The Life Church Pours into Nashville Residents
May 30, 2017
The Life Church Team with the Nashville Mercy residents
Last week, The Life Church’s missions team from Memphis, Tennessee, served the Nashville Mercy home. For five days, eleven Godly women came with hearts to serve, ready to help.
The Life Church Founders and Lead Pastors, John and Leslie Siebeling, are friends of Mercy Multiplied’s Founder and President, Nancy Alcorn, and have partnered with Mercy for years. Therefore, The Life Church team was very familiar with the mission of Mercy Multiplied and this year chose to serve the residents as part of their outreach.
“Before we came, Nancy sowed into us the book Echoes of Mercy,” said Mona, Life Church volunteer. “By reading that, I understood the foundation of Mercy Multiplied. But coming here, I actually got to see what’s not in the book, the tangible word of God in effect here, and that was most impressive to me.”
Life Church team flipping mattresses
The volunteers spent the week with the residents as well as served in ways, such as cleaning bathrooms, organizing closets, flipping mattresses, and even hosting a cookout for the residents.
“The most amazing, eye-opening experience here is, even though the girls are broken, you see joy in them. They’re happy. How these girls are grasping the Word of God, how they’re embracing it, searching, seeking God, and how they speak about God is amazing,” said Cynthia, Life Church volunteer. “To see God’s glory in them, even though they’re going through some struggles and transitions. It’s a blessing to see that.”
The Life Church team also attended the Friends of Mercy Luncheon that was held while they were in Nashville.
Life Church volunteer Cynthia, encouraging the residents
“I learned so much about Mercy while being there. We were at the Friends of Mercy Luncheon, and we were taken back by how it was organized, how the leaders work, how much they pour into the girls, how patient they are,” said Cynthia. “We actually had to step out because we were in tears; we were so overwhelmed by how much time and pouring into the girls that the leaders do here, and you can see it in the girls.”
While speaking of their time with the Nashville Mercy residents, Mona and Cynthia took a moment to reflect on their own pasts. They mentioned it brought tears to their eyes to see the girls in their day-to-day life working through struggles.
“They might not have the same story as us, but because of some of the things they face, it makes me think, if only I had a Mercy Multiplied at the time in my life when I was going through struggles. I think I would’ve been better suited for situations,” said Mona. “I think that Mercy is bringing these girls up in a way that they can actually face some difficulties and have the tools that they need to go forward.”
Cynthia (left) with resident
Toward the end of The Life Church team’s visit to Mercy, the residents had an opportunity to express their gratitude. After presenting The Life Church team with a handmade thank you card signed by all the residents, the girls stood up and personally thanked the team. Many residents, full of emotions and tears, expressed their desires to be a Godly woman like The Life Church women they had witnessed serving all week. Some residents even thanked the volunteer team for their attitude and creating an overwhelming sense of positivity in the Mercy home. The residents cherished the time they had spent with The Life Church team.
To conclude their visit, The Life Church team gave the Nashville Mercy staff and residents a photo of their group for remembrance and thank you cards for allowing them to serve.
“Being at the home to clean a bathroom or pick up a piece of paper, that’s me in my heart showing the residents that ‘I love you, I see you, you are valued, you are chosen.’ That ‘God hasn’t forgot about you,’” said Mona. “And although the things they may have faced are horrible and terrible, there’s so much more of a brighter future, a brighter purpose that God has for them, and I wanted to be a part of that restoration process.”
If you are interested in volunteering at Mercy, please check out our VOLUNTEER webpage for opportunities.