Choices

This week I am actually in Nashville, and I am so enjoying being at home! I have the privilege of traveling around the world speaking at conferences and doing ministry business. However, my favorite thing even after 26 years is to have the time to speak to the staff and girls in the individual homes. I love not only teaching them, but I also love spending time with them. It always amazes me how much the girls change in such a short period of time.

Last week, I was in the UK speaking at the Cherish Conference, and I just returned over the weekend. I had the awesome privilege of teaching class to the residents and staff on Monday. It was a lot of fun, and it was so great to reconnect with them. I got to share with them all about my trip to the UK and about all of the exciting things that happened there.

The topic that I felt like God laid on my heart to talk about was choices. So many times in our lives, we make choices that we regret later. I challenged the girls to remember what Deuteronomy 30:19 says - that God gives us a choice, and we can actually choose life! I encouraged the girls to take responsibility for the things that had happened in their lives that weren’t so good as a result of bad choices made in the past. I encouraged them to let go of a victim mentality, and to understand and know that when they ask God to forgive them, they get a new beginning.
It says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If any person be in Christ, they are a new creation. Old things are passed away, all things are new.” I encouraged them that through the power of the choices that they make from today on, they can actually enjoy good things that happen as a result of the choices they are making. It seemed so liberating to these awesome young women that they do not have to stay stuck in their past, that their past does not define them, and that their past does not have to destroy their future. The girls were encouraged to know that they have the freedom to make good choices with God’s help. It was a really special time and awesome to be back home. I wanted to share some of the pictures from that day, as well as some of the comments from the girls.
“What impacted me the most from this message was that I should not always make decisions by the way I feel, but by what God tells me is best. When God’s light comes in, the darkness is pushed out. When you choose to look to God, He will help you.” – Nakea

“What impacted me the most from this message was that we can choose to live defeated or victorious. Jesus loves us and wants the best for us. We have to choose to receive Him freely. I plan to implement this by seeking and following the Lord’s direction, and by realizing that my choices everyday can have a long term effect on my life.” - Brandy

“We cannot use our old life as an excuse to ruin our future. We have to make the Word personal and hide God’s Word in our heart. When we hide the Word in our heart, our desires will change. Unforgiveness is not a feeling; it’s a choice that we have to make. I plan to implement this information by digging into the scriptures we went over today in class.” - Andrea

“What impacted me the most from this message was there is no such thing as a case that is too hard for God. God is no respecter of persons if you choose life. God is a God of justice, but He's the one who settles the score, not you.” – Bethany

“I can't use my past as an excuse for the way I act. I need to take responsibility for the choices I make. I also can't identify with the past. I learned that I have to keep moving forward, even though healing is a process.” - Kelsie

Cherish Conference 2009

I returned from speaking at the Cherish Conference in the UK, hosted by Charlotte Scanlon-Gambill at Abundant Life Church in Bradford.

Pictured below is the amazing crowd – we had to do two back to back conferences to accommodate the registrations.

It was so fun to experience Ayiesha Woods’ music in person for the first time!

It was also great to get to speak with Charlotte Scanlon-Gambill, Christine Caine, and Dianne Wilson. We had fun hanging out together each night after the evening sessions.

The theme of the conference was Urban Angels, as we were all challenged to go back and make a difference in our individual communities and focus on meeting the needs of others. Last year at the Cherish Conference, Charlotte received a special offering to build a school for child soldiers in Gulu, Uganda. It was so amazing this year to actually see video footage of when Charlotte got to go to Uganda, dedicate the school, and see it filled with all of these kids who have been rescued from being held captive as child soldiers who were forced to do horrendous acts against mankind – brutal acts such as murdering babies and killing their own family members against their will. However, with the school that was built from the offering that was received at Cherish last year, these former child soldiers are now being healed, restored, and given an education so they can be the future leaders that God is raising up in their nation to make a difference. It is amazing how God can take what a few people come together and give to make such a great difference in the lives of others.

I just wanted to share this with you because it really touched me. This was definitely one of the highlights of my stay while I was there.

