Back to School Festival

We planned for 80 - 100 kids, but almost double that showed up. We assumed that most wouldn't want to sit through the required ten-minute dental hygiene video and demonstration, but every single child sat quietly with their eyes glued, not only to the screen, but also to Granny Libby (Libby Grantham - dental hygienist), as she gave a brief demonstration on brushing and flossing. You would have thought we had promised to pass out hundred dollar bills afterwards instead of the simple little bag containing a “bells `n whistles” toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss. Some of the teens actually preferred the pre-school “Fire Fly” toothbrush instead of an “Oral B!” From just about every angle, our Back to School Festival was an overwhelming blessing to the children and families of Douglass Park!

As hot dogs grilled and kids and parents mingled in the front yard, brand new backpacks filled with school supplies, shoe gift cards, and dental hygiene kits were distributed. I'm always awed by the Lord's abundant provision for the children who come to Granny's House and I'm oh so grateful for the generosity and kindness of the individuals and churches that provided what our kids need for a great start to the new school year.

At the end of the day, my only concern is the possibility of Granny Libby spontaneously singing the video's silly little brushing song, “When you wake up in the morning…” to some of her patients at Dr. Willett's dental office! She only had to hear it a couple of dozen times last weekend! -Granny Pam

Mustang Makeover in the News!

If you haven’t already picked up a copy of “Vox Magazine” (available at several locations in Columbia), make sure you grab a copy! Our “Mustang Makeover” girls made the cover along with a four page spread detailing their accomplishments throughout the summer!

The four Spirit Riders have put in a lot of hours at the farm these past few months, and have learned so much about patience, commitment and self-control. Along the way, they have had to get use to acclimate themselves to media attention, as several news organizations have had their eye on the girl's story! As many of you know, a photo-journalist (Julia Robinson) from the Columbia Tribune has been with us from the beginning, and she has spent countless hours on the farm with the girls capturing incredible images of the journey. Last week, Sarah Hill from KOMU's "Sarah's Stories" came out to do a piece on the group, and next week they will appear on "Pepper and Friends" to share their story! (Let's pray they don't get stage fright!)

We are so proud of the girls hard work, and we can’t believe the competition in Texas is only weeks away (September 19th)!

Neighborhood Transition

Did you know that the Granny's House neighborhood has radically changed over the past year? With Columbia's influx of refugees (mostly from Africa), we have the privilege and challenge of sharing Christ's love with children from Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, and The Congo. One thing is certain: kids, regardless of their language and ethnic background, are “love sponges!” God's love does, indeed, provide a universal language!

“Aunge” giggles as we repeat after her: “Nee-She-Me-Eh, Koo-Baa-Men-Yeh” (“Nice to meet you”) so that we can properly greet her grandma when she arrives for a visit from Rwanda. “Adru” dramatizes her African teacher's response to one of her unfinished school assignments while still living in Somalia; “Rokay” loves to show off his dance moves, even while listening to the Chinese music he hears on the Shanghai Circus DVD. It didn't take us long to discover that they all love popsicles!

As we endeavor to flesh out the gospel to our new international friends, our hearts cry out for effective and creative ways to fulfill the Lords prayer: “…let you kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” We covet your prayers for wisdom and grace as we make Christ known among the nations that have gathered at our doorstep.

“…red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.”

Just about everyone has sung this song at least once in their lifetime and at Granny's House, we get to see and experience the reality of this beautiful mosaic.

Back from KAA!

We apologize for not getting this blog out sooner! Since we got back from camp a week ago, we have been going non-stop!

We had a great week at Kids Across America with 31 campers, and have hundreds of stories to share about treetops, ski tubing, football, rock climbing, etc. However, our favorite stories are the ones that involve our kid's relationship with the Lord. For eight days, our kids were soaked in God's love and many of the campers came back "on fire" for the Lord. They were also able to relax and be kids! Thank you to everyone who prayed for our time away...and especially those who prayed for specific kids.

We have put together a DVD for our campers documenting their experience, and we would love to share it with anyone who wants one! If you would like a copy of the DVD, please email angie@grannyshouse.org (please put KAA Video in the Subject Line) and I will make sure to send one out to you. I don't think you can truly understand how powerful camp is until you see it through the eyes of a camper!

KAA-U-KNOW!!!