Rock Church Rocks!!!

 

Me with Pastors Kirk and Suzette Bowman

Me with Alison (left) and Julia (right)

As I told you a couple of weeks ago, I spent my birthday weekend doing what I love best – seeing God meet the needs of people and transform lives. This past weekend, I spoke at the Becoming Women’s Conference hosted by my new friend, Suzette Bowman, of The Rock Church in Asheville, NC. We had such an awesome time!!


I was also joined by two Mercy graduates, Alison and Julia (pictured right), who shared their testimonies of healing and freedom with the women there. Both Friday and Saturday were full on amazing, and I believe the lives of each and every person in attendance was impacted through the messages shared. I know my life was impacted when I heard great messages from both Pastors Suzette and Kirk. It was such a privilege sharing this conference with them!

If having a blast at the conference wasn’t enough, I then had the privilege of speaking in the three Sunday morning services. Special thanks to Pastors Kirk and Suzette Bowman for an incredible weekend of ministry.

I’m now in St. Louis getting ready for the Joyce Meyer Love Life Women’s Conference that starts tonight! They are expecting between 15,000 – 20,000 women to be in attendance. I am so honored to be speaking this year with Joyce and John and Stasi Eldredge. I am also looking forward to seeing my dear friends CeCe Winans and Israel Houghton who are doing the music. Not only that, but our residents from the St. Louis and Louisiana homes will be attending as well, along with many of our staff and former residents. For more information, go to www.joycemeyer.org. It is sure to be a powerful conference!

Then next weekend, Thursday, September 22nd through Sunday, September 25th, I will be with my very dear friend, Debbie Lindell, as one of her guest speakers for the Designed for Life Women’s Conference at James River Assembly in Ozark, MO. I am so excited to see Pastors John and Debbie and be at one of my favorite churches in America. Not only that, but I’m also looking forward to sharing the speaking duties with my dear friend Charlotte Gambill from the UK, and John and Helen Burns from Vancouver, Canada. Also, Pastors John and Debbie have opened their hearts to our St. Louis residents and staff by providing their registrations to attend the conference. This conference has been life-changing for our St. Louis residents each year they have attended. This year, I have invited as many former residents from Mercy to come join me at this conference that we can possibly gather, and it should prove to be quite the Mercy reunion on top of being such an amazing conference. If you can possibly get to this conference, you do not want to miss it – it is going to be so amazing! It is not too late to register at www.designedforlifeconference.org. To top it all off, once the Designed for Life Conference wraps up on Saturday afternoon, I will have the privilege of staying over and speaking at the three Sunday morning services at the Wilson Creek campus. I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Would love to see you at either Joyce Meyer’s conference this weekend or Debbie Lindell’s conference next weekend…or maybe if you have a lot of time on your hands, I will see you at both!!!

From Resident To Graduate To Mercy Intern…

2005 Graduate now intern, Giovy

Today we had the awesome privilege of hearing from Giovy, Mercy graduate from 2005, as she shared her story of healing and transformation with the Nashville residents and staff. Giovy grew up in Peru and suffered sexual abuse as a child. This led Giovy to have an eating disorder as she felt food was the only thing she could control. To further escape the pain, Giovy began to self-harm and even attempted suicide on several occasions. I first met Giovy when I was speaking at a crusade in Peru. She had been hospitalized from a recent suicide attempt and severe self-harm when she was checked out of the hospital to come and meet me. Her suicide attempts were very serious and when she couldn’t even succeed at taking her own life, Giovy said, “God, if you’re not going to let me die, then You’re going to have to teach me how to live.” At that time, Giovy decided to apply to Mercy. It was so cool to hear Giovy talk about her time at Mercy and the transformation that took place while she was here. After sharing her testimony, Giovy opened it up for questions from our residents. It was awesome to hear the residents ask Giovy about how she has walked out her freedom since being at Mercy. Giovy explained to the residents that her freedom was valuable and that she was going to walk closely with God, stay in the Word, and keep her mind renewed so that she could hang on to the freedom that she fought so hard to receive.


