A Behind the Scenes Look at 2011…

Nancy’s Assistants, Katelyn and Reid, here. We know you hear all the highlights and stories from Nancy, but thought you might like to hear some stories and special moments from behind the scenes. For example, what happens when flights get cancelled? What if you forget to pack something because you’re in a hurry? What is the best part about working for Nancy Alcorn? That’s where we come in…

Katelyn

2011 has by far been the busiest, but greatest year in working for Nancy at Mercy Ministries. With 29 speaking engagements, other ministry trips, and many guest speakers in and out of all of our homes, we have had many highlights this year with a few bumps along the way. :) One such bump was in August when Nancy was traveling to share about Mercy to a group of influential business leaders in Charlotte, NC. Nancy was traveling in casual clothes (who doesn’t like to be comfortable when they travel?!) and had plenty of time to change at the hotel in Charlotte before the event. However, when Nancy went to open her suitcase, the suit she had packed was not in the suitcase! You see, I (Katelyn) had been helping Nancy throw everything in the suitcase before making our mad dash to the airport and forgot to put her suit in the suitcase – TOTALLY my fault! Nancy didn’t have enough time to go buy a new outfit, so what does any confident leader do? …wear her comfortable traveling clothes to the business meeting and be okay with it. The best part is that a woman came up to Nancy after the meeting and said, “Don’t worry about not wearing a suit…you’re dressed how the rest of us wish we were dressed!”

With as much travel that has been booked this year, there have also been several flight cancellations, which mean more last minute car rentals and coordination on our end. It also means Nancy has taken the more scenic route on a few occasions including driving through the Tahoe National Forest to be on time for a meeting in California. We’ve spent countless hours in airports and on the phone with airline agents, yet have seen more heart and life transformations this year than ever before! No matter what situations have come up this year, we’ve all learned the importance of being flexible and keeping our focus on the Kingdom.

Reid

I (Reid) have only been working in the Executive Office for about three months and the highlight of this year for me was being able to attend the Designed for Life Women’s Conference in Springfield, MO hosted by Debbie Lindell and James River Assembly. Not only was this my first time to hear Nancy speak live, but it was also my first women’s conference. James River Assembly had also sponsored our St. Louis Mercy residents to attend, and about 100 graduates came to the conference from all over the US. It was really impacting to see all the love being poured out on our Mercy family by others and I loved seeing all the hard work that goes into planning a conference like this pay off – it was AMAZING! It was also so powerful to hear Nancy speak and see so many lives changed through her message of freedom. I am so thankful to work for a visionary leader with so much passion to see others set free!

As we go into 2012, we look forward to seeing the vision of Mercy spread to even more men and women across the world. That means there will be more flights and hotels to book, more time to spend in airports, more airline agents to talk to, and of course, a few more bumps along the way. However, we wouldn’t change any of the planning and hard work that goes in to making it possible for the message of freedom to be shared with others!

Florida State Basketball Team Visits Mercy!

It is not every day that Mercy has the opportunity to host a Division 1 college basketball team, but such was the case on Wednesday. Head Coach, Sue Semrau, a long time Mercy supporter, brought her team to Nashville, Tennessee for a game against Vanderbilt scheduled on Thursday night. The team arrived at Mercy at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, the day before the game with Vandy, to tour the facilities of Mercy, have dinner with the residents, and enjoy a special time of fellowship.

The food was great, and several of the Mercy residents chose to share their individual stories with the FSU players and coaches. This was definitely a night that we will all remember for a very long time! Thought you might enjoy getting an inside look at some of the special moments from our time together, as well as a group shot that was taken immediately after the game.

 

Mercy showed up in full force to cheer on the Noles!!!

Christmas Event in St. Louis – What an Amazing Time!!!

This has been such a great week! I have been traveling around to the different homes doing Christmas events of all sorts, including one in St. Louis last week with our awesome supporters there. I want to give a special shout out to two people: Even Sponsor, Michelle Luecal, and Event Chair, Maria Spagnuolo. They did such a great job and we had such a wonderful time. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the pictures from the event.

Mercy St. Louis supporters Kyle and Victoria McCarter pictured with their pastors, Rick and Marjie Hufton from Faith Family Church

Nancy and Maria pictured with four of our beautiful Mercy graduates

The room was beautifully decorated!!

