Download the December 2017 Prayer Calendar here
Dear Prayer Partners,
John Newton, who penned the words to Amazing Grace almost three hundred years ago, was a troubled youth himself. His mother died when he was six and his father was a merchant sailor, leaving him to be raised by a stepmother who didn’t like him much. He also spent time in a boarding school, and was known to have a pretty foul mouth.
His story, which I shared in chapel this week, made it all the more special when four young ladies, residents in the Assessment Center, stepped to the microphone to help lead their favorite new song: Amazing Grace My Chains are Gone.
Not only had the girls practiced and auditioned, they also woke early on Wednesday, showered without complaining, dressed in their best clothes, and had their hair done by Dawn, one of our Mission Impact Staff.
It was just two and a half months ago that the Assessment Center opened with our new Explorers program for youth who suffer from unknown mental health and behavioral issues. It would be fair to say that it has been a challenging season for the staff and participants there.
And, in spite of the difficulties of launching such a new venture, there have been some incredible rays of hope in the lives of those students, like this one. It’s proof that God is at work in the lives of young people, no matter what their story.
Please continue to pray for these four young ladies, and the other residents and staff in the Assessment Center Program, to experience God’s amazing grace!
In Christ,
Pastor Eric Woods
