BBQ & Basketball

This past Saturday we celebrated 1 year at Village Oaks.  We have many new friends and we are so grateful for what the Lord is doing at Village Oaks.  To celebrate we had a 5-on-5 basketball tournament and big cookout.  We had a blast! 

As the basketball tournament went on, more and more spectators arrived.  Eventually these spectators turned in to cheerleaders and then in to our half time show entertainment.  You will see a picture of the halftime show below.  Congratulations to the Swag Kings on their big win!

Also, there were bounce houses, hot links, hamburgers, and domino games going on at the cookout.  Enjoy the pictures below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Behind Every Door August Update

 

"I am a son of a loving Father."  One week at our Real Men group at Village Oaks, that sentence was the curriculum.  We went around the circle with each man or boy declaring it.  Then we went around the circle again. And again. And again.  And again. For about 20 minutes we went round and round...and as we did we saw a certain joy and confidence emerge in the countenance of each one of us.

"I am a son of a loving Father." "I am a daughter of a loving Father."  If you hang around the Community Center at Village Oaks very long, you'll hear kids repeat it.  We want them to say it over and over again.  We want this truth to sink deep into their lives. Our prayer for them is that they will discover and walk in their true identity.  Not as orphans...but as Sons and daughters of a loving Father. Thank you Jesus.

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It's been a great summer!  A few highlights:

*The painting has begun at Village Oaks! The first few buildings have been painted and the residents have been very excited about the change.

*The Willow Pond kids enjoyed the first Behind Every Door Cooking Camp (complete with a nice sit-down dinner on the final night--where they could bring a guest). Rickey Fanning's stick-on mustache was one of the highlights of the occasion.

*Cub Scouts is coming to Village Oaks!  One of our Dallas Police Officers, Officer Paulo Bettancourt, has rallied the leadership and support to begin a group for boys grades 1-5.  Thank you Officer Bettancourt for blessing these boys.

*Several of our Kids Club girls from Willow Pond were able to go to Kids Across America Summer Camp!  Thank you to the John and Suzanne Wallace as well as Rickey and Jim Fanning for making the long drives. It was a week the kids won't soon forget.

*Max Fincher and Ben Leonard (with help from friends at Park Cities Presbyterian Church)...hosted Finish Strong Basketball Camps at Willow Pond and Village Oaks.

*Faith Church of Allen, Texas partnered with Suzanne and Rickey at Willow Pond to host Vacation Bible School!  It was a huge hit and many were blessed and encouraged.

*The kids once again enjoyed "Math Champs" Camp at Willow Pond...which was fun and educational!

*We had over 500 friends join us for the Village Oaks Health & Life Fair! This event was in partnership with the wonderful people at Parkland Hospital as well as 12 vendors.  It was a great time of food, fun, learning about health, and dancing!

*Fellowship Bible Church installed a basketball court viewing deck as well as a Community Garden at Willow Pond!  Thank you so much for your partnership.

*DART restored a later bus service at the stop across from Village Oaks!  We were so thankful for the community effort that came together to deal with the problems...a true partnership between Village Oaks residents, DART, the Dallas Police Department, other residents of the neighborhood, and our Village Oaks Residents Council.

*We were thrilled to partner with Favored with Hope in the Village Oaks Summer Lunch Program for kids.  Volunteers served lunch to 60+ kids per day. What a blessing.

*The "Real Men" men's group at Village Oaks has taken off!  We've had between 10 and 30 men attend on Friday mornings...learning about Jesus and discussing life.  Thanks to Mike Downey for his leadership and many friends for their support. This week, we add a Discipleship Group (weekly meeting) for those who want to dive in even deeper. The Real Men Group for boys at Willow Pond has been discussing wisdom and the importance of keeping good company.  Later this month, we'll add a Real Men Group for men at Willow Pond as well.

*Jayda Henderson is starting a "Sisters Circle" group for women at Village Oaks this month...in partnership with our friend Dr. Shirley King.

*Thank you to all of you who donated to purchase Back-to-School Supplies for our Kids Club kids. They'll go back to school next Monday with new backpacks and all the supplies they need!

-- Dean Wilson

Women of Wisdom (W.O.W.)

'WOW' in this story...it has a dual meaning! "WOW!" because I'm encouraged and "WOW" because I was in the midst of true Women of Wisdom.

This past Saturday we officially kicked off Women of Wisdom at Village Oaks (the counterpart to Real Men).

The ladies from Parkland who joined us were awesome and Dr. King is a gem.  She handed out valuable information on leadership training and how to conduct oneself in future meetings, and the ladies decided to have the meetings every second Saturday of the month.

We appointed a Secretary that will be typing up the meeting minutes and we will keep an official copy of each set of minutes in a binder so we can all use these as a resource at any time.

We had 2 ladies from a local community college attend as they are trying to kickoff the same type of meeting (WOW-type group) on their campus.

I haven't learned all of the ladies' names yet, but there are also co- and tri-leaders that have been appointed to help keep members accountable.  The residents have shown ownership in this and I pray they follow through with it!