Nancy pictured with Mercy Canada Executive Directors, John and Helen Burns

Special thanks to Amy and Holly who shared their stories with our guests

If you would like to read more about this event and see more pictures, you can read our web story on it here.

John and Helen Burns -- Cross Country Tour in Every Mercy Home!

Not only are John and Helen Burns two of the greatest communicators in the area of relationships, but they are also the co-founders of Mercy Ministries in Canada, as well as pastors of Relate Church. John and Helen have literally traveled the nations of the world and have spoken to hundreds of thousands of people over the past 15+ years. John and Helen both are best-selling authors, with their two most popular books being "The Miracle in a Daddy's Hug" and "The Miracle in a Mother's Hug."

John and Helen chose to volunteer an entire week of their time to pour out love and encouragement on all of our United States residents at our four Mercy homes that are currently open - a total of 130 girls that they reached just this week! God used them in powerful ways to cause the girls to open up their hearts to feel again and to trust again. Check out these pictures of the time they spent in each home, because I believe a picture paints a thousand words. Thank you John and Helen for the impact you made on every one of us, staff included!!!

Monday, December 5th - John and Helen with Mercy Residents in Sacramento

Tuesday, December 6th - John and Helen teaching Mercy Residents in Nashville

John Signing Books for Nashville Mercy Girls

Wednesday, December 7th - John, Helen, and Nancy with Mercy Residents in St. Louis

John, Nancy, and Helen at the Merry Mercy Christmas Benefit in St. Louis

Thursday, December 8th - John and Helen with the Monroe Mercy Residents

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

It never gets old hearing from former Mercy residents who contact me to express their gratitude for the help they received at Mercy and give glory to God for their transformed lives. I am always so excited because I fully believe that thankfulness moves the heart of God. I am often reminded of the story in Luke 17 where Jesus healed the ten with leprosy, yet only one returned to give thanks. It is so cool to see so many young women have a revelation of the importance of giving thanks. I thought I would share with you some of the recent posts on Twitter of girls who have gone through the Mercy program and are now returning to say thank you…

Allison on Tuesday, November 22
“Thinking on Thanksgiving, I can't help but be incredibly thankful for Nancy Alcorn. Nine years ago, I walked out of Mercy Ministries healed and whole. THANK YOU xx”

Heather on Sunday, November 20
“Nancy Alcorn, thank you so much for your willingness to be obedient to God's call on your life to help women. Mercy saved my life!”

Laura on Friday, November 18
“Hard to believe it's been three years since I graduated from Mercy Ministries! So thankful for Nancy Alcorn and Mercy St. Louis. God is good! “

Julia on Saturday, November 5
“Broken by physical and sexual abuse, years of drug addiction, cutting, an eating disorder, and suicide attempts, I found Jesus through Oasis LA and Mercy Ministries!”

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. I hope you each have a great Thanksgiving!!!

Blessings,

Nancy

Reunion Weekend – Special Times on the Road!!!

I always love going to churches that support Mercy Ministries monthly so that I can personally thank them for their support and let them know that they are a part of every life that is transformed through our program. However, this past weekend had extra special significance for me. Pastors Tim and Alicia Gilligan of Meadowbrook Church made the decision over 15 years ago to start giving monthly to Mercy Ministries out of their church missions giving. They have been so faithful in their support, and have remained close friends of this ministry over the years. This past weekend marked the third time that I have spoken at this awesome church, and I was blown away for several different reasons. First of all, the church has exploded and has literally more than doubled in size since my last visit there. That always makes me happy to see my friends doing well in ministry and impacting their community with the message of Christ.

Because of the growth of the church, there are quite a few full time pastors on staff, and two of our Mercy graduates are now married to two of the staff pastors. I cannot even begin to tell you what that means to me, because I saw the shambles that their lives were in when they first walked through the doors of Mercy several years ago. I thought it would really bless you to see pictures of these two Mercy graduates with their families.

Mercy graduate Katie is actually married to Pastor Tim and Alicia’s son, Lee, and they have a beautiful son named Gavin. Lee is the graphic designer for the church and helps lead worship for the college ministry. It was such a joy to get my picture with them and to celebrate with them the happiness they are now experiencing in their lives. Here’s a picture of me with Katie and Lee and the other young woman, Maddy, who graduated from Mercy whose husband, Tim, is the youth pastor.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

22 Young Women Graduate Mercy!!!

I am so excited for and so proud of the 22 young women who have graduated from Mercy Ministries in the United States in the last three weeks. Wow!!! Not only does that mean 22 young women are out there living for Christ and telling their stories of overcoming huge life-controlling issues, but it also means that 22 more young women who have been waiting their turn will now walk through our doors. Yes, 22 young women desperate for help and hanging on, literally fighting for their lives are now on their way to Mercy!

