Mercy Resident Gives Birth – Another Life Saved!

We want to welcome baby boy Rainey Miles into this world, born yesterday to Mercy resident, Sarah. Both mom and baby are doing amazing! Thank you for making this choice of life possible…we value your support!

Star Recording Artist Surprises Mercy girls…

Jonny Diaz stopped by the Mercy home in Nashville yesterday to deliver several copies of his new book “More Beautiful You – A Study in True Beauty,” as well as surprised the girls with an impromptu performance of a few of his songs! Our girls were so excited that Jonny came by personally – it made them feel so special!! Check out the video of Jonny singing live to the Nashville Mercy residents…




Jonny wrote the book “More Beautiful You – A Study in True Beauty” with the help of his mom, Gwendolyn Diaz, to encourage young women that they are beautifully created by God for a specific purpose and that they are loved just as they are. We are so excited to add Jonny’s book to the libraries in each of our Mercy homes! If you would like more information on Jonny Diaz and how you can purchase a copy of his book, or to hear the radio version of his #1 song “More Beautiful You” and read the lyrics, check out www.jonnydiaz.com.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Don’t Tell Nancy I Hijacked Her Blog…Shhhh…

Nancy’s Executive Assistant, Katelyn here. While Nancy is on a plane – surprise, I know, I decided to take over her blog to share with you about an awesome phone call I had this afternoon with a Mercy graduate named Abbey. Abbey arrived at Mercy exactly one year ago today with an unplanned pregnancy and made the brave decision to place her baby for adoption. Now one year later, Abbey is getting ready to head back to college to continue her degree in Education and has just returned from her very first mission trip!!


Abbey went with a team of 20 people from her church (pictured right) to serve in Guatemala on a medical mission trip. The team saw 900 patients in 6 days – WOW!!! As I talked to Abbey, this is what she had to say:

“I’ve never met more joyful people in my whole life! Even though the people we were serving didn’t have anything, you would have never known because of how happy they were. Being in Guatemala made me realize how much I take simple things like running water for granted, and being around the Guatemalan people made me realize how much more joyful and grateful I can be in every area of my life. It was such an awesome trip and I hope to go back next year!”

I thought you might want to see some pictures from Abbey’s time in Guatemala…

Abbey with one of her favorite patients

Abbey taking care of one of the little ones!

Meet Our Intake Staff!!!

I thought it would be cool for you to meet our Intake staff who works tirelessly answering the desperate cries for help that we receive on a daily basis, an average of 1,500 calls each month. These days as the founder of Mercy, which has existed for 27 years, I get way too much credit for the great work that goes on. I felt like I should give a shout out to one department who has gone above and beyond to meet the needs of these young women we exist to serve, and that would be our Intake Department.

The cool thing about this department is that the Director of Intake, Rebekah Adams, has a Master’s Degree in Counseling. She actually started out as a volunteer and worked countless hours exemplifying the passion she has for hurting young women. When the position for the Director of Intake came open, for us it was a no brainer to hire Rebekah. She leads a talented team of people who I am featuring in today’s blog so that those of you who call in can put names and faces together.

The other cool thing about this department is that we actually have two graduates of Mercy that are a part of this team, and obviously they have a perspective that the other members of the team do not have. Sara was in the program in 1997 and Kathryne was in the program in 2002. Denise, one of the other Intake Coordinators, and her family have supported Mercy since Denise was a little girl and it is so great to have her as a part of the team. Besides Rebekah, Sara, Denise, and Kathryne, we also have Brandy who serves the department as the receptionist.

I really wanted to brag on this group, but I also thought it would be good if you got a personal inside look at who they are as individuals, so I asked each of them to write something they would want to share with our friends and supporters. I am so proud of our entire staff, and I will be highlighting more departments from time to time in the future…


Rebekah Adams – Director of Intake

I started in this position in September of 2009 and I will never be able to fully express to you just how thankful I am for my job! I count it as a gift and a treasure to be a small part of seeing young women's hearts, minds, and lives restored by the power of Jesus Christ! Yeah!!!!

I was raised in a tiny little town called Rensselaer, Indiana, (if you look close enough you might see it on the map). I'm the youngest of 4 girls, (seriously, we're like the book "Little Women"... best friends!). I moved to Nashville in 2000 to go to Trevecca Nazarene University where I graduated with a Bachelor's in Social Work and a Bachelor's in Interpersonal Communications. I then continued on to get my Master's Degree in Counseling. Soon after completing school, I met my soon-to-be husband at church and we were married in September of 2008. He is truly the Lord's perfect provision for me and he was well worth the wait!!!! I love spending time with my husband (he’s hilarious!), shopping for great deals (just ask the Intake team), interior decorating, and singing.

Sara Opperman – Intake Coordinator

I have been part of the Mercy family for thirteen years. I initially found out about Mercy Ministries through a magazine article when I was sixteen, unexpectedly pregnant, and looking for a place to get help. Mercy Ministries provided an environment for me to draw closer to God, hear His voice through the challenging circumstances, and find clear direction and peace about the life-changing decision I had to make. I graduated from the program in 1997, and went back home with my beautiful baby girl, Alexis.

