Reconnecting with an Old Friend… Brownsville Revival Worship Leader Lindell Cooley Visits Mercy!

I wanted to share with you today about something really cool that happened yesterday at Mercy in our Nashville home. A dear friend from the past, Lindell Cooley, used to lead worship at my church (Christ Church) in Nashville in the early to mid 90’s. About a year after leaving Christ Church, Lindell became the worship leader at Brownsville Assembly of God Pensacola where history was made with a revival that lasted five consecutive years. This revival has been well-documented around the world, and many people were touched as they experienced for themselves this mighty move of God. Lindell now pastors a church in Nashville, Tennessee called Grace Church. His teaching was so powerful that I will not even begin to recount it, but I can honestly tell you that the teaching and the worship were life-changing. Perhaps I will tell you more about this later and even see if I can make a way for you to download the teaching to hear it for yourself! However, I wanted you to check out some of the pictures from our time together.

Hope you all have a great night!

Stephen and Candy LaFlora Visit Mercy in Nashville!

This morning, Stephen and Candy LaFlora took time out of their schedule to share with our girls! They have been in ministry for over 20 years working with Christian leaders such as Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Hillsong, Delirious, and others, and are currently serving on Joyce Meyer’s Conference Tour. Candy led our residents in worship, and Stephen encouraged them to stay focused on their journey while here at Mercy and to not give up. It was an awesome time of ministry and many of the girls were touched by what Stephen and Candy had to share.

I thought you would like to see a couple of pictures from the LaFlora’s time here sharing with our girls…

I hope you all have a great week!!!

Australian Graduate Now on Staff in New Zealand…

I just received this very exciting update from one of our Australian graduates. It’s so amazing that not only is Bronwyn working on staff for Mercy Ministries in New Zealand, but she is also completing her PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Hi Nancy,

You may or may not remember me, but I am one of the graduates from the Sydney home. I've been working for Mercy Ministries in New Zealand for just over two years. I'm now finishing my PhD and am in my sixth year of training as a Clinical Psychologist.

Thank you, and thank you for your work... many young women, including myself, would not be living their lives free without your commitment to seeing a dream come true.

Love,
Bronwyn

No doubt God has big plans in store for Bronwyn. Her training and experience will be so valuable!

Graduate's Dream Comes True...

Arianne came to Mercy in 2007 with an eating disorder and struggling with self-harm. After graduating from the program, Arianne continued to pray for her dream of living in England to come true. I just received this awesome update from Arianne sharing how God is fulfilling her dreams…

Hi Nancy,

I wanted to update you on what God is currently doing in my life. It’s been almost 3 years since I graduated from Mercy. At times, I still can’t believe that God changed, delivered, and set me free!

Since I was very little, I’ve had a dream of living in England. Due to the hopelessness and issues that I was living in, I didn’t ever think my dreams would come to reality. I had crossed out all of my dreams. It wasn’t until I was at Mercy and Jane Hamon ministered to me. She said that God is the dream maker and wants to bring my dreams to pass. I immediately thought of my dream for England and since then, I’ve had hope that it would come to pass.

I’m SO excited to say that God is finally bringing this dream to reality! In April, I am going to Harpenden, UK to attend Youth With A Mission for a six month discipleship training school. During that time, I’ll be learning and doing outreach in England for three months and then outreach in another country for three months. Since God has renewed this dream in me, He has given me a passion for the lost in the UK – to bring back His people to Him and to reclaim Christianity as the only faith in the UK.

Thank you for following God’s call on your life. May He continue to bless you richly!

Love,
Arianne

I was so excited to hear from Arianne how God is answering her prayers and fulfilling her dreams. I hope this encourages you to continue to believe God for the dreams that are in your heart – He is the dream maker.

Have a great night!

Nancy

Update from St. Louis Graduate…

I just received this awesome update from a 2006 Mercy Ministries graduate and I wanted to share it with you. Emily came to Mercy struggling with an eating disorder and self-harm, yet willing and ready to face her issues and allow God to totally transform her life. I hope this update from Emily encourages you as much it encouraged me…

Nancy,

My name is Emily and I graduated from the St. Louis home at the end of 2006. I felt led to write you this email to thank you for the impact that Mercy Ministries has had on my life and to let you know the exciting things that God is doing in my life. I came to Mercy struggling with bulimia and self-harm, amongst other things, and I was at Mercy for 13 months. I was one among the first group of girls to enter the St. Louis home, and I am so thankful that God knows exactly what He is doing at all times. There is nothing that happens in our lives that He does not have a specific, divine purpose for and the ability to use if we will let Him. I wanted God when I came to Mercy. I knew God and I loved God, but I struggled with my flesh and lived under incredible bondage in my emotions and in my thinking. I am certain that the process took longer than it had to because God was working on my heart. I am so thankful that the staff were patient with me and listened to the Spirit of God. They did not give up on me, and that showed me that God really never does put us down and walk away.

