August/September 2010 Birthday Party

We had an amazing birthday Bash last Friday night at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship! This could not have been possible without people like YOU! Diane and her team decorated the church beautifully and festive, I can not even come close to accurrately describing it! Kay our beautiful police woman kept the place and everyone safe and happy! Mark and Martha video-taped the entire party as Lance took fantastic pictures and believe me-that is priceless for some of the teens we will give them to! Don was in charge of the birthday sign-in table, as Joanne and Nancy did their perfect job of recording all teens, staff and visitors! Even with a broken foot Don was full of smiles as David took over his normal duties of setting up and breaking down! Our amazing volunteers did a fantastic job of mixing with the kids and listening and growing; and also staying after to make sure everything was clean! Joanne M did an awesome job of leaving Charlcie’s kitchen sparkling!

Brian Elliot with The Hungry and the Homeless of FOTW sent their team from Wildwood UMC to provide and also cook the BEST bar-b-q ever! It was delicious!! Irene took total control of the set-up and serving of the delicious meal! Zack, Olivia, Summer, Sam and Haily made potato salad from Dawns recipe, which was out of this world! Both groups were there ALL day long preparing for this Birthday Bash! We can not forget the cupcakes! Not only did Josi lead us in amazing worship, but she also made cupcakes to help Lisa Anne and Barbara L. Making cupcakes for B2B is NOT a small job!

The praise and worship was very powerful, as always! The Lord has blessed us with an anointed B2B Band, with their hunger and talents and desire for Him, they are able to lead all who are willing into His presence. The Word say that He inhabits the praise of His people, and He definantly inhabits B2B! As one of my favorite teachers says “He does not want to visit us, He wants to inhabit us!”

Each month we are blessed with someone who can share with the kids and also with us the love and power and freedom in Christ. Last month we had RAGE (Rooted And Grounded Eternally).She pulled no punches with the girls, boys and even the adults. She even called some out who were showing cleavage and boys who were slouching and said “maybe you didn’t know..now you do”. She shared some of her past and that she was a product of rape..she also shared how far from God she was and some of the horrible things she had allowed in her life. She encourage the boys to be men of integrity and the girls to help them be that way and to NOT settle for anyone who treats them less than a princess. She shared the love of God and the freedom and power in HIM.

This Friday, Micah Mixon shared with the teens in a way that only he could. The girls were touched and could relate and the boys…even the toughest of the tough were touched. He shared his testimony of growing up very poor and also of his use of drugs and his disrespect to his mom. His dad was never in the picture. He even shared of how he became a “christian”, but was still not living as one, until the Lord got a hold of him for good. He had a friend call him out about smoking weed when he was suppose to be following God. He was very real about his past without bringing glory to it! The glory was brought to God! He was about just BEING REAL WITH GOD – He did a dance for the kids and it was extremely powerful. Not just in a way of talent, but his entire heart was in it! I looked around as all the teens watched without moving (that is big for them:) Most of the teens were very receptive to what he said. Of course we have our regular ones that are “tough as nails”..which we all know when they do fall in love with Jesus they will fall HARD!

I watched as some of the boys who are too cool to be seen excited or “moved” waited until no one was looking as they dashed over to Micah to talk and ask questions! I also heard stories the next day of some of the boys getting back to their home and trying to dance all night, pulling out mattresses and trying to dance like Micah! hahaha, oh to be a fly on that wall!

We celebrated 27 birthdays and each got an awesome gift. We loved and shared with over 200 teens and their staff that God is real and he does love them, and with Him all things are possible.

Hey! One of our boys was told he would never go back to his mom…rights were terminated years ago- she has prayed and fought and both her and his prayer has been answered! This is NOT the norm- quite honestly from my experience every single child that I have known that has been removed from their parents.. was saved from a horrible life… Again that is only what I have witnessed the past 7 years – I know there is always an exception… but every child I have seen go back to their family… results have not been good… BUT this family was not doing as THIS mom has been – fighting loving praying repented! God rocks!

Thank you for all YOU do! Barb

PS I can not always name everyone – please know I see and appreciate all do you – more importantly God sees!!!!

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