Miracle at Willow Pond

I work closely with Rickey Fanning at Willow Pond.  In addition to working with the kids, I spend a fair amount of time caring for the women who live at Willow Pond.  About two months ago, I made a new friend named Hattie outside the Community Center.  Hattie has rheumatoid arthritis, and for several years she has been unable to write or use her hands to do many things.  I prayed that God would heal my new friend's hands, and He did. Hattie went home the night we met and wrote a long letter to her son, who she had not been able to communicate with in some time.

I saw Hattie several weeks later at the McDonald's across the street from the apartments. I was there with some of the kids, and she was there with another resident, Jacqueline. As I approached them, Hattie held up a fist and said, "you better watch out.  I could knock you out." Surprised at the comment, I asked her why she said that. She laughed and said, "I haven't been able to make a fist in years, but ever since you prayed for me I can make one and my hand is getting stronger and stronger." Hattie turned to Jaqueline and said, "for years I have been signing my name with an X because it was too difficult to sign my name.  But now I am writing all the time. God is awesome!"

-- Suzanne Wallace

Ministry Partners at Willow Pond

We are so thankful and excited to welcome the Vickery Meadow Ministry team to Willow Pond!  These friends have begun planting home churches in apartments...encouraging residents with the Good News of the love of God.  Please join us in praying for them!

Can you be our Art Teacher...?

We had a great Art Camp at Willow Pond, and the kids really enjoyed the time. They had opportunities to make masks and learn how to weave. Thank you to Allison, who helped each day with the camp, and to Lindsey who served as our Art Camp Director. Lindsey is an art teacher in Austin, and Suzanne's daughter.

One fun story from the camp:

As the kids began to realize the camp was coming to a close, they started to ask Lindsey some questions. "When can we do this again? Are you coming back soon?" Quickly, one of the kids asked the question that all of the kids were trying to ask. "Can you come to our school and be our art teacher?" Amidst all of the glue, scissors, and cut paper the kids felt loved. They enjoyed the activities, but even more than that they enjoyed the friends they had made and the love they had experienced.

-- Will Dowell

4th of July at Willow Pond!

We had a great time at Willow Pond on the 4th of July! We enjoyed a bounce house, provided by the Willow Pond Owners, in which the kids spent most of their time.  Thank you owners for providing that!  We also enjoyed a competitive 3-on-3 Tournament.  We saw teams play hard all afternoon, but it was the Knockouts who found the victory.  Congratulations guys!  From burgers to bounce houses, and basketball to the pool, many new friendships were made and we were all blessed to spend an afternoon together celebrating America's Birthday.

Determine to Serve

Once a month my local church hosts a BarBQ for the homeless. It is a ten year tradition. The only requirement or payment for attending is to receive a hug.

Suzanne and I decided to bring three of the Real Men of Willow Pond and three of the Wise Women of Willow Pond. We selected kids who have shown great attitudes and excellent behavior in the Kids Club. Three of the girls: Ariana, Kaisia, and Rodnesha, and one the boys, Charles, served in the food line, handing out food to the 100 or so guests who came. The other two boys, Rodrick and Curtis, helped me with the music. We play great Christian R and B and Rap, and the kids were amazed that they actually liked the music. We ended up giving them CDs.

As a Kids Club, we recently adopted a child in Africa, sending him pictures, notes, and small donations. This is up to the kids to come up with, and the funds are made up of pennies, nickels, and dimes. Through this, we have been teaching the kids that many people in the world would call them rich. To walk in to an apartment with lights and running water at your disposal is uncommon in many parts of the world. At the BarBQ, our kids from the Willow Pond Kids Club got to see this first hand.

Through their service, the Willow Pond Kids Club kids were able to see the kind of impact they could have in someone's life with some friendship, food, and music.

Each of the kids was given a t-shirt that read "Determine to Serve." More importantly, they got to experience how a helping hand can touch the receiver and the giver.

Determining to serve, the kids have decided and planned to attend all future BBQ's. 

-- Rickey Fanning