Mercy Graduate Suzanne Now Director of Glenwood Tutoring Program in North Carolina!

When Suzanne came to Mercy in Monroe in 2007, she was bound by grief from the trauma of abuse, and was filled with hopelessness and depression. Through Mercy, God restored the life of this young woman and after 6 months, she graduated, set free and ready to move into her future! We recently received this awesome update from her.

This June will be my 3rd year anniversary from Mercy Ministries. :) Since graduating, I have returned to live and work in the Inner City of Greensboro, NC with the youth in the Glenwood Neighborhood. Currently I am the Director of the Glenwood Tutoring Program and of Glenwood Dance Ministry. Things are going well here and I am blessed daily to be a living witness of the power of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is definitely a battle against the evil one. I have had quite a few days these past months when I have seen that only through the grace of Jesus can we be free and minister freedom to the children here. In the hard times it has been a blessing to be reminded that I cannot rely on myself or my own strength, but must daily surrender to my Lord and through Him, continue to press on.

I will look forward to hearing from you. Have a great day!

W/Joy,
Suzanne Mathis

I never get tired of seeing how God restores broken lives so that they can in turn go and help restore the lives of others. I thought you might like to see this picture Suzanne sent with one of the many students she teaches. We are so proud of her and excited to see what the Lord has in store for her future!

Pictures and Update from Last Night’s Benefit Concert!

On Monday, I shared with you about an awesome benefit concert that took place here in Nashville last night as the kick-off for the First Annual Christian Trafficking Shelter Association (CTSA) conference.

Natalie Grant opened up the night along with the director of The Home Foundation, Stacia Freeman. Natalie and Stacia discussed how sex trafficking is not only an international issue, but one that happens every day here in the U.S., even in our own backyards. They shared that the number of trafficked victims around the world is a staggering 27 million, but that together, we can take action to make a difference. Mercy is excited to partner with Natalie Grant's Home Foundation, CTSA, and others to bring healing and restoration to the victims of sex trafficking.

Featured artists Brandon Heath, Britt Nicole, Tenth Avenue North, Phillip LaRue, and Audrey Assad all donated their time to support this cause. It was an awesome night! We thought you might like to see some of the pictures…

Please be praying for the CTSA Conference that is happening all day tomorrow as we learn more about how Mercy Ministries can continue to reach these girls.

Nashville Mercy Ministries Community Relations Manager, Whitney Nall,
Natalie Grant, and Mercy Ministries Development Director, Selah Hirsch

Natalie Grant performing

Director of the Home Foundation, Stacia Freeman, Selah Hirsch,
Mercy Ministries' Intern Emma Boyd, and Whitney Nall

Benefit Concert Tomorrow Night!!

I am very excited about a concert that is happening here in Nashville tomorrow night to kick off the First Annual Christian Trafficking Shelter Association (CTSA) Conference. Mercy Ministries is thrilled to partner with Natalie Grant’s Home Foundation and CTSA to restore lives of victims of domestic sex trafficking. Sex trafficking is a huge issue in the United States, and the effects it has on its victims are devastating. Mercy Ministries knows this firsthand as we already serve this population in our current facilities. As this horrific abuse becomes more prevalent, we are committed to being very intentional about serving the young women who have been victimized by trafficking.

This benefit concert will be held here in Nashville tomorrow night (Tuesday, March 9) at the Historic Belcourt Theater. With host and headliner Natalie Grant, other featured artists will be Brandon Heath, Brit Nicole, Tenth Avenue North, Phillip LaRue, and Audrey Assad. This night should prove to be one to remember! If you are interested in attending this concert, you can purchase tickets at www.belcourt.org or at the door.

We hope to see you there!

Brandon Heath

Brit Nicole

Tenth Avenue North

Phillip LaRue

Audrey Assad

Trip to the UK!

I just got back earlier this week from the UK, where we had an amazing fundraising gala for Mercy UK last Friday night, and then I had the privilege of speaking at Abundant Life Church (www.alm.org.uk) on Sunday evening.

