Newsletter January 2011

Hands of Hope Ministries sends our love to each of you along with prayer for a blessed New Year. In November 2010, we began our tenth year of service in McDowell County, WV. We praise God for the many friends that He has sent to accompany us on this incredible journey. We hope you enjoy reflecting on the review below that lists some of the many varied activities we took part in during 2010.

Advisory Board met in Ellijay in March – 35 were able to attend
Over 50 mission teams with 540 participants stayed with HOH in 2011 – many others made short trips to deliver loaded trucks and trailers
Rick and Jenny remodeled and moved in apartment in Iaeger Mission Center
Jody and Mary moved to apartment in Welch
Rear apartment in Welch was completely renovated and now hosts small mission teams

Ladies Night Out continues in Iaeger, Welch and War with several special events like a Spring Fling, Fashion Show, Jelly Making Class, Makeover Madness, and Christmas Party
The building next door to Welch Hope Chest was purchased and remodeled – this included a new roof, new electric service, new lights, new ceiling and new floor

The Hope Chests are doing very well and are now open five days a week
The Hope Chest in Welch was remodeled – including expanding space, adding racks and new paint

Holler Day Celebrations were held in Hemphill, Gary, War, Iaeger and Panther
Vacation Bible Schools were held in Davy, Welch, Iaeger and Yukon
Two large trailers of cabinets were donated
Bag lunch deliveries continue every Saturday thanks to Diane, Jenny, Rick, Isabelle, Linda and Ray
Presentations about the ministry were made to several churches in GA, MS, NC, TN, VA
Common Ground Youth program is meeting every month with 10-15 youth in attendance
Common Ground hosted a county-wide Youth Rally in October
Mission team donated eight bikes for Summer Reading Programs at Welch and Iaeger Libraries
Donations of school supplies were distributed to three schools
Pathway of Hope mission teams are leading Son Shine Saturday and Hope Fellowship and supporting Ladies Night Out and Common Ground
Men’s Conferences were held in March and in October
Mission teams cleaned, painted, and repaired roofs, porches and floors on several homes in the area
Hope Fellowship had special music presented by talented mission teams and also by Kenny Williamson, The Arringtons, The Daniels, Annette Herndon, Dan Pruitt, The Dash Family and others.
The Welch Outreach Center housed the Kairos Prison Ministry team
The members of the First Presbyterian Church of Welch donated the church facilities, the education building and the manse to Hands of Hope
Ladies Night Out groups presented a very special Christmas play with special music and a Christmas Nativity was presented by the Common Ground Youth
The 2011 Christmas Celebration was held at the Welch Outreach Center with over 400 attending and receiving gifts
Christmas gifts were delivered to McDowell County Headstart and Christmas Fruit Bags were delivered to all students and teachers at Welch Elementary and Iaeger Elementary

News From Diane . . .

It has been a special two months with many people helping to bring happy smiles to hundreds here in WV. We have been busy decorating the Hope Chests and Mission Center, hosting the Christmas Party, planning the Christmas Program and attending our regular meetings. The hauling of all of the food, toys, and other supplies took a major effort and determined workers. Thank you ALL for your help.

I have been planning some projects for the coming year for the Women’s Ministry. I would like to have a Women’s Retreat, a Women’s Conference, and all of the other special programs we had last year like the Spring Fling, Fashion Show, Cooking Class, and Makeover Madness. In addition to the three regular meetings, we hope to have another monthly meeting that will be an Activity Night with special craft projects and other entertainment for the ladies. I need volunteers to help with these special meetings and would like to hear from you if you would like to participate in any of these projects.

We had such support and sheer delight shown for our Christmas Play “Coal Mountain Christmas” that we are planning at this time to have a program about the Music and Memories of Mountain Women. It can be done at any time and the Ladies are beside themselves with anticipation of being able to perform again. People here have even asked for some of the ladies’ autographs. The Common Ground Youth Group led by Rick and Jenny were also in the play and loved every minute they had of their 15 minutes of fame – as did the audience!

My son Daniel, his wife Pam, and son Hunter visited here after Christmas and helped me with many activities and helped me deliver some things on my Bag Lunch route. They were amazed that many of the children slept on the floor and had so few blankets, if any at all. The children were delighted with the lunches and the extra fruit and things we brought them. “Little is much, when God is in it” is so true, especially here in Appalachia. One of the projects for Ladies Night Out groups will be to make some fleece blankets for others here in their own area.

I pray that the Christmas Spirit of Love and a Giving Heart be with us all in this coming year of 2011. I copied this for you because I thought it was so beautiful:

Work of Christmas Begins

When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with the flocks, then the work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost, to heal those broken in spirit, to feed the hungry, to release the oppressed, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among all peoples, to make a little music with the heart…

And to radiate the Light of Christ, every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say,

then the work of Christmas begins.

News From Rick and Jenny . . .

Greetings Friends…Another wonderful year has come and gone. Hands of Hope has changed so much in the past year and it is continuing to change. We are looking forward to the New Year and to finding out all the wonderful things that God has in store for us and for Hands of Hope.

We are so proud of the Common Ground Youth and their performance in the Christmas Play at the Celebration. Each of them put their heart into their part and it really showed. It was such a blessing to Rick and me, as it was to others, as they stood up on that stage with huge smiles on their faces! We are so thankful and blessed to be able to be a part of these youth’s lives! We are looking for many opportunities for these youth in the upcoming year!

One of the young men in the youth group (whom we will call “Alex”) was not able to be a part of the play and hasn’t been able to come to any meetings lately. Alex got injured playing football back in September. Through many tests and doctor visits, Alex found out that he had a fractured spine, and they also discovered that he had a heart murmur that is causing him serious problems. His doctor took him out of school so he is currently being home schooled. Alex also has to use a cane to help him walk. At the age of 13, you can imagine the negative thoughts and the bitterness that he must have. He and his parents started questioning God and more than that, Alex started to doubt God. We got a phone call from his mom one evening, giving us an update on Alex. She began telling us that finally, after two months since the accident, she wasn’t questioning God anymore. She was thankful to God for the accident because if Alex had not been through all of these tests, they would not know about the heart problem, and he could have died of a sudden heart attack. I can’t explain the emotions that were being shared during this phone call; all I can say is that we could feel God’s presence in a mighty way! On the other hand, we still had Alex doubting and questioning God. We told her that we would continue to pray and ask others to pray also. Then one day Diane Brown felt led to go and visit this family. As she and Alex were standing and talking she reached and touched his face, told him we love him and that Jesus also loves him and that we were all praying for him, and then she left. Alex went straight in to tell his mom that something just happened that when “that lady” touched his face, then he felt a warm feeling all over his body and it was a good feeling and he couldn’t explain it. It was then that his mom shared with him that was Jesus and “that lady” was just the messenger. He then shared with his mom that he wanted to start going to church with “that lady” or somewhere where he could feel that again! Thank You, Jesus! Please keep Alex and his family in your prayers as he still has a hard road ahead of him.

When God tells us to go, it is important for us to go, because you might be the messenger!

Until Next Time…Keep Believing…

Looking Forward

ðFacilities are filling up in Iaeger and in Welch. Twenty-one teams have already reserved their space for 2011. Please refer to the calendar on the website for available dates. No reservations are accepted without the group application form.

ðThe newsletter can be viewed on the hohm.org website. The mailing list is growing so if you would like to save a stamp and view the news on the website, please send us an email to remove your name.

ðDonations of food, household items and children’s clothing are always needed. Call us if you need help organizing a drive for donations. The website has a list of specific items.