We are excited to announce our 2022 annual banquet. We’re again partnering with our friends at SharpTop Cove to host this year’s event. We look forward to welcoming a full house of 500 friends to celebrate what the Lord is doing through this ministry and to invest in the continued work. This year’s banquet will be on Tuesday April 26that 6:30 PM.
Our theme for this year’s banquet will be Transformed as that is what we have the privilege of seeing the Lord do in the lives of those we serve through our teen-residential program and community counseling center. As part of our program, we will have testimonies of Christ’s transforming work. Our campus is also undergoing a transformation as our new girl's home is under construction which we hope to open later this year allowing us to share Christ’s hope and healing with more teens and families. |
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As you can see there has been quite a transformation on our new girl’s home over the past month. Framing began in early February and should be complete by the end of the month. The plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work will then begin. This home is going to be a more farmhouse style. We’re seeking to have the home complete by August.
Labor and material prices are highly inflated at this time. We have been so blessed by construction friends who are providing donations or discounts to help us meet our budget. We are still looking for ways to cut cost. We’ve got some great partners lined up for plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. We’re still looking for partners that can help cut cost on remaining labor and materials. For materials that would include siding, brick, trim, flooring, counter tops, etc.… Contractors would include roofing, siding, insulation, insulation, trim, masonry, etc.… If you are someone you know would like to partner with us, please reach out to Steve via email: [email protected] or phone at 706-252-7569. |
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| In recent weeks I have found myself repeatedly saying “we were not created to live in the dark.” As counselors at The Joy House, there are moments when we recognize the darkness, we see it rear its head or just peak out behind the veil for a brief moment and we must call it out. This is true of physical/external darkness as well as spiritual/internal darkness. Anxiety, depression, and negative intrusive thoughts are a constant in our day to day with clients. This internal darkness can be all consuming. Many people feel like they can’t turn off their brains. They can’t stop thinking about how others perceive them, or they are living in constant fear of possible but highly improbable scenarios playing out in their life. Another example may be the inability to make peace with something terrible that has happened. This of course leads to deeper and darker thinking, continuing the unhealthy cycle of thought. And so often this cycle begins to appear in our outward or physical lives and behavior. |
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The most gratifying part of teaching at the Joy House Academy is watching students who have struggled in school for years suddenly begin achieving. A common weakness for most students is math. Maybe they believe they are dumb, or maybe they believe their ADD prevents their success, or maybe they have been “helped” so much in school that they have been cheated out of a necessary foundation. Regardless, they have the opportunity here to discover that they have been believing a lie, and when they make that discovery, success comes.
One of our graduates, Kylie, came to the Joy House having been labeled by her school a special education student and told that she would never be able to do high school level math. As a result, her parents believed that she would need to use notes to take any math tests. However, as Kylie began work in Algebra I (without notes), her test grades were generally A’s and B’s. I know that Kylie profited from our low student-teacher ratio that allowed her to get instruction, support, and clarification when she needed them. But I was interested in her perspective. One day when we were working together, I said, “You’re doing really well in Algebra here. Why do you think you’re doing so much better here than you were in school?” |
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