The weather and views were spectacular as we gathered for this year’s annual golf tourney at Bent Tree on Tuesday October 24th. We have been blessed by the Lord over many years to have some great golf days, but this one may have topped them all.
We enjoyed some great competition before the round of golf began with our Putting and Chipping Contests. For our putting contest winner we gave a way a brand new TaylorMade putter compliments of our friends from Golf Club Brokers. The winner of our chipping contest hit our bullseye target which was placed on the brand new chipping green at Bent Tree and received a $250 gift certificate, compliments of our friends at Woodstock Furniture Outlet.
Our golfers enjoyed some fellowship with their teammates and other golfers with a great lunch provided by The Tavern at Bent Tree before our round began.
Just before the beginning of our round as we called all our golfers to their carts, Mae Lynn, one of our young ladies shared a great testimony about the changes the Lord has brought in her life while here at The Joy House.
Our golfers then took off for a full round of tourney golf. As in our past tournaments we also had a $10,000 Hole-In-One challenge on beautiful hole #7 at Bent Tree. A 185 yard drive from the tee. We had a few golfers who got within 1 or 2 feet, but no one holed it. It was a great round of competitive golf throughout a spectacular fall afternoon.
At the end of the round we gathered to give away our door and raffle prizes and recognize our winners. We had some great door prizes provided by several local merchants. As in tourney’s past we had our raffle and gave away a Tom Brady Rookie Card and a large Big Green Egg. Our runner up for Low Gross was team First Baptist Ellijay and for Low Net team Atlanta Motorsports Park. Our Low Gross Champion was team Pepsi and Low Net Champion team Southeast Restoration 1.
I’d like to specially recognize our high-level sponsors once again. Special thanks to Southeast Restoration Group for being our Presenting Sponsor. We’re also grateful for these other high-level sponsors: Flag Sponsor – NJ Wilbanks Contractor and Orkin, Hole-in-One Sponsor – DayStar Apparel, Hat Sponsor – Woodstock Church – Jasper, and Towel Sponsor – North Georgia Christian Academy.
I’m grateful to Patrick Higgins, golf pro at Bent Tree, and his staff for another great tournament. Also would like to recognize Chef Michael Klein and his staff at The Tavern for a great meal. We also want to say a BIG “Thank You” to all of our sponsors and golfers who make this possible. Thank you for continuing to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. Because of your partnership we are able to continue offering our services based on ability-to-pay and see Christ change lives.
You can experience our day through pictures by following the links below to pictures from the golf tournament.
We host our golf tournament every year in October. If you’ve never participated I hope you will consider joining us next year to Tee it Up for Teens. |
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We have a very special upcoming need. It will take some explanation, but I will make this brief.
The Allen's who are our girl's house parents in our new home are expecting their 2nd child. The birth is scheduled for Jan. 10th. We will be giving them some time to recover and welcome the newest member of the family. We also must maintain the care of our girl's in that home. Our plan is to give them 3 weeks off around the birth of their child. I've reached out to some former girl's house parents who are willing to come and care for our girls during those 3 weeks. I need the Allen's to be able to stay in their own home here on campus. I need to find a home for 3 weeks to rent or made available freely as a benefit to the ministry to house our interim house parents with our girls.
Here are the parameters. At minimum a 3-bedroom home for two adults and four teenage girls along with a house broken dog. We would need this home from beginning Sunday January 7 through Sunday January 28th. Ideally I'm looking for a home within a 20-30 minute drive from our campus as the girls will be coming to school every day.
If you are someone you know can meet this need please let me know. You can reach me via email: [email protected] or via phone: 706-253-7569. Thanks for your consideration. |
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Working with struggling teenagers in any capacity at The Joy House can be stressful; the day-to-day struggles can temporarily obscure the miracles God works here. Sometimes, though, those miracles proclaim themselves. The evening of Thursday October 5, was one of those times.
Emily, a resident and student at the Joy House Academy for 19 months, graduated not only from the program but also from high school. That accomplishment may not sound so amazing to some, but when Emily’s background is considered, it is the story of a rescue.
