Give Thanks in All Circumstances

“Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18


Prayer Requests:
~ Please pray for the girls each day; your prayers are such a blessing, and we are very grateful for our prayer warriors. To God be the glory!
~ Pray for the girls who are having sleep issues; whether it be nightmares or random waking up through the night, and then having difficulty getting back to sleep. Thus, when they are so tired, they have difficulty functioning. Pray that these issues are resolved in a timely fashion, and that we trust that His timing is perfect.
~ Pray that the girls will continue to understand the unconditional love that God has for each and every one of them, just the way they are, and that God doesn’t need anything from them; rather, He just wants to have a relationship with all of us!
~ Pray that God will touch the hearts of those who are able to provide financial support for Agape House, also in His timing.


Praise Report:
~ Praise God for the joy of an educational field trip to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago; and thank you Ron Meissen for your generosity and presence! The train ride to Chicago was incredible, the tax rides were interesting, and the museum was indescribable! God is so unique and creative, even comical – the colors and shapes of the creations in the ocean are amazing, and watching the girls react to God’s creation was a joyous gift! Praise God that several girls were given ideas of possible new opportunities to use their God-given gifts; we were blessed with safe travel and beautiful weather! (See group picture above)
~ Praise God for the healthy snack of almonds recently donated!
~ Praise God for one of our students who is seeing things through different ‘eyes’; it has been an amazing journey of discovery. This child has gone from caring very little about anything, to being grateful and reminding us of all that we have been given through Him. She is a delight as she continues to blossom in ways unimaginable!
~ Thank you to all of you who have continued to prepare and provide lunches for us; they are nourishing for our bodies, as well as a taste sensation!
~ We are also very thankful for the educational materials that have been donated to the school; most of the materials are still in the original packages.


Wish List:
~ Postage Stamps
~ Fresh Fruit
~ Fresh Vegetables
~ Snack Crackers, such as Cheese-Its, Wheat Thins, etc.
~ Almonds or other nuts (NO PEANUTS)
~ String Cheese


Volunteers / Creative Teachers:
On June 9th and 10th we are ending our school year with an assortment of ‘Mini Classes’ that will be fun, yet beneficial for them. So far, we have volunteers on board for sewing, jewelry making, flower arrangements, calligraphy and card making. We have a couple of openings for about 2 hours each on Thursday morning the 10th. If you are gifted and able to teach something fun to the girls, we would love to hear from you. Some of the thoughts we had were: teach Zumba or teach a gardening class (we’ll supply the plants, but need your ideas and leadership). Any other ideas of things that could be done at or close to Agape School? Please reply to this e-mail, or call Jan at 262-275-6466. Thanks!


Thought for the week: A grandparent is something so simple even a small child can operate it!

Gentle and Quiet Spirit

“Your beauty . . . should be that of your inner self; the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4

Prayer Requests:
~ Pray for the girls to know that their beauty comes from within, and it is of great worth to God.
~ Pray for financial support to continue to be enough to cover the expenses, as well as complete the sanctuary renovation and move forward with a transition home!
~ Pray that ALL students will attend school every day.
~ Pray that the girls will have a continued desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior.


Praise Report:
~ Praise God for the joy of having some residents from Inspiration Ministries join us at Agape School last Friday for a special time together. The girls sang songs, gave testimonies, did art projects, and played ‘Agape Bingo’ with the residents. Thank you Dee McBride for putting together an art project for them all to do together. The bonding that took place was precious beyond words – God is so awesome!
~ Praise God for the beef that was donated recently by Greg Ibeling – we are set for awhile! Not only did Greg deliver the beef, but he helped us get it unloaded in freezers at two different locations – what a blessing!
~ Praise God for the work crew from Calvary that was here this past weekend; they did lots of work that needed to be done; everything is sparkling just a little bit more now! Thank you Bob and Carol Vyskocil for coordinating this work crew!
~ Praise God for the guitar lessons Pete Thompson has been teaching some of the girls at Agape – such a blessing that he is taking time out of his schedule to do this!
~ Praise God for the girls in school and the home who have been handling difficult situations gracefully, setting their boundaries and pressing in to God!
~ Praise God for the donation of a tray of fresh vegetables this past week – oh, so good for us – thank you Sandy Heinitz!
~ Praise God for the fresh fruit that was donated this week by Cindy Conlon!
~ Praise God for all the napkins, paper towels and toilet paper that have been donated!
~ Praise God for the girls who are starting to love the learning process!
~ Praise God for the girls’ awareness of how God supplies all of our needs, and being grateful for many blessings!
~ Praise God for the girls’ positive attitudes, and for our new students who are thriving!
~ Praise God for the benefit of college visits for the girls, and their excitement –thank you Cindy Conlon for taking the girls on these college visits!
~ Praise God for the girls enjoying the chirping of birds, children giggling and all the sounds of Spring as we get outside to enjoy this amazing weather!