I ask that you not only join me in rejoicing over these beautiful 22 women, but I also ask that you join me in praying for the 22 young women who are now walking in the doors of Mercy to begin their journey of healing and restoration. Those girls will remain nameless and faceless to you for now, but I look forward to the day when I will be able to post their pictures and smiling faces from their graduation for all of the world to see.

Love you all. Have a great weekend!!!

The Many Faces of Jude...

It’s been over 12 years since I picked up my eight-week-old puppy named Jude. Little did I know way back then that he would play such a major role in my life as well as the culture and lives of the girls who come through our Nashville Mercy program. We’re coming up on Halloween, and for the very first time, Jude’s face has landed on a carved pumpkin!!! One of our staff members, who is obviously loaded with talent, took it upon herself to have a little fun with the girls and carve Jude’s face on a pumpkin. I thought you guys might want to see it…

Some of the girls wanted to get in on the action so they posed with the “Jude-faced” pumpkin…

To give you an idea of the many faces Jude has, let me just say that he finds a way to get in on everything at Mercy. He’s with us when we’re pulling for the Titans to win on Sundays…

He’s with us when we’re just sitting around reading the Word and drinking coffee…

He even helps out when we’re short staffed on driving girls to the doctor and dropping me off at the airport…

And last but not least, he is now co-hosting my new one hour long radio show…

Hope you have thoroughly enjoyed getting an inside look at the life of Jude, and the many roles that he plays in this ministry!!!

Have a great weekend,

Nancy

5K Double Blessing This Saturday!!!

For all of our Mercy Supporters in Nashville, TN and Monroe, LA, this Saturday we will have two 5Ks going on simultaneously!!! We are definitely at a time when we are receiving more and more calls for help, and it is important that as these cries for help multiply across the nation, so do our efforts to bring in the needed funds to reach the girls who are reaching out to us in desperation.

So many people call us on a daily basis saying, “What can I do to help Mercy?” This is an opportunity for you to provide help in a very practical way, by participating in one of our two 5Ks going on this weekend in Monroe, LA and Nashville, TN. Online registration has already closed, but it is not too late to show up at the event site and register the day of the actual 5K. The information you need to do so is as follows:

Nashville, TN
Location – Tractor Supply Company, Maryland Farms, Brentwood, TN
Registration – 7:00 AM
Race Start Time – 8:00 AM
Registration Fee – $25 (cash or check only); Kids 12 and under are FREE!

Monroe, LA
Location – Forsythe Park in Monroe, LA
Registration – 8:00 AM
Race Start Time – 9:00 AM
Registration Fee – $25 (cash or check only); Kids 12 and under are FREE!

Please keep in mind that this is our first ever 5K in Monroe! We are very excited because this is where the original Mercy home was founded in 1983. This will be our First Annual Run for Mercy 5K there and we are asking all of our longtime friends to come out and participate. We also have opportunities for families to walk together, so bring your children and baby strollers. :) Dogs are welcome too!!! :) :) This will be a fun family time for all concerned, and we are expecting good weather in both locations. For Nashville, we need a large turn-out the day of registration to beat our numbers from last year. We are asking all of our friends to come out, and we encourage you to invite your friends as well. WE NEED YOU!!! I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures from last year’s Nashville 5K. It was truly a blast, and this year will be even better with a Kid’s Fun Zone, great door prizes including an iPad 2, live music and so much more!

Blog News – Quick Hitters!

Baby Boy Brayden

I am very excited to announce the arrival of baby boy Brayden, born to one of our Mercy residents the night before last. I thought you would enjoy seeing how handsome he is!!! Please join me in congratulating Laura on this beautiful addition to her family.

Just a brief update with more to follow… Our weekend in Louisville, KY with Larry and Pam Winters and the LTD Team, along with John Maxwell and Jennifer Beckham, was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I want to give you a full report and update, and plan to do so, but we are waiting on the official pictures from the event so we can share the whole story. So many lives were transformed and divine connections made that it would be impossible for me to report it to you briefly, so I will share that story with you in a few days. Special thanks to our dear friends Larry and Pam Winters for their great leadership and friendship to Mercy!

