22 Mercy Residents Get Water Baptized - Stay Tuned for More!!!

Last evening in Sacramento at the home of Buzz Oates, 22 of our 40 residents in our Sacramento home were water baptized at their request. I will be posting a blog tomorrow with video and highlights from this very special time. Stay tuned…

Mercy Graduate Serves in Uganda…

It is always so exciting to be able to support former Mercy residents on mission trips to share the love of Christ and to see them help others because of what they have learned here at Mercy. I just received this awesome email from 2006 Mercy graduate, Emily, sharing about her mission trip to Uganda. It made my day! Wanted to share it with you…

Nancy,

I got home Sunday night from two weeks in Uganda and I didn't want to let too much time go by before sending you and all of the staff at Mercy a huge thank you for helping to make this trip possible! God is so faithful and I am in awe of the incredible work that He accomplished in me and through me on this trip. What I saw in Uganda was nothing short of a miracle. Women traveled for hours on buses to stay for a month in a common house in Nansanna, Uganda, which is just outside of Kampala. Classes were held daily to train these women in the Word of God. They were so excited to hear the truth of the Bible and to get to know God! I was so impressed by the depth of their faith.

Our church also has an orphanage in Nansanna called the Children of Grace. Most of the girls who live there are in their teens and we were able to spend a lot of time with them. We even took a group of them to the zoo, which they loved! Another thing we helped with was getting a room ready which will be the Grace Women's dorm so that women can come to Bible College in Nansanna.

God used this trip to wake me up and motivate me. He spoke to my heart about the importance of true intimacy with Him. I definitely left a portion of my heart in Uganda and can't wait to return!

Thank you again and God bless you!! I’ve also attached a few pictures from the trip.

Emily's smile is contagious!

Emily with some of the children of Uganda

Love,

Emily

I am so proud of you, Emily!

Mercy Graduate Now Missionary in Guatemala...

I just received the most amazing update from Mercy graduate, Kim, about what God is doing through her ministry in Guatemala!!! NOT ONLY THAT, but she gave me an amazing update of how God has restored her relationship with her family! This past month her family came to Guatemala to serve with her for a week, and Kim sent me this amazing update about how God has restored her family. I have also posted pictures highlighting Kim reaching out to others there, along with pictures of when her family came. This story is way too powerful not to take the time to read and we share this with Kim’s permission.

In Kim’s own words…

Hey there Nancy!

I hope you and everything in Nashville are going wonderfully!

I wanted to take a moment to share something with you…

I am still here in Panimaquin, Guatemala, continuing to stand amazed as to how the Lord desires to use me and how He is using my former shame to bring about hope and encouragement for the people here in the village. I am continually in awe of our Abba's immense love and how He pours it over me and through me.

This past month in the village, the Lord blessed me in such an amazing way... he brought my family here to serve for a week! My mom, step-dad, and cousin all boarded a plane to come to minister here in Guatemala... It was a confirmation that brought so much peace to my heart. There are not words sufficient to describe this immense blessing! For me, it was a certain picture of how the Lord has not only restored and redeemed me, a once tattered, hopeless, depressed, and severely bound individual, but how He has also restored my family! For years, I never wanted my family to be a part of my life, and I did all I could to keep distance between us, but God has restored my family! He has restored the relationship with my mom that was destroyed in many ways, and He has given me a relationship with my step-dad who was never given an opportunity to hold a place in my life due to much fear and transference of past abuse from my own father... It was absolutely an experience for me that will be forever etched in my heart!

Thank you for opening Mercy's doors to me, not only to me, but to my family as well! I am so grateful for how the Lord has used Mercy to change my life, but also to change the life of my family!

God bless you!
Thanks so much!

Kim

Kim we are so proud of you, and so proud to be one of your supporters!

Kim with a young woman she's reaching out to...

Kim with some of the kids she works with

Kim with her mom and stepdad

Kim's cousin, Michelle, with the children

Kim and her family with all of Kim’s students after a devotional where they all received Bibles

9 Year Old Daughter of Former Mercy Girl Raises Hundreds of Dollars for Mercy!!!

Today in the mail I received these pictures along with a check from 9 year old Brittney who is the daughter of one of our former residents, Kristy (pictured left), from years ago. Brittney got it in her heart that she wanted to help raise money for Mercy because she knows that we have a lot of needs at the moment, and she decided that she wanted to do her part. Brittney (pictured right) made a decision to make the bracelets (pictured below) and sell them for $1 apiece. She made and sold 503 of these bracelets and sent us a check today for the entire amount!!! I thought it was one of the most awesome things I have heard straight from the heart of a child who cares about others. I hope it touches your heart as much as it did mine. We can all do our part, and together we can make a great difference!

Newly Renovated Mercy Home – Check Out Yesterday’s Open House/Dedication

It was such a joy yesterday to walk back into the very home where Mercy first began in 1983! The thing that made this day so special is that we were all there to celebrate and dedicate our newly renovated facilities. Our residents were so blessed that 250 people in the local community dropped by to tour the home and offices, and to be a part of our official dedication.

Thought I would share some of the joy with you in picture form. It was definitely a day to remember, and we will be doing a complete web story on this event later this week. Thanks to everyone who made this day such a huge success!!!

I was greeted by Isaiah and Israel when I first walked in the doors. They are so special to all of our residents.

One of our residents giving guests a tour.

Official dedication ceremony

Pastor Sam and Becky Carr

Praying over the home

Speaking at the dedication

With all of the Louisiana Mercy girls.

A Surprise Visitor 18 Years Later!! You’ve Got To See This!!!

Almost 19 years ago, a young girl named Angela walked through the doors very distraught in her life and facing an unplanned pregnancy. Yesterday that same girl walked back through the doors of Mercy, now a beautiful young woman who is happily married with three children of her own and currently serving as a youth pastor. Not only did Angela come to visit me, but along with her was the adoptive mom that she chose to raise her son over 18 years ago. Miles made the decision that he was ready to meet his birthmother, and his adoptive mom Wendy was thrilled to help facilitate and bless their meeting for the first time. They came together on Monday and met for the very first time, and yesterday they dropped by Mercy to share their joy with me. I thought it would bless you to know that what was a little baby boy 18 years ago is now a fine young man who is in a military training school. He was so proud to show off his uniform and tell me all about his life. Not only was Miles adopted, but his adoptive mother Wendy, was also chosen by two other Mercy birthmothers as well, which means that Miles has a little brother and a little sister that are very special to him. It was such a joy to me to see how God has blessed all parties involved just as He promised that He would so many years ago when these decisions were first made.

Me, Miles, Wendy (Adoptive Mom), Miles' brother, Samuel, and Miles' sister, Savannah

Me, Angela (Birthmother), Miles, and Wendy (Adoptive Mom)

Me and Miles

If you are facing a difficult decision today, I hope God’s faithfulness in the lives of all involved in this story will speak to your heart and encourage you.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Canadian Publisher Highlights Mercy Graduate’s Story…

After 27 years, it is not uncommon for our graduates to be featured in various publications across the United States and beyond. I was not aware that this article was coming until it was forwarded to me this morning. Mercy graduate Natasha Files was asked to tell her story to Peach Arch News, and I wanted to pass this on to you. Special thanks to Natasha for inspiring others to overcome the difficult things from their past and to also reach out to others to make a difference. We are so excited to know that the Canadian girls no longer have to come to America to get the help they so desperately need. I know this will inspire you...
http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/peacearchnews/community/100905099.html

A special thanks to John and Helen Burns and our team in Canada for the great job they are doing!

Doug Shanks photo