The Wingard Home Blog

 TO ALL WHO PRAY FOR & SUPPORT THIS MINISTRY:

I would like to report to you that our accountant has brought us up to compliance on the new laws governing 501-C-3’s and we have filed our 990 forms for ‘06/’07, ‘08, and ‘09. We had previously gotten an extension and now should be in great shape. We are blessed to have the fine folks at Stribling and Associates ( Mr. James Earnest and Mr. Jake Heard) working to help us keep our accounting up-to-date.

Not including day care and pre-school, we had 3 elementary, 4 middle, and 4 high school to start school on Monday. We sincerely thank all of you who gave school supplies and gift cards for uniforms so the children of Wingard Home could start school with proper clothing and adequate supplies. You are some real heroes to all these young ones here. I explained to one little girl here that Jesus just sent things through some nice people…..and she curtly replied right back to me, ” but they don’t even know us and they helped us anyway??”

Clearly! that child summed it all up for all of us, because that’s just what God said for us to do….to love our neighbor as ourselves!

Bills are due on several utility accounts so we are needing your help to get these paid…….

1)     through collective donations,

2)     prayer for folks who can help to be receptive to the needs of the homeless,

3)     or,  just by telling others about our needs and spreading the word.

ENTERGY….$2,170.28

PHONES……$  472.16

HOME DEPOT….(BUILDING SUPPLIES & MAINTENANCE & GROUNDS MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES) …..$2,472.79

We do have a smaller household needs list of things that we use every day. Please feel free to call my cell for questions or updates….601-906-1976

NEEDS LIST FOR WINGARD HOME

• TUNA
• RAMEN NOODLES
• MAC & CHEESE
• OIL FOR FRYING, SPRAY FOR PANS, & OLIVE OIL FOR DRESSINGS
• COFFEE CREAMER
• SUGAR
• COFFEE
• FIGS- IF ANYONE HAS EXTRA ON THEIR TREES
• HEALTHY DRINKS FOR THE CHILDREN AFTER SCHOOL
• SALAD DRESSINGS & BANANA PEPPER RINGS & BACON BITS & CROUTONS (THINGS THAT ENCOURAGE KIDS TO EAT HEALTHY SALADS)
•     CLEANING SUPPLIES……..ESPECIALLY BLEACH
•     DISHWASHING LIQUID (we wash dishes by hand)
•     PERSONAL CARE SUPPLIES
•     PRESSURE WASHER
•     ELECTRIC OR BATTERY HAND TOOLS….SOME OF OURS WERE STOLEN
•     SHOP VAC
•             
• A MINI VAN THAT RUNS WELL AND WILL CARRY WOMEN AND CHILDREN SAFELY
•            
•  MAIN HOUSE AIR SYSTEM MUST BE REPLACED—WE NEED THIS BADLY!!!!
•            
•  WE DESPERATELY NEED SOMEONE TO FIX THE COOLER UNIT AND THE FREEZER UNIT ON OUR WALK-IN COOLER AND FREEZER! THEY ARE STILL NOT WORKING SINCE KROGER DONATED THEM AND WE BADLY NEED OUR COOLER AND FREEZER.

Please remember that we are totally available to come to your church, club, or company meetings and speak about the ministry, our job in the community and how you can help. It is always easier to know HOW to help if you can ask direct questions and get immediate answers. Just call to arrange a time for us to come to you…..601-906-1976.

On our website is a “donate now” button where you can make secure online donations. You can also arrange on this service to have a monthly donation sent to this ministry and you don’t have to remember to fill out a check every month.

We are extremely grateful for any help you feel led to provide. We are right here …..24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and will continue to serve, assist, and house the homeless and needy until God tells us different.

I am Charlotte Wingard and I am running with the King!

Thanks go out to all of you awesome prayer warriors who have been praying for our Kroger pick-up (see last post) ……we have our Kroger back. We were two long weeks without the everyday bread, dairy products, grocery dry goods and the meat that we had come to depend on from our Kroger pick-up four times a week.

However, God moved in a mighty way and delivered the pick-up back to us and now we pick-up 6 times a week and it is just AWESOME, OVER AND ABOVE….MULTIPLIED! WITH OUR CUP RUNNING OVER! God is not a half-way God and He is not a God of lack and He has never left the rightous forsaken nor begging bread ( or dairy, or groceries, or meat!) We are so grateful and blessed to have the finest grocery store on the planet in our corner. Kroger really cares about the community they serve and they prove it by being involved.

Please know that we still need your prayers as we are already in out “slow” time of the year as far as financial support. We have in the neighborhood of 6 thousand dollars worth of utility and operating expense payments due for June and there is about a thousand dollars in the ministry account at this writing. I do not say this to whine or beg…..I want you to be informed so you are in line for an opportunity to be a blessing and not to miss out on being able to lend a helping hand to folks in need. We are asking for tools to do this job. You can easily go to our “donate- now” button on our site and help right now. We appreciate your help and will continue to do the work here as long as God has those tools in place through good folks like YOU!

