A New Year, A New You…

I want to take the time to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Although this is the time that most people make New Year’s resolutions, I want to share with you a letter I received from one of our 2005 Monroe graduates, Candice, who has been walking in freedom for five years now. New Year’s resolutions are great, but there is only One who can truly transform your life where you will never be the same…

Dear Nancy,

Merry Christmas! Words cannot express how grateful I am to you for your obedience in starting Mercy Ministries. I came to Mercy at the end of my rope. I knew that if this didn’t work then I had no hope of a normal, joyful life. After Mercy, I did some mission work and graduated from college with a degree in special education. I taught for two years in my home town, but I felt God calling me into the ministry. Now, I am working on my master’s degree in youth ministry, while completing a yearlong youth internship at a church in Georgia. I love my job, and God is using what I learned at Mercy daily to help youth. My family and friends tell me constantly that they are grateful for Mercy, and the way that God used it to change my life. I just celebrated my five year anniversary!! I never thought I would be able to live a day in freedom, much less five years. So, thank you, Nancy! You make a difference and you are living a legacy!

Love you,
Candice

Special shout-out to Candice for celebrating five years of a transformed life! Don’t forget to listen live to this Sunday’s Mercy Multiplied radio show on Supertalk 99.7 FM WTN from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM CST as we talk about “A New Year, A Healthy New Perspective.” If you don’t live in the middle Tennessee area, you can listen live at www.mercymultiplied.com.

Have a great weekend!

New Website Fighting Against Sex Trafficking

In case you missed it, check out our new website that is dedicated to the battle against sex trafficking in the United States – www.endsextrafficking.com!

Special Christmas Gift…

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I was so excited this year to hear from some of our Mercy graduates who took the time to put together a scrapbook for me for Christmas. It blessed me so much to read all of their notes, and I want to share one with you from 2009 St. Louis graduate, Holly…

Dear Nancy,

Merry Christmas! Thank you for giving me a place to have my life restored! I will never forget all of the fun memories that I had at Mercy Ministries. The conferences and concerts were a blast! It was really cool to visit different churches in St. Louis. I also met one of my best friends, Jenna, at Mercy. Most importantly, I came to understand God’s love for me in a way that I had never experienced before and my life was forever changed. What God did through Mercy Ministries has set me up for a life that I never dreamed I would be able to have! Since graduating from Mercy, I have gone on two mission trips to Belize and Costa Rica. I have also had the opportunity to work at an FCA Leadership Camp, and work with middle school students at ZOE Ministries. I will be moving to downtown St. Louis in a few weeks to finish my degree in Psychology this year at Webster University. You are one of my heroes because of your faith! I love that you know me and talk to me every time I have seen you. Hearing you speak is extremely challenging and inspiring. I thank God for your life! I pray that this is the best Christmas yet for you, Nancy! I love you!

Blessings,

Holly

My favorite part about Holly’s note to me is hearing all about what she’s been doing since she left Mercy a new creation in Christ. He is the only one who can heal broken hearts and set captives free, and it’s so cool to hear how Holly is walking out her freedom in Christ. Way to go, Holly! I am so proud of you!!!

It’s Christmastime…

Just want to take a few minutes to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I pray that you have the best Christmas you’ve ever had this year and that you take a few minutes to truly remember why we celebrate…for unto us a King is born.

Luke 2:1 – 20: And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Mercy Sex Trafficking Website Just Launched!!!

At Mercy Ministries, we have been helping girls who have been victims of sex trafficking and are seeing God transform their lives! I often get asked the question, “What can I do to help?” Well we just launched a new website www.endsextrafficking.com that answers that exact question. Check it out and get involved in ending this horrific abuse…

From Darkness To Light…

I wanted to share with you an amazing email that I just received from one of our 2008 graduates, Jennifer. As Christmas draws near, I hope Jennifer’s email encourages you to remember that God has a plan and purpose for your life, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)…

Dear Nancy,

I am a graduate of Mercy for 2 years now. I wanted to let you know where I am in life and how much it has changed. I came to Mercy with an eating disorder and addiction to alcohol. I was at the cutoff date for age; I turned 29 while I was there. I was older and more "stuck" in my ways, but through Mercy I realized that my ways were not His ways. I was not supposed to hurt like I did. God did not have this life of pain and disappointment set up for me. I know now that God’s ways and God’s love had a different life for me. I am now married to the most wonderful man and we have a beautiful daughter, Selah Anne who is 16 weeks old. We just bought our first home and we have a little terrier. I was not allowed to dream of this life, but God has blessed me with the reality of His love. Here is a picture of our family. Thank you for listening to the Lord and helping young women break free from the darkness that we were so used to.

