Choosing to Take the High Road

I wanted to write a word of encouragement to Mercy graduates and supporters that whenever times get tough in your own life and whenever you are wrongly accused, we must continue to have faith in God and let Jesus be our example. When people say things about you that aren’t true or when attacks come, there is very clear instruction in the Word of God about what we are to do and what our stance is to be.

Matthew 5:11-12 says, “Blessed are you when you are reviled and persecuted and people say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is our reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you”. So we are in very good company when people say bad things about us because of our Christian walk. I am excited that God’s Word is true.

As Christians, we have to choose to refuse to be distracted by the enemy and to take the high road. Romans 12:21 instructs us, “Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” At Mercy Ministries, we choose to do this by keeping our focus on what we do every day of our lives, which is transforming the lives of young women and seeing them set free from all kinds of life-controlling issues.

Another thing that the Word of God clearly shows us is how we are to respond when trials come, and even personal attacks. In Romans 12:14, it says to “bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” So we are to bless our enemies and pray for their eyes to be opened to the truth. And our prayer for these people should be to come to know the same Jesus that we know.

I want to share with you a word of encouragement from one of our graduates, who understands this principle at a deep level.

It has been 12 years since I walked through the doors of Mercy Ministries and as I look back, I am amazed at God's goodness and mercy on my life. I came to Mercy Ministries as a last ditch attempt to get help. I had suffered years of sexual abuse and as a result, became self-destructive in an attempt to regain control of my life. I came to the conclusion that I would never overcome my past. I decided if Mercy could not help me, I would take my life.I am so grateful that God had another plan. At Mercy Ministries, I experienced the love and grace of God. I forgave the person who abused me, and I was healed in many areas. I began to respect myself. Mercy gave me the tools I needed to walk in freedom.

Today I no longer hurt from the sexual abuse and can honestly say I hope the person who abused me comes to know to the Lord. God has been so good to me. He used Mercy Ministries to set me free. I now have a Master's Degree in Social Work and I work in an industry filled with hurting people. My prayer is that God will use to me be his hands and feet to a hurting world.

Love,
Lori

In closing, I hope that all of us will choose to treat our fellow human beings with respect whether we agree with one another or not. I want to thank each and every one of you for your comments and challenge everyone to allow those they disagree with to still have the freedom to say what they want to say. I would like to see us to be able to agree to disagree without attacking each other. It seems like as fellow human beings, that’s the least that we can do.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Love,
Nancy

An Open Letter from Nancy Alcorn

An Open Letter from Nancy Alcorn, Founder and President of Mercy Ministries

When I started Mercy Ministries over a quarter century ago, God laid a powerful verse on my heart that has become foundational to our work: “For judgment will be merciless to one who shows no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). Ever since then, that verse has reminded everyone who passes though our doors that Mercy Ministries is a safe place where all are loved unconditionally.
I have been so blessed by the amazing work God has done through Mercy Ministries during these years and I am humbled by the part He has given me to play in seeing thousands of young women transformed by the power of Christ. At every step, God has honored our commitment to reach hurting young women at no cost, while never accepting money with strings attached and tithing 10 percent to other ministries.
Mercy Ministries, and I personally, have faced many trials, big and small, over the years, and thanks to God’s grace and the prayerful support of our partners and friends in the ministry, we have overcome them. Recently however, we were faced with a new challenge, and after careful consideration and a lot of prayer, I’ve decided to confront this trial in a way that won’t surprise any of you who know me well: head on.
In 2008, a Nashville alternative-weekly newspaper published an article asserting, among other things, that I have led a homosexual lifestyle. Even though these personal attacks took place in a single article, they have been perpetuated by a handful of Internet blogs. My initial thought was to not dignify these attacks with a response, but I’m taking this opportunity to settle the issue once and for all. While those who know me well instantly saw these allegations for the slander that they were and are, I want to make it clear that I am not gay, nor have I ever engaged in a homosexual lifestyle.

