Dear Friends,

 

I have a beautiful picture I want to share with you…

 

Our team has been praying for some time now, asking God what His next move is on the earth, and the role He has for us to play. (We have this growing conviction, a strong sense that He is moving, and about to move in a deeper way, upon the earth.) In several different prayer times now, over the course of several months, we have seen a picture of “fires” igniting all over the map, all over the world. You are starting those fires, He said. Those are your people—that is your message. That picture fills our hearts with excitement and passion. It brings us such joy and happiness!

 

Deep in the DNA of every friend of Jesus is this same passion, to be a part of his mission on the earth—to see lives rescued, restored, to see redemption, to bring about beauty from ashes. I know that’s deep in you, too. How exciting to think that God is about to do something powerful!

 

One of the sweet gifts during the last Captivating retreat here in Colorado was not only to witness the restoration of women, but to hear from them the ministry of Wild at Heart around the world. A woman came from Guatemala because her church developed a ministry to women based on Captivating. A woman started an online outreach to teenage girls using our message; she already has 17,000 followers. Another woman came privately to Stasi to report healing in her gender identity; she said, “I think Wild at Heart has a really deep ministry to the LGBTQ community.”

 

One life is worth rescuing. One heart is worth restoring.

 

But God wants to show us something more—a stunning outreach across the world.

 

Because our work is so intimate and deeply personal, healing the hearts and souls of God’s beloved, that is what we tend to talk about. So you might not be aware of these fires that are popping up all over…

 

Several different ministries have been birthed to fight human trafficking through people whose lives have been transformed by Wild at Heart. We recently sat with one couple now serving in Thailand, and heard the beautiful stories of little boys and girls rescued from prostitution through their work. I just got an email from another ministry telling me about two girls they saved.

 

A man came all the way from South Africa to our boot camp in Colorado, where he gave his life to Christ, and upon returning home he started an orphanage to rescue refugee children coming south from ravaged African nations. “I was fatherless,” he said. “Now I am father to hundreds.”

 

Friends in Switzerland developed a program to disciple young millennials in this message, over a one-year experience. I love the photos they send of these young people—eyes bright, faces glowing. Especially when you know suicide is epidemic with our young people.

 

Earlier this year we shared communication with the persecuted church in Syria (!), thanking us for our message and our resources—which they are drawing strength from, and using to strengthen others there. Holy.

 

An email came last week from a pastor in Zimbabwe, telling us his plans to use Wild at Heart and Captivating to help the young people understand who they are. An earlier letter from Liberia reports on their work, using Becoming Myself with young girls.

 

I could go on and on. Colombia. Poland. Norway. The UK. These are the “fires.” You are those fires!

 

And we sense from God that he is wanting to increase the movement, deepen the discipleship, strengthen existing fires and light many new ones! Wow. Just ...wow.

 

Twice a year I reach out to ask your financial help. We don’t manipulate; we don’t raise more than we need. We simply let you know we have a real need, and ask if you could help. Now is that time. Our international work does not pay for itself; we do it as an offering to those countries, those allies. We love being generous! We know you do, too.

 

We do need your help. We need to raise a little more than half our budget before the end of the year. Would you be able to send a gift our way? You can send in a check. Or, you can give online at our website www.ransomedheart.com. Your gift will reach out across the world!

 

You are supporting a beautiful work of God when you support Wild at Heart. And that work is growing! Breathtaking!

 

Thank you so much for partnering with us. For being those fires. For helping us light new ones!

 

With you for the Kingdom,

 

John

 

 

PS. We are doing our first Captivating retreat in Australia December 1-4. We know that fire will start many others. There’s still space to attend there, so let your friends “down under” know!

 

Download the November 2017 Newsletter here.