Why did you begin Hope for the Heart and how long has it been since it was created?

Hope for the Heart was birthed in 1986. Frankly, I never sought to begin this ministry. It was truly a plan that the Lord designed and initiated. Before 1986, I served as a church youth-director. During those years, I became concerned for the 600+ young people—plus the leadership—and their many challenges, questions, and concerns. And for their parents, who struggled with difficult parenting issues. I noticed that many of the same questions kept cropping up over and over.

I yearned to give biblical answers yet the Bible is not arranged topically. So I began searching the Scriptures to glean God’s Truth for Today’s Problems (which has become the vision for our ministry).

Later I also became the director for around 600 young adults. After that, I led inductive (book-by-book) Bible studies for single adults. At the same time, I traveled as a conference speaker. In each of these roles, I was continually asked questions on every topic imaginable regarding everyday problems. Presenting practical and relevant answers to these questions became the catalyst for starting our ministry, which provides Christ-Centered Counseling. This entails giving help and hope to others based on biblical truth, while relying on Christ to provide the power for change. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

You came to know Christ when you were in a home filled with pain and He gave you true healing. Please tell us how God restored your heart that was shattered into so many pieces.

Many people have such warm memories of their childhood. However, I grew up in an adulterous home…a home full of secrets. So I was emotionally closed.

At home, my father’s words were very unkind and cruel, especially to my mother. He would say unkind things to me and I could tolerate it…but I thought, “Not my mother!”. I had a great sensitivity toward her and I truly hated him for his harsh treatment of her and for continually threatening to send her away to a mental institution for simply crying.

When I was 14 years old, I approached my mother with a proposition. I said, “Mom, I figured out a way to kill dad.” I was completely serious. I’ll never forget how my mother responded. She did not chide me nor laugh at me. Instead, with complete compassion, she said, “Honey, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but that really won’t be necessary.”

It’s not that I actually wanted to commit murder…I just wanted the pain to stop. I know what it’s like to look for love in all the wrong places—anything for security, anything for comfort. I clearly know what it’s like to feel desperate for hope in the night. I had a night time of my life that lasted a number of years.

One day I heard some young people talk about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, not a religion. I was a “blank page” and knew nothing about God or the Bible. For six months, I watched those who had this “relationship with Christ.” I watched and I thought, “It’s real…there’s something real.” I did not respond emotionally but based on what I saw in their lives, I thought, “If what they’re saying is true, I could miss the opportunity to have that deeper purpose in life that they seemed to have.” So I prayed, “Jesus, I do not know much about you, but I am asking you to come into my life to be my Lord and my Savior. I give you all of me.” Then my life really began to change.

But there was one thing didn’t change—my hatred toward my father.

The truth is, God did not create us to hate people. We are to hate sin, not people. By this time, my mother was growing in Christ by leaps and bounds. So one day I asked her, “How can you be so nice to him?” She responded, “Oh honey, if he just had the Lord, he wouldn’t be that way.” That’s the first time I ever saw that my vision was skewed. I saw that she looked beyond my father’s fault and saw his need. That enabled me to do the same thing—look beyond his fault and see his need for the Savior. Later, I read Jesus’ words, “Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.” Praying for his salvation--for him to have a changed life--removed the bitterness from my heart.

Six months before my father died, he prayed a prayer for the first time asking Christ to be his Savior, and I believe it was because my mother nurtured the soil of his heart with God’s unconditional love. He was loved into the kingdom of God. Today I realize this is the same wonderful opportunity that you and I have—to share God’s love, allowing His Spirit to draw others into a personal relationship with the Lord. What a privilege to help others find peace with God and the assurance of eternal life!

Why do you say that the Bible is a practical tool to help you through any trial or affliction?

In the Bible, when King David careened off course, he found himself in adultery with Bathsheba and even murdered Bathsheba’s husband. But after a complete change of heart— and totally dedicating his life to the Lord—David made this strong declaration: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” David learned that the wisdom of God’s Word would keep him walking on the right road, in the right direction.

At different times in our lives, we’ve all found ourselves caught in a quagmire—whether self-propelled, or by accident, or by an unwelcomed shove! No matter the depth of the ditch, we all need a helping hand to pry us out of the pit. However, Jesus warned, “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?” (Luke 6:39). Therefore, our helper needs to see the situation and the solution accurately and to take a stand on solid ground, being solidly grounded in truth. That truth is the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Our great privilege on Esperanza Para El Corazon, La Historia de una Familia is to present a true life situation, mine the Scripture for its nuggets of truth, apply them to the situation and share them with our listeners.

You create various radio programs.  How has God used these programs to bring Hope to people?

We’re currently privileged to be producing and airing two daily Radio programs—our half-hour teaching broadcast, Hope For The Heart, and our 2-hour live, call-in counseling program, Hope In The Night. We are always thrilled to learn how God is using each of these programs to change the lives of listeners in so many different ways!

Elizabeth, a listener in Connecticut, wrote, "Thank you, June, for your program. Because of hearing you, I have been able to consider reconciliation and forgiveness toward my father, to whom I have not spoken for six months."

Jimmie from Missouri wrote to say, "Before I started listening to Hope in the Night, I was suffering from Insomnia, Panic, and Anxiety Attacks. God has used you and your ministry to heal me from these conditions."

Our programs are aired in many languages, in so many places – including here on HCJB and affiliate stations of Agencia SERVIR—and there’s no greater reward than knowing that together, we’re Changing Hearts… Changing Minds… And Changing Lives—all around the World!

What objectives does your ministry have in producing the dramatized series, Esperanza Para El Corazon, La Historia de una Familia?

Our hope is that listeners will realize they are not alone in their struggles. We want them to know that they—like others who have encountered similar difficulties in their lives—can find real solutions through Christ. God cares about the intimate details of our lives, and we at Esperanza Para El Corazon care, too. We want to help listeners discover biblical hope and practical help resulting in changed minds, changed hearts and changed lives.

In your own words, please invite the radio audience to listen to the program on HCJB Global and affiliate stations of Agencia SERVIR.

I’m so delighted that our efforts are being reproduced in Spanish and aired on HCJB Global and affiliates of Agencia SERVIR. We want to invite you to be with us, for each edition of our programs. Sharing God’s Truth for Today’s Problems can be as simple as sharing the time and frequency of these broadcasts with those you meet, who may need Biblical solutions to their real-world problems. We look forward to meeting with you, through our program, Esperanza Para El Corazon, La Historia de una Familia in the weeks and months ahead. God bless you!