These attacks have been deeply hurtful for me personally, but what frustrates me even more is that they are so clearly the enemy’s effort to distract from the amazing work going on at Mercy Ministries, and that is why I have chosen to respond. Last year we celebrated the 25th anniversary of Mercy Ministries and closed out what I see as the first chapter of Mercy’s amazing story and our message that true freedom is possible through Christ.
Since then, we have reorganized the governing structure of Mercy Ministries to bring new levels of oversight and accountability, have increased our fundraising efforts, and are in the process of opening two new homes—one in California, one in North Carolina—over the next two years. We are also now certified by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and have attained the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator. Mercy is ready for the next chapter, one in which I believe God is going to use us to reach even more hurting young women with His love and compassion in new ways.
In light of God’s love and compassion, I want to make something very clear: while Mercy Ministries has always adhered to the traditional biblical view of sexuality and marriage, we believe God’s love is unconditional and applies equally to those living a homosexual lifestyle and those living a heterosexual lifestyle. The mandate God gave Mercy Ministries those 25 years ago has not changed: we are not a place of judgment, but a place of love and compassion where the power of God’s mercy transforms hurting young women.

Don’t Wait for Tomorrow

For all the young girls out who are there struggling with eating disorders, I felt like I should share something with you that I received in the mail this past week. It’s so important for you to deal with your issues while you are still young so that your whole life is not destroyed because of it. So many people care about you, even people you have never met. This particular lady who wrote to me touched my heart because she is 60 years old, and she has been struggling with an eating disorder since she was 15. She actually has such a heart for other people that she sent in a donation to Mercy Ministries asking that it be used to help young girls who are still struggling with an eating disorder. I will not reveal her name in order to protect her identity, but I will share with you her words.

“Hi, I’m 60 years old. I’m 5’3”. I weigh 77 pounds. I’ve been anorexic and bulimic since I was 15 years old. Maybe it’s too late for me. I wish you or someone was around 45 years ago to help me. I want to help the young girls who come to you. Please use my donations to help them. Thank you.”

I hope this will encourage you to seek help today. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, it clearly says, “…today is the day of salvation.” You might say, “What is today?” I say that today is literally today - the very moment you are reading this. Today is your day of salvation, if you will make up your mind to receive the help that is being offered. As I have mentioned before, my professionally trained counseling staff and I have put together a book called Starved: Mercy for Eating Disorders. If you’re still within the age group to be able to come to Mercy (13-28), we would certainly welcome you to apply to the program. However, regardless of what age you are, we are happy to send this book to you, free of charge, upon your request. If you are interested in receiving this book free of charge, please email me your mailing address at nancy.alcorn@mercyministries.com.

In addition to our book (Starved: Mercy for Eating Disorders), I also want to recommend some other help available:

Dr. Linda Mintle. Linda is a licensed clinical social worker who has been in general clinical practice for over 20 years. She specializes in eating disorders as well as marriage and family therapy. Linda has played a key role in training our counselors and staff, and has provided resources that are used daily in our Mercy Ministries’ homes. She is the author of 15 books including. We use her materials with our girls, and we highly recommend her resources. She has a book called Making Peace with Your Thighs, as well as many other books available on her website at http://www.drlindahelps.com/.

A Life and Death Decision...This is why we do what we do

As I reflect back on this past week, I just wanted to share with you how great a difference one choice can make - not just in the life of the person who is making the choice, but also in the lives of all those connected to that person.

In the middle part of 2008, a young 15 year old girl facing an unplanned pregnancy walked through the doors of Mercy Ministries. Her heart told her that abortion was wrong, but she needed a practical way that she could choose life. It was at this point that she found out about Mercy Ministries and how we take in girls just like her free of charge, and we allow them to prayerfully consider whether to parent their child, or to place them for adoption through our licensed adoption agency. This young courageous girl wanted to deal with the issues that had brought her to this point in her life, and she has done just that through the Mercy program. This past week, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. After committing her life to Christ and praying for God to show her what was best, she made the decision to place her baby for adoption. She was also able to help choose the couple that she wanted to raise her son, and she is now courageously walking out her decision with great maturity and also the peace of God that passes understanding. When this girl chose life, she made a way for her son to be able to live his life, for an adoptive couple to receive the answer to their prayers, and for the trauma of her past to be healed so that she could experience hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Just think of all the blessings of God that have occurred and will occur in the future because of the power of this young girl's choice.

