3rd Annual Day of MERCY

Compassionate Service Around the World

“When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36

On June 18, 2011, during the 3^rd Annual Day of MERCY, over 1200 MERCY Ambassadors on five continents embraced our local communities, providing compassionate service in multiple capacities.  One of the very unique qualities of MERCYworldwide is our ability to mobilize a growing base of talented and dedicated volunteers (MERCY Ambassadors) around the globe.  It was so encouraging for Denise and me to receive the news from our MERCY branches around the world about the Day of Fasting and Prayer on Friday and the actual Day of MERCY on Saturday.  We want to share some of these stories with you:

MERCY USA

MERCY West Region of LA – Alejandro Panedo reported:

MERCY’s West Region of LA divided into 3 projects: Murals for a K-8 magnet school; a beach cleanup with Heal the Bay; and serving seniors at theMarinaCareCenterin conjunction with the non-profit organization, One Incredible Family.

20 UCLA and SMC campus MERCY Ambassadors created, sketched and painted three huge 12 x 24ft murals  – a beach ecosystem, an urban ecosystem, and the Globe – on the walls of The Westside Global Awareness Magnet School (K-8).  One of the school’s coordinators said, “you [MERCYworldwide] have brought color to the school and to the lives of each one of our students, and we are very grateful”. “Simply amazing!” were the words from Vice Principal, Deanna Fulton. She was so grateful for the creativity and hard work of the MERCY Ambassadors that she extended job opportunities to each of the campus students to serve as teachers assistants at the school.  A special thanks to Walter Flores and Omarr Theranciel, who were the creative forces behind the project. 

In conjunction with “One Incredible Family Inc.”, MERCY Ambassadors assisted 15-20 senior citizens in the therapeutic exercise of “putting their hands in the soil”.  99 plants were potted and then delivered to every resident that lived at the center. One of the residents was so excited about potting a plant for her friend who is turning “88 years old”!  We ended the day together joyously singing old Broadway hits, including Yankee Doodle Dandy.  As we left, the seniors asked when we would be returning. 

The third project was a beach cleanup with Heal the Bay.  Over 30 MERCY Ambassadors descended on the beaches ofSanta Monicato help pick up litter Styrofoam fragements from cups, syringes, condoms, plastic and other trash.  At the orientation, the Heal the Bay coordinator emphasized that we are all interconnected with each other and the ecosystem.  She explained that the little pieces of plastics, Styrofoam from broken Styrofoam cups and other trash in our waterways make it out to sea and are eaten by small fish.  The little fish are eaten by the big fish.  When we eat the big fish we are contaminated from the toxins from the trash. The message: we are all interconnected – be good stewards of our environment!   

MERCY L.A. Arts, Media, Sports Region – Brenda Pomeroy reported:

Over 50 disciples from the MERCY L.A. Arts Media Sports Region served by assembling boxes and packaged up canned and dried goods at the LA Food Bank.  Fired up and willing to serve, MERCY Ambassadors sang songs of praise while playing their part on the assembly line to contribute to LA Foodbank’s goal of distributing 20,000 bags of food to those in need throughout LA.

MERCY East Region of LA – Vilma Pitts reported:

In partnership with the City of Pomonawe helped beautify W Brea Canyon Rd, an neglected area and a community eyesore.    We removed the weeds that had grown in this area and then built an irrigation system to water the dying trees and plants that were planted a few months earlier to bring this area back to life.  City Supervisor and his assistant were extremely grateful for our– volunteer efforts to bring life back to this area.  The City took “before and after” pictures of the project with the MERCY Ambassadors and plans to post this project on the City website.

MERCY Ventura County Region of LA – Ryan Keenan reported:

13 Ventura Region Mercy Ambassadors painted 3 office rooms and one storage room for The Lighthouse, a transitional living facility for 24 homelessVenturaCountywomen and children, located inOxnard,CA. The Lighthouse provides a complete continuum of care by offering shelter, intervention, substance abuse recovery and life skills development, to name a few. 

Mary Kay Huszar, the Lighthouse Volunteer Coordinator said “Thank you SO much for your efforts. The women here will be so grateful for what you did.” 

