2011 Ministry Recap-- What a Year!!!

Well, I said you would not hear from me again until 2012 but I also said that I reserve the right to pop in again if I forgot something...so here I am! :)

As I reflect back over the past year, I am pretty much in awe of what God has done through this little ministry of ours and I wanted to share it with you.

Here are a few of the highlights--

1. I had the opportunity to speak at the FCA {Fellowship of Christian Athletes}girls breakfast last spring, where I talked with the girls about "worth." We discussed the difference between how the world measures our "worth" and what God says about our "worth." Of course I used fun team-building games to get my point across, which they loved! ;) The girl that spoke at the FCA end of the year banquet actually said it was her favorite event of the year!

Here is a copy of the poem that I shared with the girls. I have used it over and over again when speaking to teenage girls and young women-- but really it applies to women of any age.

Feel free to download, print and share it! Go here to get your copy.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. {Psalm 139:14}

2. Sarah {my sister, Director of WOTP Volleyball} and I ran 4 high school volleyball team camps this summer, giving us a chance to not only prepare the teams for their upcoming season but to impact the lives of around 125 girls and several coaches, teaching them what it means to have a good attitude, to work hard and to be a team player, while pointing them to Christ!

3. At the end of the summer, Big A and I attended the MOPS {Mothers of Preschoolers} National Convention for the 3rd year in a row, where we sold a ridiculous amount of products, including our 2011 {mops mom} shirts...

and several of our popular matted prints designed for us by 517 Creations, including the {Blessings} print, based off of Laura Story's song, Blessings. Go here and listen to her song if you have not heard it. It will change your life.

**We added the scripture reference because it really compliments the song. Lyrics are from Laura's song, not the Bible.

Download your copy here.

It was absolutely incredible to hear the stories from the women at the conference {in addition to the ones we have heard online} about how this song/print has impacted their life in times of trial. I had the privilege of speaking to tornado victims, women who had experienced miscarriages, women whose husbands had lost their jobs, women who lost loved ones and women whose loved ones were struggling. The list goes on.

What an amazing opportunity to minister to these women in their time of need.

4. I had the opportunity to counsel kids at our local {FCA} "Fields of Faith" event where around 1000 were in attendance and over 200 prayed to receive Christ!!! This event took place at 650+ locations around the country on the same night. Just think if all of the other locations had similar numbers! Unbelievable!

5. My book was published this fall!!! It is overwhelming to think back over the process of how this all came about. It has been a long road and several years since God gave me the vision for these camps and this manual. It is still hard for me to believe that it happened and is actually now in print and available for purchase.

My prayer is that every church/mission organization will have the opportunity to use this guide to implement an evangelistic sports camp for kids as a community-outreach or on mission. It is so easy to run, just like buying VBS {Vacation Bible School} materials and implementing one at your church. You just need someone to coordinate the details. Consider buying one {and giving it to the ministry leaders} for your church to use Summer 2012. 

Purchase your copy here and I will even sign it for you! :)


6. I had the privilege of not only going into partnership with Josh Hamilton's company Scripture Art Designs, but of posting this incredible story about him and the impact he has on my friend Payton {an 8 year old baseball player with cystic fibrosis} and the lives of those he comes in contact with.

7. We played a small role in helping bring 11 children home to their forever {adopting}families through our {Chosen Child} Adoption Program, with more on the way! I look forward to sharing their "gotcha" stories over the next few weeks. Email me at worthyoftheprize@yahoo.com if you need help raising $ for your adoption. We are changing up the program slightly in 2012 and are looking for new families.

We also played a small part in rescuing "Brady" from a mental institution in Eastern Europe {and uniting him with his forever family}, where he was sent after being abandoned at birth because of his down syndrome.

These are just a few of the things that God did through Worthy of the Prize in 2011!!!

I can't wait to see what he has in store for next year!

And now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen. {1 Timothy 1:17}