Brokenness Met with Grace

What I quickly discovered as soon as I moved to Texas and become a part of Heartlight Ministries was that this place oftentimes has a very heavy atmosphere because of the amount of brokenness all of the kids coming in have experienced. Most of these kids have been sent here because their parents genuinely just don’t know how to help them anymore after their problems with addictions, drugs, anger, or various other things, and to be sent somewhere by your parents with them essentially saying “we can’t handle you”, it absolutely leaves these kids hurt entering in. The parents are broken, the kids are broken, and even we as the staff living with the kids here trying to help them, we are broken too, but the beautiful thing is that God meets each party amidst our brokenness here with His grace!

Practical Skill Development

Something unique about my experience at Heartlight compared to previous ministry experiences was that rather than have a primary focus on the spiritual investment in these kids, a lot of what I learned here was just practical life skills that are essential to have in parenting and in ministry. Some of those skills included things like learning to cook meals for the kids, having them uphold a level of cleanliness, taking them to school or counseling, sitting with them and listening in meaningful 1-on-1 conversations, and giving them discipline in a loving way when needed. These practical sometimes mundane things are a much bigger part of bringing God’s kingdom than we realize sometimes, and it was powerful to be faithful in those little things as God brought me through what I would often call the “parent practice” of Heartlight!

Community Building Events

One of the biggest things at Heartlight that we do to try and bring some light and joy into the kids lives amidst their brokenness is big community events! For these events we would do all types of things, from the “Redneck Olympics”, to a Color Run, to a Karaoke Contest, to a Lip Sync Battle, to Board Game Nights, to many more incredible times! On top of the fun events, we also have the kids involved in counseling groups throughout each week as well where they are able to have deeper conversations about the hard things they are going through, and this balance of having fun together while also addressing the deep roots of the kids’ issues is what helps them to make it through the Heartlight program!

Enduring Through Hardship

While Heartlight in one sense is this really beautiful place that meets kids amidst their brokenness and provides hope, that hope absolutely does NOT come easy, and that’s one of the biggest things I learned working here. Some of the kids at Heartlight have NO INTEREST in the Lord or in ANY life change, and this makes it difficult at times because you have to learn to meet the kids where they’re at, even if where they’re at is cussing you out, wanting to run away, and refusing to grow or do anything you say. There was many moments in my times at Heartlight I wanted to quit, but the Lord taught me to continue to endure by reminding me that with Him on my side, I could endure in love in those hard moments that made me want to give up!

Amazing Bible Studies

Easily my favorite thing that I got to do in my time at Heartlight was the Bible studies I got  to lead for the kids to share with them some of the absolute most essential things in our walks with the Lord! Each study was genuinely so much fun being able to share parts of my story to encourage these kids to pursue a walk with the Lord and find hope in Jesus!! The 10 different studies I led were as follows, and I encourage you guys to reach out and ask me about each one, because I’d love to share with you more on each topic as well!!

1. What’s Your Red Nose?     2. Bounce Back      3. Identity & Truths & Lies

4. God in Media   5. BIG God little God   6. Victims & Villains  7. Prayer TIPs

8. Imago Dei    9. Eggs, Seeds, and Treasure    10. God of the Nations

Families Changed & Reunited

Ultimately the heart and focus of Heartlight is family unity in two big aspects; firstly in the sense of helping the parents and the kids to work through the brokenness in their relationship with one another so they can be brought back together, and then secondly, we are trying to also help these kids to realize they have a place in the family of God!! Pictured here you can see some kids from one of the graduations here at Heartlight, and there’s nothing more beautiful and tear-inducing than listening to the kids’ and parents’ stories of transformation on graduation day, because it shows that all of the little mundane moments and hard times along the way were worth it for the change that truly was produced! The kids don’t really leave fully perfect, but God continues to work in them as they return to their families and it’s just powerful seeing their relationships with parents and siblings restored and the great change He does along the way!

Prayer Warrior Family

Apart from Heartlight, the absolute most beautiful part of my time in Texas was easily partnering with the amazing group pictured here, who are all part of this place known as the Throne Room House of Prayer! The Throne Room House of Prayer does worship sets almost every day of the week, so no matter when my off days were at Heartlight, I always had amazing spiritual family and community to encourage me and lift me up in the hardest moments of the journey, and I’m so thankful I was able to have that along the way! I also got to lead worship here a few times, continuing to grow in that gift, which was amazing! The TRHoP family was truly incredible to have, as well as some amazing coworkers I met through my time at Heartlight, and together all of us were able to see God move in a mighty way in the state of Texas through this journey!! He’s so good!