It’s been a very busy week of travel for me, but God is doing great things. I am excited for all that he has in store for us. Please be praying for our current residents and staff that we will follow God, know Him, and experience Him in His fullness. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Old Friends, New Friends…Celebrating Divine Connections!!

I’m literally sitting at the gate in Atlanta, GA on my way to Monroe, LA. I can’t help but drift back to January 15, 1983 -- the day I left Nashville to move to Monroe to begin what is now known as Mercy Ministries. Little did I know that what I thought was going to be me leaving to establish one home would end up to be an international organization with multiple locations. I’m so grateful for the thousands of young women who have walked through the doors of Mercy and have been set free over the years. If you want to see an example of what I’m talking about check out this recent testimony from the Designed for Life Conference in Springfield, MO. This is just one example of multitudes of lives that are being transformed.

I give all the honor and glory to God. I want to thank all of our monthly partners as I go to Monroe for the purpose of thanking the people for believing in a vision with no other home to point to. They joined forces with me to establish one. We will celebrate that tonight and share what God is currently doing and where we are headed vision-wise in our ministry.

Me and Pam Winters at the St. Louis home

After my special time tonight I will catch a 6:00 AM flight out of Monroe, LA tomorrow morning to Louisville, KY to be with my very dear and special friends, Larry and Pam Winters, who are the leaders of Leadership Team Development (LTD) and Double Diamond members with Amway. Not only do they give massive amounts of Amway products to us, but they also give massive amounts of financial support. They’ve been a key part of every girl whose life has been transformed. Even in the midst of their busy schedule, Pam still finds time to connect with me in the different homes and on a personal level. Two weeks ago she came in a day early to join me at the St. Louis home before the Joyce Meyer Conference and now I get to go be with her again. I’m so excited!! I’ll speak Friday night to 10,000 of their leadership team and then again on Sunday morning to between 8,000-10,000 people for their Sunday Morning service. I’m excited to be there and excited to see what God’s going to do. I feel so blessed to be able to call them my friends. They’re people of excellence and character, and represent the Lord to others so well. They are such examples to me of what it means to be givers. They care so much for people and they spend their lives not only blessing people, but developing people by pouring into their lives and teaching them how to be blessed.

September In Review… Best Month Ever!!!

Hey guys,

I started the month of September with a blog about how excited I was about September, and isn’t it just like God to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond anything I could ask or think, according to Ephesians 3:20?!?! So pumped about it and am still in awe of all that God did and is still doing as a result of the special times we had this month with so many wonderful people.

It started with a very dear and special friend from Australia visiting our Nashville location on September 8th. This proved to be such a divine appointment for many different reasons which is too close and personal to my heart to share. However, let me just say that is was a special time that was divinely orchestrated by God on so many levels!

After that, I had the awesome privilege of being with Pastors Kirk and Suzette Bowman in Asheville, NC at the Rock of Asheville Church, and what a great time we had! God poured out His spirit on the Women’s Conference and also on the Sunday services. I was also joined by a very close friend of mine who pastors with her husband in Kansas City at the Rock Church there, Susan O’Reilly. Both of these women are so very special, and it was so awesome to have quality time with them and see how God is moving in their lives.

After that, it was on to St. Louis for the Joyce Meyer Love Life Women’s Conference, and it was awesome! I was so moved by all God did for so many people at that conference and all the lives that were impacted as a result. It was such a joy to be able to share Mercy at Joyce’s Conference and to have quality time with so many dear friends and supporters of Mercy that are close to my heart. The highlight for me was when graduate, Kim Brownie, spoke in such a powerful way with the fire of God on her life. How does someone go from being sold for sex when they are 12 years old to being such a powerful woman of God? Only through the transforming power of Christ can someone be changed into another person! If you happened to miss Kim’s time on stage with me at Joyce’s conference, please take the time to watch the clip below.

After Joyce’s Conference, we had the privilege of returning to Nashville to be with Natalie Grant and Abolition International to host leaders from around the country for a special seminar about helping victims of human trafficking. We were overjoyed at the turn out, and especially excited about the powerful moments we shared when the group came out to Mercy for the afternoon.

