Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas!!!

Jude wanted to take a minute to wish you all a very, Merry Christmas!


Hope you have a very blessed Christmas.

Love to all,

Nancy

Friday, December 7, 2012

A Verry Merry Mercy!

I am on the run (currently sitting in the Sacramento airport about to board my flight) but wanted share a couple pictures with you that I just received back from our photographer. These pictures are from the Merry Mercy Christmas Benefit we had last Thursday night in Nashville. It was such a fun evening and I loved getting to connect with so many of the people who have supported us financially and prayerfully over the years. I hope you enjoy the pictures below and if you'd like to hear more about the event you can read about it here!

Me with the Freshwater family. Their daughter, Heather (pictured center),
graduated from the program last year.

Me and the wonderful Merry Mercy committee.
Without them this event would have never been possible!


Laine Craft, me, and Dave and Sharon Ramsey

Me, Rob and Lou Taylor, and International supermodel and Mercy supporter
Niki Taylor, who served as our honorary chair

Me with my dear friends Bernadette and Phil Keaggy. Phil served as the entertainment
for the evening and even sung a song he recorded with one of our Mercy graduates.

Me with our Executive Director of Development
Heather Robinson, who organized the event, and Board Member Lynn Morrow

Me with graduate Camilla Dechent and her husband Paul, who spoke at the event.


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This year as you celebrate Thanksgiving with your friends and family, I hope you will focus on the things you have to be thankful for, as well as the problems you have already faced and overcome. No matter what you may be facing today, just like our Mercy girls, there is nothing that you cannot overcome through the power of Christ who gives you strength.


Here are just a FEW things that I am thankful for…

1. The free gift of salvation.
2. Jude, the world’s greatest dog! :)
3. My family and friends.
4. Transformed lives of thousands of girls who have gone through Mercy Ministries.
5. Our Mercy supporters who help make transformed lives possible.

What are you thankful for today?

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Fun Times in Missouri!

Hey Guys,

Nancy’s Assistant, Reid here. While Nancy is spending time with our residents in Sacramento, I thought it’d be fun to share with you one of the many perks of working in Nancy’s office… I have the privilege of traveling with Nancy to new places and meeting new people. This past Friday, Nancy and I had the opportunity to go to CapeFirst in Cape Girardeau, MO led by Pastors Gary and Rose Brothers. They are such wonderful people and are really making a difference in their community. It never gets old seeing and experiencing firsthand what God is doing in different churches throughout the nation. I love getting to meet and connect with like-minded people who are working to accomplish the same goal – spreading the Gospel and sharing about true freedom in Christ!

Pastors Gary and Rose invited Nancy to come and share the message of freedom to more than 1000 women last Friday night. When it comes to the message of freedom, no one does it better than Nancy Alcorn. Her 30 years of experience working with girls struggling with life-controlling issues has given her greater insight than anyone I know, and I learn something new every time I hear Nancy speak. Friday night was no exception to that! Nancy shared true transformation can only come from Christ. We had a such a great time hanging out with all the women there, and it was so cool for me to see so many women respond to the altar call and give their lives to Christ. I thought you might enjoy seeing a couple of pictures from our time there…

Nancy and Pastor Rose
Nancy Speaking

I look forward to my next trip with Nancy coming up next week! I can’t wait to see all that God is doing in Kalamazoo, MI!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Special Guests in Nashville!

On Thursday morning the Nashville staff and residents had a very special treat… a visit from our dear friends Steve and Charlotte Gambill! Steve and Charlotte are the pastors of Abundant Life Church in Bradford and were instrumental in bringing Mercy Ministries to the UK. They have been close, personal friends of mine for years, and I love that they always make a point to stop by Mercy when they are in the Nashville area. Steve and Charlotte spent the entire morning teaching in our Nashville home and I heard it was awesome!!! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to be there, as I was actually visiting our Mercy home in Vancouver, Canada, but I received text messages from both Steve and Charlotte, as well as some of our Mercy staff members, letting me know how much fun everyone had and how great the teaching was. Our residents loved it too and got so much out of it!