Love,

Jennifer

I never get tired of hearing from Mercy graduates and seeing all that God is doing in their lives! Just want to give a special shout-out to Jennifer – we are so proud of you!!!

25 Mercy Graduates Make Surprise Presentation…

A week ago today, we had our annual Merry Mercy Christmas event here in Nashville at the Loews Vanderbilt hotel. The crowd was moved to tears as 25 of our Mercy graduates made a very moving presentation to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s song “When You Believe.” Trust me on this – you need to take five minutes to watch this!!! It will totally encourage you, and I am sure you will want to share it with your friends. Thanks to all of you who helped make this possible.

CLICK TO PLAY VIDEO

Highlights From Merry Mercy Christmas Event In Nashville

This past Friday night, over 400 Mercy supporters gathered together at the Loews Vanderbilt hotel in Nashville, TN for the Merry Mercy Christmas Benefit. There’s no better way for me to describe the event than to share with you what we posted on our website today. Special thanks to popular radio show host, New York Times Best Selling author, and my dear friend, Dave Ramsey and his wife Sharon, for chairing this amazing event. I also want to give a shout-out to Dove Award winning artist, Phil Keaggy, for putting together an awesome Beatles tribute band for the special entertainment. Click here to read more about all of the special happenings at the Merry Mercy Christmas event in Nashville…you will love it!

Natalie Grant Hits Our Mercy Multiplied Airwaves!

Hey guys, this is Eve and I’m honored to guest post on Nancy’s blog - my dear friend and now my radio co-host each Sunday morning at 9:00AM (CST) for our live radio show, Mercy Multiplied, on SuperTalk 99.7 WTN. I’m having such a blast doing this radio gig and so far it has been an extraordinary journey!

This past Sunday Nancy and I had the pleasure of having one of our longstanding supporters of Mercy Ministries and Dove Award winning Christian singer/songwriter, Natalie Grant as a guest host. Natalie shares our passion for helping victims of sex trafficking and is committed to fighting for their freedom. In 2005 she formed The Home Foundation to educate communities, build shelters and orphanages, and provide medical equipment to those ministering to victims of this horrific crime.

Natalie knows firsthand the impact that Mercy Ministries is making in our communities as we continue to bring hope and healing to these hurting girls. One of our most recent graduates, Pam, escaped sex trafficking and came to our Sacramento, CA home. She managed to escape her violent and tragic situation. Today she is free and full of a bright future. Pam is headed to a Christian college to complete a degree in Urban Missions. She is a beautiful example of coming from complete darkness into light and living a new life for Christ.

We appreciate having amazing support from amazing people like Natalie Grant as we work together to fight this crisis. We are outraged, and we think you should be too. Be sure to tune in THIS Sunday as we continue our discussion of the real life, ongoing tragedy of sex trafficking happening right here in the U.S. and our desire to expand to help even more young girls.

We would LOVE for you to join in our live discussion on the airwaves. Call us and get involved (615) 737-9986 between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM CST. Middle Tennesseans can tune in to 99.7 FM but anyone can listen live at www.mercymultiplied.com. You can hear more of Natalie Grant on our podcast (click here).

I’m looking forward to watching all that God has in store through Mercy Multiplied. I have a feeling this is just the beginning... So, Nancy, strap on your seat belt because we’re headed for quite an amazing ride on the airwaves! Can’t wait!

Eight More Residents Celebrate Mercy Graduation!

