Website: www.agapehouseforgirls.org

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, . . . He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners . . . " ~ Isaiah 61:1



Thursday, July 31, 2008

July 31st Update

We are in need of a good used car for local driving for our resident assistant and houseparent to use for ministry reasons at the teen home.

We are currently registered at Target, Wal-Mart, and ShopKo to help us finish the dorm rooms for the teen home. If you would like to help us complete the rooms, go to:

http://www.walmart.com/giftregistry/gr_detail.do?registryId=09102098001

or

http://www.target.com/lists/1VM3LZVYVKE6Q

or

https://portal.shopko.com/grworks/grws (The ShopKo registry is under last name House, first name Agape)

This is a great opportunity to help us complete the dorm rooms so that we can open the home on schedule in September !! Thanks to those of you who have already purchased items !

There are other "painless" ways to support the ministry.

  • You can donate your used printer cartrtidges.
  • Take advantage of buy one get one free items at grocers and retailers, then donate the free item to Agape.

Thank you for your faithful support and prayers for the ministry !

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Heading into August.....

Thank you all for your prayers and support !! God is so faithful. We are blessed to know each of you and call you friend.


IMMEDIATE NEEDS:


Renovation help - next work day is Saturday, July 26th at 8:00 a.m. at 215 S. Main Street in Walworth. We need help with painting and other construction help. Call Ben at 745-6705 with questions.


We need someone to teach Health for the 2nd Quarter of school on Tuesdays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. This course is nine weeks. If you are familiar with any subject relative to Health such as Nutrition or Exercise and would like to volunteer an hour a week; the girls would be blessed !!


We are also looking for someone to teach Life Skills on Thursdays from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Examples would be finance, sewing, etc. We need someone for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Quarters. Classes run for nine weeks.



A Day to Remember - 'In His Wakes' is a unique, exciting and impacting non-profit ministry which uses the avenue of water sports to impact thousands of lives by combining an experience of a lifetime with a message of hope!

Agape School was invited to take part in this water skiing ministry on Thursday, the 17th of July. The goal of the ministry was to encourage people of all walks of life to ‘get off the dock’ and take to the waters of life with a newfound hope, purpose and confidence as we share God’s love in a most powerful and interactive way! We were able to include siblings and friends on this adventure held at Big Foot Beach. We had about 15 people in attendance, and here are a few reflections from the girls about this adventure:

“It was a great experience that I’ll never forget. . . At first I didn’t want to do anything but tubing, but eventually I got off the dock and did all the activities!”

“Wow! What a day! I really had an amazing experience. I really enjoyed all of the events we did. I wasn’t supposed to come on this event because I have mild cerebral palsy in my legs. I went knee boarding, water skiing and tubing! It was amazing to learn all of the activities. With the help of God, I got up on the first time water skiing! I really enjoyed getting to know my classmates better. Just seeing what God did through each one of us was just unbelievable! I really hope we can do this again next year!”

“It was a blast – I had a great time!” This comment came from the young man who is autistic.

“I was excited and it was fun. Tubing was the best and I got to meet new people – that was cool! When Nate was talking about the rope connected to the world and connected to God was inspirational. If it wasn’t for Kayla coming over and giving me her life jacket, I wouldn’t have gone on the boat. Thanks for the opportunity.”

“When I got there, I was not very excited and thought I woke up for nothing. Then I got on the tubes and it got a little better. I tried the knee board and I got tired. So I did tubing again, and it got better. I was convinced that skiing was fun, so I tried it, and it was cool!”

“Thursday was very fun. I only did tubing because I am a big scaredy-cat, but I still had a lot of fun. My sister came along and I have never seen her smile or have that much fun! It was a great time on the lake where I really trusted God the most. I trusted Him to keep me safe on the boat and come home in one piece. I was glad I trusted Him with my life on the lake.”