I thought you might like to hear what some of the residents had to say and see some pictures from their visit:

 “Wow, I learned so much from Charlotte’s message alone. The thing that really caught me is that you are only supposed to change one thing at a time. I feel like as though God is clearly telling me to give up my eating disorder. I keep on telling myself that I will work on it later. But I need to do it now. I know sometimes my counselor or the nutrition manager will want me to do this or that and I ignore it. But I am over with that. I am ready to work on and change this area of my life. I want to work on it even if it is hard and I don’t think it will work. I also got a lot out of Steve’s message. But it was the praise and worship at the end that affected me the most. I just started crying. It was awesome!” – Tiffany, Current Mercy Resident

 “I greatly benefited from what I heard this morning. Having the major components of change laid out in a simplified way will assist me in knowing how to approach God and myself in this process. It came as a relief to me to know I don’t need to change everything all at once. With the concept of one thing at a time in mind, I asked God what He wanted me to focus on right now. He brought up several areas that have been a long-time struggle for me. Fear was a common root in these struggles. I realized this fear was inhibiting me from being able to reach out completely and to utilize the help that is offered to me here at Mercy Ministries. I know that with the life of God in me, I have what I need to overcome this.” – Taylor, Current Mercy Resident

“Well now… where do I even start? This was absolutely amazing! God really blessed me by speaking through Steve and Charlotte. Charlotte’s analogy of changing was absolutely amazing. It made so much sense. They really did a great job and Steve confirmed a lot of things God has been telling me! The idea of grace is something I’ve struggled with and God reminds me of daily. The fact that God’s grace is not only for me, but for every person He has created is just crazy! I am so blessed to have been transformed and am still growing every day. I loved today’s guests so, so, so much!” – Courtney, Current Mercy Residen

Steve Gambill and Jude

Charlotte and Steve Gambill with the Mercy Residents

Charlotte Teaching the Residents

Friday, October 12, 2012

Special Invitation…

Well things around here do not cease to slow down, and the same is true for this weekend. I have a very full day on Sunday speaking and wanted to invite anyone who lives in the Nashville or Memphis area to come out! On Sunday morning, I will be speaking at Christ Church in Nashville during the 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM CST services. I will then be traveling to Memphis to speak at Life Church’s “Chick Nite” that evening at 6:30 PM CST. Although it’s going to be a busy day, I’m very much looking forward to seeing all that God is going to do in the hearts and lives of those in attendance. Would so love to see you there if possible! :)

Thursday, September 27, 2012

I am Designed for Life!

I am currently at the airport en-route to Springfield, MO to attend the Designed for Life Women’s Conference at James River Assembly. My dear friend, Debbie Lindell, is hosting this awesome conference and I am so excited to get there! Debbie and her team at JRA absolutely blow me away every year with all they have planned, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us this weekend. In fact, this conference is so popular that they had to set up an extra room for the overflow of attendees and they are unable to accept last minute registrations. Our St. Louis residents will also be attending this conference as well as a lot of graduates – I am so pumped to spend time with all of these awesome young women and I can’t wait to tell you more about it next week!

What are you guys up to this weekend?

Friday, September 7, 2012

Nancy’s Birthday…Shhh…It’s a Surprise!!!

Hey Everyone,

Nancy’s Assistants, Katelyn and Reid here. Nancy’s not here today, so we are taking over! HA! Really though…we have a favor to ask of you…

Monday is Nancy’s birthday and we really want to bless her with LOTS of birthday wishes!!! She is such an amazing boss and person, and we want to do all we can to make her feel celebrated on her special day. If you are reading this, would you please leave a comment and wish Nancy a happy birthday and maybe even share some kind words or encouragement?! We know how much Nancy loves to hear from all of you and how much it would mean to her. We also know Nancy won’t be on the internet all weekend to see what’s been posted on her blog OR who’s commented. So help us surprise Nancy with birthday love from all over the world! We can’t wait to hear from you!!



Have a great weekend!