As I reflect on the events of this past week and how this child was born, I can't help but think about the blog that I wrote on February 3rd entitled "We Asked and God Answered." I encourage you if you are reading this blog to scroll back and read that blog if you haven't already. I wrote about a young 16 year old girl also facing an unplanned pregnancy, and this young girl's heart also told her not to get an abortion. But in this case, her family wanted to force her into making that decision because they did not want her to have to go through the pregnancy at such a young age. I shared about how they came to check out Mercy Ministries, but they spoke about how they already had an abortion scheduled. As this girl's family drove her to the abortion clinic - call it the power of prayer, call it God's conviction, call it whatever you want - but right before they got to the abortion clinic, the family decided to turn around and bring their daughter to Mercy to talk with a counselor about possibly going through the Mercy program instead. The power of that one choice to turn the car around has set into motion a whole series of events. I am happy to report to you that this young girl has gone through the application process and will be entering the Mercy program in the upcoming week.

Once again, the power of one choice. The family made the decision not to force the girl to get an abortion, and the girl has made the decision to come into the Mercy program to receive help for herself and also for her unborn child. Please pray for this young woman as she enters the program this week - pray that she will make a total commitment of her life to Christ, and pray that God will show her what is best for her, whether to parent or to place her child for adoption. We are believing for great blessings for this young woman in the future that she has in front of her.

Last but not least, I want to share one other situation with you that occurred just a few days ago. We received a large manila envelope in the mail filled with checks made out to Mercy Ministries from many different people. This envelope also contained a bulletin from the memorial service of a 16 year old girl. There was a note scribbled at the bottom of this memorial bulletin that said, "Our daughter overdosed on pills and died." Right after that, there was a place on the bulletin that requested that in lieu of flowers, that people send donations to Mercy Ministries. My heart broke as I looked at the beautiful face on the front of this memorial bulletin. Her entire life was in front of her - so beautiful, such a bright future, so much potential, yet her life has been cut so very short.

I couldn't help but reflect on life and death as I thought about these two babies being born and the contrast of all that can happen during one week at Mercy Ministries. On one end, we are helping girls bring new life into the earth, and on the other end, we are trying to prevent young girls from dying prematurely from addictions, eating disorders, suicide, and all the different issues we deal with. I share this with you because if you are reading this blog, you are probably supportive of the work we do. I want you to know that we were so impacted in our office when we got the bulletin with this young girl's face on it that we all had a good cry. You see, this is why we do what we do. I cannot even begin to tell you how many letters, phone calls, and emails I receive from girls telling me that if it wasn't for Mercy Ministries, they would be dead by now. We want to help reach young women before it is too late, and we hope that you will join with us so that you too can be apart of reaching young women before it is too late. Life is too precious not to live it to the fullest because we only get one lifetime.

Please join us in praying for the two young women that I mentioned in this blog, but especially for the family of this young girl, who is grieving over the loss of someone who can never be replaced. In closing, I hope you will take time and spend it with the people you love the most and enjoy them to the fullest. I hope you have a great weekend.

Beautiful Girl

I just received this from a Mercy graduate in the UK...too good not to share!!!!!!

Nancy,

Only eighteen months ago, I was a mess – suicidal, self-harming and in despair, which makes it an utter miracle that I can write this now as someone who loves life and the person God created me to be. Brought up in a Christian home, I knew God in a personal way from the age of six, but circumstances soon made me doubt whether He loved me and whether there was even a purpose to my life. I was sexually abused for more than a decade from an early age and on top of this, physical and verbal abuse occurred for the majority of my childhood. I felt like I deserved this and soon felt worthless and dirty, covered in shame and guilt. School became a place of pain as I was bullied frequently, which only served to enhance the lies I believed about myself, life and God.

Not wanting to share what was happening in my life, I battled with depression, borderline personality disorder and social phobia whilst trying to mask just how broken I was. I lived from the pain of life rather than the truth of God's Word and was desperately miserable. Feeling so low, I began to punish myself by cutting, restricting my food intake, attempting to make myself sick and eventually trying to take my own life on a number of occasions. That was when I found out about Mercy Ministries and I knew I needed to apply because death was the only other option.

