The purpose of this prayer chain is to let our needs be known to you, our prayer partners. This week we are placing our emphasis on specific, intentional prayer for each of the girls:

AMANDA A.



ABBY

AMBER
STEPHANIE

KATIE

BETH

HAILEY

BRITTNEY



JASMINE

AMANDA C.

LUKE 4:18

New American Standard Bible (©1995)

"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED"



We wish we could share with you the struggles these girls face; some of the trials they have endured, but due to confidentiality we cannot. God is not only aware of the hurts in these young girls' lives, but we believe He is able to understand their trials and that He is the answer to every obstacle they face.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)

"He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him"

How often do we see the sorrows and grief in the world around us. It's easy to notice when a cyclone strikes Myanmar or when an earthquake lays devastation in China. How do we respond when a child is doing poorly in school, or their behavior is less than desired? The ministries of Agape House seek to address the root of the cause of these behaviors...the condition of the heart.

The love and power of Jesus changes lives, families, communities, and strengthens His church. All things can truly become new!

So please take the time to pray for each of these girls as God lays it on your heart, as well as the girls who have already been at Agape and the girls who are to come.

Thank you and God bless !

May 16th Update

Gardening with the girls....

Our recent visit with the "Recycled Teenages" of Trinity utheran Church in Pell Lake.

Thank You
~ to Dee Boviall for donating her homemade Macaroni and Cheese on Monday
~ to Pam Hoyord for organizing everything for the landscaping work in the gardens in front of the buildings, as well as her husband, Mark, and daughters, Sam and Jenny, for all their work to prepare the gardens for planting, and for their donation of the dirt required to fill the garden beds appropriately before planting
~ to Michael Stech for his hard work to help prepare the gardens for planting
~ to the women from First United Methodist Church in Elkhorn who toured our facility on Tuesday, and blessed us with many donations
~ to the ‘Recycled Teenagers’ group at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pell Lake who welcomed Pam and some of the students on Tuesday for a presentation and luncheon
~ to John Stensland of Martin Business Group who is donating a fax module for our copy machine

Landscape Donations – We are looking forward to the completion of the landscaping in front of the school later this month, and would like to thank Arbor Vista in Delavan for their creative design, as well as the donation of the plants. The girls will help plant these on the 20th of May as part of their ‘Gardening’ class. We would also like to thank Northwind Perennial Farm (Burlington) for their donation of the plants to be placed in the perennial garden in front of the building. The girls will help plant these on the 27th of May as part of their ‘Gardening’ class.

Doing for Others Brings Joy by: Amanda Alberth
When you help others, you are not only doing them a favor, but yourself as well. The satisfaction of doing something nice for another person can be very rewarding. I realized this when I helped take care of my grandmother when she was sick. I came over to her apartment and spent the day making sure that she had everything she needed, and that she was able to get the proper rest needed to regain her health. I cooked for her, cleaned her apartment, and kept her company. We even read the Bible together. By the end of the day, she was feeling well rested and I was feeling good about myself because I was able to do something nice for my grandmother. This made not only her day, but mine as well.

Prayer Requests:

Amber Wells, Abby's Grandma, Dee McBride and her son, Timothy and family in Florida,
Sharon Stoltz continued healing from cancer, Sally Bardin's mother, Agape staff, students, and family.

STUDENTS FOR HIRE: Some of our girls are home from college and are looking for work. Do you need babysitting, car-detailing, or chores around the house? Call Pam at 275-2977 to schedule. Thanks !

May 2, 2008

Senator Neal Kedzie and his wife, Carrie, were our visitors...thank you for taking the time to see us Senator !!

Thank you for taking the time to read our weekly update and prayer request. We are blessed that so many of you take the time to pray, and contribute to the needs of our programs !

From the Agape School Weekly Newsletter ~ Friday, May 2, 2008 .....

“…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

National Day of Prayer – What a blessing that we were able to participate in this powerful community prayer experience. Thank you to all of the parents who made the extra effort to get their daughters there, to Pam for welcoming some of the girls into her home the night before to ease the transportation issue, and to Shar for arranging for us to take part in this event.

How do we count all the blessings we see at Agape School? In one day, we were blessed:
- with another new tutor, who was the answer to our prayers;
- with a visit from Senator Kedzie and his wife, Carrie; and God settled the anxieties of one of our students so that she was calmed down before our visitor arrived;
- with notice that one of our student’s poems will be published in Immortal Verses
- with a bountiful and nourishing lunch;
- with a volunteer photographer to capture a ‘gifted’ moment in each of our student’s day;
- with the gentle closing of a door, and opening of another one;
- with mentors for baby Christians;
- with an improved relationship between a father and his daughter (a true miracle); and
- with HOPE and FAITH that God will answer all of our prayers!

One of our students has a poem that is going to be published:

God Will Survive by: Jasmine Fiore

In our barren land where prices are high,
Where everything seems to stop, we are not alone.
It seems sometimes we don’t notice
The hands reaching out to take our hearts,
We ignore the beauty and see the wrong.
It seems we have given up. We cannot be saved.
But there is one person we can count on,
One person to heal us, to hear us. God.
He might not answer all our prayers, but He hears.
He catches our fallen tears, and whispers, “it’s time to heal”.
He’s there for the grieving, He’s there for you.
You can be saved, even you beyond redemption can tune in
the voice of God – it’s not what you did in the past,
but what you do in the future.
God covers our mistakes, He forgives.
He remembers that we are all His children.
Boys, girls, blacks, whites, Hispanics, everyone.
He is the one who whispers, “You are the one”.
You are the one who makes Him real,
With your faith, God will survive.

Prayer Requests:

· Amber Wells
· Abby’s Grandma
· Dee McBride and her son, Timothy and family in Florida
· Agape School students, families, staff and volunteers

Jasmine also wrote the following about her experiences at the Walworth County Prayer Breakfast:

Not Alone
By: Jasmine Fiore - May 1, 2008

Faces watching
Expectations
Lifted hearts
His creation.

Standing tall
Sweating now
I’ve got to sing
Something, Somehow

The words of God
Flow through us
Agape girls
What a rush.

Voices blend,
Beautiful.
Sensational.

Tears in the eyes
Of those we’ve reached,
We’ve chipped away
The cold hard stone.

Then they realized
That God was with us,
Through our voices
We’ve let them know
That they are never
Truly alone.

Here are our photos from last week:

http://picasaweb.google.com/resortchica/May5th?authkey=7lGFuBSKGrA