Thank You!
As we approach the end of the year, we are evaluating how we can do better. We need to be better at sending out Thank-You cards. We truly are grateful for every person that supports us. We are finally starting to get more help in the office so I believe the New Year will see many improvements. We are excited about how much was accomplished in this year and we know it will be even better next year.      
Toys!
We have been sorting and organizing toy for several weeks now. We can see we still have a huge need for gift items for ages 14-18. We could use sports balls for boys. They are only $5 at 5Below. We could also use headphones they could connect to their phones. They have these for boys and girls. I know the Bluetooth ones are popular right now. We could use grooming items for boys and girls as well as jewelry and make-up for the girls. These are just a few ideas. Use your creativity and help us out. Also we need to come together as the body of Christ right now and be on the lookout for families in need. If you know of a family that is having a hard time, please call us with their information and we will be happy to take care of them for Christmas.
 
How To Help!
There are many ways to help. Be proactive. Give us a call after reading this and let us know what you can do. The needs we have are huge and it will literally take an army of believers to conquer. Pick one or more ways you can help.
1.      If you are a business owner, you could put a box at your location with one of our flyers to collect toys for the Toy Ministry.
2.      We do utility assistance in the amount of $75. You could send in $75 for each family in need you would like to sponsor.
3.      You can use the insert of this newsletter and go shopping for toys for the Toy Ministry or fill one or more request for holiday meals, or you could just send a check for however many holiday meals you would like to sponsor at $25 each.
4.      You could donate your time in the distribution of holiday meals or toys.
5.      You can gather your Bible study team or a group of friends and do a toy drive to collect toys for the Christmas Toy Ministry.
6.      You can send a check designated to a specific purpose and we will make sure it gets spent on that specific purpose.
 
We are also still saving for the Ann Skinner home for women and children!
 
Merry Christmas!
We know this is a busy time of year but, we as Christians have a very important role to play. Every day as we go out among the hustle and bustle of life we need to keep our eyes open. Let’s not be so busy doing our shopping that we forget about the Father’s business. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Let’s let him shine through us. A kind word goes a long way when emotions are high. Look around at the people God has placed around you and share the love of Christ. This does not mean you have to have an alter call in the shopping mall. This simply means being extra kind to the people around us. Say nice things to your check out person. They have probably been dealing with rude people for hours already. Give somebody a hug. Take a neighbor a plate of cookies. Invite someone over for tea. Buy a family some tickets to a Christmas play. Sponsor a family to drive through the lights at the Botanical Gardens. Write a letter to your child’s teacher. Call a few people and pray for them. There are so many ways to show kindness. Now, put this letter down and go out and bless someone.


​When the Giver Becomes the Receiver!
Several weeks ago we were able to go on a mission trip to install a roof for a dear older friend of the ministry. We took the guys from the Discipleship Program, our children and Roscoe, our faithful guard dog and we set out to work hard and accomplish something for this gentleman that he could no longer do for himself. It was an amazing time of fellowship and productivity. It was amazing to be able to be such a blessing. When we were on our way out the door he handed me a check for $10,000 towards the home for women and children. Needless to say, we all cried. He will have his name on one of the rooms that will accommodate our precious women and children. We went there on a mission to bless and left as the ones who had been blessed. This was awesome for the guys to see that their efforts not only helped a man that needed a roof, but also help to fund the Ann Skinner Home for Women and Children. Merry Christmas! 

Ministry Purpose!
When we work together to accomplish a task, things just seem to go a little smoother. When every one of us does their part, it seems to go much farther than when we try to do it all ourselves. We could never impact as many lives as we do without your faithful support. We still have big goals as we come upon the end of one year and the beginning of another. We are establishing a forward momentum that we don’t want to see hindered. We really believe God will make a way for us to open the Ann Skinner Women and Children Home. We have raised about $30,000 towards this but still have a long way to go. We are doing everything we can on our end. We have a team of people taking courses on obtaining grant money and fundraising. We have really been spreading ourselves pretty thin with the many tasks at hand. We are in need of more help. We need some volunteers with computer skills to help lighten the load a little more. We need a bunch of volunteers to help with the toy distribution days. Please follow us on Facebook to see when we will be needing help. We also need help packing the holiday meals and distributing them. We are so thankful for all the support so far with everything. Just when things seem impossible, God sends us more help. Please keep us in prayer as we have a very busy schedule over the next two months. Oh, and by the way, if you see John with a brunette, no worries, it is just Tammy with a new hair-do. Haha.
 