MERCY Orange Country Region of LA – Raul Moreno reported:

 Brief Summary of the Event(s): 80 MERCY Ambassadors visited a senior resident facility and provided entertainment for all 110 residents. Dancing, singing, and the Infamous Chicken Man Performance (Felipe Moreno, hilarious). We had activities on each floor for the residents that were bed bound: We painted their nails and massaged their hands. We also had one-on- one visiting, we had singing in each room and gave them gifts donated by the volunteers: cards, jewelry, etc.,

What most of the MERCY Ambassadors shared during our lunch brought tears to all of our eyes. They shared about the loneliness in the residents lives and the deep desire the residents shared for us to return. Many of the Volunteers will be returning to visit the facility. 

“This event gave me the opportunity to change other peoples lives but more than anything it changed mine” Rebekah, Volunteer

What the residents saw here was love. Thank you for all you guys did” Martha, Facility Coordinator

Malcomn Abott shared of a women who was having a difficult time with the doctor and nurse as they were getting her ready and a volunteer asked him to go and sing to her but he felt hesitant because of her conduct. The women actually called him over and she asked Malcomn whether he thought her hair looked good and Malcomn answered “your hair looks beautiful” and she asked whether he really thought so and he put his hand on her head and said “I really do think your hair is beautiful” and she looked at him and smiled. 

It was hundreds of moments like this that made all our hearts melt and realize the world lacks love.  

MERCY Washington, DC – Carlos Mejia reported:

MERCY DAY 2011 inWashingtonDCis nothing short of God’s Handy-work!  Over 80 Volunteers were divided in two unified efforts to serve bothGarfieldElementary SchoolandWestElementary School.  West Elementary has been without a librarian to sort and categorize books for the past four years.  Garfield Elementary, due to the lack of staff, had to rely on the 5-10 year old students to move over 250 different text books down three flights of stairs into the basement storage room. The tasks ranged from packing an entire library collection of books into boxes at Garfield Elementary to sorting 9 classroom libraries in 23 different reading levels at West.  Through hard work, teamwork and a willing and happy spirit, MERCY Ambassadors completed 7 large projects between the two schools.  The principals and teachers could not stop thanking MERCY for meeting the needs of the schools.

  In DC, MERCYworldwide is looking forward to forging deeper relationships with these public schools in the hope to truly make a long lasting impact on the lives of these children.  

MERCY New York City – Kwaku Sarkodie reported:

MERCYworldwide New York City branch held 5 projects for the Day of MERCY.  Two groups, totally 25 MERCY Ambassadors encouraged the lives of seniors at two nursing homes, one in the Bronx and one inBrooklyn, spending time, sharing stories and singing songs. 

Another group of six MERCY Ambassadors worked with City Harvest inUnion Square, collecting over 2000 lbs of donated food from the farmers market to be distributed to the poor and homeless ofNew York city.

12 MERCY Ambassadors worked with Meals on Heels, a NYC non-profit organization that serves meals to the elderly incapable of leaving their apartments. This group of Ambassadors served meals to 10 elderly people in their apartments in the city and spent time to encourage them. 

The last group of MERCY Volunteers served inQueens, repairing the home of a mother-in-law in need of one of the members of  a disciples.

MERCY Chicago, IL – Joe Chiappetta reported:

100 MERCY Ambassadors participated in two projects inChicago’s community.  In the first project, MERCY Ambassadors held a BBQ, played games and sang songs at a facility with people who suffer from developmental and psychiatric disabilities. A second group of MERCY Ambassadors teamed up with the organization, SHARE YOUR SOULS.  MERCY Ambassadors sorted, washed, bagged and dried old shoes that had been collected by this organization, before shipping them to the poor inAfrica. 

MERCY Phoenix, AZ – Rob Hamblin reported:

The day of Mercy inPhoenixwas inspirational! We had two opportunities to serve for the day. The first, starting at 6:15, 11 eager MERCY Ambassadors served with the Habitat for Humanity.  The two coats of paint we were tasked to apply on a home built for an economically challenged couple was completed by 11:30!  Another highlight of the day came when a woman who was serving with us came up and gave me her business card. She is an HR analyst for an organization that works with disabled people and said, “I would love for your group to send people to spend time with the disabled people we work with. You’re such a fun group!” 

In our other event we had 31 people go to the Mesa Cannery to package food for a food bank to feed the poor here inArizona. It was incredible to see the hard work and the joy of the disciples as they worked together in unity. In just an hour and a half we were able to package enough food for 8,150 meals! What an incredible day. It’s so encouraging to be a part of God’s kingdom and to know that our brothers and sisters throughout the world were experiencing the same joy of serving the poor for our Father in Heaven!

