Our library was updated and organized into a more user friendly environment. The book inventory went from approximately one thousand to over four thousand (a four-fold increase!) While restructuring the library, our attention was also on our students. An intensive effort was mobilized to give each one an informal reading inventory (IRI) assessment. During the fall of 2008 one hundred students from Pre-K to 4^th grade were tested, while in the summer of 2009 over one hundred and fifty students from Pre-K to 8^th grade were tested.

In our fall screening, we discovered a startling statistic: among the twenty-nine first graders that were tested, five were found to be on grade level and the other twenty-four below grade level. An intensive Phonics class was initiated as a result of our findings. This class has grown from seven to an average of twenty students per week. We have also included various enrichment activities such as chess, dancing, knitting and crocheting.

We have also seen significant parent participation. We have had two Family Reading Nights so far, one in the spring of 2009 and one in the fall of 2009. These events created a place and time for parents to come and participate in reading activities with their children. Like the saying, “a family that prays together stays together,” it is our hope that the family that reads together learns together. Our Family Reading Nights were both smashing successes, and it was great to see parents engaged in their children’s education.

The following is a sample of what students have said about the reading program at VOH:

Question: How has story time helped you?

1^st Grader: Ashley - “Sometimes there are words that I do not know. I ask what it means, and she tells me.”

3^rd Grader: Rafael - “It has helped me read better.”

4^th Grader: Raymond - “They help me learn words I never heard.”

Question: What do you like about the Saturday Program?

1^st Grader: Christian - “It is the best reading program I ever came to.”

2^nd Grader: Ashanti - “I like knitting a lot.”

2^nd Grader: Jamaya - “I love [the] volunteers [who] help me.”

This is what Catherine, a 2009 summer volunteer, said about the program:

“After two summers of work at the VOH library, I feel that I can make a change… I feel honored to have helped grow and make this… a better place for many children.”

So get Ready 2010 - Ready 2 Read!

In moments like these, I am thankful for God’s blessing, that I have a warm home to come home to, that my wife and children do not have to sit in temperatures like this all day. But this is not always true for everyone; many Dallas residents do not have adequate heating and utilities service to be able to make their home a comfortable place when the weather gets “frightful.”

A recent study of Dallas County school students found that 19% of kids age 5 to 13 were unsupervised after school. That’s almost 1 out of every 5! Inclement weather like we have today makes me wonder about these so-called “latch key” kids. Where are they going after school? Are they going home by themselves, or are they hanging out somewhere? Is where they are going warm and inviting or cold and lonely?

Voice of Hope and other Dallas area ministries and community centers are working hard to close the gap between after school service need and availability. For those of you who support our efforts, we thank you, and our parents, children, and community thank you.

For more information on our after school program, click here.

Not exactly the picture of a jolly old elf...

It turns out that someone is making a movie about the original Saint Nicholas, the bishop of Myra (an ancient Greek town located in modern-day Turkey), the man who is the original source of Santa Claus. The movie won’t be coming out until some time in 2010, but I was inspired to share the story ahead of time. And the story of the real man is 1000 times better than “A Night Before Christmas” and “Miracle On 34^th Street.”

Saint Nicholas was born around 270 AD in Patara, located in Asia Minor, which is the country of Turkey today. He was raised in a Christian home, at a time when practicing Christianity was illegal; but he lost both his parents to plague when he was still young (probably as a teenager.) Afterwards, he was encouraged by Jesus’ words to sell all and give to the poor and needy. He had a reputation, though, for giving secretly. On one occasion a poor man whose three daughters of marriageable age, lacking dowries, were in danger of being sold into slavery or prostitution. Nicholas, upon hearing of the family’s plight, secretly tossed three bags of gold through the window on three separate nights (one of the bags supposedly landing in either a stocking or a shoe.) On the third night he was caught by the father, who thanked him profusely. Nicholas pleaded with the man not to reveal his identity, but to instead thank and glorify God for His provision.

As a young man, Nicholas soon became a priest, and, on his return journey from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, ended up in a town called Myra, also in Asia Minor. When Nicholas came to the local church to worship, he was unanimously elected bishop by the priests of that congregation because of a dream they had received the night before. He served as bishop in Myra from then on, and was known as a good and zealous Christian leader, equally devoted to the truth of the Gospel and the practical application of God’s Word in service to others.

