Hello from Sacramento!!!

I just wanted to let you know that I had the privilege of speaking to the staff and girls at our new home in Lincoln, California this morning. It was so fun to be there and experience my first time of teaching in this particular home!

Me teaching in the new California home!

We are so excited about our big weekend of events, including a special dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, and an open house on Sunday afternoon. I thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of our guest worship leader, Cindi Benzel, from Harvest Time Church in Lincoln, California, and her friend, Shelby. A special thanks to them for leading worship!

Cindi and Shelby leading worship

We are so excited to connect with the pastoral leaders in this area! I hope all of you have a great weekend. Please remember to pray for the 40 new residents in this new home and that their lives will be forever changed and that their futures will be bright.

All the Way from South Korea!!!

I just received the most amazing email from a young lady that graduated from St. Louis in May of 2008, a bit over 18 months ago. I am so excited about this that I don’t want to mess it up by adding my own words. I will tell you that this young lady now resides in South Korea and loves it. You’ve got to take the time to read this one!

Dear Nancy,

Most people celebrate birthdays by inviting friends, eating cake, and blowing out candles. This year I celebrated by running for Mercy. When I left the States three and a half months ago, I was a bit sad about celebrating in a new country with few of my close friends. That all changed when I heard that there was a nearby running race, get this, on my birthday. I immediately knew the Lord was providing a way for me to support Mercy while celebrating the freedom they helped me attain. That race was three weeks ago.

A mere two years ago today I entered the doors of Mercy St. Louis. I was alone, scared, hardened, and determined to “beat the system” yet again. The seven months before going to Mercy had been a blur of medical wings, psych wards, and eating disorder units. I’d seen more psychiatrists and psychologists than I cared to remember, and I was off and on more medication than was warranted for any individual. I became a statistic, learning to adopt labels as my own: “cutter,” “anorexic,” “depressed,” “psychotic,” “unstable,” and the list went on. My identity and dignity were quickly stripped away as every aspect of life was controlled and monitored. Time in state and private treatment facilities solidified the painful truth – without lasting help, I was going to die, and honestly, that did not seem so bad.

Fast forward a year and a half outside of graduation – I am now living and working in South Korea – half-way around the world. I love it here, live on my own, and continue to walk in the truth and freedom I learned through Mercy. In fact, just yesterday, I had the opportunity to share a bit of my testimony. I wear my Mercy ring on a necklace and often people ask questions. After sharing that the "M" stands for God’s mercy and the three stones for the trinity, most people politely smile and say, “That’s nice.”

Yesterday was different. A co-worker asked me about it and after presenting my usual spiel, she inquired further as I had said that I had graduated – what was the program about? After sharing a bit about what led me to Mercy, and the struggles that almost claimed my life, she chucked and proclaimed, “That’s funny – I look at so many of the people around here and they make me wonder…but you – I would have never guessed. You seem so normal.” I laughed as well, but that comment stuck with me – she didn’t know me, or my past, and she saw me as normal - not as a cutter, not as that anorexic girl, not as the unstable one who needs constant supervision. She saw me as normal.

And that alone is a testimony of all the Lord has done for me. It’s been a year and a half since I graduated Mercy, and I am blessed to celebrate that by sending the money I raised through my half marathon. I pray that the Lord will use it to continue saving lost, hurting, and dying souls. I am ever grateful for the second chance I was given and am excited to pass that blessing on to others.

Renee

Isn’t this so cool! Think about all of the thousands of young women who have already had this same opportunity that Renee has had, and think of all the multiplied thousands in the future that will share a similar story. OUR GOD IS GREAT!!!!!

Check out Dave Ramsey’s Fox Business Show TONIGHT!!!

It was my great joy today to get to go tape a National television show with author and financial guru, and also a very good friend of mine and Mercy Ministries’, Dave Ramsey. We taped the program midday today, but it will be aired on Fox Business Network tonight at 8:00 pm EST / 7:00 pm CST.

It was also a great honor to be featured as one of two ministries on the show with fellow co-laborer Franklin Graham, head of Samaritan’s Purse and son of Evangelist, Billy Graham. I also want to personally thank Dave and Sharon Ramsey for the many many years that they have supported and continue to support Mercy Ministries. In case you do not get to see the show when it is aired on the Fox Business Network, you can access it by going to the Fox Business website at www.foxbusiness.com. I thought you would enjoy seeing a picture of me and my Executive Assistant, Cassidy, with Dave and Sharon Ramsey.

A Night to Remember! Celebrating 26+ Years!

I had the privilege of being in Monroe, Louisiana last night for our Founder’s Dinner, an invitation only event, hosted by founding Board member Susan Cordell and her husband, Hardeman, at their beautiful home. There were approximately 300 people in attendance, many of which were involved in the beginning years of Mercy Ministries almost 27 years ago. I can honestly say that this was one of the most fun and exciting events that I have ever been a part of!

It was so wonderful to be with people that I knew from years ago who gave sacrificially and who continue to give to this day to make this ministry the successful program that it is. I was so honored to reconnect with old friends that I have not seen in years, and to personally thank those who believed in Mercy Ministries when it was just a vision. I will never forget how I first moved to Monroe in 1983 and began to speak out what God had put into my heart. It takes very special people to become a part of something they yet cannot see. I call those people visionaries and people of faith. It was my great joy to be able to celebrate our beginnings and thank those who have been such a vital part of making it all possible. The Cordell’s truly made this a family affair as not only Hardeman and Susan, but also their son Hardeman Jr. and his wife, Misti, and their other son, Sherrause, were all so gracious in hosting this event as a family. See their family picture below.

