An Update From Founder David Heflin

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” Bilbo to Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring.

When I started Broken and Mended, I felt a lot like Frodo looking down an unknown road that I was convicted God wanted me to walk. For sure, I wasn’t facing mortal danger like Frodo and his friends, but there are always risks involved when starting something new. I was plagued by the questions, “What if this doesn’t work?” “What if people don’t want what I’m offering?” “And what am I offering, anyway?!”

Broken and Mended was a simple idea that started as a local church support group in the fall of 2018. Our Facebook group and virtual meetings allowed us to reach people beyond our community in northwest Oklahoma. There was a vision that one day–fifteen years in the future–Broken and Mended would be a global ministry, and I would have to leave my full-time preaching ministry to lead it.

But just over six years later, we have already reached that decisive point. When Broken and Mended was incorporated in 2021, and we began expanding our reach, it was very slow going and easily manageable. We were in the middle of a pandemic, after all. The surprising turning point was when Paul Ochieng wanted to start a single Broken and Mended group in Kenya in the spring of 2022. Soon the single group became three, then six, and then exponentially took off across the country.

Today, there are about 200 Broken and Mended support groups in Kenya, and another fifty in other African countries! There are still only a handful of support groups in the States, but as we continue to develop new resources and training for our leader, we only expect those numbers to grow.

Many people have come along to help me and this ministry, but we are always behind. My wife and I became convinced in the spring that God was calling us to step out of our door and start down that Road. I decided to leave my pastoral role and let God provide a way to make this all come true.

Next March, I will make that transition. It will mean better oversight and resources for our continued growth in Africa, faster development of our Spanish outreach, contacting and recruiting more group leaders in the States, and developing new programs (a Broken and Mended mini-conference, new written materials, and a support program for families who have children with chronic illnesses).

I am sure it will not look exactly how I envision it now. It never does, but God’s plans are always better, and I am excited about where he leads me and this ministry as we head into a big transition year.

We have always focused on “connecting hurting people to Jesus and each other.” People living with chronic diseases, pain, and disability often live in terrible isolation, even from their churches. Isolation is a killer in more ways than one (I’ll save breaking that down for another post or podcast). Hurting people need to know that they are not alone. God has not abandoned them, and there are others like them looking for meaningful community as well. We provide these connections in Broken and Mended.

All of support groups and resources needed to accomplish this costs money, but God has always provided. I know he will provide for my family as we make this transition as well. If the Lord is willing, I envision a day when others will work full-time in this ministry as we continue to reach around the world. If you want to help us and are able to do so, please consider becoming a monthly partner as we all discover together how God will lead us forward in the years to come!

David Heflin

Executive Director

David Heflin is the founder, former president, and current executive director for Broken and Mended. He is married to Katie and has three kids. David was a preacher for over 20 years until he stepped down to focus fully on the mission of Broken and Mended. He started Broken and Mended in 2018 after being inspired by his own battle with chronic pain to connect other hurting people to Jesus and each other. David has a B.A. in Bible from Oklahoma Christian University and a Master of Arts in Religion from Azusa Pacific University. He resides in Woodward, OK.

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