A couple years after the turn of the century, the Roman Emperor Diocletian began the most terrible campaign against Christians the world had yet known. Multitudes of Christians, particularly leaders, were imprisoned, tortured, and brutally murdered. Nicholas was one of these, and though he survived his imprisonment, he didn’t walk away from it without scars.

After the persecutions a new Emperor came to power – Constantine, who was to become the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. It was he who finally made it legal to be a Christian, and it was also he who called the first ecumenical council at Nicaea, where the controversy of the day was whether the teachings of a certain man named Arius were orthodox or heretical. Many lists of attendees at that council include Nicholas’s name. In fact, one legend has it that Nicholas became so enraged at Arius and his teaching that he slapped him in the face! At the end of the council, Arius’s doctrine was soundly condemned as heresy, and trinitarianism (that one God eternally exists in three persons) was defended.

When Nicholas died (December 6, 342), he was buried at Myra, and his remains stayed there until they were moved to Bari in Italy in 1087. There his body lay undisturbed until 1954, when his bones were exhumed and put on display for three years. At this time many measurements and x-ray pictures of his bones were taken. Modern day forensic scientists have reconstructed Nicholas’s face based on these measurements, which has resulted in the picture below.

If even a small portion of the legends about Saint Nicholas are true, has was truly an extraordinary man and a fine example of practical Christian living. May his life serve us as a model of being Christ-like at a time when his image (much changed over the years) is used more often to sell products and hazy idea of “the Christmas spirit” than to promote the true meaning of Christmas – the birth of Jesus the Savior.

(Most of the information I used to write this article, and more besides, can be found at www.stnicholascenter.org.)

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You've done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.

--Mary Fairchild

So how do we do that?

Let’s look at the context of that verse:

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

“Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:16 – 24, NIV)

I believe that Paul’s benediction in verses 23 and 24, where he prays for sanctification and purity of believers at Jesus’ coming, is the key to this passage. Paul’s words here are a prayer and a promise, and he assures us that “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” God’s purposes for us are not to shield us from all hardship, but to build us into a people who are sanctified, blameless, and fully prepared for the return of our Savior. And by His infinite power He has purposed to accomplish it, on that we can rely!

Elsewhere Paul makes this reasoning clear:

^“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Rom. 5:1 – 4, NIV.)

So we see that it is possible (and even a command) to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to rejoice and give thanks even in hardship, not because of the adverse circumstances themselves, but because of the end-goal, that is, our sanctification and preparation for eternity with the Lord.

So what are you thankful for this year?

Over 80 volunteers showed up to assist with the event with included 29 lawyers and 20 law students that gave their time and services to make a difference in a big way. After a long day, 53 West Dallas residents received wills.

"Partnering with Voice of Hope Ministries, Westmoreland Park and Ledbetter Gardens Neighborhood Associations, we were able to promote a safer, more stable neighborhood for generations to come through giving the residents of West Dallas assurance that their homes and personal assets will pass according to their wishes after they die. More importantly, we were able to use that platform to speak about the importance of being prepared spiritually for death and the assurance of salvation that can be received through Jesus Christ!" (Reid Porter)

So not only did West Dallas residents receive "free wills" through the services of ACT and VOH, they also excercised their "free will" to choose an enduring legacy for themselves and their posterity.

"Once again we went out to Lewisville all weekend, and did it. Won another trophy. I am proud of the team. These guys, who continue to show up, play and stay out of trouble. Doesn’t get better than this.

"Taking the young men in West Dallas to these sports tourneys gives them a chance to work hard for something, and keeps them off the streets during out of school times.

I have learned, 'A Good coach improves a players game, A Great coach improves a players life!'"

Here are some pictures form the event:

Voice of Hope has for a long while been a Member Agency with the North Texas Food Bank, and one of the programs we participate in is Kids Cafe, a hot meal program available to after school providers. Voice of Hope's after school implementation of Kids Cafe has grown to be the largest in North Texas, and this week we have moved to grow it even more, by partnering with a Neighbor, Mercy Street Dallas, to provide a hot meal to students who are participating in various after-school activities on their campus.

Voice of Hope and Mercy Street have long enjoyed a positive relationship, and this latest form of cooperation is another way for the two respective ministries to collaborate for the purpose of meeting the needs of students in the West Dallas community.