I entered Mercy Ministries UK in September '07 and graduated last March, ready to live my life again. While I was at Mercy, I found, in a deeper way, a God who never stopped loving me and who was walking beside me at every moment even when I felt so alone. I found purpose to my life and a reason to keep going – to speak freedom into the lives of those who are still bound and to glorify the God who has set me free. I now see myself in the light of my future and the beauty that God has instilled in me. I can walk with my head held high because I'm righteous and not shamed by the abuse of my past. Now I'm studying at the Abundant Life Leadership Academy in Bradford, England and I'll be going on to pursue a degree in Creative Writing from September. Life has never been so exciting!


Writing has always been a way that I've found I'm able to express myself and it was a vital part of my healing as I freed myself of my past and then wrote truth over my life. The poem below came about in a really difficult time at Mercy, whilst I was confronting the lies I'd believed about myself and the pain that I had encountered. I really believe God wrote through my own hand what He wanted me to know and the truth He wanted me to believe. God really is no respecter of persons and these words are for each of you who have known pain. They are God's words for you!

Joy x

BEAUTIFUL GIRL

Beautiful girl,
Oh how I weep at the tears you cry,
For I never wanted you to be hurt,
And I long for your pain to disappear.
Trust me, my darling,
As there will be a day when all the hurt ceases,
When the darkness will be seen in the light of your beautiful future;
And that’s what it is –
Gloriously fruitful,
And you will be blessed.
Let me hold you, my precious child,
As then I can lavish my untainted love on you –
Pure adoration poured on my baby girl.
I’ve always been walking with you,
And never will I leave your side,
For you are too precious to me.
Every moment, I rejoice over the marvellous work I have made in you,
And tender compassion fills my heart,
Overflowing,
Reaching out to my broken daughter.
As the clouds gather overhead,
With torment surrounding you on every side,
It is then that you must grasp my everlasting hand,
For no circumstance could snatch you from me.
Despair doesn’t have to be yours,
As greater things exist –
Serenity and joy are there for you,
Secure in the awesome destiny I mapped out before you were even conceived.
Rest in me, my beloved,
Release your cares to me,
And I will carry you onwards.
My princess, I love you,
And never would I have inflicted those awful things on you,
As you are more precious than words can say,
Though my blood can eloquently describe my adoration for you.
Daddy was there when you felt so alone,
Sobbing over your hurt,
Praying my little girl would run into my arms.
I just want to hold you,
To tell you that it was going to be okay,
As my purpose is greater than the pain,
And to sing my lullaby of love over someone so dear to me.
Desperately, I want you to see that, in my eyes, you have always been the same –
My beautiful, prized possession.
Righteousness is still yours as shame rises up within you,
And you are still accepted in the Son as self-rejection threatens to take control.
You are whole in me,
With all brokenness being restored.
Perfection dwells in you,
And ceaselessly cries out on your behalf,
That you may live out your awesome royal position,
And see yourself in the splendour with which you are clothed.
Your past will be as treasure to my glory,
Made beautiful by my hand,
Raised up from the ashes that surround you.
Your painful past will be nothing but a testimony of grace,
As my melody of healing resounds throughout your days.
Your hurt will be transformed into hope,
Yet you must let me love you,
Let me wipe away your tears,
So I may tend to your broken heart.
My gentle kisses from heaven will be planted on your cheeks,
Shrouding you in mercy,
Drawing you into Daddy’s heart.
Crawling out of the chrysalis of everything past,
You’re breaking free,
And together we’ll soar into glory.

The Way I Made You

Ashley with a member of Mercy staff

At the present time, we have a beautiful young woman at our Nashville home named Ashley. Ashley is 21 years old, and she has been in the program for approximately three months. All of the staff in the Nashville home have been amazed to see Ashley’s growth since she’s been in the program. Not only does she have a very painful past of abuse, but she was actually born with Cerebral Palsy. We marvel on a daily basis at the positive outlook and beautiful spirit of this young woman! She has chosen to forgive the people that have hurt her, and all of the residents in the home are so very fond of her. She has impacted the lives of so many people in a very short time. I was in the home on Saturday spending time with the girls, and Ashley approached me and asked if she could share with me a poem she had written. I was very eager to read it, and when I did, I can honestly say that it brought tears to my eyes. I asked Ashley if I could share it on my blog today, and she was very willing to not only give me permission to share her poem with you, but also to post a picture of her beautiful angelic face so that you can see her joy. I hope this blesses you, and I hope that some day you might have the privilege of getting to know Ashley just as we have. She is definitely one of God’s special ones.