Please visit Charlotte or Roy on Facebook, too! We are excited about the opportunities to make new friends and have you keep up with the everyday goings on here at Wingard from a little bit more personal viewpoint.

Please send me a friend request to    http://www.facebook.com/charlottewingard

OR  http://www.facebook.com/rwingard

Since this ministry came to the Jackson area in 1990, we have been picking up the day-old bread and out-of-date dairy products from the Kroger store on County Line Road. This was a great thing for our home, because we house up to 42 people who are given three meals a day and snacks.

This adds up to 126 meals a day….give or take a few.

Not only are we able to feed the ministry, but we are also able to share our excess from Kroger with the daycare who is so kind to our young working mothers. We are also able to trade excess bread from Kroger for produce from local farmers in the spring and summer…..when we so desperately need  fruits & vegetables. We have been the best stewards we know how to and have used every usable part of the products we picked up from Kroger.

TODAY, we were told that we can no longer pick up from the Kroger on County Line in Ridgeland (or any other Kroger) because the regional manager gave our store to the organization that picks up at all the other Krogers in this area.

Now, we are seeking guidance on what to do because we will no longer have the bread, meat, milk, cheese, (and all the other wonderful things found in the dairy section of the store), the bakery products, the post-seasonal items, chips, snack cakes, and all the other things that we picked up every week day at the back door of our one wonderful Kroger store.

No one told us that we did anything wrong…..we just cannot pick-up because a mega-organization in this city thought they had to have our one little store to be complete, I guess!

Mississippi Food Network does not fit into our budget, because we do not have X-amount of dollars to spend on food and products every week and their inventory cost a certain amount per pound. We just do not know what to do at this point except pray and believe God for miracles.

I am making you all aware of the problem, so you can believe with us, pray for us, and, if you know any connections or have any ideas, please contact us so we have some direction. One of my main witnesses tools in this ministry is the fact that God feeds this home through people who care….we don’t need or want food stamps (EBT) cards here. The folks who live here see God supplying needs every day in this ministry. Kroger has been so good to us through that one little store for all these years and we do not know why Chuck Head made the decision or why Gleaners wanted one more store when they had so many, but God is in charge and…….

 I’ll just run with the King if you don’t mind!

601-906-1976

That’s what we’re talkin’ ’bout, COWBOY!!

A couple of months ago, Wingard Home was presented the awesome opportunity to purchase Horse Haven (in Jackson at the corner of McCluer and Henderson Road). This is SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY because the price is far below appraisal and the place is fully functional and already set up as a dude ranch. It is 44 acres of country “heaven” inside the city limits and falls under a “special use” ruling that allows for the riding, roping, rodeos, and farm animals. This will allow us unlimited ministry opportunities and possibilities for helping all types of children and teens. We are so excited, too, that this property is only minutes from the downtown area where our main ministry campus is located.

The deal is for all 44 acres @ $6,795.45  per acre which comes to $ 299,000.00! Now! Just the land alone is worth more than that…….but, the land has 4 ponds, a flowing brook, 3 barns, riding arena (lighted with announcers stand & concession area & bleachers), round pen, wash racks, large party room, and a three bedroom house in good condition!

Our vision for the Trinity Acres Ranch (as we have already given it a name) is MINISTRY!

PHOTOS OF THE RANCH AS IT IS RIGHT NOW!

Please tell everyone you know who wants to invest in the life and well-being of a child. We have about a month to produce enough money to purchase the property…….NO! we are not going to apply for one of those “easy” government grants! We do not accept monies from city, state, or federal programs. We do accept private donations, private foundation’s gifts, and support from groups, individuals, corporations, and churches. God’s got an army out there and we just have to believe and have F A I T H. We are going to “stick our foot in the water” and stand in awe as God “parts the Red Sea!”

Roy Wingard is walking (sometimes, with a cane, sometimes, without) but walking, none-the-less! Can we talk..about miracles…about an awesome and loving God….about the power of prayers cried out to God in behalf of Roy’s healing, our family’s strength, and the ministry as a whole…can we talk about Jesus? We are standing in complete awe of the mighty God we serve in this dark and hurtful world. ” Bless the Lord, Oh! my soul! and all that is within me praise His Holy name!”

We are blessed and have such a spirit of graditude for all of you who lifted us up in your prayers, all of you who visited Roy in the hospital, all of you who lended a hand to me when the work got to be more than I could handle, all of you who contributed to the ministry account to help with the added expenses, all of you who continued to support the ministry even when your times got hard, too….’cause you knew you were serving God by being faithful.

We are doing fine….and the ministry is doing fine! In the Word is a verse that says   “Yea! though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me!….” God is so faithful!