Me with Charlotte Scanlon-Gambill and
Host Debbie Lindell

Immediately after that day it was on to Springfield, MO to be a part of the Designed for Life Women’s Conference with host Debbie Lindell. WHAT A GREAT TIME WE HAD TOGETHER!!! Honestly, this was the absolute best conference I have ever been a part of. God moved so powerfully through all the speakers, which included host Debbie Lindell, Charlotte Gambill, John and Helen Burns, and myself. If you missed this conference, I strongly urge you to order the DVDs and watch them as soon as possible. They are life-changing!!! You can get them by contacting James River Assembly at (417) 581-5433. It was such a special time for me personally because our St. Louis residents and staff were in attendance, as well as approximately 40 Mercy graduates and several key staff from Nashville. The women at the conference were so encouraged and in awe as they heard such awesome testimonies of God’s amazing transforming power. It was three amazing days, followed by me having the privilege of speaking at three Sunday morning services. I want to say a special thank you to Pastors John and Debbie Lindell for their amazing hospitality and their very generous offerings given to Mercy as a result of this conference.

Mercy Graduate, Rachael, praying for current
Mercy residents and other graduates

Mercy graduates share their stories of transformation!

Crystal, Jane, Me, and Nicola

I flew out of Springfield around 6:00 PM on Sunday evening, September 25th to head to Vancouver, Canada to spend a few days with our girls and staff there before heading on to the Sacramento, CA home. I have to tell you that in all my 28+ years of ministry, this time in Vancouver and Sacramento was the most awesome, fun, and rewarding time I have ever experienced inside the walls of Mercy! We were joined by Jane Hamon and her daughter, Crystal, as they so powerfully taught and ministered prophetically to every staff and every girl. I do not even have enough space on this blog to recount all the amazing things that God did during this special week. I want to give a special shout out to John and Helen Burns and Nicola Bartel in Canada and the entire team there – what a great group and team of people that God has given to our first Canadian home! Amazing leadership, amazing hearts, and amazing lives being transformed. The same is true of our Sacramento home. I am in awe of our Program Director, Cheryl Bangs, and her wonderful team in that particular home. So many great things happening there – it was just so very special I can’t even begin to tell you!

Crystal encouraging the residents

Jane ministering to one of the residents

Crystal, Cheryl, Nancy, Mercy Supporter, Dru, and Jane

So, I made my way home to Nashville last night. I got delayed in Dallas until after midnight, but finally made it home and got in bed a little after 3:00 AM. I’m tired today, but very fulfilled and very excited for all God has in store for the month of October. If it is anything like September, I better get a special seat belt. Things are moving at a pace that has accelerated in a supernatural way, and I could not be more excited! So thankful for our wonderful supporters who make all of this possible!

Love to all,

Nancy

Power Packed Weekend Starts Tonight!!!

I don’t think I could be any more excited than I am about this particular conference… As I am talking to you on this blog, I am actually in the airport waiting on my flight that will get me to Springfield, MO for the Designed For Life Women’s Conference with host Debbie Lindell with James River. This is honestly one of the best women’s conferences I have ever been a part of, and I am excited about this weekend’s speakers because they are all very near and dear to my heart – Charlotte Scanlon-Gambill from the United Kingdom, John and Helen Burns from Vancouver, BC Canada, and James River’s very own pastors, John and Debbie Lindell. If that’s not enough, awesome music artist, Group 1 Crew, is also joining us! It doesn’t get any better than this!!! We are expecting God to do awesome things, and for many lives to be impacted for all eternity.

I am especially excited about the fact that our St. Louis staff and current residents will join us, thanks to the generosity of Debbie Lindell, who is sponsoring the registrations for all of our Mercy girls. In addition, approximately 50 former Mercy residents will join us. I think I kind of feel like a mom must feel at Christmas when her babies come home. :)  If you want to get a glimpse of what this weekend is going to be like, check out the website at www.designedforlifeconference.org. If you live in the area, it is not too late to join me and over 3,000 others who have already made plans to be there. Trust me, this is one conference you do not want to miss!!!

In closing, in case you missed out on last weekend’s Joyce Meyer Women’s Conference, I had the privilege of speaking alongside one of our Mercy graduates, Kim. I wanted to give you an opportunity to check out these videos from our time there. It was very special. Thanks to everyone who prayed for us!




Freedom Through Mercy from Joyce Meyer Ministries on Vimeo.

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!!!