MERCY Charlotte, NC – Ben Eisenschmidt reported:

Our young 1-1/2 year old remnant Charlotte ICC had its first opportunity to participate in a MERCYworldwide event this year. We went to SaturnNursingRehabCenterto encourage the residents there with board games and fellowship. There were about 12 residents that greeted us with welcome eyes for our company and also got to sharpen their skills at checkers and other games with the MERCY Ambassadors. Laughing and chatter were rampant, and the time just seemed to fly by. We made many new friends and were given an open invitation to come back any time (Where will God take us with this new direction to reach out?). Bill taking an opportunity, set up to start a Bible Talk there with the residents and staff! We are excited and honored to be able to be unified with MERCY to extend open arms to a struggling world and carry out God’s dream to evangelize the world in a generation!

MERCY Syracuse, NY – Mike O’Donnell reported:

Our first stop is thevillageofElbridgeto help a couple from the Syracuse International Christian Church. The wife has had to have both of her hips replaced in the last year. With two young children, the husband filled the roleof dad, mom, caretaker and still look after the needs of the house. 20 MERCY Ambassadors pitched in to help clean the house, trim trees, build steps and do what ever was needed to help them get “caught up” on life!

Next we went to a library that serves a part ofSyracusewith a highly diverse population that is sometimes overlooked by other programs. 15 MERCY Ambassadors worked with young teens and preteens to create crafts for their dads. Once the kid saw the “green shirts” they knew that something special was about to happen.  One of the girls participating in the event gave her craft to one of our MERCY Ambassadors to thank her for working with her today.

Finally, we went to theNortheastCommunity Centerto work with a group of at risk teens. Although they meet at the Center regularly, there was much work to be done. Lead by 25 of our Campus and Single MERCY Ambassadors, the teens pitched in to clean up the grounds, do painting, construct some park benches and learn what it means to work together as a team! As a bonus, Steve Ranga, the Minister at the Syracuse International Christian Church, was able to spend the entire three hours with the director of the Center. After seeing what was being done, she asked that we arrange a regular time for the brothers to come and mentor the young men at the center.

God clearly has a plan for MERCY inSyracuse. We are excited to see what He will have us do next.

MERCY Orlando, FL – Anthony Eckels reported:

We had a great day of MERCY inOrlando.  We volunteered at theSalvationArmyIndependentLivingTowersin downtownOrlando.  We cleaned individual units on 15 floors of this facility where many poverty stricken elderly people live. The loneliness, neglect and abandonment of the elderly is devastating! These are some of the comments people said about MERCY!

Gloria, an elderly lady who we served by vacuuming her apartment said, “Thank you so much for visiting me.  I can’t drive or go anywhere, so I appreciate the company!  This was wonderful.

Eddie, an elderly man was served by the disciples cleaning his apartment.  He said, “This is the first time I’ve felt like people came in who really cared.  I sit around and wonder everyday if what I’m doing is right and if I’m saved.  Can you all study the Bible with me?”  The brothers prayed with him and are going to study the Bible with him.

Princess, an elderly lady was in tears in gratitude.  Eight disciples went in her apartment, which was barely livable and cleaned the kitchen, the toilet, took out garbage, and washed dishes. She tearfully said, “I’m so blessed that you were here.  Please come back!!!  Thank you sooo much!”

MERCY Honolulu, HI – Kyle Bartholomew reported:

This past Saturday about fifty MERCY Ambassadors gathered to volunteered at a local park run by Kama’aina kids.  This organization feeds over 10,000 less fortunate children a day here inOahu.  As a result of being short staffed, MERCY Ambassadors provided our service to clean up the premises of the park by doing, yard work, weed eating, and some carpentry.  Around the park there were sounds of joy and laughter as we all were encouraged and eager to support this cause.

MERCY International

MERCY Chenai, India – Raja Rajan reported:

The Day of Mercy was much awaited by the disciples as they were looking forward to meet the children at the Orphanage. The 19 disciples looked bright and Eco-friendly in their green T-shirts as we reached the Orphanage.  There are 25 children living in the orphanage called, ‘Hands that Care’.  Since we have been there quite often, they were overjoyed to see the known faces and were looking forward to the games.  We sang a few songs and then played their favourite games.  The most amazing incident was when we gave them the snacks. Even the youngest of them did not reach out for the food. Though we had prayed, they still sang their praise to God and together thanked God and only then did they start eating.  The youngest is a girl, 4 year old and the oldest is 14.  One of the girls, whose name is Thenmozhli, got up and prayed for all of us and our families.  Her prayer moved the hearts of all the disciples.  She is 14 years old.  She came to the Orphanage because her parents were not able to take care of her.  Her father met with an accident and had damaged his ribs.  He is alive but not able to do much. Her mom does labour work and gets paid on daily wages.  After many years, she went and met her parents this summer holidays.  She wants to become a teacher and go back to her village – to help many others like her.  The children in the Orphanage wake up at 4 in the morning, pray, have their devotion and then get ready to go to school.  Then the older kids help the younger ones to get ready.  They have nothing but their hearts were filled with joy.  We were challenged by their lives and returned home more grateful to God.