Thanksgiving!
When we think of Thanksgiving, it brings happy thoughts of feasts and family time. We have all the special delicacies and desserts. We play board games around the table and spend time together as families. This is nice, but this is not what Thanksgiving looks like to a lot of the families we minister to. Many times there is only one parent. Sometimes the children are living with other family members because both parents are absent. Sometimes they don’t have basic meal items in the refrigerator. Sometimes they can’t even think about a turkey because the water just got shut off. We as the body of Christ can make a difference in the lives of these people. We know that every single person is not given the gift of hospitality. We are thankful this is one of our giftings or we would be living a very uncomfortable life right now. We always invite people over for every holiday. We don’t want to sit down at our table and know there are people that cannot enjoy what we are enjoying. We want to encourage you to invite a family that you normally wouldn’t hang out with on holidays. Don’t be so caught up on what will make your holiday perfect, but how you can make the holidays perfect for someone else. We assure you there is no better feeling when you lay down for bed than knowing you made a huge difference in the lives of another family. We as the body of Christ need to be the example of true Christian love.
 
 
Sign me up!
There are many ways to help. Be proactive. Give us a call after reading this and let us know what you can do. The needs we have are huge and it will literally take an army of believers to conquer. Pick one or more ways you can help.
1.      If you are a business owner, you could put a box at your location with one of our flyers to collect toys for the Toy Ministry.
2.      We do utility assistance or rental assistance in the amount of $75. You could send in $75 for each family in need you would like to sponsor.
3.      You can use the insert of this newsletter and go shopping for toys for the Toy Ministry or fill one or more request for holiday meals, or you could just send a check for however many holiday meals you would like to sponsor at $25 each.
4.      You could donate your time in the distribution of holiday meals or toys.
5.      You can gather your Bible study team or a group of friends and do a toy drive to collect toys for the Christmas Toy Ministry.
6.      You can send a check designated to a specific purpose and we will make sure it gets spent on that specific purpose.
If everyone does a little something, we as the Body of Christ can do so much!

Resident Spotlight​This is Randy Boyd. He is doing amazingly well at the Men’s Discipleship Program. He is growing and becoming a godly leader. He is a gifted bass guitar player and we hope to soon have this instrument available to him for practice. His favorite part of the ministry is Mission Thursdays when the men go out in the community and feed and minister to our homeless population. Randy is really good at finding common ground with everyone he meets. The people on the street look forward to their visits and love spending time with the guys. Please continue to pray for all the men in the program. We are starting to receive more applications than we have available beds. There is a huge need for healing. 

​Women’s and Children’s home Progress Update!
We are at $16,000 raised specifically for the Ann Skinner Home for women and children. We also have managed to save money out of the general fund to go towards this project. We need to continue to push forward in this. We still turn people away every week because we have no place for them. There is also no available bed right now for women and children in any other shelter. Women are waiting months for an opening. We can be the answer. Let’s keep the momentum going.

Our Youngest Minister!
This is Brady Savola providing a precious homeless lady a box lunch and a prayer on one of our Mission Thursdays.

​Toy Ministry!
Bring on the toys. We have an abundance of toy requests to fill and would like to start early if possible. We will be having regular weekly hours at the Virginia Beach office starting in late October. Please let us know if we can place a collection box at your church or business to help provide Christmas to the multitudes. We would also love to see some more volunteers get involved with this beautiful part of the ministry. See our insert for gift ideas.