Here are a few other pictures from this amazing conference…

Amazing Graduate Update – Part 2

I heard from a young lady just today named Sarah. She gave me permission to share with you what she sent our way. You may remember back on Monday, May 18 that I posted a full story about Sarah. In case you didn’t see that blog, I’m going to re-post it here so you can scan it and refresh your memory about who she is. Then at the very bottom, I’m going share the note that I just got from her today with an amazing update and a very exciting announcement. So the new message is at the very bottom of today’s blog – I wanted you all to see the amazing door that God has opened for Sarah. It is so cool! Our biggest desire is for all the girls that leave Mercy to go out into the world, wherever God may lead them, and make a difference by touching the lives of other people. A huge door of opportunity has opened for Sarah, and I could not be more thrilled. I wanted to share it with you, so here it is…

BLOG ENTRY FROM MAY 18 –

I just received an update from yet another one of our amazing graduates. I never get tired of hearing how God heals broken hearts and gives beauty for ashes – He is truly a restorer! Not only has He restored Sarah, but He is using her in great ways to help others who are struggling with the same issues that she herself once struggled with. On top of that, she just graduated from college and plans to be married to an awesome guy in September. Check this out – it’s really cool!

To the Mercy Staff and Residents,

Hi, this is Sarah. I realized today that it has been nearly a year since I last wrote you an update. Life has been busy. Since graduating from Mercy on August 15th 2006, God has continued to give me the future I never thought was possible. I graduated from college with a degree in youth ministry this past May. Right away, I began working with at-risk junior high and high school girls as a dorm mom at a Christian boarding school.

This year has been so positive for me. Community and “adulthood” have stretched me. I was really lonely and overwhelmed when I transitioned from college to working in the dorm, but Christ met me here. I began to pray more than ever before because I realized how inadequate I am in myself. My top priorities in working in the dorm are that the girls would know Jesus intimately, see potential and value in their lives and futures, and heal the pains which brought many of them here. I can’t do any of these things, so I pray for them… and I pray for myself that the love of Christ would pour through me.

Besides growing much closer to Christ, one of the most rewarding things God has done for me in 2009 is that I have begun to see Him specifically using my pain and my testimony to reach the girls. Last night, I was sitting with a girl who has some hurt and oppression in her life. I was telling her again that I believe Christ wants to and is healing her. I showed her my journal from before I went to Mercy, showed her the desperate, tormented prayers for God to save me from the “hell” I was existing in. She said, “This is how I feel, I didn’t know that anybody else felt this way.” Then she asked me, “If I wanted to ask Jesus in my heart, could you show me how?” I could sense Him there with us as we asked Him to be Lord of our lives. She is still fighting the darkness. I am still praying for freedom and that she won’t give up.

This past Christmas, I got engaged to my high school sweetheart. This is another huge miracle for a girl who assumed she was too damaged to ever expect to find love. My fiancee is truly a man of God. He fights my battles with me. When I am tired and sick or when I have failed in some way; I find old thought patterns will surface, but Tim prays for me and my thinking clears. Then he tells me and whoever is around to hear, “I am marrying the most beautiful woman in the world. I love all that she is because God has designed her perfect for me.” He has shown me how God treats me gently and patiently. We believe that God is healing us and preparing us to be missionaries. Since Tim is still finishing his undergraduate work, I am moving back to McPherson Kansas in mid August and we will get married on Sept 12th.

I also have been working towards my Master’s Degree in Religion/Biblical Studies through Liberty University. I am on track to graduate again this summer, which I find serendipitous because then I will again have my time free to focus on being a good wife. I know it will be hard at first because as I tell Tim, “I’ve never done this before.” I am anxious to gain experience though. My wedding dress is a strapless, ribbon lace, a-line… simple but elegant… I am going to carry lilies because Tim and I love the passage in Song of Songs that says “like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.” I have reserved the church, but that is the extent of my wedding planning. I decided I was too busy with everything else to care anymore than that.

Big prayer requests for us at this time are: (1)That our relationship would honor God through our practice of intentional purity and sacrificial love. (2) That we would find jobs and an appartment in McPherson and have grace as we transition into a new stage of life. (3)That God would prepare us spiritually, emotionally, and financially to serve in international missions.

Know that I am praying for the work of Mercy. I am indebted to Nancy’s obedience to God’s call and every staff member who has sacrificed to show Christ to a broken girl like me. I really can’t thank you enough. Just know that I love my life and that Tim and I are committed to spreading the gospel. Know that the impact you made for Christ in my life is having an impact for Christ in the girls I work with. His kingdom is here and coming. His Word has been made flesh.

I love you each so much.

Together in Christ

Sarah

NEW MESSAGE JUST RECEIVED TODAY

Hey Nancy!

As you know, I am getting married this September to a man who loves God with his whole heart and moving into a new job which is what prompted me to write you this update in the first place. I wanted to let you know that I just was given the director of client services position for the pregnancy service center in Salina. I am really excited to be a part of this ministry... they are so focused on ministering to their clients and promoting the cause of life.

