Highlights from April, May and June

• Teams from several churches have been busy getting donations in, out and in order at Warehouse in Canton, GA
• The Bridge UMC mission team assisted with Common Ground Youth and held an Ice Cream Social for parents
• KAIROS Prison Ministry was housed in Iaeger Mission Center
• Mt. Bethel UMC and Eastminster Presbyterian sent teams in April, May and June for Pathway of Hope Weekends
• A Spring Fling was held for SAFE residents
• Holler Day Celebrations were held in Mile Branch and in Hemphill
• Welch City Workers Appreciation Dinner and Fun Night was held in Welch Outreach Center
• First Baptist Woodstock Ladies put on a Fashion Show and Women’s Conference
• Great Bridge UMC sent teams to do home repair, HOH facilities repair, painting and more
• Virginia Beach UMC team participated in Pathway of Hope Weekend and brought Scott Memorial UMC with them
• Galilean Outreach Center mission team helped clean out HOH facilities
• YouthWorks teams are staying in Iaeger and doing several projects in the area
• Ladies Night Out continues to meet in Iaeger, War and Welch with inspirational messages, play practice, crafts, and more
• Rainhill Wesleyan sent a team for a Vision Trip
• Varnell UMC held Vacation Bible Schools in Premier, Davy and Welch
• Southview UMC did some home repair, mission center repairs and hosted the Youth in Roanoke
• Common Ground Youth participated in two work projects and had a great mission trip to Roanoke
• Hope UMC participated in Pathway of Hope weekend and Hope UMC Youth cleaned and painted church in Anawalt
• A three night Revival was held in the Welch Outreach Center
• Several volunteers drove loaded trucks and trailers to WV to help move donations

Every team has been a tremendous help loading and unloading trucks and trailers and working in the warehouse and presort.

Blessings

Thank you to everyone for each gift, each prayer, and all your support. God has blessed the ministry beyond measure with all types of donations, including food, clothing, household items, and more. We recently received two greatly appreciated and much needed vehicles. The donation of a Ford F-550 truck is a tremendous help moving trailers as well as transporting furniture and appliances. We also received a Mercury Villager minivan, which was donated by Marc and Rachel Gatlin. This van will be used by Ruth Cooper.

News from Diane

Dear Friends, While reading a devotional from one of my favorite writers, Max Lucado, I came across these two paragraphs which were inspiring to me:

“Our God is not aloof – He’s not so far above us that He can’t see and understand our problems.

Jesus isn’t a God who stayed on the mountaintop – He’s a Savior who came down and lived and

walked with the people. Everywhere He went, the crowds followed, drawn together by the magnet

that was – and is – The Savior. THE LIFE OF CHRIST IS A MESSAGE OF HOPE,

A MESSAGE OF MERCY, A MESSAGE OF LIFE IN A DARK WORLD.”

He left us a pattern to follow and tho’ the trails may get rocky and steep, He goes before us. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.” I can say that there are many well-traveled trails here in WV.

This spring we had a Fashion Show and Women’s Conference for the ladies here and as usual the visiting team for this project from First Baptist Church of Woodstock, GA did a wonderful job. They and another team from Galilean Outreach Worship Center in Waverly, TN worked in my yard and planted flowers and shrubs. Thank you all so much. The roses are “blooming where they were planted”.

There have been lots of teams over the last few months that have helped with the Ladies’ Ministry here. They worked behind the scenes with the play “Mountain Music and Memories”. The play was very well received and we are presenting it again on July 15. Our work would not be possible without the great work teams who partner with us. Some of the ladies are working on “Coal Mining Quilts” to sell. A picture of our play shows this quilt. If you would like information on how to purchase one of these quilts, please call me at 304-938-2738.

Our Bag Lunch deliveries continue weekly and the one dark spot I share is that many of the children are so much hungrier while school is out. Two of our other programs, Son Shine Saturday and Holler Days bring some relief by sharing food, games, crafts, and entertainment at these events.

Thank you so much for your prayers, donations and faithful service to God, which enables us to provide the needed support for all of these activities. I send my Love and Prayers and hope to see you soon.

Christmas is Coming

In celebration of the Birth of Christ, we will share our gifts with others at our annual Christmas Celebration on December 10. Each adult attending will receive a food box and each child will receive a toy. Everyone will also receive fruit bags and enjoy a meal after joining us for a special Christmas play performed by Ladies Night Out members. We are asking your help in gathering food and gifts for this event. Below is a list of the items needed. Please let us know if you would like to donate to this celebration. All items need to be delivered to WV or the Canton GA warehouse before November 15. Cost of toy or gift should be approximately $10.

500 Canned Hams – 1 lb

500 Sweet Potatoes – 29 oz can

1000 Corn – 15 oz can

1000 Green Beans – 15 oz can

500 Jiffy Corn Bread Mix – 8 oz box

500 Rice – 1 lb bag

1000 Pinto Beans – 1 lb bag

500 Christmas Little Debbie Cakes – box of 6

500 Yellow Cake Mix – 18 oz box

500 Cake Frosting – 16 oz can

500 Self Rising Flour – 5 lb bag

500 Hot Chocolate Mix – 10 pk box

75 Baby Dolls

25 Barbie Dolls

75 Board Games for ages 5-7

75 Board Games for ages 8-12

75 Large Tonka Trucks

50 Basketballs

50 Footballs

50 Children’s Craft Kits – like jewelry making, etc

25 Bath and Beauty Gift Baskets for Teens

25 Flashlights for Teens

25 Boy or Girl Watches for Teens

News from Rick and Jenny

Hello Friends…Summer has arrived and things are wide open for us here with Hands of Hope.  We are very thankful to be a part of all the wonderful things that are taking place in McDowell County this summer.

The Common Ground Youth is continuing to grow.  We are building stronger relationships with the youth and they are growing closer to one another.  We had a fundraising car wash in June for the Roanoke Mission Trip and we raised $239.00.  We thank God for Blessing the efforts in such a mighty way. The Common Ground Youth also participated in a workday down at War, cleaning out the building where the Hope Chest used to be.  Each youth had to participate in at least one of the two projects to be eligible to go on the trip.

We cannot even start to count the many Blessings that we experienced while on The Roanoke Virginia Mission Trip.  While in Roanoke, we were able to help with Vacation Bible School for three nights at Southview United Methodist Church, we pulled weeds from the Church playground, we got to serve lunch twice to the homeless at the RAM House, and we were also able to prepare lunch bags and hand them out to the homeless in the downtown area.  Each of the twelve youth worked very hard serving others.  Not only were we able to serve others, but we also grew closer to Christ and closer to one another.  This was a great experience that we will never forget and we Pray that the youth will never forget it either.  On Saturday before returning to McDowell County, we took the youth to the Natural Bridge Safari Park.  We all had a great time there as well.  Several of the youth had never left McDowell County and it was truly a Blessing to be able to share this experience with each of them.  We are very thankful to everyone who took part in making this Mission Trip possible.

None of the activities here in West Virginia would be possible without the help of all of you! We thank you for your help, for the support, and for all of the Prayers!  We look forward to serving with you in the months ahead.  Until next time…KEEP BELIEVING…

Supporting Education

This year Hands of Hope was able to award four scholarships to graduating seniors in McDowell County. River View High School seniors Marla Addair and Amber Wiseman and Mount View seniors Joanna Bailey and Tiffany Clemins each received $250 to assist them in pursuing a college education. Rick and Jenny presented these scholarships at awards day at each school.

Supporting Education – part 2