Yard Sale!
Date- September 7 & 8
Time- 7am – 3pm
Location-
2605 Ballentine Blvd Norfolk
There will be 3 warehouses full of amazing items set out on the lawn of the Men’s Discipleship House. We have tons of furniture and household goods. Tell your friends and come on out and find a treasure. All proceeds go back into the ministry as we are still raising money for the future Ann Skinner Women and Children’s Home.
Toy Ministry!
It is about that time. People are already requesting help. We will need many volunteers this season. If you are interested in volunteering, please bring a letter of reference from your Pastor so we can get you trained and ready. We have openings for every level of ability. This is a great opportunity to see people impacted by the love of Christ. Be prepared to shed some tears. Helping those that cannot help themselves is really the heart of this ministry.    

Mission Malawi!
God has given us an awesome opportunity to help people in Malawi with basic needs. We were able to rent a field for $25 for the entire year to plant vegetables. The field has the capability of feeding 100 people for the entire year. It would be great if all life’s problems could have such an easy fix. We are currently purchasing 30 chickens for them to start raising for eggs and meat. The cost of chickens there is about $3 each. As you can see their hope has been restored. They are hard workers and willing to put in the labor. The photo of the people working in the fields are all Pastors. Jesus is very popular to these sweet people.
 

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​Pastors Working the Field!
 

​Men in Program Update!
Two of our graduates that are currently employed full-time are looking for a room to rent. They have both been here over a year and we can vouch for them. They are very responsible, hard workers desiring a room in a Christian home with godly accountability. We assure you they will be a blessing. One of the men is hoping to find a place near his church in Virginia Beach near Lynnhaven. The other is employed at the shipyard and would like to be near work as he is still working towards getting his license. He is hoping to be in the South Norfolk area. If you have a room for rent, please contact us and we will pass along the information.

Progress!
We are super excited about the huge amount of support for our Ann Skinner Women and Children’s Home. We will keep a graph of our progress. We mean “our” progress as an entire body of Christ because without all of us working together with the Lord, it would not be possible. We are off to an incredible start, but we still have a long way to go. We are in need of additional fund raising ideas, maybe getting more churches involved. This is an opportunity for the church as a whole to get involved in meeting the needs of our neighbors in a tangible way. This is a true example of Christianity. People have started counting on the government more than the body of Christ to meet their needs so this is a prime opportunity to show people the love of Christ. Let’s continue to sow into this project. We believe God is opening even better opportunities and we will keep you posted. We have raised about $14,000 so we still have a ways to go.

Missions!
We are also doing our part internationally and are excited to be a part of sending a missionary to the Philippines. Her name is Miriam and has been there several times building relationships and planting seeds. Many have been won to the Lord and this time the plan is to plant a church. Please keep her in your prayers. She will be there for five months.
We are also doing some things in Malawi Africa to provide for the huge needs of the people. We will post pictures soon of the progress transforming lives and meeting needs there.
Hotel to A Place of their Own!
We are happy to be a part of blessing this family. This family was struggling in a hotel with no possible way out. Every dollar was going to pay for the room just to keep a roof over their heads. This precious mom trusted us to provide food and basics for her three adorable children. We furnished her place and stocked her refrigerator and helped with the deposit. God is always so good.
Weekend Encounters
We are preparing to send several men and women on a Weekend Encounter that is like a retreat on steroids. They will encounter the Lord, learn how to process events in their pasts and leave them firmly in the past. They will understand forgiveness and be able to forgive the hurts of the past and also receive forgiveness for the things they may have done to wrong others. It is a very freeing weekend that is a big part of our own testimonies. Last year it was an amazing time for many as about 17 people experienced redemption and a closer walk with the Lord with a deeper understanding of the Father’s love for all. They came out dreaming bigger dreams for their futures and unhindered by bondages.
 
Phillip Delain
One of our former residents and recent graduate is doing extremely well in New Jersey. He has recently gotten his driver’s license. He is the drummer in his church’s worship band. He is gainfully employed as a forklift operator and he is being a blessing to his family back home. He is a great success story of what God can do. He is helping to support his elderly mother and continuing to share the Lord everywhere he goes. He is a fruit of this ministry and your investment.

