What’s Happening . . .

Since our last newsletter we have had 14 Mission Teams and 2 Vision Teams come to WV to work in McDowell County. We are honored to be able to serve in this area and give God the glory for the great work that is being accomplished.

Teams have implemented the Son Shine Saturday School with enthusiasm. They have welcomed all to enjoy music and fellowship in a casual setting at Hope Fellowship. Special celebrations like Holler Days and Bible Schools have reached out to communities in Hemphill, Welch, and Panther. Many teams have participated in Ladies Night Out, Common Ground and the Men’s Conference. Donations of school supplies, food, clothing and household items have been collected and delivered by the trailer loads. The remodeling of the Welch apartment has been finished with bunks for 12, new bath facilities, a new kitchen and a living room with a view. New friends established special relationships when teams repaired roofs, added steps and fixed floors. Many churches and individuals have shared their experiences by presenting programs about Hands of Hope. The Hope Chests continue to thrive with the hard work and dedication of all those that make the stores a place to share our faith as well as a place to shop.

God has placed so many wonderful people in our path with diverse talents that we cannot list all the good things that are happening. We are just grateful for all who continue to energize Hands of Hope with support in so many ways. Thank you and bless you for joining Hands of Hope in reaching out to others in Christian love.

News From Diane . . .

These words were taken from one of my favorite books by Max Lucado  – God Thinks You’re Wonderful -

“Promise me that you’ll never forget that you aren’t an accident…you are a gift to the world, a divine work of art signed by God. You weren’t massed produced, you aren’t an assembly line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on this earth by the Master Craftsman. Turn to the sidelines–;that’s God cheering your run—Look past the finish line;–that’s God applauding your steps—GOD IS FOR YOU!”

I have also been applauding your work for Him this summer as hundreds have received HIS LOVE and HOPE through the work you have accomplished. Although some of you may not have been able to come here, your feet have been in the “trenches”, your hands have touched the weary, your eyes have caught the vision, your lips have breathed a prayer, and you have helped the work go on by your donations to provide us with the necessary tools to work in the Harvest Fields. Through your donations of clothing, shoes and household items, etc., you have given help to those who couldn’t afford these things. In other words, you have been the hands and feet of Jesus. You will be blessed for you have given to Him.. (“Insomuch as you have given unto one of these, the least of my brethren, you have done it unto me!”)

This summer some homes have been repaired, hearts mended, and happiness shared as many talented teams accomplished a long list of work projects. Through your work with Bible Schools, Holler Days, The Bag Lunch Program, Hope Fellowship weekends, Son-Shine Saturdays, visitation, and many special events, you have brought tears of joy to hundreds. Thanks so much for sharing your TIME, TALENTS, and HEARTS with us. It was especially good to travel to the Great Smokey Mountains of NC and see the many friends who have known of my vision here for years still come together for a fund raiser for WV. Thanks for your confidence in me, HOHM, and for your support as the work of “healing the broken hearted and binding up their wounds goes on”.  It has been said  “Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but LOOK what they can do when they stick together.” You are ALL loved and appreciated—May God’s Love and Peace be with you!

News From Rick and Jenny . . .

Summer has come and gone, and we can sure feel fall in the air. The leaves are changing fast and already starting to fall off the trees.  We have had a blessed and productive summer, and we have enjoyed serving with some wonderful people that we now call friends.
The Common Ground Youth meetings are growing both spiritually and in number.  We are averaging 13 youth at the meetings, and we are very thankful for each of them. For our September meet, we had a back to school pizza party, and the youth enjoyed every bite of pizza they ate. We want to say a big “thank you” to Pleasant Hill Baptist Women in Bogue Chitto, MS for their donation for the pizza!  We were also able to surprise the youth by opening up the Hope Chest and allowing them to do some back to school shopping. All of the youth were so excited!  We had one young lady who had quit the eleventh grade last year and told us she wasn’t going back this year because she didn’t have clothes to wear. My how God works in mysterious ways… This young lady got to choose clothes that evening from the Hope Chest, and she is currently in the eleventh grade!  Thank you God!
During our October meeting, we noticed the youth are starting to connect with Jason, Rick, and myself, and they are starting to connect with one another. This has been a struggle and a prayer since our first meeting.  We witnessed youth hugging one another and crying together, some of who had not spoken a word to one another since our first meeting. Thank You God!  And then… toward the end of the meeting two of the young ladies came to Rick and I wanting to ask Jesus into their hearts.  Rick and I explained the plan of Salvation to them and asked them a few questions. The two young ladies both prayed to Jesus and invited Him into their hearts.  Once again, thank You God! We are very honored to be able to work with these youth.  Please continue to pray for these youth and for Jason, Rick, and myself, as we continue working with them!
Also we have been busy with construction projects in the community.
We replaced a roof on a porch for a man on our bag lunch route who is raising his grandkids in Ritter Hollow.
We repaired a leaky roof and chimney and did some deep cleaning for a lady in Lick Branch Hollow.
We constructed a new roof for a lady in Mohegan.
We helped a family in Panther build on an addition.
We did some plumbing and cleaning for a family in Sandy Huff.
We repaired a floor for a family in Panther.

We want to say “Thank You” to everyone who helped make these projects possible!
God Bless each of you and until next time…Keep Believing!

Christmas Countdown

Please remember to have all Christmas items delivered to WV before November 12 so we will have time to inventory items, purchase any shortages, and make food boxes. All the toy items have been reserved except the craft kits. Although we have commitments for all of the Christmas food box items, we always have additional last minute requests so please let us know if you would like to assist with these. Thank you to many of you that have already sent donations that will be used to purchase any shortages as well as food and supplies for special Christmas events for Ladies Night Out, the Common Ground Youth, the Christmas Play, and the Christmas Celebration. Bless you all for allowing us to share the joy of Christ’s birth.

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