Here’s what a few of the girls had to say about Giovy’s teaching…

“I liked Giovy’s testimony and how encouraging she was since she has been through the program. Giovy shared with us how she was really determined while at Mercy. Giovy talked about living in the season that you’re in now and to really focus on our time here and get the most we can out of it. God has your future planned out and He will take care of what you need to do and where you need to go. I liked that because I’m always really worried about what I’m going to do in the future, so that was really great for me!” - Blaise


“Giovy’s testimony encouraged me and made me realize if she can do it then we can all get through this program. She also encouraged me that if she can finish strong, so can I.” - Ayona


“All of Giovy’s testimony was really inspiring, but the part that I enjoyed the most was hearing the practical steps of how to live out the tools that we are learning at Mercy, after Mercy. She really explained how to use the things we’re learning here and apply them practically in our lives afterwards.” - Jessica

Now, six years later, Giovy just started a year-long internship at the very home that she graduated from. We are so proud of her because she just finished the ministry leadership training at Hillsong International Leadership College in Sydney, Australia. She is on fire for God and ready to give and serve! We are so proud to have her back and look forward to all the lives that she will impact in the next year and beyond.

Giovy before she came to Mercy

Giovy with me today

 Not only that, but Giovy recently joined our team that went to Uganda to serve Watoto…in case you missed it, check out what Giovy had to say about her time there - http://mercygoestouganda.blogspot.com/2011/07/day-7-classroom-dedication.html.

I Am So Pumped About September!!!

Okay, as you know, today is September 1st and this has got to be the best month EVER! There are so many things happening in September that I am excited about, and I just thought I would tell you all about what’s on my mind! First of all, I get to spend Labor Day weekend at the beach, which is my favorite place in the whole wide world. I am definitely a beach girl! I understand it may rain, but I do not even care. I just love being there. Not only do I get to spend the weekend at the beach, but COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS, and right on the heels of college football starting is the NFL kicking in right after that! Life just gets better and better all the time…

NOW FOR THE REALLY GOOD STUFF…

Tomorrow, Friday, September 2nd, I will join Joyce Meyer on her show to feature the work of Mercy Ministries. Hope you get a chance to check it out. Be sure and check your local listings to see what time Joyce’s show airs in your area.

On September 8th, a dear friend from Australia is flying in to spend the day with me. She was very involved with Mercy there and I’m very excited and looking forward to seeing her!

Friday, September 9 – Sunday, September 11: I will be celebrating my birthday weekend doing what I love doing best – seeing God meet the needs of people and bring transformation in their lives. I get to spend the weekend in Asheville, NC with my new friend, Suzette Bowman, speaking at her conference and then I will be with her and her husband, Pastor Kirk Bowman, for their Sunday services that weekend (www.rockofasheville.com).

After that, I will be in Nashville for a couple of days doing Mercy business, and also spending time with my dear friend Jordan Rubin who will be in town sharing about his new company, Beyond Organic.

Wednesday, September 14 – Saturday, September 17: I am excited to spend the day on Wednesday at the Mercy home in St. Louis with the girls and staff there followed by three days at the Joyce Meyer Love Life Women’s Conference! I am so honored to be speaking this year with Joyce and John and Stasi Eldredge. I will also get to be with my dear friends CeCe Winans and Israel Houghton who are doing the music. Not only that, but our residents from the St. Louis and Louisiana home will be attending as well, along with many of our staff and former residents.

As soon as that conference is over, I am back to Nashville and will be partnering with my dear friend Natalie Grant to host a special one day conference on sex trafficking and how we can both rescue and bring transformation to the lives of these young women. There will be church leaders in attendance from across the nation and we will be educating them about how they can get involved to make a difference. I am really looking forward to seeing old friends of mine at this event, as well as meeting new friends. It will undoubtedly be a very special day! If you are interested in knowing more about this or perhaps coming, please contact Eve Annunziato at eannunziato@mercyministries.com.

Thursday, September 22 – Sunday, September 25: Just when I think September can’t get any better, I find myself leaving to be with my very dear friend, Debbie Lindell, as one of her guest speakers for the Designed for Life Women’s Conference. Not only do I get to be with my very special friend and at one of my favorite churches in America, but I also get to share the speaking duties with my dear friend Charlotte Gambill from the UK, and John and Helen Burns from Vancouver, Canada. I had the privilege of speaking at this conference two years ago, and I honestly think it is one of the best conferences I have ever been a part of. No doubt this year’s conference will be even better because with God things always get better and better. Pastors John and Debbie are opening their hearts to our St. Louis residents and staff by providing their registrations to attend the conference, and I want to personally thank them for that. This conference has been life-changing for our St. Louis residents the past two years since they have attended. This year, I have invited as many former residents from Mercy to come join me at this conference that we can possibly gather, and we have already received over 100 inquires. It should prove to be quite the Mercy reunion on top of being such an amazing conference. If you can possibly get to this conference, you do not want to miss it – it is going to be so amazing! It is not too late to register at www.designedforlifeconference.org. Once the DFL conference wraps up on Saturday afternoon, I will have the privilege of staying over and speaking at the two Sunday morning services at the Wilson Creek campus. I will then fly out later that day to meet my dear friends Jane and Crystal Hamon and spend the week pouring into the lives of the staff and residents in our Vancouver and Sacramento Mercy homes.