When I graduated, I was not the same person that I was when I came to Mercy. I could smile. I had hope. At one point during my time at Mercy, I hit a wall in counseling, and I remember my counselor telling me that I needed to seek the Healer and not the healing. Mercy is not a program where you go to become a perfect, completely healed person when you leave. It is a process - a daily walk with the Lover of your soul. God has been so faithful to me. I was blessed to go to a place after Mercy where I could start a new life (Carlisle, PA). I am in a great church with really good teaching. I have been working at a hospital as an administrative assistant in the Risk Management department for almost 4 years now. I am teaching a Bible Study for teen girls and have spoken at two women's retreats that my church puts on annually. I was also able to go to Africa on a mission’s trip in 2007. My pastor's wife has been so instrumental by investing her life into me and teaching me how to live. She has been a strong mentor who is not afraid to speak the truth in love and is not sentimental with my flesh. I am seeing God work through my life and I realize now why God allowed me to be at Mercy for so long. When I am tempted to give up on people who don't seem to be getting it or who don't seem willing, there is hope. I am convinced that NOTHING is impossible with God. I want you to know that the tools that Mercy has provided are invaluable to me, and the way God has used Mercy in my life is everything to me. Thank you for your obedience and your faithfulness! Please extend my gratitude to all of the staff at Mercy Ministries in St. Louis!

In His Strong Arms,
Emily

I am so proud of Emily! Remember that no matter what you’re facing today, God is there for you just like He was there for Emily.

Have a great day!
Nancy

A Living Demonstration of God’s Power…

In 1 Corinthians 2, the Apostle Paul says that he did not come with excellence of speech or man’s wisdom, but in a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” I can’t think of any greater way to celebrate the resurrection power of Jesus Christ on this Good Friday and Easter weekend than to give you a practical example and demonstration of such in this modern day and time. I received this Facebook message just two days ago, and I knew I wanted to share it with you on today’s blog.

Dear Nancy,

You probably get so many letters like this, but I just want to tell you thank you so much for doing what God called you to do! I graduated from Mercy Monroe on Feb. 9th of this year. I am completely 100% free from anorexia. I wasn't supposed to live to see my 25th birthday but I have overcome the odds set against me. Jeremiah 29:11 is so my verse right now. All the things that were stolen from me, God is restoring for His glory. I was a dance instructor and choreographer and was fired from my job due to anorexia. Dance is my passion and when I lost my job, I felt like my life was over. I battled anorexia for 14 years and knew that I was dying, but help was no where to be found until I found out about Mercy. Now my life is so abundant. Thanks to our Heavenly Father, who has given me freedom and a purpose beyond anything I could ever imagine. Life is amazing! My church has asked me to do a lyrical dance for Easter Sunday to Revelation Song! I never thought that I would ever dance again and now God has given me the opportunity to dance for His glory! I am also giving my testimony next Thursday for a women’s event at my church. I am beyond excited to share where God has brought me. I was once consumed by darkness and now I am full of life and determined to let my light shine for Him! Nothing can ever separate me from His love....NOTHING!! Mercy never gave up on me. Thank you for being obedient to God! I can never express my thanks enough for what you and your staff have done for me. God bless you!

Love,
Mandie

I hope that you will personally experience the power of Christ in a real and practical way being demonstrated in your own life! Have a great Easter weekend, and remember what it says in Romans 8:11, that the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in those of us who have given our lives to Him. No matter what situation you face, He is MORE THAN ENOUGH!!!

U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn Visits Mercy!!

Hey Everyone!

I hope you are having a great week so far. I will be posting a new blog tomorrow, but for today, I wanted to send you a link to a web story we just posted about a special visit from our Congressman, Marsha Blackburn. I thought you might enjoy reading about her time with us yesterday. Check it out: www.mercyministries.org/LearnMore/MercyNews/USCongressmanMarshaBlackburnvisitsMercyMinistries.aspx