Katelyn and Reid

Friday, August 31, 2012

A Relaxing Labor Day Weekend

No labor on Labor Day, please!!! I have been on the road so much since the first of the year that I have made up my mind that I’m going to lay on the couch, watch football, and enjoy my time this weekend! I definitely won’t leave out reading some and spending time with God, but other than that, I plan to chill out and hang with my dog, Jude! :)

Me and my sheltie Jude
My prayer for you is that you enjoy a labor day without labor, and if you are a big college football fan like I am, I hope you have time to take that in as well. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Amazing Testimony from 1994!

Vanessa and I at the Guts Girls Brunch
I want to thank each and every one of you who prayed for my time at Guts Church recently. It was a tremendous success as many lives were touched and many people came to know Christ. It was also wonderful to be reconnected to Mercy graduates from over the years who attended the event. In fact, there is one particular story I would like to share with you...

While I was at the Guts Girls Brunch with approximately 2,000 women, a beautiful young woman approached me from across the room who looked to be in her mid 30s. She knelt down at my table and asked me the question, ‘Do you remember me?’ I immediately said, ‘I know that I know you. You look so familiar to me, but I cannot tell you where I know you from.’ She proceeded to tell me that her name was Vanessa and she came to Mercy Ministries in Louisiana at age 15 (that was the only home we had open in 1994) with an unplanned pregnancy. At that point, it all came rushing back to me exactly who she was. The birthfather of her baby was a baseball player who eventually played for the San Diego Padres. The coolest part is that not only did Vanessa choose to parent her baby boy Dakota, but she and the birthfather ended up getting married, committing their lives to Christ, are now members of Guts Church, and have had three additional children!

Me with Vanessa and her family after church on Sunday

This was such a great thing that I personally experienced that I wanted to share it with you and let you see the pictures. God is so good! It is rare that one of our unwed mothers actually marries the birthfather and has other children and remain married – extremely rare. I am so grateful for God’s goodness. They are a very happy family and it was so cool to spend time with them. Vanessa was at the brunch, but brought her whole family to meet me the next day during the Sunday services. I thought you would enjoy hearing this story!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Ministry is Fun!

Last week I had the awesome privilege of speaking at Lakewood Church in Houston, pastored by Joel and Victoria Osteen. The Osteen family is very near and dear to my heart and I was excited to be asked to speak at their Wednesday night service! I have known the Osteen family for many years and consider them my “Texas family.” It was great to spend time with the entire family including Joel’s mom, Dodie, and sister, Lisa! It was also cool to have several Mercy graduates in attendance Wednesday night and know that the staff and residents from the four U.S. Mercy homes were watching online! If you want to check out the service from last Wednesday, you can watch it online here. If you want to read more about my time at Lakewood and see more pictures, check out the story posted on the Mercy Ministries website here.

Me and Pastor Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church
Me with some of the Mercy graduates who came
to see me speak at Lakewood

Today I am flying to Tulsa to spend the weekend with Pastors Bill and Sandy Scheer at Guts Church. Guts is celebrating 20 years of ministry this year and I am speaking at the Guts Girls’ SOLD OUT 20th Anniversary Birthday Brunch on Saturday morning, as well as at Guts Church’s two Sunday morning services at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. If you live in or near the Tulsa area, come on out to one of the Sunday services. I hope to see you there!

Friday, August 10, 2012

63 Mercy Girls Baptized!

We just had a water baptism in our Sacramento home last Friday, and 21 California residents were baptized. This brings the total number of baptisms for the last few weeks to 63 current residents! We are rejoicing at God’s goodness for this special symbolic act of burying the old man and rising out of the waters of baptism in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Please pray for each one of these girls to walk out their commitment and continue to grow, and to have their minds renewed to the Word of God as they complete the program. I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures from these baptisms.

Me with some of our Nashville residents before they were baptized!
Me with Juli Fisher and her son Trent. Juli hosted the Nashville
baptism at her home and Trent led worship.




The California residents before Friday's baptism.



After the California baptism, the residents
enjoyed a BBQ, pool party, and time of fellowship.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Kairos Conference – Amazing!!!