This life I have right now comes from complete dependence on Christ. He continues to give me grace. Thank you for Mercy and life. Please pray for me as I will have to face my fears even more in this new job position. I know Christ is faithful. I know He can work even through me... and I know I still need a healer. I need Him more.

Mercy is in my prayers and thoughts. Know that your ministry really is being multiplied throughout the world in the ministry of us "Mercy girls." I love you and am so grateful.

Together in Christ

Sarah

Good News from the UK!

I just happened to be in the UK speaking at a wonderful conference when I received this awesome email from one of our UK grads who is celebrating her one year anniversary of graduating from Mercy Ministries in the UK! I thought I would share the joy with you…hope this is encouraging!

Well I am one week away from being a Mercy graduate for a whole year! I just wanted to give you an update of how things are going for me now, especially since it's hard to convey the true nature of it all in brief encounters when I've been to visit, or on the telephone.

I begin my degree in September and I'm very excited about it! Church is lovely, I certainly belong. I am blessed with so many great friends and I serve on the women's ministry team. I have recently been asked to lead a midweek youth connect group, which I am really looking forward to.

Before Mercy, I spent years telling lies and my deception had a lot of damaging and irreversible consequences. I had to stare them in the face whilst at Mercy which was awfully humbling and terribly difficult, but God has provided a way out and guilt and condemnation are not longer a daily weight upon my shoulders.

Not only has the relationship with my family been restored, but I now serve at church alongside some of the people I thought would never forgive or speak to me again. Never in a million years did I ever think God could do such a tremendous work of transformation - but I stand in awe of what He has done.

I will be eternally grateful to all of you who have stood with me on this journey. Thank you for picking me up and helping me to walk in the right direction again. Thank you for nudging me along with tough love even when I thought I couldn't bear it. Thank you for waiting patiently in the silence whilst I worked up the courage to be honest. Thank you for believing in me when all I saw was a failure. Thank you for drawing out my strengths and showing me that my life is worth something. But most of all, thank you for pointing me back to God. To Him be all the glory.

Love,
Emma

Congratulations to our UK staff and team on a job well done!

Does This Make Me a Grandmother?

On my birthday this year, I will turn 55, but honestly I still feel 25 on the inside. Does that count?? The truth is – I wish I still looked on the outside like I feel on the inside – ha!

I guess the reason I am going on and on about this is because I got quite a shock today when I looked at a baby picture that was sent to me recently of a 22 year old young woman named Benita, who is now happily married. Let me explain. You see, it was the year 1987 (four years after Mercy began), that I was in the labor and delivery room with one of our girls who came to Mercy Ministries to choose life for her child. This teenage unwed mother very courageously chose life for her child, but she also made the courageous choice to place her child with a wonderful Godly adoptive couple. As I mentioned, I actually had the privilege of being in the labor and delivery room with this young girl whose name is Rena. I will never forget this beautiful baby, whose name is Benita!

Now fast forward 22 years later…this baby that I watched come into the world is now 22 years old and happily married. She still has a heart connection with Mercy, which I am totally glad about. But the shock that I am referring to is that she sent me a picture of her first born child named Rebekah Erin. As I was taken in by how beautiful the baby is, all of a sudden it dawned in on me that this makes me a grandmother!! I didn’t know that people who felt 25 years old on the inside could be grandmothers!! Now I am trying to adjust to the fact that I am not really as young as I feel!

The truth is that this picture represents to me the faithfulness of God in honoring the choice that Rena made so long ago to bring her beautiful daughter into the world. That daughter has grown up to be a beautiful Godly woman who is happily married and now she has brought another beautiful child into the world. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God says that He sets before us life and death and He tells us to choose life that you and your seed may life. Rena chose life, and now her and her seed are living on as a powerful testimony. To all of our Mercy supporters who are reading this, you need to know that your giving is impacting generations to come.

Probably the best person to sum up the joy of this is Benita’s adoptive mom. Let me share with you a portion of the letter that she recently sent to me…

“It is so hard to believe that Benita is now grown, by the grace of God, to be such a wonderful daughter, wife, and now mother. We are incredibly blessed to be grandparents! It is simply amazing how proud we are of Benita and Jeremy. They have already shown that they are going to be wonderful parents. Benita is so caring and loving to Rebekah, and Jeremy is already so protective. We just wanted to let you know what a special part you had in yet another life. We know she will come to know Jesus at an early age and be a blessing, just like Benita has been. Blessings to you and we are so happy to share our newest addition with you!!”


