Back in the Saddle!

About 2 weeks ago, seven young ladies stepped back on the farm after our winter break from Spirit Riders! They were excited and ready to get back on their horses and jumped right in where they left off! We have one new rider this year and the "veteran" girls are being real leaders and have taught her a lot already. According to the Spirit Rider instructors...this is a great group of girls whose skills are growing immensely each week!

Son's of the King/Princess Academy Graduation!

On most days at Granny’s House, our 5th grade and older boys and girls can be found doing a variety of things; chasing each other around the yard, playing 4-square on the sidewalk, working on homework, hanging out with volunteers and (maybe the most popular) hanging out in the computer room laughing with each other.

For one night in the May however, 14 of these amazing young people tossed aside their tennis shoes, throwback jerseys and flip flops and traded them in for dresses, dress shirts and ties. Among family, friends, teachers and even school counselors, these young people shared what they had learned during Son’s of the King and Princess Academy, two Granny’s House programs for 5th-7th grade kids.

One by one, each young man and young lady stood up and told the audience what they learned during their specific program. The information shared was incredible! Scripture was shared, lesson’s from Paul in the bible were spoken about, practical ways to “live out your faith” were expressed, and most importantly each young lady and young man made their faith their own by speaking about what specifically impacted them throughout the year.

Here are some “excerpts” from some of the speeches:

Randy (5th grader in Son’s of the King):
“I learned this bible verse this year;
Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.”
*This is especially special for Randy since he is really becoming a leader among the young men in the group!

Michaela (6th grader in Princess Academy):
“I learned a lot of things in 1 Timothy, but the thing I think is most important is, until the day God gives me a spouse, I should learn to treat young men like brothers in Christ. I also learned that a lot of girls find their identity in how guys will respond to what they look like, instead, should find their identity in Christ.”

Consolee (5th grader in Princess Academy):
“It should be a lifelong goal of a believer to live a life that God can be pleased with, and when other people around us look at our life, they should see who our God truly is because we live lives that prove God lives within us. Christianity is not meant to be run alone...you won’t make it! We need other people to help us through the race.”

We were so proud of each of the participants and have really enjoyed watching these young men and women grow in their relationship with the Lord! They are becoming such leaders in their faith!

Congratulations Graduates!

At Granny’s House, one of our chief goals is to mentor children in such a way that high school graduation is a given. This year, we have two young women who will walk across the stage to receive their high school diplomas.

While we heartily applaud these high-schoolers’ success and will highlight them in an upcoming blog, today we are over-the-moon thrilled by two Granny’s House moms who graduated from Columbia College this weekend: Georgia Prince and Marica Martin.

Think about it… these two incredible women have completed Bacherlors degrees in Business Administration (Marica) and Accounting and Finance (Georgia), all while raising their children and working to provide for their family’s needs. They have persevered through long, late nights of study, ploughed through all kinds challenges and setbacks, refusing to give up. They are incredible role models, not only for their own children, but for the entire Granny’s House family! -Granny Pam

Trading Places

Recently, “Jerome” and “LaTisha,” rather unceremoniously, delivered an envelope to our upstairs office. When we opened it, the card inside seemed to shout our thoughts: HALLELUJAH!! There were fifteen, crisp, twenty-dollar bills tucked inside. We had never before received a donation from a Granny’s House family, so their gift felt a lot like winning the lottery!!

For years, we had been observing a “million” different changes in this family’s lifestyle that affected how they spent their time, their resources, and how they nurtured their children. They methodically spoon-fed their kids every single morsel of God’s Truth and love that they were absorbing themselves, filling the kids with hope and a deep sense of purpose. The image that was immerging came from God’s mirror rather than what is all-too-often reflected in the culture around them.

Their crisp twenty-dollar bills seemed to signal that “Jerome,” and “LaTisha” and their children, were no longer prisoners to “the system,” but had become active participants in a pursuit to bring the reality of changed lives into public housing – people who live out the reality of the Gospel. And to that, we say “Hallelujah!”
-Granny Pam