I have had the privilege, along with several of our top leaders at Mercy Ministries, to attend the Kairos Conference at Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas the past two days. Both days have been filled completely and power packed. The word kairos in Greek means “the right or opportune moment.” I can honestly tell you that this conference has been both the right and opportune moment for those of us who have been in attendance. I want to give a shout out to Bob Hamp, the Executive Pastor of Pastoral Care Ministries at Gateway Church. His leadership in this conference and the team he has put together is second to none. I highly recommend this great conference to any church or ministry who wants to see their people come to a greater place of freedom in Christ Jesus. They are anointed to set the captives free and train others to do the same. We at Mercy Ministries consider it a great joy to have this new and God-given connection.

This Kairos Conference takes place four times each year, so I strongly urge you to pick the date that works best and send several of your top leaders. In this case, I chose to come myself, and I can honestly say that I have benefitted greatly as a result. Any leader who thinks they are finished with the transformation process is sadly lacking in reality. We as leaders of all people should set the example of examining our hearts and lives and dealing with our issues on a continual basis, so that we can be the very best that we can be for God. I strongly recommend this conference to you, and you can find out future dates by going to their website at http://gatewaypeople.com/ministries/freedom-kairos/schedule.

I had the wonderful privilege today of having lunch with Bob and one of his top team members, along with one of my top team members. It was a very special time. Bob and I took a moment right after lunch to have a photo opp…thought you might enjoy it!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Run Like A Girl…

Last Friday night, several thousand women ranging from preteen on up into the senior years came together for one great night for the Run Like A Girl Women’s Rally at James River Assembly’s South Campus. It was a night of great fun, but also a night of great seriousness as many people received Christ and many others made a total commitment to surrender all that would hinder them from fully fulfilling their individual destinies. We felt so blessed to be hosted by such a wonderful team at James River and so honor Pastors John and Debbie Lindell! I was so thankful for this special time together.

I am very much looking forward to the Designed For Life Conference September 27 – 29, 2012! If you’re interested in attending, you can register here - http://www.designedforlifeconference.org. Hope to see you there!!! Even though I am not speaking, I will be there!!!!! See you in September!

"Pre-service Prayer Warriors"


Me with several of the many Mercy graduates who attended the Rally

Friday, July 13, 2012

A Very Special Graduation

The graduation in the Nashville home on Wednesday was a very unique graduation for several reasons. We had four girls graduate including one who came back to officially graduate after having left the program in January to give birth to her baby girl. So far this year we have graduated 143 young women!

Me with our amazing graduates after the ceremony!
Another thing that made this week’s graduation unique is that this was the first time ever in the history of Mercy Ministries that we had a former graduate’s daughter graduate from the program. Stacy graduated 21 years ago and her 18 year old daughter Grace graduated yesterday. This group officially declared in the name of Jesus that they have broken the generational pattern and, starting with Grace, they are ushering in a generational blessing from this day forward!

Me, Grace, and Stacy

Friday, July 6, 2012

Mercy Multiplied Talks Uganda

Hey Everyone,

 I know Katelyn shared with you last week a bit about my trip to Uganda. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, yet very painful and emotional. I am now back and actually shared in great detail about my time in Uganda at Watoto on last night’s live half hour radio show. Click here and press the play button next to "Mercy Multiplied Radio - Watoto Ministries in Uganda" to listen to last night’s show.

I intend to do a major web story once I receive some of the pictures that are being sent over, so will have more to share later.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Love,

Nancy

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Watoto Ministries – You Have To Check This Out!!!

Hey Everyone,

Nancy’s Executive Assistant, Katelyn here. Nancy is currently in Uganda ministering at Watoto Ministries with founders Gary and Marilyn Skinner, so I thought I would take a few minutes to share a bit about Watoto and Nancy’s time there. If you’ve never heard of Watoto, it’s a faith-based holistic care program that works with the many orphaned children and women in Uganda whose lives have been ravaged by war and disease. You can check out their website for more information at www.watoto.com and/or watch the video below. I actually had the privilege of leading a team of 18 Mercy graduates to Uganda last summer to build a classroom block for Watoto Ministries. It was definitely a life-changing trip, and it’s so cool that Nancy is now getting to experience seeing Watoto firsthand! When Nancy arrived, she spent the first day visiting the different Watoto villages and babies’ homes. This is very eye-opening because you see the magnitude of how big Watoto’s outreach really is – there are over 1,000 children in each of the Watoto villages, many of whose parents have either died due to the AIDS epidemic or were killed by the rebel army in Uganda led by Joseph Kony.

