HEART TO HEART 

October, 2007 

Dear Friends,

Greetings from the Hill Country of Texas. I pray that this finds you well and pressing into our Father. I am amazed that it is already fall and here in the Texas Hill Country we have experienced very little summer. Our Westwood guests are enjoying more green than usual and beautiful weather. God truly paints some beautiful landscapes. The Westwood Retreat property is “dressed in its best” and truly a serene place to walk, pray and be alone. I hope you will be able to visit and enjoy it with us soon.

Your prayers and support are a great encouragement to me and all of the Westwood staff. Most of our guests who come for help and healing are able to come because you and others have a vision for this mission to Christian leaders. As one author wrote: “As go the shepherds, so go the sheep.” It is so important that we help leaders heal, experience sabbatical rest and train so that they can lead out in our Father’s kingdom enterprise.

A previous Westwood client recently shared his story with me:
“I went into ministry all excited and expecting to see God do mighty things through me. My wife and I met in college and I served my first church while I was still in college. We experienced some heart breaking things as we served in different church settings. I have always worked way too many hours to keep everybody happy at the church, and my wife has been left at home to raise the kids. Finally, I began to feel depressed, angry and not wanting to do anything that forced me come in contact with people. I didn’t want to get out of bed, even to preach. Our marriage began to be really rocky and the kids even encouraged us to get help. We could not afford to get help anywhere.

Through God’s intervention, we discovered Westwood, came to Kerrville and met with a counselor. We began to discover the wounds of our childhood, abuse that we had experienced, and correct our beliefs about God that were found nowhere in Scripture. God began to bring light into dark corners of my life and heal my heart. Slowly over several weeks God healed layer after layer of my life and also began to restore our marriage, love for God and zeal for serving him.
Please let all the Westwood Family know that God used all of you to save my life!

These experiences make our calling worth all the expense, energy and warfare. Know that you are making a difference to many by your prayers and financial support! Thanks.

As many of you know, I will be going to Minsk, Belarus to work with pastors and deacons October 9-16. Please pray for these leaders and our team that we will be yielded to God and sensitive to each person we minister to. I look forward to reporting what God has done in next months update letter.

Also, this coming weekend, October 11-14, we will be conducting a Potter’s Institute: Encounter 2 – The Family Tree. Please be in prayer for each participant and leader.

In His grace,

Dave Gentry, Founding Director

Westwood Ministries

Westwood Christmas Gala – December 1, 2007

 The Last Dance Ranch at Mt. Home, Texas