rest during this season. As we take a moment to reflect on the renewal and hope that flows from the resurrection of our Savior, we want to challenge you to sit with the magnitude of what Christ did for us on the cross. In the tension of living in a broken world and amid all the struggle, use this time to see the transformative work that has taken place in your life because of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Simply turn your face and listen to his calming voice. Just as Jesus instructed his disciples in John 20, we have the privilege of dwelling in His peace so we can Go! May this Easter season be a reminder to go as he is sending us!
-Halle | Heartfire Intern