Spring is here!

Welcome to Spring at Granny's House! The sun is shining, the winter coats are put away, and last week a huge pile of mulch was dumped in our front yard thanks to Bart Menning's Tree Service! Spreading mulch is one of the kids favorite activities to help with, so instead of running inside asking if they could have more nachos for dinner, you heard this...

"Can someone help me move this bucket of mulch? I can't lift it!!" (4 year old)

"We need to spread it out more so that we have enough to fill the whole yard! (10 year old)

"Can we do this again next week?" (7 year old)

"Come on guys...let's all work on this corner of the yard" (11 year old)

The kids love to help make Granny's House beautiful! A very special thanks to Ginger from Bart Menning's Tree Service who has coordinated this amazing donation for over 3 years! What a blessing it has been to everyone at Granny's House and to the Douglass Park community!

Whatever!

For the last seven months, several Granny's House girls have been committed to bi-weekly bible studies (Women of Destiny and Ambassadors) which have challenged them in their faith and taught them what it means to "live out" their walk with the Lord. The bible studies are a part of a leadership track which Kids Across America (KAA) provides for youth who are interested in furthering their Christian growth.

Each year, KAA puts on a conference called "Second Wind" for youth who have been involved in the bible studies and who have committed to growing in their faith. Among many things, a goal of the conference is to "refresh" the students, and provide a way for them to hear from some incredible speakers who not only challenge them, but encourage them to continue striving after God's heart. This year, the conference was held in Memphis Tennessee.

For four days, three Granny's House "Women of Destiny" members and one Granny's House staff member traveled to Memphis to take part in "Second Wind." Over 500 youth from across the country joined together at the conference to worship, participate in seminars and re-connect with camp staff and friends. It was so encouraging to see so many urban youth on fire for the Lord!

This years theme was "WHATEVER" which was based off the verse in Phillipians 4:8- "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." The girls learned everything from how to encourage their neighborhood for the Lord, to how to live out purity, and although there was a lot of information to take in...each girl grabbed bits and pieces of truth which they could apply to their life.

We had a great time and even got to spend one afternoon exploring Memphis (even though a snow storm came through the very afternoon we were heading to the Civil Rights Museum!). It was a great bonding time for the girls (especially the 12 hour car ride home due to the snow) and a great way for them to remember why they love the Lord so much!

WANTED!! Your Donkeys…

Every now and then I come across an article that perfectly articulates my own thoughts and I like sharing it “as is.” Robert Lupton’s “The Lord Needs Your Donkey” (February 2009) is one of those articles because it clearly illustrates how Granny’s House has, not only survived over these nearly eight years, but flourished and became a real “oasis” for the hundreds of public housing kids who have crossed our threshold since we opened in the Spring of 2001. Too-many-to-count have come forward to offer their best to the children who make up the Granny’s House family:

• About seven years ago, our friend Warren approached me at the end of a church service inquiring ‘Do you guys have a website? I’d like to build one for you…’” You’re reading this blog because of Warren’s huge talent, kindness, and incredible generosity.

• And then there was Sue, the attorney from Fulton, “I grew up on a farm with horses and would love to get the Granny’s House kids involved in horseback riding…” Now we have “The Spirit Riders” who traveled to Fort Worth, Texas last summer to compete with kids from all over the nation in the “Extreme Mustang Makeover."

• And Marty, the University of Missouri English professor after my husband and I finished speaking to the group of scholars she mentors, ‘Can we come every Friday as you’re closing and clean Granny’s House for you?...” She arrived every Friday evening for years, donned a pair of rubber gloves, grabbed the mop bucket , and cleaned both apartments… all while thanking us for “letting” her do it. For more than five years, the Granny’s House weekly cleaning budget was $0 because Marty rushed over to Granny’s House every Friday night after a full week of teaching and mentoring Mizzou students.

Amazingly, these activities were all way outside of our monetary budget at the time, but
not outside of God's vast reservoir of resources that He makes available to those who
seek to share His heart and make Him famous in the projects. What so many have done to
unveil God's heart with these precious children is priceless!

Do you, perhaps, have a donkey we could borrow? -Granny Pam