We are using W.O.W. as a foundation to REAL WOMEN at Village Oaks.  As the group evolves, and they prove dedication on the W.O.W. level, I have promised them purple t-shirts with REAL WOMEN written in white letters!!!  The group chose the color and is extremely excited to one day sport a REAL WOMEN t-shirt at Village Oaks.

I am encouraged.  Hmm, look at what God did!

-- Jayda Ekundayo

Celebration Tomorrow!

We are excited to announce that we have spent 1 year making friends in the Village Oaks community.  And, tomorrow we will join together with Greater Ebenezer Church to celebrate!  Please stop by to join the party if you would like to.  The more the merrier!

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

1st Day of School!

Unlike years past, the kids started school on Monday with all of their necessary school supplies.  From pencils to paper and backpacks to crayons each child had what is needed.

We are so grateful to the many donors who helped make this possible.  Thanks again for loving these kids with us!

 

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

The Living Room

 

"The Spirit can make life.  Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen." -- John 6:63

"Give a cup of cool water to someone who is thirsty.  The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice.  You won't lose out on a thing." -- Matthew 10:42

We recently took a room at Village Oaks to create a Living Room for the men at Village Oaks.  The Living Room is a place where life happens.  It is a place where we are quite literally giving out "cups (bottles) of cold water."  Men of all ages are welcome to come get some water and sit in the cool air to read, watch TV, or talk.

On Fridays there is a Real Men meeting that takes place in the morning.  This has been a wonderful group and our conversations have been rich.  On Wednesdays there is a discipleship group that meets in the afternoon.

We are all enjoying being together in this place and we are excited to see how God continues to use it. If you are ever in the neighborhood, come see us!

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

A Gift for the Parents

 

The kids at Village Oaks participated in a really neat arts and crafts activity: a purse for someone special in their life.  Most of the kids decided to make something for their mom or grandmother.

Over the last few months, Jayda, the Director of the Community Center, has been teaching the kids how to knit.  You might have seen the videos in some of the older posts.  The kids used their knitting skills to knit a strap for the purse.

Then, Jayda helped the kids pick out two pieces of fabric that they then knitted together.

Last, the took some key rings to attach the strap to the purse.

The kids were so excited to deliver the gifts to their moms and grandmothers.  Below are some pictures of a few of the kids who participated and a picture of the gift-wrapped purses.

  

-- Behind Every Door

Willow Pond Basketball Camp

On a recent Saturday, the Finish Strong Basketball Camp hit Willow Pond!  The kids were invited to brush up on their basketball skills, play in a tournament, and have fun!

Enjoy the pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-- Behind Every Door

All Things New

 

We are excited to announce a new opportunity to you!

"All Things New" is a way to provide residents with basic, household items that they do not have.  Some residents come to our properties with very little.  Others with nothing at all.

For those with very little, sitting on the floor to watch TV or sleeping on a couch have become normal ways of life.  A couch or a bed can bless these residents in incredible ways.

Those coming out of homelessness arrive with nothing more than a small backpack.  They are receiving a key to their very own apartment for the first time in many, many years.  This is a powerful moment to be a part of and these residents are always grateful.  Now, we are dreaming about being able to provide them with a fully furnished and stocked apartment when they open their door.

So far we have been able to provide couches, beds, dining room sets, chairs, and other items.  We are blessed each time we get an opportunity to give.

If you are interested in participating with us in this ministry, please contact us!

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Welcome, Ty!

 

We are really excited to introduce to you Ty Choice (pictured on the right in red, next to Jayda)!

Ty will be joining the Behind Every Door family on Monday at Village Oaks to support Jayda in the Community Center.  Ty has been volunteering with us for some time now and the kids love him.  He is a talented rap artist and very passionate about using his gifts to help kids live a more abundant life. 

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Giving

The Village Oaks Garden is bountiful!  It seems like we are harvesting something almost every day!  On a recent trip to the garden, the kids decided to give away their harvest to some of the property staff.  Enjoy the pictures!

 

 

 

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Once a month, we take several of the kids from Willow Pond to serve with us at a BBQ for the homeless.  These kids come with us to serve food to those in need.  Coming to serve has become a very big deal, and it is incredible to see how these boys and girls have grown through their service.

As we returned on a recent afternoon, a boy who is not often around came up and asked me to roll down my car window.  When I did he said,"hey where ya been?"

I replied, "I am just coming back from the homeless BBQ."

His eyes got really big and he said with a gasp, "You've been barbequing homeless people?!" 

-- Suzanne Wallace

Cooking Camp!

One of our volunteers recently offered to host a cooking camp for the girls who she has gotten to know at Willow Pond.  The girls had a blast throughout the week!  They learned table manners, place settings, recipes, and more! 

The week started with a trip to the farmers market to purchase the ingredients they would need.

 

 

Then there were cooking classes, teaching the girls how to cook some of the recipes that they would be eating at the end of the week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

At the end of the week, the girls were invited to a sit down dinner in someone's home, complete with waiters!  They loved it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Bon Apetit!

-- Behind Every Door