Yesterday, we had a great time celebrating the transformed lives of eight more beautiful young women. We were joined not only by friends and family of the graduates, but by eight other recent graduates of Mercy who came back to celebrate the graduation of their friends. The wide range of issues that these graduates have overcome include sexual abuse, drug addictions, eating disorders, unplanned pregnancy, depression, and self-harm. I thought you would enjoy seeing a picture of me with these eight beautiful young women who are so excited about the fact that their past will no longer determine their future. We celebrate with them today, knowing that by faith God has great things in store for them. We have God's Word to back that up in Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."


Many of you that are familiar with Mercy know that our Nashville dog is named Jude. He is not only near and dear to my heart, but to the hearts of past graduates who gather around him to make him feel special when they visit (pictured below).


Hope you have a great weekend! We are excited about our special Merry Mercy Christmas event in Nashville tonight, and I will be reporting to you about that next week. Have a great weekend and don't forget to tune in this Sunday morning at 9:00 AM CST to SuperTalk 99.7 FM WTN to listen live to Mercy Multiplied! You can also listen online at www.mercymultiplied.com. Natalie Grant will be joining me as a special guest as we continue discussing the topic of sex trafficking in the United States.

We Need To Be Outraged About Sex Trafficking In America…

I want to share with you two reports that have been called to my attention this week. One report came from The Associated Press out of Myrtle Beach, SC about how college students are being forced to work in strip clubs instead of restaurants and are being paid a take home of $1 an hour or less. Check this out…

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Lured by unsupervised, third-party brokers with promises of steady jobs and a chance to sight see, some foreign college students on summer work programs in the U.S. get a far different taste of life in America.

An Associated Press investigation found students forced to work in strip clubs instead of restaurants. Others take home $1 an hour or even less. Some live in apartments so crowded that they sleep in shifts because there aren't enough beds. Others have to eat on floors.

They are among more than 100,000 college students who come to the U.S. each year on popular J-1 visas, which supply resorts with cheap seasonal labor as part of a program aimed at fostering cultural understanding.

READ MORE: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40520265/ns/us_news-life/


Another story that we need to be outraged about is a situation that happened back in 1995. I am so angry and outraged about this one…

On May 11, 1995, a California jury convicted a 16-year-old girl for fatally shooting her pimp and trafficker, George Gilbert Howard. Sara Kruzan was locked in a hotel room with Howard, who was preparing to rape her, when she shot him, took his money, and fled.

Howard was 31 years old when he began abusing an 11-year-old Sara. For the next five years he repeatedly sexually, physically and verbally assaulted and controlled her. By the time she turned 13, he had finished grooming her for sale to other men.

After the murder­--and three years of brainwashing, violence, and commercial rape--Sara, a teenager, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Today, at the age of 32, she is still sitting in a state prison in Chowchilla, Calif.

READ MORE: http://humangoods.net/?p=2733

I hope this outrages you! Mercy Ministries is at the forefront of bringing transformation and restoration to the lives of young women who have been trafficked. We have been taking these young women in for several years and the cries for help continue to increase. If you want to know more about what Mercy is doing, go to http://www.mercyministries.org/sextrafficking/. If you want to get more involved, CLICK HERE to donate.

Mercy Multiplied – Live On The Air Talking About Sex Trafficking In The U.S.!

In case you missed this weekend’s radio show, we talked about sex trafficking and how it’s happening right here in the U.S. My co-host, Eve, and I were joined by Stacia Freeman, the Director of The Home Foundation founded by Natalie Grant. We talked about how the U.S. is now recognized among the top 5 countries in the world for sex traffickers.

As you probably remember, the SuperBowl was played in Miami last year. According to the Coalition Against Human Trafficking, during the SuperBowl week tens of thousands of girls and young women were brought into Miami in anticipation of the high demand of men trying to hire girls for sex. Because of what happened at last year’s SuperBowl, the Coalition is warning these groups ahead of time that they plan to go undercover and infiltrate, raid, and make arrests where needed.

At Mercy Ministries, we are seeing more and more calls from girls come in requesting help. We know this is something we need to talk about. Obviously people are really concerned because as soon we started the program, the phone lines began to light up.

If you want to listen to yesterday’s show to hear what else we talked about, click here.

Be sure to tune in next Sunday morning at 9:00 AM CST on 99.7 FM WTN or listen live online at www.mercymultiplied.com as Natalie Grant joins the discussion on sex trafficking and how Mercy Ministries is going to expand and continue to help more victims of sex trafficking here in the U.S. You will not want to miss out! If you are unable to listen live, the podcast of the radio show is always available Monday morning at www.mercymultiplied.com.

