A New Year Blessing

Renovation Update: As you can see by the picture above, the completion of the drywall is moving along quite nicely! We are so thankful for all who have helped in any way with this renovation, and are very excited to see it progress so nicely.


As the girls have been returning to the Teen Home after a few days at home with family for Christmas, we are happy to share a couple of praise reports.

~ One of our girls came back after almost a week away from the Teen Home, and passed her drug test - praise God! When I asked her how she accomplished that, she gave all the credit to God!

~ Another one of our girls is coming out from hiding behind baggy clothes; she knows God loves her just the way she is!

Lord, as the New Year begins, we come to You and ask for your blessing.

We pray that You would give us Joy to fill our days;

Peace to fill our hearts; and Love to fill our lives.

We also thank you for the plans You have for us in the new year.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support in 2009; we pray that 2010 is a year filled with many more blessings for you and your families.

Celebrating His LOVE at Christmastime. . .

Prayer Requests:
~ Pray that the gift of LOVE from God above flows abundantly in the hearts of everyone, especially the girls from Agape as they go home to spend time with their families.
~ Pray that the girls will be able to share what they’ve learned about walking in LOVE with others, and witness to those in need.
~ Pray for the renovation work to continue after Christmas, in God’s timing, towards completion.
~ Pray for the staff and volunteers to have a restful break from school, and that they enjoy their time with family and friends.
~ Pray for good health for everyone.
~ Pray for peace and good will to flow abundantly.
~ Pray that the girls know God’s forgiveness . . .

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32


Praise Reports:
~ The girls are setting an example for others, and speaking the truth in LOVE.
~ The girls at Agape are truly seeing the LOVE of Christ all around them through the gifts they received from all of you who donated. The picture above is from our school Christmas party last Friday; and they are holding their new stuffed animals.


Wish List/Needs:
~ Napkins
~ Chicken
~ Ground Beef


Ways you can help:
~ We are in need of volunteers to:
• Tutor a couple of hours a week at school
• Do a physical activity with the girls in the Home after school on Wednesdays
• Lead worship with the girls in the Home on Wednesday evening


Renovation Needs/Update:
What would you like for Christmas? Praise God for all of you who have responded so beautifully to our appeal letter /‘Wish List’ with generous donations! As the kitchen moves towards completion, we are still praying for the commercial-grade appliances required by code. To review this letter, go to our website (www.agapehouseforgirls.org); click on the ‘Help This Ministry’ tab, and you will see a link for the letter.


Jesus is our light and salvation; may His light shine within each of you.

Joy to the World . . .

Prayer Requests:
~ Pray that the girls will continue to grow closer to Christ, and depend on Him for their emotional needs.
~ Please pray for the girls over the Christmas break that they turn to God and spend time with Him each and every day while they are away from school.
~ Pray that the girls know who God is.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in him.” I John 4:16 NIV


Praise Reports:
~ From tears to laughter, God is faithful.
~ The girls are ‘acting out’ what they are learning about communicating with one another instead of ‘acting out’ and exploding at one another – many blessings in the area of growth here!
~ As some girls are going through medication reduction, they are using their newly-learned coping skills instead of self-harm.
~ Almost all of our grocery needs for the Teen Home have been met through donations.
~ Another one of our students accepted the Lord as her Savior – praise God!


Wish List/Needs:
~ String Cheese
~ Cream Cheese
~ Yogurt
~ Milk (preferably 1%)
~ Paper Plates (large and small)
~ Ground Beef
~ Chicken


Ways you can help:
~ We are in need of tutors who have a couple of hours a week to come encourage and assist the girls through their school work


Renovation Needs/Update:
~ What would you like for Christmas? Thank you to all of you who have already made donations in response to our October letter for the renovation process. To review this letter, go to our website (www.agapehouseforgirls.org); click on the ‘Help This Ministry’ tab, and you will see a link for the letter.

The renovation work continues to progress; we give God praise and glory for all of the volunteers; what a beautiful gift to give!


“God has given us these times of Joy.” Psalm 81:4

Peace on Earth

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace and good will toward men."
~ Luke 2:14

Prayer Requests:
~ Pray that the girls find a sense of peace with God.
~ Please continue to pray for everyone's health; we are definitely seeing the girls get past the colds and flu.
~ Pray for the girls to feel God's love for them as they think about the time they will be home with their families for Christmas.


Praise Reports:
~ With all the area schools closed on Wednesday due to the snow, the girls who live at Agape Home came up through the tunnel to school with smiles on their faces! Kelly noted that they worked hard that morning, too.
~ The staff and volunteers who were able to come to school on a snow day are appreciated by all (and now that the girls know that Kelly has 4-wheel drive, snow days are a thing of the past)!
~ We are so grateful to the company that takes care of our snow removal - what a job!
~ The girls at Agape School continue to press in to God and persevere to overcome the obstacles that have held them back in the past.
- One of our students recently said "It really does feel good to do what you are supposed to do." How awesome is that? God is so good!
~ We are very grateful for all of the volunteers and staff who stepped in to fill Kelly's position while she was away last week, and quite proud of the amazing reports we have heard about how well the girls did while she was gone.
~ Praise God for all of the food that was donated to the 8th Anual WSLD Freezing for Food Campaign and distributed to area food pantries, as well as Agape House.


Renovation Update:
~ Now that the drywall work is progressing, and the kitchen cabinets are being worked on, the next major phase will be purchasing appliances. If you would like to contribute in any way towards the expense for the commercial-grade appliances we'll need to meet our code requirements, we would love to hear from you. We'll need (2) refrigerators and dishwashers, a microwave, and a 6-burner stove.


Wish List:
~ Fresh fruit and vegetables
~ Chicken and Beef


"And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. Moreover let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance develops maturity of character. And character produces joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us."
~ Romans 5:2b-5

Delight yourself in the Lord . . .

At this time of year we are so busy preparing for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and I think it is good to remember while we shop for gifts, prepare Christmas cards, bake cookies, etc., that God knows the desires of our heart. “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Praise Reports:
~ The girls returned to school after their 4-day weekend, eager to be here.
~ We are grateful that God has provided some rest periods for various staff at this busy time of year.
~ One of our girls is starting to break through some significant issues, and is starting to break the ice and talk a bit.
~ Praise for the life of Doris Loven, Sandy Heinitz’s Mom, who went to Heaven on Tuesday, the 1st of December. Please continue to pray for Sandy and her family to have strength and patience as they go through the process of grieving the loss of a loved one.
~ Praise for the donation of LOTS of fresh fruit today
~ Praise for the elves who have been decorating Agape House and School for Christmas


Prayer Requests:
~ Pray for good health for everyone, as we have had some colds going around.
~ Pray for safe travels for all who are out and about, especially with the return of winter weather.
~ Pray for the girls at Agape to truly know God's love for them.


Wish List/Needs:
~ Canned soup for the girls to heat up when they are not feeling well
~ Tea in a variety of flavors including "Organic Lemon Echinacea, Throat Coat" by Traditional Medicinals


Renovation Needs/Update:
The drywall has been hung, and the taping has begun! The kitchen design for the cabinets is in the works. We are so grateful to all who have offered to help achieve the completion of this renovation in any way. If you are interested in helping, please give us a call.

What would you like for Christmas? Thank you to all of you who have already made donations in response to our October letter for the renovation process. To review this letter, go to our website (www.agapehouseforgirls.org); click on the ‘Help This Ministry’ tab, and you will see a link for the letter.



“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28