Guests gathered from all over the UK and Europe to celebrate the ongoing success of Mercy Ministries in the UK. The evening was hosted by UK Executive Director, Arianna Walker, who started the evening by welcoming and greeting the people. After a great dinner, Pastor Paul Scanlon of Abundant Life Church shared about how our paths first crossed at Hillsong in Australia in 1999, and from that point on, we began the journey to where we are today.

It was an honor for me to be asked to give our guests an overview of what Mercy does and how we’ve progressed over the years.

We had 30 of our former residents/graduates come back to be a part of the event – it was so powerful! They shared their testimonies by holding up posters that defined their lives before and after Mercy. For example, one girl’s poster said, “Violated by many,” and then when she flipped it over, it said “Rescued by One!” Another one said, “My issues were destroying my marriage and my life.” Then her husband joined her on stage as she flipped her poster over – her poster read, “God gave me my life back!” And her husband’s poster read, “And God gave me my wife back!” (pictured below – couple before and couple after)

There was not a dry eye in the house as girl after girl gave glory to God for the miracle of her transformed life. We also announced that we are currently expanding our UK facilities so that we can double our capacity, and the renovations are set to begin in April. It was such an exciting event!

For me, the highlight of the evening was being able to see and talk to all of the girls from years past. We had some time together after the event to catch up and take some photos. Then, many of the former residents came back for services at Abundant Life Church on Sunday. It was altogether a great Mercy family weekend!

I’m so proud of our UK team for all of their hard work, not only with this awesome event, but also for the great job they do working with the girls we serve on a daily basis. I’m very excited about the way God is moving there!

I thought you might like to see some of the pictures from my trip. Hope you have a great weekend!!

Before

After

Before

After

2003 Graduate and Her Beautiful Family

I just got an update from one of our graduates from 2003. When she came to Mercy, her life was a mess. She had a severe eating disorder, had experienced lots of abuse and was suicidal. While at Mercy, her life was completely turned around. It’s hard to believe it has been almost seven years since she graduated. Since that time, she met a wonderful guy who she is now married to and they have three beautiful children. I just got an update from her and wanted to share it with you:

We are all doing well. Our family is in a joyful season. Lots of fun, laughs and good times. Manning will be turning 3 this month (crazy to me that he is already this old!). He is fun-loving, sweet, silly and just all around great! He loves wrestling with Daddy. He loves cuddling with Mommy. Overall, he’s easy-going and wants to do as he’s asked.

Tapestry will be 2 in May. She is FUNNY, cute, loveable, and makes the greatest faces ever! She keeps anyone in her presence entertained by the sheer nature of just being herself. She’s just overall really cute! And different from her big brother- she doesn’t mind bending the rules a bit and doing things her own way. You all know she takes after her Daddy on that, right?! (Haha!)

Cherish is an absolute beauty! Seriously A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! She is happy, smiley, and a jewel. She’s a little joy-bringer. She’s 4 months old. She cries a little, smiles a lot, laughs, rolls from her back to her tummy and loves to cuddle. She likes for Mommy to wear her in slings and wraps, which is great because I do so a lot! This gives me sweet time with her while being able to play with and take care of her big sis and bro. She loves watching Manning and Tapestry. She loves playing her little baby toys. A true delight!

Ryan and I are excited. God is refreshing us in new ways. He is stirring deep within both of us. We love Him! Ryan’s plumbing business is still going well overall, and we are very thankful!!


Love,

Kristin and the Fam

I never get tired of hearing about these beautiful girls who have overcome so much in their lives. I continue to call them my HEROES. I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters, but especially those of you who were supporting us in the year 2003, because this is one of the many lives you helped to turn from death to life!

Mercy Grad Living her Dream!