Emily lost both of her parents when she was 9 years old. She and her brother were given a home by her mother’s sister. As time went on, Emily’s ability to cope with her losses diminished. She became, as Mr. Darren, our counselor, said, “mired in darkness—stuck, unable to move.” Her relationships with family suffered, her grades plummeted, and she became self-destructive. Her aunt reached out for help from the Joy House.
During the interview process, Emily acknowledged that she needed this place. In fact, she is one of the few residents who, despite the struggles with school and emotion, never tried to convince anyone to take her out of here. Her willingness for help played a huge part in her ultimate growth.
In the Joy House home environment, Emily learned to deal with emotions and frustrations in a productive way that did not damage herself or her relationships. In counseling, she was able to process her devastating losses and actually begin to foresee a future for herself.
In the school, Emily went from taking shortcuts and experiencing failure initially to working hard and going from, as Ms. Robin said, “math gizzard to math wizard!” In fact, in her last few days of work here, Emily exclaimed, “I’ve gone from everything gizzard to everything wizard!” Indeed, through her hard work she not only caught up but actually graduated 7 months early.
By her own testimony, the most valuable change in Emily was her relationship with the Lord. While a resident at the Joy House, she was baptized and not only participated in but began leading devotions in the home.
So in the presence of staff, friends, and family, Emily received her high school diploma. Her achievement was recognized in many ways: she was gifted with a ham radio by Pete Payne and the regional ham radio operators for achieving her second level ham radio licensing while here. She received flowers and gifts and letters from many who love her. A most special gift was from her Aunt Wanda, who gave her the class ring that had belonged to Emily’s mother.
A graduation ceremony is always special, but Emily’s ceremony was a testament to God—to his Power and his Love. He sent a rescue for Emily, and the Joy House—staff, volunteers, and donors— were all blessed to be part of it. Through her, God reminds us to “…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (I Corinthians 15:58).
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| Kristy and I are nearing 6 months as The Boys Home houseparents at The Joy House. During a recent meeting with our Chief of Staff, Darren Lane, he asked us why we were called to be houseparents at The Joy House. We both answered to fulfill the great commission by sharing Jesus with the residents, and also to show God’s love to them so it will draw them to salvation. In addition Darren asked how we were doing overall. We admitted adjusting to the house parent lifestyle has been challenging at times. We have had our ups and downs. We currently have 3 residents at our home, with the expectation of having a total of 5 by the end of October. Getting to know these residents has been both a blessing and a challenge. Sometimes it feels as if the residents don’t listen or respond according to our way of thinking. Then we see a small glimmer of hope when we dive into the Bible with them and they discover something they have never heard before. Seeing this wonder in their eyes is the highlight of any day for us at the Joy House.
Our discussion with Darren turned to how we measure our success in ministry. He stated, “ The Joy House has a 100% success rate” This statement seemed bold and he immediately had our attention. His explanation gave answers and more importantly relevance to our efforts here at The Boys Home.
Darren explained God’s Word and our attempts in His Name are not in vain. Too often, accomplishment is measured by numbers. As if we have the audacity to chart the Holy Spirit on a statistical graph. We are so glad our ways are not God’s ways.
During this discussion a thought came to mind. In comparing Christ's earthly ministry with Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, who had the bigger numbers? In reading the Gospels, we can infer the number for Christ to be in the 100s, but at Pentecost the book of Acts infers thousands were saved. Who had the more productive ministry? The question is irrelevant, because by only looking at the numbers it distorts the truth. Jesus was behind every decision that was made regarding salvation at Pentecost, not Peter. Just like we are not behind any decisions when we share the Gospel. It is all about Jesus and will be for all eternity! Hallelujah! May Darren’s viewpoint of 100 % success rate grow stronger within each of us and cause an outpouring of faith. There will be times of adversity and doubt, but let us not forget the joy of service and cling to the promises of 1 Cor. 1:9. We are called to His service, and He is faithful and will not fail. Christ means success 100%! |
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