|
Thousands of individuals from over seventy nations have been impacted
by this Christ-centered ministry. People from all walks of life
have attended because they heard about HFN through a friend, a pastor,
a counselor, or because other well-known Christian organizations
have referred them to us.
We believe the success of these retreats and conferences has been
due to a strong emphasis on prayer, innovative teaching techniques,
creative group work, and the powerful discipleship tools that are
shared at each event. These key elements have worked together to
help Christians experience head to heart "breakthroughs",
deepen their understanding of key biblical concepts, build solid
biblical foundations, and meet God in a new and powerful way. God,
Jehovah-Rapha, has indeed brought healing and wholeness to His people!
PAST
One of the most important challenges before us is to acquaint churches,
pastors, counselors, leaders and para-church organizations with
the ministry of Healing for the Nations. In order to introduce what
we do, we thought it might be helpful to give you an overview of
the ministry: our calling, history, and the direction God has given
us for the future.
The Beginning
In July 1986, while working as clinical director of a secular psychiatric
hospital, I (Rujon) began to see more and more Christians enter
our programs. Treatment facilities during this time did not deal
with issues from a Christ-centered perspective. The hospital I worked
in did not encourage the use of the Bible or pastoral visits to
patients. Christians who entered these programs found themselves
in a totally secular setting, often without any spiritual help.
I became more and more burdened by this situation.
One day as I was praying, I felt God speak this to me, "I want
to heal My people. Put Me to the test." This, "Put Me
to the test" did not mean to challenge God, but to truly believe
that He was the only true Healer, the Wonderful Counselor. As Jehovah-Rapha,
He must be put before any other type of training or methodology.
A few months after this experience, I received a call from the newly
developed Rapha program, which offered distinctly Christ-centered
inpatient treatment. I was asked to help start this program in Atlanta
and then help with multiplication across the U.S. My time with Rapha
Treatment Centers was a wonderful experience; however, my desire
was to see the Church take its rightful place in the healing arena.
 Building
the Foundation
Two years later, Steve and I dedicated our lives to missions
and promised the Lord we would be obedient to His leading and direction.
He took our pledge seriously. Eighteen months later we left our
corporate jobs, our home, extended family and three of our children
who were on their own at the time. We had an invitation and visas
from the Church of England to work with a particular church; and
we were not even Anglicans!
These in-between months of preparation were filled with amazing
stories of how God opened doors, guided us, and prepared the hearts
of people who would receive us at St. Thomas' in Lancaster. This
church had a renewal center which was designed to bring healing
and wholeness to people both within and outside the Church. We were
asked to direct this center and to develop a much-needed lay counselor
training program and discipleship courses. Our first retreats were
pioneered during this time.
Meanwhile mental health care in the States was undergoing a radical
change. Treatment became extremely expensive and hard to receive,
as it was controlled by new insurance "regulations." Robert
McGee, author of The Search for Significance and founder
of Rapha
Hospitals, had been a supporter of our ministry and felt strongly
that our retreat format would provide a much needed, cost-effective
alternative for Christians. He began to encourage us to return to
the States and start a retreat ministry for believers who needed
a more intensive experience.
In 1992, after almost three years in England, we returned home to
the US, received our non-profit organizational status, and began
The Rapha Retreat. These intensive retreats were held one week each
month in Colorado at Glen Eyrie, the International Conference Center
for the Navigators' Ministry. Our England team had become a crucial
part in helping us establish this new ministry in the States, as
well as maintaining a growing ministry in England. Since 1992, we
have conducted retreats and conferences throughout the US and in
India, England, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, Hungary, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Holland, France and Germany.
We soon needed a new name for the ministry that would not be confused
with Rapha Treatment Centers and would also more adequately capture
our hearts for missions. During this time we were particularly touched
by a song written by Bob Fitts called, "Take My Healing to
the Nations." It embraced our hearts for God's people. This
song inspired our new name, Healing for the Nations.
Establishing the Ministry
In 1995 we completed a three-year study of participants who had
attended the intensive retreat and the results blessed us beyond
what we expected! People's lives, their relationships with others,
and their relationship with God had been dramatically impacted.
Marriages and family relationships were healed, and many individuals
experienced tremendous breakthroughs. Relationships within churches
were healed, leadership teams became much more effective and unified,
and "burnt-out" leaders were revived and refreshed!
January 1995, also marked our first invitation to work with ministry
leaders from fourteen different nations. By January 1997, we had
worked with individuals from sixty nations! Currently, our program
material has been translated into German, Dutch, Hindi, Korean,
Nepali, Russian, French and Mandarin Chinese.
PRESENT
AND FUTURE
 As
doors continue to open for the ministry, it has become increasingly
clear that multiplication is needed. In order to help this process
along, we have relocated our ministry headquarters to Marietta,
Georgia, which is in the Metro Atlanta area and in the heart of
the great American "Bible belt". This is literally home
for the Morrisons as well.
Red Top Mountain State Park, where we conduct our
US retreats each month, is also nearby. This venue was selected
for it's natural beauty and conference facilities. It has provided
an ideal location for participants to get away from their normal
routines and meet with God.
Our ongoing areas of focus are evangelism, discipleship, and training
and multiplication.
- Evangelism:
innovative and creative ways to present the Gospel and biblical
foundations. Here is an example of the impact the Intensive Retreat
has on both believers and seekers.
"The Intensive Retreat is a powerful, evangelistic tool for
Russia and Eastern Europe. Here the people are often religious,
or seek reality in religion but have not experienced the foundations
they need. For example, many Christians come to these countries
with evangelistic outreaches and are thrilled by the positive
response for Christ they receive. But, in a few weeks the people
have lost what they received. Why? Because they just do not have
the necessary biblical foundations to under gird their faith.
“The ministry of Healing for the Nations offers a non-threatening
environment, which impacts individuals powerfully with the message
of the Cross and God's truths! It offers people solid biblical
foundations from which they can build their lives." Al Akimoff,
YWAM Director of Slavic Ministries
- Discipleship:
equipping the saints with tools for growth and maturity in Christ.
Healing for the Nations' retreats and conferences bring an innovative
and refreshing presentation of challenging discipleship tools
which foster personal growth and maturity in Christ.
"The
entire presentation of the Healing for the Nations From Head to
Heart church conference not only opened the door for life changing
decisions but also included tools and a plan for ongoing growth
and healing. I would highly recommend Healing for the Nations
to your congregation or group!" Pastor Roger Cousineau, East
Auburn Baptist Church
- Training
and Multiplication:
equipping Christian leaders to take this to their nations. The
ministry has a particular burden for leaders. If leaders can be
impacted, the healing and tools they come away with will be multiplied
into their organizations and congregations.
"This
ministry has proven to be effective cross-culturally in leadership
development. It has provided an opportunity for many from the
nations to discover the true basis of personal value-understanding
how to walk free from the stumbling blocks that bind."
Dr. David Boyd, Chancellor, University of the Nations, Youth
With A Mission
In addition to scheduled
retreats with our teams that we now have in England, the Netherlands,
France and Germany, missionaries and pastors are using our material
literally around the world. We continue to pray for and explore
more open doors.
IN
CLOSING
Over the years, we have seen lives change dramatically! Men and
women have moved to a deeper relationship with God. They have experienced
a new foundation being laid, which has enabled them to be people
of impact for the Kingdom of God. This is what we hope to see more
and more of in the future ministry of Healing for the Nations.
In His Service,
Steve and Rujon Morrison
Read our Doctrinal Statement
|