The next day, Nancy spoke to approximately 2,000 students at two of the Watoto high schools in the Kampala area. This was such a powerful time of ministry as many of the students responded to the altar call as Nancy challenged them about the importance of living a fully committed life without compromise, which includes making a total commitment that sex is for marriage. God is so good!!! Nancy spent the entire day today in Northern Uganda visiting and speaking at the many outreaches that Watoto has established in Gulu. Gulu was once run by Kony and the rebel army, but in the last few years, Kony and the army have left the area (Gulu is also where the movie Blood Diamond was filmed). However, many women and children remain there and are now a part of the Watoto Church and the various ministry outreaches that are available to helping them rebuild their lives. This village is more specific to the women who have been raped by Kony and his army, the children who were created as a result, and other children who were able to escape the rebel army (many of whom had to murder their own parents and siblings). Nancy was told that there are approximately 1,100 women today in Gulu that are experiencing the transformation process as Christ is rebuilding their lives through sponsorships that Watoto provides. Most important of all, Watoto is leading the charge in helping each and every woman understand that Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free, and that regardless of their past they can have a future. They are training them not only to serve God with all of their heart, soul, and mind, but they are also training them in life skills so that they can be self supporting. Even as I’m writing this, Nancy just called and talked about going to Gulu today and said…

 “Today was one of the most overwhelmingly painful days of my life. No human should ever have to experience the depths of evil that these women have been through. The thing that blew me away the most was knowing that these women were forced to kill family members, knowing that they were abducted by the rebel army at ages 9 and 10 and literally used, raped over and over again, and made to marry LRA leaders, yet today they can still experience joy and freedom in Christ. I felt so privileged that I not only got to go speak to them and encourage them, but that I actually got to look them in the eye and hug each and every one of them!

 Normally I would ask you to support Mercy Ministries because we definitely need your support, but on this day, out of my love for Gary and Marilyn Skinner and the great work they are doing in Uganda, which I have now seen with my own eyes, I’m asking you to go on to Watoto’s website and sponsor a child. They are not only feeding and clothing the children, but they are also pouring the Word of God into them and seeing lives transformed! No doubt in my mind that Watoto is raising up the next generation of leaders that will lead the great nation of Uganda into a place of prosperity and stability by the power of God that is being poured into their lives.” 

 I wanted to share with you what Nancy said to me on the phone today so that you can see just how impacting her time in Uganda has been thus far. If you want to answer the call to sponsor a child, you can sign up online at www.watoto.com/sponsorship. The cost is $35 a month. You will receive letters from the child you sponsor and you can also write to them as well. I personally sponsor a child through Watoto and had the privilege of meeting her last year when I went to visit (see picture on right). I can also tell you that the children are very diligent to pray for their sponsors, and even know them by name and where they live. The many children that I talked to while I was visiting Watoto last year said they hoped to one day meet their sponsors! I love how personal the sponsorships are with Watoto!!!

 Also, Nancy will be speaking at Watoto Church this weekend – one service on Saturday and four services on Sunday. Please cover Nancy in prayer as she continues to minister in Uganda. I know she would greatly appreciate it!


Blessings,

 Katelyn

Thursday, June 21, 2012

From One Generation to Another… AYC2012!!!

Hey Guys,

I had the awesome privilege of speaking at the most amazing youth conference Tuesday night in Memphis, Tennessee called Axis Youth Conference. It was held at Life Church where Pastors John and Leslie Siebeling pastor. It was one of the coolest conferences I’ve ever been to, and the place was packed out to the max with teens and young adults of all ages. First of all, I felt so honored that someone my age would be asked to speak at a youth conference. Secondly, I was blown away by the awesome night we had and the huge response to the altar call at the end. God is such a good God and He truly moved in amazing ways in this very special conference! The estimated attendance was approximately 2,000 with over 20 churches represented. Thought you might enjoy seeing a few pictures from this awesome night…





Hope you have a great weekend! PLEASE pray for me as I will be leaving this weekend for Uganda to be with Watoto Ministries led by Pastors Gary and Marilyn Skinner. I will also be speaking at all of their weekend services as well as spending time throughout the week in the multitudes of outreaches they have. I will be gone for approximately 10 days…it’s going to be an intense schedule, but very rewarding. Please keep me in your prayers.