“The Way I Made You”

The way I made you
Is different to the physical eye
Yet unique and special to me
For I see you through my eyes.

I know sometimes you don’t
Understand
Why you were born with C.P.
And I know you struggle
With all the different people you see.

That are able to do some
Things that you can’t
You look at them and long for the day
To come.

My darling, I feel that longing
More than you think I can.

I know your feelings of loneliness
And the struggles you daily endure
For I feel every pain that you feel
It is in Me you’re secure.

The way I made you is perfect
Just the way I wanted you to be
And that’s exactly how I see you,
A beautiful miracle to Me.

So next time you get discouraged,
About not being the same
Come to Me, I’ll be here
Just call on My name.

--Ashley

Ashley with Mercy graduate, Tamara

Close to the Heart

In my last blog, I had our in-house Registered Nurse, Christy, tell you about what a day is like for her in the role she plays at Mercy Ministries. There is no doubt that God uses Christy and all of our staff to support, strengthen, and help the girls in various ways. Today I want to introduce you to another avenue in which God works to bring healing to the hearts of young women.

For years, I have watched young women walk through our doors who are so traumatized by the pain of their past that they cannot even relate to another human being, or even begin to open up to a counselor. When many of these girls are initially unable to relate to their counselors and other staff, we have found they will often times first open their heart to one of our special resident pets. Our choice of pet over the course of 26 years of residential ministry at Mercy Ministries has been Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties). The purpose of this breed of dog is to herd sheep, and it is so interesting to watch them in the various homes with the young women as the shepherding instinct comes out in the way they relate to the girls. We have had a number of Shelties over the years from the time they were young puppies until the time that their lifespan ended. It is always so difficult to lose one of these guys because they become such a part of our family and play such a significant role in the lives of many girls as they are healed and restored.

The Nashville home is our largest home, and our two most recent Shelties there are Jude and Jonah. Jude is still with us, and he turned 10 years old on December 28, 2008. (Jude actually has his own Facebook page. Look for Jude Alcorn on Facebook and become his friend! ) Jonah would have turned 10 in a couple of months, but unfortunately he received a cancer diagnosis last Fall and we had to put him to sleep on October 17, 2008. This was such sad news for so many of our girls, especially the ones who got so close to him while they were in the program. I just received a memorial scrapbook in the mail filled with awesome pictures of Jonah and his interactions with some of the girls while they were in the program. This particular girl was very very close to Jonah, and she wrote to me about what Jonah meant to her. I want to share some of the pictures that she sent, along with what she wrote about what Jonah meant to her. This is from Hayley…

Dear Nancy,

My experience at Mercy was life changing. I learned so much about myself and truly began to seek after God and His truth. In the midst of all the counseling and allowing God to mend my broken heart, I found comfort in a furry friend. Jonah was a huge part of my healing process. He was there for me on the good days and the bad. He taught me a lot about myself and my relationship with God. Jonah had this way of making me feel loved and needed. He always seemed to know when any of us were in need of a friend. Thank you so much for allowing me to take care of him. Jonah was the first thing I felt safe to love and cherish after experiencing the death of my mother. It was at Mercy that I began to have feeling and truly live. Jonah helped me to embrace my emotions and not be afraid. God used Jonah as a tangible form of His own love for me. Thank you for trusting me with Jonah and for sharing him with me. I am very grateful for the time I spent loving, caring for, and learning from Jonah. I hope you enjoy this scrapbook I made in memory of him.

Sincerely,

Hayley

We just love to see all the different ways God works in the lives of the young women who come to us to receive healing from life-controlling issues.

I know that Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. Whether you are single, married, dating someone, or not dating anyone, I want to remind you that love can be found and celebrated in many places, even through a pet. This weekend, I encourage you to focus on all the ways love reaches your heart. If you are a single girl like me, I pray for God to bring the man of your dreams into your life! And if you are a single man, I pray God will bring the woman of your dreams to you. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Valentines Day!

Love to all,

Nancy