Voice of Hope has been able to make some solid improvements in its kitchen facilities over the past year, and partnering with other organizations such as Mercy Street is one way to utilize these facilities for greater ministry. Furthermore, this initiative will help the Food Bank to get a step closer towards their goal of making 50 million meals available annually by 2011. If this partnership continues to be a success, it could serve as a model for future opportunities to feed more kids in partnership with other organizations.

The best part of all this is that more members of our community are being served, and this is always a cause for rejoicing, especially in challenging economic times.

Chris’s Story

I am 17 years old and I attend Nimitz High School. I have been attending Voice of Hope for twelve years. I enjoy coming to Voice of Hope because I have fun and it’s a good place to meet people, besides for the streets. Last year I wrote in the cement and I broke a window at Voice of Hope wrestling with one of my friends. Mr. Franklin sat down with me and told me that he wanted me to go to this away camp for a week during the summer. I thought it was punishment, but that week that I went, I got saved. I gave my life to Jesus. I’ve been reading and studying the Bible for a year now. I go to Bible study each week and I’ve been participating in Friday Night Gym Lights with Coach Jerami. Coach Jerami really trusts me now too. He invites me places and he knows that I won’t get into any trouble. He couldn’t do that before. I am now passing all my classes. I will graduate next year. I want to play basketball and also study engineering in college. Voice of Hope helped me to get closer to Jesus. They keep me out of trouble and motivate me to do the right thing.

God is sovereign and his timing is perfect. After twelve years, Chris’s life was changed. His life was changed forever because of the compassion of volunteers, the gracious financial donations for our outreach events and generous scholarships for summer day camp.

Voice of Hope needs your support to help us to continue to transform lives. We receive no federal or state grants. Each dollar raised comes from individuals, churches and corporations. We ask that you prayerfully consider supporting Voice of Hope through one of the three options listed below:

1) Join our circle of friends by committing to donate at least $25 each month

2) A one time donation in the amount that God has put on your heart

3) Sponsor a child ($3000) to scholarship a child for the upcoming academic year.

I thank you in advance, for without the dedication of caring individuals it would be impossible to continue to provide the much needed, valuable services to our children and community.

But this is not the case at Hardies Fruit and Vegetable Company. Hardies and Voice of Hope have teamed up to form an excellent arrangement: the food Hardies has in inventory that is “homeless” is donated to Voice of Hope rather than disposed of. Since the warehouse is only a few miles from the Voice of Hope campus, it is a simple task for Voice of Hope to pick up the food and bring it back to the center, still fresh for use and distribution. This food is used both to provide salads and healthy side dishes for the daily meal in the ASPIRE After School and Summer Day Camp programs, and it is also given out to members of the community who would not otherwise have ready access to fresh produce.

One organization’s excess inventory problem is another organization’s community service solution. The bottom line? People’s needs are met - with no need for a fundraiser!

Question: What excess skills, services, and goods does your place of work (or you individually) have access to that could be of direct benefit to a charity in your community?

Congratulations Reuben!

Freedom is expensive. People labor for it. People sweat for it. People bleed for it. And even once it is attained, it can still take a while before we are living in the fullness of what it means to be free.

The date: July 4^th. The year: 1776. The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress of the original 13 British colonies that were to become the United States of America. War lasted another 7 years before the colonies were freed from their oppressors.

The date: June 19^th. The year: 1865. This was a full two and a half years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation (September 22, 1862.) It required the conclusion of another bloody and heartbreaking war for the reality of emancipation to finally be realized and the rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence to begin to be extended to all.

Freedom is precious. It is a gift where so often someone must die so that others might appropriate it. And often the greatest tragedy is when those of us who enjoy the benefits of freedom forget the sacrifice that was necessary to attain it for us.

The day: The Jewish Passover in Jerusalem. The Year: about 2000 years ago. Someone very precious, the Man who was also God, was brutally beaten and staked to a pole like a common criminal. A war was fought that day, but the odds were clearly in favor of the Victor; blood was shed, and a new and most holy Declaration of Independence was issued that day by the very words “It is Finished.”

The day: I don’t even remember. The year: probably some time in 1982 or ‘83, or so my parents tell me. It took a couple millennia and 7 years for that most profound of Declarations of Independence to be realized in my life. That’s when the war really began – but it is a war that I will win, because ultimately it is not I who fight it, but a higher Power mysteriously working in and through me.

Thank God for freedom. Yes, thank God for it – it is expensive, it is precious, it is…

…the greatest gift in the world. Let us not forget.

God Bless you this Independence Day!