CAPTION: The Cordell family pictured from left to right:
Misti and Hardeman Jr, Susan, Me, Hardeman Sr., and Sherrouse

It was also wonderful to be able to be with Margaret Troquille and her husband, Charles. Margaret is our International Director of Programs below.

Caption: Margaret pictured with her husband, Charles

One of the highlights of my evening was to be able recognize our founding Board Members who were present. It was important to me to also honor the late Bill Husted through asking his wife to stand in as part of this founding director’s picture we took. Those founding directors in attendance were Billy Edmondson, Mary Alice (Mike), Jerry Hightower, Jessie McCormick, and Susan Cordell, (pictured below)

I want to thank all of the many volunteers and supporters who worked tirelessly for weeks and weeks in advance to make this wonderful evening so successful. Most of all, we wish to thank our God for His faithfulness in the thousands of transformed lives over the years and the millions of dollars that have been given to make it all possible. We also have put together a slide show to give you an idea of how great the evening truly was and what it was like. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Story of Total Transformation

We are so thankful for the wonderful medical staff and psychiatrists that God has blessed us with in the various communities in which we operate homes. We are so grateful for the ones who help us in helping the girls cope with what life throws at them until they can work through the pain and hurt of their issues. There are times when some girls need to remain on medication even after Mercy for different reasons, and there are other times that girls are able to get off of their medications altogether. The following testimony is one such time where God helped this young woman work through the issues of her past, and as a result she was able to be off her medications. In fact, the very same psychiatrist who was seeing her before she came to Mercy was the one to gave her the go ahead and blessing to be completely off of all of her medications from now on. He could not believe the miraculous transformation when he saw her after she returned from her time at Mercy. I just received this email from her sharing her story. I hope it blesses you as much as it blesses me.

I graduated from Mercy Ministries in Monroe, Louisiana just over three months ago and this afternoon I was able to see just how much Mercy Ministries has impacted my life in another way, as did my psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with many mental illnesses in my life starting when I was 17 years old. I was labeled with Major Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, an Anxiety Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder. Hospital visit after hospital visit, doctor after doctor and counselor after counselor, told me that all I could ever do was try to manage the symptoms. I had chronic mental illness and my brain and my personality were both broken. With so much disorder in my life and a life sentence for that disorder, hope was impossible to find. But Mercy gave me just that. Hope! I have had several opportunities to speak since graduating and that is the biggest thing I speak about. Without that hope my efforts to change were in vain because I knew that I was broken and could never be whole. Mercy taught me otherwise. Mercy taught me the truth. After graduating Mercy I followed up with my previous psychiatrist to determine what changes could be made, hoping to be able to come off of medication all together. This visit was a check up because I have been completely off of medication for six weeks. As I communicated with my psychiatrist how I was handling life and difficult things, like the unexpected death of a dear friend, he smiled from hear to ear and was, at multiple times speechless. At the end of the appointment the realization of something I did at Mercy was made concrete. I broke off every one of those labels at Mercy, but today, they were physically deleted off of the computer system and my medical record. That was an indescribable feeling; knowing that he was doing that. Then he responded with congratulations saying that he had truly NEVER seen such miraculous change in anyone he has EVER known or worked with. He said he was amazed at the minimal amount of time it took to correct things that were a severe and chronic hindrance to my life. He helped me stay alive to get to Mercy, not knowing what it was, but today he sang praises of this program and the work of God, as do I. Not only have I been given my life back, but I have been given that life more abundantly!

I want to thank you for your obedience to God that allows those of us who have been given up on from the beginning, a chance and a hope. I know God is what worked the change in me and continues to do so, but I had to experience the love of God through others before I could even try to grasp love as a positive thing and from a God that seemed so unreal and distant.

-Ivy

We thank God for this psychiatrist, and we also thank God for the faithfulness of our staff in Louisiana who worked so diligently to help this girl work through the pain of her past. Thank you for your support and prayers. May we all trust God through the difficult times in our lives, no matter what those difficulties may be.

Way to Go Runners!!

Our 5K Run in Nashville was a huge success! We had 429 participants and raised $30,000!! Even though it was a bit nippy for the bystanders, the runners tell us it was the perfect weather scenario for them. Our volunteers loved it, our girls loved it, and we got so many great pictures from the event. It was truly a special time, and I wanted to show you some of the highlights from the fun! Thanks to everyone who gave of themselves and their resources to make this all possible.

To learn more about Run for Mercy or to join a team near you, visit our website a www.runformercy.org.

Graduate Celebrates 5 Years of Freedom!!!

Hey Everyone,

I just got this awesome Facebook message that I wanted to share with you from a former Mercy resident. Jayne came to Mercy Ministries in Nashville five years ago all the way from England (before our Mercy UK home was open) searching for freedom. Just this week, Jayne wrote me to let me know that she was celebrating her five year anniversary of graduating from the Mercy program, and she is still walking out her freedom. Her Facebook message totally made my week, and I had to share it with you.

"Hi Nancy,

Today is my 5 year anniversary of graduating from Mercy, so I wanted to honor you and Mercy in my Facebook status today. But I wanted to make sure you saw it as you are a part of how wonderful my life is now, so this is what I wrote…

'Jayne wants to honor Nancy Alcorn, Mercy Ministries, and of course my awesome God today. It is 5 years ago today since I graduated from Mercy in Nashville, and no words can truly express how wonderfully transformed me and my life are. God has truly done more than I could have ever asked or imagined.'

Thank-you Nancy!

With loads of love,

Jayne”

This picture was made at Jayne's graduation from Mercy exactly five years ago.

We are so proud of you, Jayne! I hope everyone has a great weekend!