Back to the farm!

The Spirit Riders are back on the farm! For the next six weeks, twelve excited Granny's House youth will participate in horseback riding lessons and will learn everything from basic riding skills, to how to properly clean out a stall and care of a horse! Many of the riders have participated in the program before, and are building upon previous skills, but for four new riders it is the beginning of a new adventure!

None of the four new Spirit Riders have ever been on a horse, and although most of them were very nervous and literally shaking as they mounted their horse for the first time, within minutes they were smiling and looked confident riding around the round pen!! In fact...they didn't want the lesson to end!

At the beginning of each lesson, the riders are required to set goals for themselves, and each week they state which "Fruits of the Spirit" they want to work on for the day. It never fails that the top two thing they all want to work on is "self control" and "patience."


The more experienced riders were able to ride freely in the pasture and are even thinking about setting a goal to see how many miles they can ride each week!


We will keep you updated on the program as the weeks progress!

Mother's Day

If there is one thing the kids at Granny's House love to do...it's make things for their mom! On a daily basis, I hear "Can I paint a picture for my mom?" or "Can I make an extra craft and give it to my mom?" It's pretty sweet.

Altrusa International for two years now has captured this idea perfectly by providing (for lack of a better term) a "picture studio" in which they take pictures of each child and allow the kids to decorate a picture frame for their mom! The kids love that they have a gift for their mom on Mother's Day, and usually end up running home right away to give it to their mother early!

A big thank you to all the women of Altrusa who not only provided all the materials and "man power" but also provided pizza for all the kids (which if you know our kids...is a HUGE deal!)


Thank you again to everyone who showed so much love to the kids!

Graduation Time!

On a daily basis, the staff and volunteers of Granny's House get the opportunity to see into a child's heart. Sometimes it's seen in little love notes left on the floor at the end of the day that read "I love Granny Vance because she makes me nachos." Other times, it is seen as we are pulling out of the parking lot and hear "WAIT!!! I need to get a hug before you leave!!" I'm pretty sure we get to work with the most loveable kids in Columbia :)

On April 26th, family, friends, counselors, teachers and even principals got to witness what we experience everyday as the young men of The Son's of the King, and the young ladies of The Princess Academy shared what they have been learning in their programs during our annual graduation ceremony. Each member of the groups spoke about what God has done in their life this year, and what they have learned about honor, strength, courage, purity, dignity and integrity. We got the opportunity to see into their amazing hearts and got to witness all that God has been doing this year.






We are so very proud of all the young men and women who were a part of this years programs. The girls looked beautiful in their graduation outfits and the boys never looked more handsome. They are all such incredible leaders...

Extreme Makeover…

I've always wondered what it would be like to be on one of those cable television home makeover shows. Well, today I got to find out.

As I walked into the newly renovated “Learning Loft” at Granny's House for the very first time, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” just kept spilling out of my mouth. “Oh MYYYYYYYYY gosh… OHHHHHHHHH my gosh,” then came one long “Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!”

I had trouble taking it all in: the new chalkboard painted onto the wall, the brand new computers and printer… the well-stocked bookshelf, the posters, the dry-erase board… every single thing that was on our “wish list,” with lots of extras tucked around every corner. I finally plopped down onto the new cherry-red beanbag chair and laughed hysterically. I simply couldn't believe the transformation.

Then I stood up, flung my hands into the air and shouted “THANK YOU GOD!” For the past year, we've been helping Granny's House kids with school projects in any empty corner we could find, often using our crowded storage room amidst bags of rice, cans of tomato sauce, and reams of computer paper. We dreamed of the day when we'd have an uncluttered space where we could help the kids with their school work. Today, that dream came true. (See our Friday, October 24, 2008 blog: “The Learning Loft”).

Ashton Honeycutt and her S-MSTA (Student-Missouri State Teachers Association) colleagues and faculty advisors did a beautiful job of transforming our former storage room into an “effective learning environment.” They raised the money, planned, shopped, and came to Granny's House this weekend to transform our bare-bones room into a cheerful place for kids to learn. I can't wait to see the kids' reactions when they first see their brand new “Learning Loft!” -Granny Pam

Going Home

Going home. That's exactly how we feel as we travel that long, dusty road that leads to Granny JoAnn's house in northern Boone County. We knew she'd be waiting to greet us at the front door with great big hugs and that there would be a nice hot meal waiting for us. And as our guest speaker, Adonica Drake Coleman and the G.I.R.L.S. ("Experiencing God In Real Life Situations") arrived, they were not disappointed.

We started the G.I.R.L.S. group last year so that we could continue nurturing the young women who had outgrown "The Princess Academy," and whenever we have a guest speaker, we like to highlight the event by hosting it offsite at places like Granny JoAnn's home.

Our special speaker, Adonica, talked frankly with the girls about all the heavy burdens she collected during her rebellious teen years. "The problems I collected were like these big, heavy balls and you may have to carry them around for the rest of your life," she said as she named and added one after another burden to her tote bag: debt, pregnancy, broken relationships, shame, and guilt were just a few of the heavy consequences she placed in her bag. Though her khaki tote bag felt heavy to the G.I.R.L.S. who carried it, the real burdens they represented were even more so until her life radically changed after surrendering to the Lord.

Weeks later, the girls who sat around that table are still talking about the evening: "It was awesome. She was so real." She was, indeed, a living letter from God:

"God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

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

To Jamaica and back

At Granny’s House, we love mentoring the kids in giving to help them understand that living in public housing does not exempt them from being a blessing to others.

Annually, our friends at Kent Willett Dentistry travel to Jamaica to provide dental care among the poor. Because they always encounter lots of children, we jumped at the chance to have Granny’s House kids experience the joy of brightening someone else’s life by making jewelry for the mission team to take with them. Members of “God’s Precious Jewels” and “The Princess Academy” made bracelets and cards to send.

I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I was to hear all the “Ooooohs,” and “Aaaaaaaahs” and “Isn’t this one cute?... Hey, look at mine!” that echoed around the room as we worked together on this project all while telling the girls about the difficulties of growing up in such deep poverty. I don’t recall ever witnessing such extreme joy coming from this group of wiggley-giggley little girls as they eagerly created gifts for Jamaican children! The, literally, turned into little “jewelry-making machines” and cranked out several dozen bracelets to send off with the missionaries.

Upon their return, the kids were visited by “Granny” Linda (Ealey) and “Granny” Libby (Grantham) who shared stories and pictures of patients who had received the Granny’s House children’s custom-made jewelry. What a thrill to see the smiling faces of those who proudly wore the jewelry created with such love and joy by their new friends from Granny’s House. It really is more blessed to give then to receive! –Granny Pam

Transformed by Love

When our little African friend came to Granny’s House from Burundi last year, we could scarcely get her to look at us, let alone squeeze out a smile.


But along came Granny’s House volunteer, Mary Kate Loring. Mary Kate heaped huge, sticky doses of God’s love on her almost every day and as the days turned into weeks and weeks into months, a dramatic transformation took place. A picture really is worth a thousand words…