Wish List:
~ Postage Stamps
~ Fresh Fruit
~ Fresh Vegetables
~ Snack Crackers, such as Cheese-Its, Wheat Thins, etc.
~ Almonds or other nuts (NO PEANUTS)
~ String Cheese


Volunteers / Creative Teachers:
On June 9th and 10th we are ending our school year with an assortment of ‘Mini Classes’ that will be fun, yet beneficial for them. So far, we have volunteers on board for sewing, jewelry making, flower arrangements and calligraphy. We have a couple of openings for about 2 hours each on Thursday morning the 10th. If you are gifted and able to teach something fun to the girls, we would love to hear from you. Some of the thoughts we had were: teach Zumba or teach a gardening class (we’ll supply the plants, but need your ideas and leadership). Any other ideas of things that could be done at or close to Agape School? Please reply to this e-mail, or call Jan at 262-275-6466. Thanks!


Thought for the week: Faith is seeing light with the eyes of your heart, when the eyes of your body see only darkness ahead.

He will rejoice over you with singing!

Prayer Requests:
~ Pray that the girls come to understand how much God loves them and delights in them, rejoicing over them with singing!

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save, He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephariah 3:17

~ Pray for the finances of Agape House, as we are at that time of year when the generous donations made over the holidays are running low, and there are currently more expenses then income.

~ Pray for peace and tranquility in the hearts of all as we adapt to new students and the different dynamics.

~ Pray that the girls will use this last quarter of school to be transformed, with the information they are learning being stored deeply in their heart, so that they automatically turn to God every day of their lives for all that they need.

~ Pray that the staff be filled with God’s wisdom and discernment every moment of the day.

~ Pray for all the girls to adapt to everything new they experience.

~ Pray for the girls to hear God’s word every day.

~ Pray for healing for all who come through the doors at Agape.

~ Pray for blessings to pour forth for our fabulous and faithful volunteers.


Praise Reports:
~ Praise God for all the people who come to Agape School each Thursday to present a testimony with the girls about how God has impacted their lives – God’s timing is always good in the messages each person presents!

~ Praise God for the awesome relationship that the Agape Angels have developed with the residents of Inspiration Ministries, as we reach out to do for others as we have had done for us!

~ Praise God for the girls who are using their coping skills in life!

~ Praise God for the mercy and grace that is shown to others, in God’s likeness!

~ Praise God for our answered prayers with new people calling to volunteer!


Wish List:
~ Napkins
~ Fresh Fruit
~ Fresh Vegetables
~ Electric Can Opener


INVITE from United Way of Walworth County:
The Delavan-Darien and Geneva Lakes Area United Ways have joined together to better serve our communities throughout Walworth County. They will celebrate the new United Way of Walworth County at a reception:

When: May 20th from 6pm-8pm
Where: Evergreen Golf Club in Elkhorn

The public is invited to come see the different agencies that are involved. Agape House will be represented there that evening, as well. If you would like to attend, please RSVP by May 15th to Vicki Jacobs at 262-374-4474 or vjacobs@uw-wc.org.


“May the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. “ Psalm 68:3

He is Risen, the Victory is Won!!!!

A Poem by an Agape girl: Floating on Faith
We live by faith, not by sight.
To trust a promise:
He loves me; He loves me not.
Pulling a flower apart to the stem,
Sitting under a birch tree,
Asking nature to answer my question.
You’ve told me before,
Telling me its truth,
But how can I listen if the voice is wordless?
He loves me; He loves me not.
The flower is naked, and my soul is left the same.


Praise Report:
~ Two new students join our school family. We are thankful that they are with us and appreciate their efforts this week to work at completing testing and also acclimate themselves to a new school. All of the girls were an encouragement and included our new students.

~ Praise for several students who are dealing with issues.

~ Thank you for the faithful staff and volunteers at Agape. Without your commitment we could not provide the quality program for the girls.

Prayer Requests:
~ Several of the girls are battling colds. Pray that we all stay healthy and don't succumb to this being passed around the students and staff.

~ Pray for all of our former students including: Amanda A., Amanda C. Stephanie, Gosia, Paige, Abby, Maria, Hailey, Laura, Amber, Becca, Marissa, Emily R, Brittney, and Ria.

~ Pray for additional tutors for the school who can give a couple of hours a week, and make a difference in the lives of the girls. The girls delight in having one-on-one time with someone special, and they thrive on this time and make an effort to work hard with their tutor.


Wish List:
~ Napkins
~ Furniture Polish
~ Fresh Fruit
~ Fresh Vegetables
~ Iron rich foods
~ Raisins
~ Dried apricots
~ Cashews
~ Electric Can Opener


May His Hope, Joy and Love be your Easter Celebration!