Heaven's Family Stories

Feeding Jesus

It's easy to see how Shainah-Mae's bubbly, upbeat personality brightens every room she walks into...But behind her sunny smile, Shainah-Mae (pronounced shine-a-may) hides a dark, painful secret we had yet to discover.

Picture of Maurice in East Africa holding his own Bible

01 May

Manna for Men

The Strategic Bibles Ministry is committed to enabling discipleship in the poorest areas of the world. East Africa, for one, has many Christians who have never owned their own Bibles and, although it may only cost around $8, it is a luxury many families are unable to afford when they're struggling to pay for food, shelter and an education for their children. So when a new Christian in East Africa receives his or her very own Bible for the first time, this seemingly simple gift is actually an enormous blessing to a believer who previously had little to no access to the Word of God.

Representative picture of "Sarah" for Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry

28 Apr

Hope for the Silenced

The Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry works in many poor nations around the world to help those who have been sexually exploited and abused, but this kind of tragic victimization also happens right here in the US and other developed nations. So when the Lord recently opened a door for a partnership to be forged between the VOSV Ministry of Heaven's Family and the organization of longtime friend Julie Rigsby—right here in my native Texas—it immediately felt like the Lord's leading.

Picture of Margaret, a widow in Haiti whom Heaven's Family helped

27 Apr

Picking Up After Matthew

Every leaf from every tree and shrub was stripped away—it looked like the work of a massive fire or bomb. Each day during my visit this month I'm hearing similar chilling descriptions from those who survived the 145-mph onslaught of Hurricane Matthew last fall in Haiti. Corrugated metal sheeting, flimsily tacked on poor, shack-like homes for roofing and sometimes walls, became razor-sharp projectiles that wounded and maimed those who couldn't find adequate shelter in time. About 1,000 died, estimates say, but no one knows how many were wounded.

25 Apr

The Trek of a Lifetime

Meet Jamie, an on-site Persecuted Christians Ministry partner working along the border of Burma and Thailand. She offers hope to thousands of impoverished refugee families living under the oppression of the Burmese army. Despite the incredible opposition she faces, many people are finding hope in Jesus Christ for the very first time through her efforts.

Picture of Boaz, a young adult eager to serve the Lord

10 Apr

The Heart of Boaz

From time to time you come across an individual whose uncomplaining servanthood and cheerful disposition endears them to you as few others can. Boaz of Hyderabad, India, is one such person. For the past five years, he has worked alongside the Leprosy Ministry serving as many as three hundred children at a time through a modest Heaven's Family VBS bringing joy to children of families affected by leprosy in Hyderabad, India.