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!!!

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!