That actually takes me into the month of October. To me, even though it is a lot of travel, it actually sounds like the month straight from heaven! Hope yours will prove to be that as well. Check out these events and say a prayer for God to pour out His spirit in unprecedented ways and bring huge transformation to the lives of those in attendance.

In closing, please pray for our current Mercy residents to get the breakthroughs that they so desperately need, and please pray for God to touch people’s hearts to help with our current financial needs. I see new monthly partners and new churches coming on board with us in a big way! Thank you Jesus for what you are going to do ahead of time!

Mike Barber - NFL Great To Prison Ministry

After 10 years in the NFL, Mike Barber left football behind to focus all of his attention on bringing Christ to those in prison. Mike started Pro-Claim Ministries 25 years ago and has such a passion to share Christ and “proclaim liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61). I cannot even begin to describe how powerful Mike’s teaching was to our Nashville staff and residents on Tuesday. It was an amazing time of ministry about attitude and how we either compliment or contaminate the atmosphere around us! I would challenge you to listen to Mike’s message (click here). I believe every single person should hear this message by Mike as I know it will definitely impact your life as it did each and every one of our staff and residents!!!

If you want to read more about our time together, check out the web story that was done about Mike’s visit to Mercy, along with several comments from our current residents.

I consider it a privilege to know and be connected to Mike Barber and his wife, DeAnne. I had the great honor to speak in the prisons in Texas with the Barbers in June, and I was blown away by the excellence in how they are reaching those behind bars. For more information about Mike Barber and Pro-Claim Ministries, check out their website at www.pro-claim.tv. You definitely do not want to miss out on what God is doing through Mike Barber and this amazing ministry!!

Martha Munizzi Rocks The House At Mercy!!!

It’s not every day that God sends someone who’s been nominated for tons of Grammy’s and Dove Awards, but such was the case yesterday when God brought Martha Munizzi our way. However, that is really not what stood out at all. The thing that stood out the most was how she poured out her personal, heart-wrenching story of what happened to her in her childhood, which strongly resonated with so many of our girls who have been through something similar. I honestly believe it is one of the most powerful times we have ever had at Mercy. Martha has a very strong anointing on her life to bring truth in a very appropriate way, yet so practical and real. Martha has written some really powerful songs in her career such as “Glorious,” “Because Of Who You Are,” “Say The Name,” and “Jesus Is The Best Thing (That’s Ever Happened To Me)” to name a few. Yesterday we had the privilege of hearing heaven’s download through her in her latest CD that was just released in April called “Make It Loud.” I cannot recommend it enough!! If I were you, I would run out and get it immediately or download it from her website at www.marthamunizzi.com.

Not only did we get this up close and personal time with Martha Munizzi, but she also left a piece of herself with us as she gifted each staff and resident with her latest CD (you should have been there and you would have gotten one too). No way can I fully explain what happened in the spirit realm as so many breakthroughs occurred during our special time together. Perhaps you will get some insight as I share with you what a few of our residents had to say…

“There are so many things that blessed me today during Martha’s time here! I came into worship heavy hearted with a lot on my mind and felt so much better afterwards! I had a joy in me that I haven’t felt before. God really spoke to me about being able to trust Him. I also realized how much I need to worship God and get into His presence when I’m not in a good mood or having a bad day.” --Alyona

“Today during worship, I totally once and for all let go and said ‘yes’ to Jesus’ promises for me, because God made it clear that He is a God that stays true to His Word. If He told me I would be free, I am free! My plan of action is to worship God even when it gets hard, and remember that God loves me and promises to love me no matter what and rest in that truth.” -- Julie


“Today I received a revelation and made the choice to believe that God loves me as He says He does and to believe the promises He declares to keep. I am squashing doubt and disbelief in Jesus’ name, and thanking God even when I feel uncomfortable. I choose an attitude of gratitude. I am being strengthened in character by hoping in the Lord. I can hope because I know who holds my future. My plan of action is to speak God’s truth into all the “human impossibilities” and let go of what hinders me. Today was awesome!” -- Crystal

Trusting that no matter what you may be facing in your life, you will receive the breakthroughs that you need. Martha challenged us to praise God in the midst of our pain and circumstances, and to see how praise literally steals the avenger (Psalm 8:2) and paves the way for us to rise above and experience peace that passes all understanding as we are overcoming. I can honestly say that I believe the special time we had together was ordained and brought to us straight from heaven, a God ordained and God appointed time.