Awesome Mercy Christmas Event in Charlotte, NC!!

I want to share with you some highlights from last night’s Christmas event in Charlotte, NC. Mercy supporters and special invited guests gathered together at the Ballantyne Hotel for an evening to remember. I had the privilege of casting the vision for a Mercy home in Charlotte, NC to some who have heard it before, and many others who were hearing it for the first time.


We were so blessed to have with us Barbara McKay (pictured left), who is one of Charlotte’s most popular media personalities and co-host of the noontime show Top O’the Day on CBS affiliate WBTV for the past 23 years.

Also as our special guest was the “voice” of NASCAR, Rob Albright (pictured right), who took on the challenge of getting people to bid for our donated live auction items. Both Barbara and Rob did a tremendous job and were deeply touched by the work that Mercy Ministries is doing.

We also had the privilege of hearing from longtime Mercy supporter, Jim Noble (pictured left), owner of Noble’s Restaurant, Roosters, and King’s Kitchen, who opened the evening in prayer.

Eddie and Susan Rollins (pictured right), longtime Mercy supporters and friends, also shared with everyone why they support Mercy and why they would encourage others to become partners with Mercy as well.


We were also joined by two Mercy graduates who are from North Carolina – Kristin and Suzanne (pictured left). Kristin shared how she came to Mercy with an unplanned pregnancy and made the courageous decision to place her baby for adoption. Kristin is now studying fashion in New York City and is living out her dream. Suzanne shared her story of freedom from past abuse, which led to numerous suicide attempts. Suzanne spoke about how her life was changed tremendously through her time at Mercy and how today she is actually working full time as the Director of Glenwood Tutoring as a mentor to inner-city children helping the children who are growing up in similar situations as she did.

It was so great to be in Charlotte with special friends and also to meet new friends. We are very excited about all that God has in store for us in the state of North Carolina, as a large percentage of the young girls who call us desperate for help come from the state of North Carolina.

Special thanks to our sponsors Freedom House Church and Life Fellowship Church, special emcees Barbara McKay and Rob Albright. We would also like to thank special musical guests Veronica Petrucci (pictured right), Christa Wells and Nicole Witt (pictured below) for providing a tremendous time of entertainment. Thanks also to the event committee members, event and table sponsors, as well as our many volunteers and staff who worked so diligently to put on such a great event! It was such a great evening, and definitely one to remember!

Guests enjoying the special evening!

Me pictured with special emcees, Rob Albright and Barbara McKay

Dave Ramsey And Mercy Team Up To Change Lives This Christmas

I am so grateful for the help of good friends who so faithfully support us here at Mercy. If you are a music fan, you will not want to miss out on a very special one-of-a kind piano being auctioned off by my dear friend and New York Times Best Selling author of The Total Money Makeover, Dave Ramsey, for our Merry Mercy Christmas Benefit this year! The Baby Grand piano is valued at $22,000, but the autographs of some of Nashville’s biggest stars like Kevin Mawae and Michael W. Smith make it priceless! The piano includes other awesome signatures from celebrities such as George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, Lorrie Morgan, Ben Utecht, Congressman Marsha Blackburn, Scott Hamilton as well as Dave Ramsey himself, just to name a few. During the auction period, the piano will continue to be signed by many more celebrities such as Natalie Grant, Julianne Hough, and many more…

The piano was donated by country legend T.G. Sheppard and his wife, singer/ songwriter, Kelly Lang, in conjunction with Samick Music Corporation. T.G. and Kelly are longtime friends of Dave Ramsey, who will be auctioning off the piano through his eBay site at www.daveramsey.com/piano. I cannot thank Dave and his wife Sharon enough for the many, many years they have supported and continue to support Mercy Ministries. I am so excited they have agreed to be the chairs of this year’s Merry Mercy Christmas Benefit being held at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel on Friday, December 10th.

