January 2020 - Agape House Heals

Dear Friends:

Thank you for your prayer support through this blog; the comments we receive back via email are encouraging!

Do you find the events taking place in the world today to be disturbing? I know that I do; I want to take control of so many situations, but it’s not possible. If I’m not cautious, my feelings start to get in the way. We see this often with the teens at Agape. The question is how do we remain focused and steadfast?

Here’s what we are teaching at Agape: If we can rise above the contention and division, settling ourselves to let go of the disturbances, we can choose to access peace, and to trust Godin all things. We know He will lead us down the path of righteousness, peace and joy, which will ultimately lead us to living a tranquil life, bringing health to our body, soul and spirit. We may have to remind ourselves often to make this choice, but when we do, I believe we will have a closer walk with God!

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” ~ Romans 14:17

Blessings . . .

Jan

Praise God For:

teens who are learning to ask for their needs
teens talking out their feelings/emotions
goals being accomplished
trust
honesty
teens reading the Bible and open to learning about God

Please Pray For:

teens who “blow up” in anger
teens struggling with control
teens unwilling to talk/process the hurts that are holding them captive
teens seeking a tranquil life, filled with righteousness, peace and joy
our current staffing needs to be met (see more details at our website: https://agapehouseheals.org/employment)

Teacher
RA for Boys and Live-in RA for Girls

Please see our Wish List at: https://agapehouseheals.org/get-involved/wish-list/

SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR ANNUAL

5K RUN WALK STROLL

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

We hope you will be able to join us – it’s a family event!

***Watch for more details to follow.***

Dear Friends:

Sometimes we go through difficult season that are filled with trials and tribulations. These past few months have been hard at Agape House; we have had some tough situations to work through. Our staff has had a variety of health issues to overcome, leading us to be short-staffed. And our teens seem to have more hurts than usual! Every year the depth of their pain, and therefore their behaviors, become deeper and some days it is over-whelming.

While doing my quiet time and crying out to God I was sitting looking out over my backyard. It was a dreary cloudy day and I was thinking how brown, desolate and barren everything looked, it was pretty depressing kind of matching how I was feeling in the moment. All of a sudden I had a vision of the grass being lush and green, the trees full of leaves, flowers blooming in the gardens, birds flying over head and rabbits jumping around in the yard, the way our yard looks in the summer. Then God spoke to me and said “just like your back yard looks desolate and dreary now so does your circumstances but this is only for a season. In the winter everything looks dead but there is still life. The roots of the trees are still growing deeper, the grass is dead but the sod beneath is still alive, the perennial flowers are gone but the bulbs are laying dormant waiting to bloom again. So even if on the surface things look dark and desolate and even dead, beneath the surface things are still living and growing and I am moving. Soon spring will come with new life and new growth and summer will follow blooming with much fruit and so it will be in your life and the life of the girls at Agape House.”

Some days or seasons are harder then others but in the midst of it we need to remember that God is good (Luke 18:19), that He is always at work (Exodus 14:12) , and that He turns all things around for good for those who love Him (Roman 8:28). I encourage you that whatever season you are in to count it all as pure Joy because God is at work doing a good thing even when we cannot see it (James 1:2-4) and He promises to complete the work that He has begun (Philippians 1:6).

I am excited to see what God is going to do in this next season, and trusting Him to bear much fruit in 2020.

Blessings to each one of you . . .
Pam and Agape Staff

Praise God for:
the many gifts the teens received at Christmas time! They were blessed immensely by your thoughtfulness and generosity.
the ongoing progress at the Home and School for Boys. While we have a boy student who is attending school and living in the home in the lower level of the building, we continue to renovate the 1st floor level. The gifts donated over the Christmas season were wonderful. Thank you to all who continue to support the raising up of this new addition to our Agape House ministry in Walworth, Wisconsin.
The sound of laughter from the girls in the MPR as they enjoy a brisk walk, trampoline jump, etc. in lieu of a walk outside on this brisk winter day!

Please Pray For:
each teen to bring their struggles to the staff and the Lord, as they become more comfortable with the program and staff, and that the Lord would give them the words to verbalize what’s going on.
patience and a desire to continue growing and healing.
wisdom for the counseling staff as they bring families together to receive His strength and healing.
our current staffing needs to be met (see more details at our website: https://agapehouseheals.org/employment)
Teacher
RA for Boys and Live-in RA for Girls

SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR ANNUAL
5K RUN WALK STROLL

SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020

We hope you will be able to join us – it’s a family event!
***Watch for more details to follow.***

Wish List: Please see our current list at: https://agapehouseheals.org/get-involved/wish-list/

Agape House, Inc. | 215 S Main Street, Walworth, WI 53184