I have now worked in the Intake Department for almost three years, and feel honored to be a part of what God is doing in young women’s lives through this ministry. I am thankful for the opportunity to encourage them through the challenges they face, while also sharing my personal story of God’s amazing grace, love, forgiveness, and restoration. I feel blessed beyond measure for all that God has done in my life and continues to do - He is so faithful! Being a mom is by far my favorite role in life! Together, Alexis and I enjoy horseback riding, basketball, water skiing, and playing with our little dog, Rosie. I also enjoy playing soccer, cycling, ballroom dancing, and spending time with friends and family.


Denise Ramsey – Intake Coordinator

I have been at Mercy for almost 2 years and love it every day. Since high school, I have felt like God put a calling on my life to help girls that are dealing with the many issues that young girls face in society today. I was born and raised in Nashville, TN. I went to college at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where I majored in Child and Family Studies with a minor in Psychology. I have a wonderful family and friends that have supported me through my life and have helped me develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. I have a sister and a brother who I am really close with, and I love going to football games, cooking, and going to the lake.


Kathryne Coonce – Intake Coordinator

I have been working at Mercy for almost 2 years now, and I love it! Mercy has a very special place in my heart, especially since I am a Mercy grad! Yep, I am a Mercy alum… graduated in 2002 after having an unplanned pregnancy. Mercy was such a blessing to me and helped me through so many hard issues that I needed to work through! Most importantly, I developed a real relationship with my Savior, which changed my life! I never really thought I would end up working at Mercy, but God put it on my heart about 5 years after my stay there, and soon after, He opened the door! I feel blessed to be able to give back to a ministry that gave me so much!

I graduated from College of Charleston with a degree in Psychology, and then moved back home to Franklin, TN where I was born and raised. I have 2 brothers and a sister, and lots of nieces and nephews whom I adore! I have been married for 2 years now and I love my husband! I want to have a big family, so we are hoping to have children in the near future. I love to cook and hang out with friends and my family... and I love girly movies. That’s me… ☺


Brandy Vancil – Intake Coordinator

I grew up in a small town in Virginia and went to college at Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. I am married to a great man named Nick and we have a wild and wonderful black and white cocker spaniel named Buddy. I enjoy creative writing, songwriting, leading worship with my husband, traveling, and taking part in Bible studies with good friends.

The passion of my heart is to see people’s lives radically transformed by the saving and redeeming power of Jesus Christ. I hope to one day finish up my Masters in Marriage and Family Counseling in order to further walk out the passions God has given me. It is a true joy and humbling experience to walk alongside the brave young women who seek help from Mercy Ministries as they take active steps to walk out the freedom and healing Christ has for their lives.

An Inside Look to Our New Canadian Home!

I am so excited about our new Canadian home!! The furnishings are so beautiful and I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the rooms so I’ve posted them here for you. I want to give Pastors John and Helen Burns and the Canadian team a shout out for a job well done. The Mercy journey is so exciting and we love it that every room is so beautiful because it speaks to the value that we place on the lives of the young women we serve who have been through such devastation.

I love the time I spent with our Canadian staff
along with Pastors John and Helen Burns!

Part of the Classroom

Counseling Room

The Gathering Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

Each room has unique artwork as well.

One Year Later…

One of my favorite things that I love to share is when I hear from one of our graduates. This particular graduate, Kati, just celebrated her one year Anniversary of coming into Mercy Ministries. Thought it might help somebody out there who’s thinking about seeking help to hear her perspective back then, and how much different she is today. If you’re out there and you need help, please let this testimony encourage you!

“I remember this day (July 22, 2009) very distinctly last year. I remember sitting in the airport bawling my eyes out afraid of what the future would look like if I went and more afraid of what I looked like if I didn’t. I went to Mercy wanting freedom but not truly believing that it was possible for ME.

I am so thankful that I took that scary step. I have no doubt that choosing life was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, but it is also the best decision I ever made. I went into the program full of doubt, shame, and fear, and I left free, knowing that Christ died for MY freedom! I still have to choose life each and every day, but ultimately, I know that the battle is already won whether I feel like it or not.

I have so much in life for be thankful for, and I often overlook all the blessings God so lavishly pours upon me. I am so thankful to everyone who played such an integral part in my journey over the past year. Thank you for your obedience in what God has called you to do because I was on the other side of that obedience. Thank you for your patience and love during the process. Thank you for giving me hope that life could be different than what I was living. Some days I may feel like I’m just flying like other birds, but ultimately, I know that I was called to soar!”

Celebrating Christmas in the Louisiana home

Kati while she was at Mercy

Washington, DC Regional Event

I had the privilege of traveling to the Washington, DC area this past Saturday to speak at the first ever northeast regional event for Mercy Ministries. About 200 people gathered to hear the vision of Mercy and hear from four graduates with amazing stories of transformation.

Me sharing the vision of Mercy

Introducing our graduate speakers

Jordan

Krista

Michaela

Kaitlen

Thanks to everyone who came out for the event and also thanks to our sponsors Amazing Grace Enterprises, Kathie Dalrymple, Bay Area Community Church, Grace Baptist Church, The Frangipane Family, Chris & Olga Just, McDonald Auto Service, Redeeming Life, Inc., Erin Rampersaud and Noel Namocatcat. I’d also like to thank Brenda Ulman for all of her hard work and the team of volunteers she put together to help with this event. I always enjoy connecting with people in different regions of the country and being able to spread the vision of Mercy!

Pictured from left to right: Director of Development, Selah Hirsch, me, Fundraising Director, Heather Robinson, and Brenda Ulman

Our Northeast Regional Creative Team

Me with the Mercy graduates

Graduates showing off their Mercy graduation rings