Urgent Ministry Need!
We have a huge ministry need at this time. After praying and fasting we have decided to bring this need to our supporters because we know that together, we can accomplish much more than trying to do it on our own. Since taking over this ministry, you have seen things miraculously fall into place for us over and over again. God has been so gracious to pour out favor over this ministry time after time. We know we have learned a lot with running the men’s discipleship home for over a year now. We have proven to be good stewards of every blessing from God. The ministry is still debt free and we are committed to remaining debt free. We know that what we are doing is impacting lives and transforming situations that seemed hopeless.
We have enjoyed learning as we go in this ministry and now we are ready to take yet another leap of faith. The biggest need in all of Hampton Roads is a place for women and children. There are month’s long waiting lists at every shelter and the opening of the new shelter in Virginia Beach is barely going to touch it because they will only have seven openings for women with children. We turn away at least 3 women with children every week, and last week there were 3 in one day. We have been praying on this for a while now and we believe there is a do-able solution. We are asking for something that will be impossible but for God!
 Steps to Take!
We have Scarlette Ballard as our Women’s Ministry Director. She is ready to step out of the world’s workplace and come on board full time to live at our women and children’s home to disciple these ladies around the clock. Scarlette was in the Marine Corp so she is definitely tough enough and we have seen her gifting over the last year as she has been counseling the men in the program and developing goal plans and course corrections. She has faithfully served alongside us and is fully committed to seeing this through as a missionary.
We will take women with a cycle of poverty, addiction or sin. We will use the first 30 days to submerge them in a strict discipleship program that teaches them how to fully rely on the Lord. We will surround them with Christian teachings and work on overcoming the poverty mind set. A lot of these ladies do not know any other way, because this is the only example they have ever seen. They have seen their mothers and grandmothers  be forced to live off the system and just scrape by and they just cannot envision any other way because they hadn’t been given a different option. We will help them see there is another way by having a powerful impact, through testimonies of women who have been where they are and have gained the victory over their circumstances. We will obtain grant money to give them some short term schooling that will qualify them to earn higher wages. We will also get grant money to put their children in daycare and to provide their first month’s rent and security deposit in their own place when they are ready. Our furniture ministry will help them set up with nothing lacking.
Where you come in!
God has given us a very easy answer to this problem. The building right next to our current discipleship home has come available. Actually every tenant moved out yesterday. We have been offered the first chance to purchase this home and we will meet with the city planners office this week to see what we need to do to get this house a permit to do what we do. We will do everything by the book. When they told us they want $225,000 for the house, We were looking at the cost and measuring what we have and it became a huge obstacle in our minds, then we remembered who our father is and reminded ourselves that there is nothing impossible when he gives you a task. We do have some money in the bank, but we know as we learned in the first ministry house, there are many things that come up after the purchase, permits, insurances and such so we are setting a goal to accomplish this in one month. Of course our family will give to this cause also. We are asking for support but this is going to be easy for a bunch of miracle believing Christians. We send this newsletter to 1000 people.                                  
​Simple Solution!
If every person were able to give $200 we will have a home that should be able to help about 100 women and children per year. I know some of our supporters support us in prayer only, because of a lack of finances, but I believe others will be able to pick up the slack. If just 200 people gave $1000 each, the home is in place. I know there are some very generous people that will step up and make this dream a reality. Imagine being part of transforming so many lives for the kingdom of God. Tangible ways you can help-
1.      Share the need with people you know. We will always make ourselves available to come share.
2.      Follow us on Facebook and share the post about the need for the house.
3.      Post about us on social media and draw others into being part of the solution.
4.      Share our newsletter with friends and family.
Together we can! With the Lord, there is nothing impossible. Please make every check this month have Women’s Home in the memo. We will use savings to pay the bills. We need every dollar to go to this house for this need. God willing next month’s newsletter will be a miraculous testimony of God’s faithful provision!!!