MERCY London – Michael Williamson reported:

What an impacting and memorable weekend for the London International Christian Church as we served one of the most famous Hostel’s inEurope!  “Arlington House” is situated in the heart ofLondon’s “art district”CamdenTown. The hostel was designed to provide clean and decent accommodation for 1,103 working men, who in that era,(1905), were often forced to stay in filthy and disease ridden common lodging houses.

One  ICOC brother studying to be restored, who was a former resident of the Hostel and joined to express his gratitude for the MERCY he received from Arlington House. The Hostel was blown away to see I am a living success story to come back to serve!
The disciples definitely rolled their sleeves up! We had a few IT professionals update computer workstations, several members hauled trash, cleared massive storage facilities,one task included sorting a garage sized room literally full of resident laundry and donation clothing (most of which was unclean). Since most of the individuals living there are homeless, plagued with mental illness, deformity, etc. A heart touching request byArlington was if there were any members that would be open to fellowship some of the residents in the common area. “No one wants to talk to people like us who are outcasts in society”. The director of the facility was in shock at our request to serve them. “The London International Christian Church is the first Church inEngland that’s volunteered to serve at our facility so you guys are “Trailblazers”. I retorted jokingly…did you say “Lakers”. He smiled and thanked us for serving! This weekend proved that it is definitely more blessed to give than receive! To God be all the Glory.

MERCY Santiago, Chile – Vic Gonzalez reported:

Our Day of Mercy started on with and awesome fast!!! Then Friday night  the ” Universitarios” teen and Campus students prepared  100 sandwiches ! At 6 am we warmed water then pack up and headed to the Vega Central where we served over a hundred Breakfast ! Gave them socks and had life Changing talks! This Morning at our service we had 8 of the people served at the Sunday worship service! And a few of them have agreed to study the Bible! 

MERCY Kiev, Ukraine – Oleg and Aliona Sirotkin reported:

We are grateful for the inspiration got from work and “Mercy” project  and happy to take example in our Lord.  This Friday we visited our city boarding school for blind children and told them of our willingness to support them as a church, to which they immediately responded with gratitude. We gave an ordinary pots (they use the old iron pans) for 150 students, organized  the reading materials for the blind, as well as organizing events and excursions . The whole church willingly donated money to buy everything they need for the kids and we are was happy to bring it to them , and we all look forward to the start of the academic year (since the holidays and now there are no children in boarding schools), to personally participate in the life of the orphanage and children.
MERCY Stockholm, Sweden – Trista Waern reported:

The Day of MERCY went off without a hitch here in Stockholm. We were a total of 13 disciples helping with the renovation and cleaning of Estniska Skolan, a pre-school of about 100 children. This school does not receive much financial government support and is also the place where we rent for our Sunday Services. We fixed holes in the wall, painted and cleaned the school yesterday. It turned out really well and looks awesome!
Kristin Kivi, a sister here in Stockholm, says: “The Day of MERCY was rewarding! It feels good to be able to give to those who need a little extra help. God is awesome because He always provides!”

Liz Penuela, one of our baby disciples attending her first Day of MERCY says: “As a family, it is important to work together as a team so that we can learn from God and from each other. I feel grateful because the school has given us space to worship and serve God and serve others and now, we had the chance to serve the school. It was great!

MERCY Curacao, Virgin Islands – Michael Hart reported:

We went to a complex of houses for elderly people. There are 11 homes. One of our sisters also lives there. Her name is Naty and she is 80 years old, she has been a disciple for over 14 years. 

We were a group of 8 disciples and we were all able to serve. Everyone had a special treat, one got their yard done, some manicure and pedicure, one got their windows cleaned, one gort her hair done, some just got some company, and they all got a bag of groceries. The disciples were super encouraged to serve and share their faith and we got a couple interested in coming to church and studying the Bible. To God be the glory.