“In His Wakes was an awesome experience! Not only did it provide an opportunity for my first time skiing, but I got to see how well my experience integrated with my faith in God. The staff was very cordial and easy going with me and the girls. They really took the time to help us make our leap into the water, and I would love to ‘get off the dock’ again any day.”
CORRECTION: Pam will be recording the spot for WLKG 96.1 next Thursday, the segment will air on Sunday morning (we believe) August 3rd . We will keep you updated.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Update on the Transitional House ( Ben & Pam's home)








Three rooms were flooded because a pipe burst. Two rooms were being occupied by two of the transitional girls and the rec room (pink room) was affected as well. All of the carpet, padding, trim, and drywall was ruined. As you can see from the photos an entire portion of the bottom of the walls had to be removed.



This is a huge obstacle financially speaking and time-wise as well. Our Teen Home is slated to open in September. Ben and his extended family have been volunteering many hours to get the work done. Now focus has to be given to the Transitional Home and getting it ready for the girls to move back in their rooms.



Last weekend was a major work day at Agape. We got a lot accomplished through the many volunteers that showed up and we finally felt we were gaining ground to get the Teen Home open on time. We believe Satan is seeking to destroy and devour that progress. We know the enemy does not want the Teen Home to open. We currently have a waiting list of girls who desperately need a Home to find hope and healing.



Please pray for favor with regard to the adjusting service that will come and survey the damage and report to our insurance carrier. Please pray that God will provide the workers and the funds to repair the damage at the Transitional Home and to finish this phase of renovation to open the Teen Home ON SCHEDULE !! For God's Glory !!



Financially, if God would lay it on your heart and you are able, we are really in a "due" season to receive your support.



If you have any talent or skill at all and would be willing to volunteer a few hours at either facility, there is much to be done. Please call Ben at 745-6705 or show up at 215 S. Main Street in Walworth at 8 a.m. this Saturday, July 19.

We will confess that yesterday we found ourselves discouraged, but then God reminded Pam that He is in control and He can turn use all things for good - even our flooded basement.



Thank you again for all your prayers and support and love. We could not do this without you !!



In Christs' Love,



Pam Patterson

UPDATE:


We are excited to announce that one of our "original" Agape Girls, Susan (Patterson) Ballard is expecting again !! Many of you may remember that she and her husband Andre lost their first child last summer at her 6th month of pregnancy. She is expecting TWINS !! PLEASE PRAY...she was admitted to the hospital today with chest pains and we will keep you updated as information becomes available.


Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (NKJV)




PRAISE REPORT: The dorm rooms are coming along, and our volunteer artists are doing a phenomenal job !! We are excited to see how God is moving !










Volunteers, Jennifer and Matthew Drach. Check out Jennifer's site: http://www.jenniferdrach.com/

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

We hope you're enjoying your summer !

The dorm rooms are nearing completion.....thanks to all who have helped. From the donated paint to drywalling to taping and painting. Tyson Ray and the staff at Wachovia Securities in Elkhorn has committed to help Agape House see that the dorms are completely renovated and furnished.


Jennifer and Matthew Drach are professional commercial artists who are painting the designs in the dorm rooms. Jennifer is also a professional photographer. You can check out her work at http://www.jenniferdrach.com/. They are very gifted volunteers !!




Please remember to pray for us during these summer months. Our needs are as follows:

1. The girls that are still considering coming back to school this fall
2. The new girls who are coming to school
3. Our Teen Home to be open in the fall, specifically for the houseparents to move in by Aug. 15
4. Monthly support to increase
5. Money to put in the carpet. We need $6,000 towards this purchase.
6. We will be providing training for layman biblical counseling on
Thursdays from 12:00 to 2:00
7. Volunteer drywall mudders and tapers
8. Pray for the students attending the final summer session; there are 10.

Also, please pray for Ben Patterson, he continues to be in pain following surgery to remove his gall bladder.
God is so faithful, it is our prayer that you will praise Him for who He is daily !!

Thanks for your faithfulness !