The piano is currently on display in the lobby of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Plaza in Brentwood, TN for anyone in the area who would like to stop by and see it in person. Bidding for the piano will start tonight at midnight and continue through midnight on Saturday, December 11th. All proceeds from the sale of the piano will go directly to Mercy Ministries, so be sure and place your bid for this amazing one-of-a-kind item!

To learn more about the piano and to make your bid, go to www.daveramsey.com/piano. For more information about the Merry Mercy Christmas Benefit, contact Heather Robinson at 615-831-6987 or hrobinson@mercyministries.com or go to www.merrymercychristmas.com/nashville.

Kevin Mawae and Dave Ramsey

Michael W. Smith signing the piano!

Michael W Smith and Dave Ramsey

Two Mercy Sisters Bond as Single Moms…

I thought you would enjoy meeting two of our former Mercy residents, both having come to Mercy to choose life. I have placed a picture below so that you can meet (from left to right) Phoebe and baby Crimson, and Sharayah and baby Josiah. Their babies were born six weeks apart and these Mercy sisters recently had the opportunity to meet up in Kansas City to spend quality time together and do some shopping!


One of my favorite things that happens when a girl comes to Mercy is that she makes friends that she is bonded with for life – such is the case with these two precious girls. I just received word from Sharayah about their special time together with pictures of her son, Josiah, that I wanted to share with you.




Thanks for making new life in Christ possible for our precious girls, and for also giving them, through your support, the opportunity to choose life for their unborn children!

Have a great week!!!

Mercy Multiplied – Live On the Air!!!

Check out our new radio program on Super Talk 99.7 WTN! As you may already know, last Sunday was our first weekly live radio broadcast. I wanted to remind you that if you live in the middle Tennessee area that you can listen in on 99.7 FM or if you prefer, you can listen to us live online at www.mercymultiplied.com. In case you miss the live broadcast, the podcast will be available starting on Monday after each Sunday’s program. We are excited about this new outreach, and we ask that you pray that many hearts and lives will be impacted because of it!!!

My co-host, Eve Annunziato

Thunder School Students Visit Mercy…

Approximately 30 students along with leader, Scott Macleod, visited Mercy in Nashville on Tuesday, November 23rd. Music, worship, prayer, exhortation, drama…it was all of this and more!!! Our girls were so impacted by this on fire group of young people who lavishly poured out testimonies, music, anointing…they gave 100% and then some!!!

I thought you might enjoy seeing pictures from this special time together. It was not our first time to be with this group, and it will definitely not be our last! Check out what’s going on at Thunder School…who knows, you may want to go there yourself! www.harvestsound.com

Fun Weekend In St. Louis!!!

It all started Thursday evening in the private residence of former NBA basketball player, Steve Stipanovich, with he and his wife, Terri, serving as our host (pictured here speaking with guests). There were approximately 125 people in attendance, and it was a great night to meet new friends of Mercy and to thank supporters who have been on board for years. I thought I would share with you some of the pictures from this great event. I had the opportunity to see three of our graduates from our St. Louis home, which celebrated its five year anniversary from the time it first opened. Each one of these girls is doing awesome and they are truly reaching out to others and making a difference, as well as continuing their educations. The girls did a great job sharing their stories, and the guests were really touched by what they heard.

Here I am with Holly, Courtney, and Jen!

We also had the opportunity to congratulate newly elected Illinois Senator and longtime Mercy supporter, Kyle McCarter (pictured below).

Mercy Regional Development Director, Selah Hirsch, giving Senator McCarter a congratulatory hug!

Mercy supporter Kelly Mayfield,Pastor Mark Kuiper of Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church, Hostess Terri Stipanovich, and me

Special thanks to Steve and Terri for opening up their home and to new Mercy supporters for opening up their hearts.

As for the rest of the weekend…

The girls had special outings on Friday and Saturday, but the highlight of their weekend was very special to say the least!!! Maria, the wife of St. Louis Rams Coach, Steve Spanuolo, blessed Mercy staff and residents with tickets to the Rams vs. Falcons game yesterday! I thought you would love to see the great fun they had even though the Rams lost. The girls absolutely love football and are often gathered in front of the TV on any given Sunday taking in all they can and cheering on the Rams. So for them to be able to be there in person, they were over the top with excitement! Thanks Coach Steve and Maria for making this possible!!!