Have a great Memorial Day Weekend! As we enjoy our holiday on Monday, let us remember that so many young men and women have given their lives for the freedom we enjoy. Take time to meditate on that thought and be thankful for those who serve in our armed forces.

Pictures from My Week…

Today I thought I would do something a little different than I normally do and post a photo gallery from my week so far. I have spent time in both the Monroe, Louisiana and St. Louis, Missouri homes this week and just wanted you to see some of the pictures from my time with the girls and staff. Hope you enjoy…

Amazing Graduate Update!!

I just received an update from yet another one of our amazing graduates. I never get tired of hearing how God heals broken hearts and gives beauty for ashes – He is truly a restorer! Not only has He restored Sarah, but He is using her in great ways to help others who are struggling with the same issues that she herself once struggled with. On top of that, she just graduated from college and plans to be married to an awesome guy in September. Check this out – it’s really cool!

To the Mercy Staff and Residents,

Hi, this is Sarah. I realized today that it has been nearly a year since I last wrote you an update. Life has been busy. Since graduating from Mercy on August 15th 2006, God has continued to give me the future I never thought was possible. I graduated from college with a degree in youth ministry this past May. Right away, I began working with at-risk junior high and high school girls as a dorm mom at a Christian boarding school.

This year has been so positive for me. Community and “adulthood” have stretched me. I was really lonely and overwhelmed when I transitioned from college to working in the dorm, but Christ met me here. I began to pray more than ever before because I realized how inadequate I am in myself. My top priorities in working in the dorm are that the girls would know Jesus intimately, see potential and value in their lives and futures, and heal the pains which brought many of them here. I can’t do any of these things, so I pray for them… and I pray for myself that the love of Christ would pour through me.

Besides growing much closer to Christ, one of the most rewarding things God has done for me in 2009 is that I have begun to see Him specifically using my pain and my testimony to reach the girls. Last night, I was sitting with a girl who has some hurt and oppression in her life. I was telling her again that I believe Christ wants to and is healing her. I showed her my journal from before I went to Mercy, showed her the desperate, tormented prayers for God to save me from the “hell” I was existing in. She said, “This is how I feel, I didn’t know that anybody else felt this way.” Then she asked me, “If I wanted to ask Jesus in my heart, could you show me how?” I could sense Him there with us as we asked Him to be Lord of our lives. She is still fighting the darkness. I am still praying for freedom and that she won’t give up.

This past Christmas, I got engaged to my high school sweetheart. This is another huge miracle for a girl who assumed she was too damaged to ever expect to find love. My fiancee is truly a man of God. He fights my battles with me. When I am tired and sick or when I have failed in some way; I find old thought patterns will surface, but Tim prays for me and my thinking clears. Then he tells me and whoever is around to hear, “I am marrying the most beautiful woman in the world. I love all that she is because God has designed her perfect for me.” He has shown me how God treats me gently and patiently. We believe that God is healing us and preparing us to be missionaries. Since Tim is still finishing his undergraduate work, I am moving back to McPherson Kansas in mid August and we will get married on Sept 12th.

I also have been working towards my Master’s Degree in Religion/Biblical Studies through Liberty University. I am on track to graduate again this summer, which I find serendipitous because then I will again have my time free to focus on being a good wife. I know it will be hard at first because as I tell Tim, “I’ve never done this before.” I am anxious to gain experience though. My wedding dress is a strapless, ribbon lace, a-line… simple but elegant… I am going to carry lilies because Tim and I love the passage in Song of Songs that says “like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.” I have reserved the church, but that is the extent of my wedding planning. I decided I was too busy with everything else to care anymore than that.

Big prayer requests for us at this time are: (1)That our relationship would honor God through our practice of intentional purity and sacrificial love. (2) That we would find jobs and an appartment in McPherson and have grace as we transition into a new stage of life. (3)That God would prepare us spiritually, emotionally, and financially to serve in international missions.

Know that I am praying for the work of Mercy. I am indebted to Nancy’s obedience to God’s call and every staff member who has sacrificed to show Christ to a broken girl like me. I really can’t thank you enough. Just know that I love my life and that Tim and I are committed to spreading the gospel. Know that the impact you made for Christ in my life is having an impact for Christ in the girls I work with. His kingdom is here and coming. His Word has been made flesh.

I love you each so much.

Together in Christ

Sarah