Blessings,

Nancy

Friday, June 8, 2012

Cherish Conference – It’s AMAZING!!!

Katelyn and Reid here. Nancy is currently in the UK speaking at the Cherish Conference (and having SO much fun) so we thought we’d show you some pictures of Nancy’s time there thus far. This year is the 10th Anniversary of the Cherish Conference hosted by Charlotte Gambill and has grown so much over the years that they have to have two 3-day back-to-back conferences to fit everyone in (six days total). How cool is that?! Thousands of women have been showing up to the conference…women from all over Europe and beyond! Along with Nancy, the other guest speakers this year include Lucinda Dooley, Pastor from Hillsong Church in Cape Town, South Africa, and Donna Crouch, Pastor from Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia.

Nancy has been calling us everyday going on and on and on about how amazing the conference has been! She has been telling us about how much of a flow there is of the Spirit of God, and how they are seeing people get saved, healed, and delivered. There has been a unity among the speakers and leaders and a great expectation for God to continue to do more! The girls from Mercy UK have also been able to attend the conference and spend time with Nancy!

Not only did Nancy speak at both conferences, but Charlotte asked Nancy to lead a special afternoon breakout session to train people in how to reach the broken and how they can get more involved with Mercy Ministries in Europe. Our UK Director Arianna Walker co-hosted in the session along with Program Director Debbie Harvie, who is a 2001 graduate of Mercy Ministries in America. It is so amazing that a girl who flew over to the US from the UK and walked through our doors 11 years ago is now happily married with two children and is the Program Director working under Arianna’s leadership. We have an amazing staff in the UK and are so thankful we are able to reach out to the hurting young women in Europe.

Another highlight for Nancy has been seeing the Watoto Children’s Choir perform! Nancy is actually going to Uganda to visit Watoto Ministries with Founders Gary and Marilyn Skinner this summer and will also be speaking at Watoto Church while she’s there. It’s so cool to hear how excited Nancy is about going to visit Watoto and see the ministry firsthand.

Check out these pictures to get an inside look at the happenings at Cherish Conference!!!

Charlotte Gambill, Amazing conference host
and speaker - She's awesome!!!
Welcome to Cherish!
Nancy speaking
It's a packed house!
Donna Crouch, Pastor at Hillsong Church in Sydney Australia
Lucinda Dooley, Pastor at Hillsong in Cape Town, South Africa

Watoto Choir from Gulu, Uganda

Hope you all have a great weekend!

- Katelyn and Reid

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Memorial Day Fun in Nashville!

Nancy’s assistants, Katelyn and Reid here. Nancy is currently jet setting around the world spreading the vision of Mercy, but we thought you might like to see an inside look at how our Nashville residents celebrated the Memorial Day holiday this week and hear their comments. A huge thanks to the Millsaps family for throwing such a special BBQ celebration for our residents – the girls absolutely loved it!


“Having people come over and throw a BBQ for us really did make this seem like a home! To have people do something so great for all us girls, while expecting nothing in return, was really inspiring. It showed me that doing something so small can have a really big impact!” – Jennifer, Current Mercy Resident


 “I really enjoyed my day. It was so relaxed. I was so grateful when we had a family come and spend their Memorial Day with us. They were so sweet and it meant a lot to me that they came. Plus, the food was amazing!” – Lexie, Current Mercy Resident


 “It was very kind of the Millsaps family to come and make dinner for us! I especially appreciated how they made an effort to get to know us and talk to us. It created more of a family type atmosphere that was perfect for a holiday.” – Heather, Current Mercy Resident


Hope you all had a great Memorial Day holiday as well…we would love to hear how about it!

- Katelyn and Reid