I hope these pictures will show you the joy of all that we shared…

Talking with some of the girls!

Me with Martha and our Transitional Care Director, Sophie

Have a great week!

Life On The Road…What A Weekend!!!

I thought you might enjoy a quick glimpse of our Mercy journey this past weekend. It all started on Friday when we left Nashville and flew into Philadelphia. After an awesome dinner Friday night with special friends, we made our way across the border to Wilmington, Delaware and checked in to our hotel. It was there that Katelyn (my Executive Assistant) and I met up with Mercy graduate, Kim Brownie, one of our guest speakers for our Saturday morning “Mercy In The Community” breakfast. It was the first time we had seen Kim since her recent graduation from college, so were able to give her a big hug and congratulate her in person! After a time of visiting, we called it a night to prepare for the busy weekend ahead.

Amazing pastors, Jerome and
Lisa Lewis, with Kim and I

My greatest joy – connecting
with graduates on the road!!

Saturday morning was basically the beginning of a Mercy track meet, as we went from one event to the next. It started with our brunch on Saturday morning hosted by special Mercy friends, Pastors Jerome and Lisa Lewis, from Seeds of Greatness Church. It was my joy to be joined by five special Mercy grads who were there to share the joy at our community event (pictured right).

Kim, me, and Mikayla speaking at the Mercy In The Community Breakfast

I then spoke during the two Sunday morning services at Seeds of Greatness Church. The services, the hospitality, the way they blessed us -- everything was first class and topnotch. Pastors Jerome and Lisa Lewis are definitely very special friends. We are so grateful for their close friendship and generous support. I want to thank them for all they do, have done, and continue to do for Mercy to help us reach hurting young women.

It was a packed house!

Speaking of track meets, the moment I finished the second service on Sunday, I literally walked from behind the pulpit and into an automobile that transported me directly to the airport so that I could catch a flight to Minneapolis to speak at River Valley Church’s “Chick Night” at 6:30 PM. Thankfully, our prayers were answered and all our flights were on time. Upon our arrival, we had a quick change of clothes, and went straight to the church to a packed house of women of all ages. The atmosphere was electric – it was such a special night! What a great job Pastor Becca Ketterling did preparing for this evening and getting the women excited about their upcoming conference in September (www.sparkleconference.org). Special thanks to Pastor Rob and Becca for the amazing people they are and for their awesome support! Another special thing that happened that night was that Mercy graduates showed up once again to support me and to be at the event in the Minneapolis area. (See two of our graduates pictured with me below).

Catching up with recent Mercy grads, Stacy and Terrie after the service!

Becca and I having fun with the girls!!!

Me with Pastors Rob and Becca Ketterling – THEY ARE SO AWESOME!!!
Thank you for helping us reach young girls who are desperate for help!

By the time I finished up late Sunday night I had been up almost 24 hours -- my adrenaline was still flowing from the awesome services over the weekend. I’m so thankful that God allows me to do what I do, meet special people and see their lives impacted by all that Christ has done for all of us. I’m so grateful that I get to share the Good News with people who need to hear it. It was an awesome time of ministry, and I thank God for a fulfilling weekend!

Come To One Of The Best Women’s Conference On The Planet!!!

Debbie Lindell

I’m preparing to leave town for a few days, but I just wanted to take this time to share with you about a very special conference coming up September 22nd to 24th. This conference is hosted by Pastor Debbie Lindell at James River Assembly in Springfield, MO (Ozark). I had the privilege of speaking at this conference two years ago, and I was completely blown away by not only how much fun we had, but also how much God impacted the lives of everyone in attendance. I am sure this year will be no exception! It is my joy to be speaking at this conference along with Pastors John and Debbie Lindell, Charlotte Gambill from the UK, and Helen Burns from Vancouver, Canada. The music will be Group 1 Crew. You have plenty of time to block these dates off your calendar and make your plans to attend. Our Mercy girls and staff from St. Louis will be in attendance, as well as a huge big group of our former graduates and residents from Mercy. We are very, very excited about this special time which begins on Thursday, September 22nd with the kick off service and ends on Saturday afternoon, September 24th. Here’s a link to their website www.designedforlifeconference.org so you can check it out how cool this is going to be – trust me on this, you do not want to miss it!!!

Love you all and hope to see you there!