Happy is He...

“It is a blessing what you do with these kids.”

That was the response I got from a brand new resident who had heard about the Kids Club.  The truth is: the blessing goes both ways.

These kids have blessed me.  I get to do what I love, and though it is not always smooth sailing, I thank God for the opportunity to be part of His ministry.

"Happy is he who is gracious to the poor." (Proverbs 14:21)

I can truly say I am happy and blessed to do this everyday.

-- Rickey Fanning

The Year of Favor

I couldn't have asked for a better way to kick-start my Memorial Day weekend.

A few months ago, Ms. Downie Craig, the founder of Troubleshooting for Christ, stopped by the Village Oaks Community Center.  Some office furniture had been donated to Behind Every Door, and she had come to pick some up for her ministry.  Since that time, she has become a spiritual mentor to me personally.

Before her second trip to pick up furniture, Downie and I had a phone conversation in which she declared 2011 "The Year of Favor from the Lord."  Somewhere along the way, I mentioned to her that we have a clothing closet.  Downie humbly explained that her ministry provides clothing to women as they come out of jail.  I told her to come by and pick out some clothes for the women.

In 2011, she expects to see over 800 women come out of jail.  She says that the clothing she received from us is an example of the Lord showing her FAVOR!

On the Friday before Memorial Day, she invited me to come and watch what she does, and to see the women that I clothed.  I took Downie up on her offer, and made my way to the Dawson State Jail that evening.  While I was there, I witnessed the baptism of 44 women.  God is Good!

-- Jayda Ekundayo

KAA Summer Camp

 

We recently took 9 girls from Willow Pond to a Christian sports camp called Kids Across America (KAA). The theme at KAA this summer was Romans 5:8:

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Throughout the week the girls had the chance to be involved in lots of different activities.  One of these activities was a challenge course called Tree Tops. Tree Tops is an opportunity to conquer your fear of heights by navigating through a course of ropes, lines, and nets.  At the end, you repel to the ground from about 30 feet up in the air.

At KAA, the girls had plenty to do!  There were dance parties and lot’s of sports (basketball, baseball, football, and numerous others). But, I think the most fun was during meal times.

During the meals, there there were chants or calls for everything. You never knew when someone would break out in song or dance. For example, our table would yell “we get hype for Jesus, yeah we get hype for Jesus.” Then you point to the next table and yell “do you get hype for Jesus?” This wouldn’t stop until every table had chanted! It was an emotional and exciting atmosphere where you could let loose and be crazy.

 

Another cool part of the meals was how we ate. We started off meals by serving the person next to us – never ourselves – and we didn’t eat until everyone at the table had food on their plate.  It taught the girls how to serve and how to put others before themselves.

The music was amazing: Christian hip hop rang through the air all day long!

The girls swam every day in a pool with different rip lines, diving boards, and a blob. The blob is a huge air cushion that shoots you into the air as you free fall into the water.

I think my favorite part of the week was Crosstalk. Crosstalk is a time when every kid gets together and witnesses what Jesus did for them. Actors act out the Crucifixion and what it took for us to be forgiven. This was powerful. At the end, the kids are asked if anyone would like to give their life to Christ. I am proud to say three girls recommitted their life to Christ that night! With tears in their eyes, we prayed together as they asked God to forgive them, and we talked about what repentance is and how we need to feed our spirits to be a healthy Christian.

It was an amazing time that I know the girls will never forget, and on the way home we were blessed to hear all the things they had learned.

By the way, I learned a few things about myself, too, and we are all looking forward to going back next year! 

-- Rickey Fanning

Village Oaks Health & Life Fair

The Village Oaks community had a blast celebrating this past Saturday.  It was hot, but it was hard to tell if the heat was coming from all of the dancing or from the sun!  Overall, we saw over 500 people receive lunch and valuable health/life information.  71 people were tested for HIV/AIDS.  Two focus groups were formed to discuss family planning and healthy living for women.  And, some children received backpacks full of school supplies.  It was quite a Saturday!

We'll kick off these pictures with a message from a good friend of ours.  As you will hear from him, don't miss out next time we get together!



Enjoy the pictures below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-- Behind Every Door Ministries

Village Oaks in the News

Last week, CBS 11 News came to Village Oaks to shoot a story about what is going on there.  We were excited about the opportunity to share with others our desire to make friends and bless them.  It is amazing what God is doing and has done in such a short amount of time.  Enjoy!


-- Behind Every Door Ministries