When Jane graduated from Mercy Ministries 3 years ago, she never thought that her wildest dreams would become a reality so quickly! Jane is currently working for the Canadian government at a research station in the Arctic! We just received an update from her along with some amazing pictures. I thought you might be encouraged to see how another Mercy graduate is moving forward into the unique destiny God has for her.

Hello Mercy Family :)

I know that it’s been awhile since I have connected with you, but I thought that I would drop you a line and let you know a little about what’s been happening in my world!

It’s hard to believe it’s been 3 years since I graduated from Mercy in Nashville. God is wonderful and I am continuing to walk through doors that I could never have dreamed God would open for me!

I currently work for the federal government here in Canada in the Meteorological Department. Most of my year is spent at the top of the world – literally! I work at the most northern research station on the planet. I am up there for 3 months at a time with just 7 other people. It’s remote and isolated and in the middle of the Arctic and it’s so cool how God continues to speak to me there! Those of you who know me well know that this is my cup of tea. :) I love creation and I love snow!

Here are a couple of pictures from my time there. There are a pack of arctic wolves that visit the station once in awhile.

I would just like to say THANK YOU for the time and effort Mercy invested in my life. Without the staff, and them helping me reconnect with God and work through my stuff, I would not be here today, let alone working in this demanding job. So, hats off to you all! I am honored that I had the opportunity to walk through the doors at Mercy.

Cheers,

Jane

We are so proud of Jane! We pray for her safety while she works in such a cold and remote environment and can’t wait to hear how God continues to use her to change her world!

Mercy Graduate Serves in South Africa!

You might remember a blog I did on January 28 about one of our awesome 2006 graduates, Bethany (http://nancyalcorn.blogspot.com/2010/01/graduate-and-her-family-give-back-in.html). Her parents had sent a letter along with a donation informing us that Bethany and her fiancé Beau had decided that instead of purchasing favors for their wedding this summer, that they were using that money to give a generous donation to Mercy! They also shared with us that Bethany was currently on a mission trip in South Africa, using the skills she had obtained while at Texas A&M veterinary school to serve the community there.

When we found out she was going to be in South Africa, we were excited to connect her with some of our ministry friends in the area, Sarah and Barry Le Roux. I recently received the coolest update from Sarah and Barry about Bethany’s trip. We thought you would love to hear about some of the amazing things she got to experience and see some of the incredible pictures from her trip.

Hi Nancy,

I would like to thank you for connecting us with Bethany. We had such a GREAT time together. On Tuesday, I took her to my friends’ game farm and we went for a game drive and saw all the animals. On Wednesday, I took her to the lion park where she got to hold baby lion cubs. Wednesday night, at our home cell group, Bethany shared her testimony and it was amazing!!! Some cried and after she was finished, everyone had so many questions for her - wanting advice, wanting to understand how she sees herself now, wanting to know how to deal with people they know who have eating disorders, and wanting to know parenting advice on how to deal with their children in similar situations. Bethany answered everyone's questions with such wisdom. We all went home blessed and encouraged, and praising God for His mercy and grace, and the testimony of Bethany’s life is unto Him. Although I have shared what Mercy is about, it was so great for them to see a young girl who has actually graduated from the program and whose life has been totally changed.

Thursday, we went on an outreach into a very poor township. There is no electricity, no running water and most of the community have not been educated and don’t have jobs. We took clothes and food parcels that will feed a family for a week or more and Bibles in their local languages. We saw many sick children suffering from AIDS and Tuberculosis. The team leader for that community took us to the 10 poorest families and we blessed them with the gifts. Bethany got to go inside their shacks and see how they live. She was touched by the whole experience and said she could do that everyday. I was so sad to say goodbye, but I know we will meet again. Thank you again for organizing this! Lots of Love and hugs and please send our love to all the girls at Mercy.

Sarah and Barry

It is so amazing to see the transformation that has taken place in Bethany’s life. She is a true hero and I am so proud of her and excited about the awesome future the Lord has in store for Bethany and Beau.