You will be shortly hearing of all the awesome things going on here at the Wingard Home (God’s little Spiritual Hospital on West Street) . For the next couple of weeks I will be working very hard to get out all the tax deductible receipts from 2009 so folks can get their taxes filed out. I am already running behind on this so I pray that all of you will be patient for a few more days and call me if you need something from me on this and have not received it yet. My office phone is 601-355-9589 and my cell is 601-906-1976.

http://www.mc.edu/about/offices/public_relations/news/?story=1314

Click on the link above to see the wonderful story about our recent Christmas trip to Mississippi College!

 To all Friends and Supporters of the Wingard Home,

CAUSE AND EFFECT:

Most of you have probably already heard about Roy’s horrible accident on November 3rd. As we are entering an incredibly busy time of the year for this ministry, suddenly we are thrust into a spiral of ambulance, trauma unit, hospital stays and two surgeries so far. We are now waiting on the all-clear for the third surgery. We are blessed to have had Christian friends and supporters who have been praying without ceasing. Miracles! are what we are seeing!

OPPORTUNITY TO HELP:

As we go through the just-before-December slump every year, we have to do a little shaking of the bushes to raise the extra support. This year, because of Roy’s accident I have not been “at full capacity” to make folks aware…….that we are getting seriously behind.

 We have close to $ 5,250.00 in bills for the month of November and only  $1,000 in the bank.

To quote a friend of ours from a local church ” there are goods folks out here who are willing and able to help, but you have to let them know where the need is!”

ON TASK: 

As far as the ministry is concerned, we are still running as usual- taking people in, making pick-ups, counseling, doing the interviews for the Christmas Festival and having Chapel four times a week! Supper is prepared every day for 40 people. We have on-going projects and are still in need of volunteers. We are full-steam-ahead with the big Christmas Festival for the hundreds of needy children.

WE ARE BLESSED:

Roy has round-the-clock care here at the ministry because of God bringing us an awesome nurse named Joe and a volunteer ministry intern named Amanda who is working in the kitchen and food pantry. Our children have been wonderful helpers through this whole ordeal and I, personally, am leaning on Jesus and one of my favorite scriptures- “Not by might, not by power, but, by my Spirit, says the Lord.” I have no idea how anyone could survive the trauma this family has been through the past two weeks without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ……I could NOT do this without God in our life!!

We love you all and thank-you for your prayers and support in the past: we pray you choose to continue.

Love in Christ,

Charlotte Wingard and family 

I am just now getting to the blog to input information, but have established a web page on a “medical emergency” type service called “caring bridge”. I just wanted to let you all know if you want to know how to direct your prayers and check up on Roy’s condition, then you can check the web link I have below and get that information. I need shortcuts and time savers right now, because I am having to be “me” and Roy right here at our very busy Christmas season and it has definitely been an experience s far. God is in charge and He is so good and merciful….we are just blessed to have Roy still with us and wamt you all to keep praying and believing for miracles with us. The web site is:http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/roywingard

Thank-you for your support and  your prayers,

Charlotte, Wingard Children, and all of Wingard Home

Next Monday, November 2, our Christmas assistance flyers will begin to go out to strageic areas all over central Mississippi. Our prayer- that we would be led by the Holy Spirit to the families MOST in-need this Christmas Season. We love to be able to help the children of families who are really trying to help themselves, but just need a helping hand this year.

We also have a brochure that explains the Christmas Programs and details the ways you can help. We are truly excited about the many opportunities for  blessings this year and invite you to join us as we minister this Christmas.christmas-brochure-09.pdf

I must tell you about an awesome printing company in the metro area (located in Flowood,Ms): Harvey Dallas Printing Co. ! If you ever want to get a job done and get it done right, then they are the company for you! I am so impressed by their professional attitude…..and they are “techno awesome” !

They did an awesome job for this ministry…..thousands of Christmas Festival Flyers will go out to the Rankin County Schools this week in order to reach the families there who need assistance…….and Harvey Dallas made that possible. Check them out at the link below. I think when you find something wonderful, you should share it:

www.harveydallasprinting.com

Last week, we signed papers on the house adjoining our property on the South side. We have fondly dubbed it “the house next door”. Yesterday (Saturday, 10/24) a precious group of young people and their leaders from Lakeside Presbyterian Church showed up at Wingard Home and helped us clear a great deal of the debris, weeds, and over-grown bushes and trees from the yard. We were able to walk through the house and pray over it and annoint it to God’s work. We are so excited to be blessed with opportunities to serve in this ministry!

Please don’t forget that this is certainly a team effort and we need you now more than ever before. The first thing we need is a prayer covering…….please prayer warriors, lift this ministry, the city of Jackson, and this missionary family up in prayer without ceasing.

The second thing we need is your talents, your time, and your professional expertise. In other words, come spend a little volunteer time at the Home and ministry campus.  Let God use you to bless the homeless, battered, and displaced by helping this ministry serve them better and more effectively.  It will take all of us working together to get this house up to code and ready to use for the Kingdom.

The third thing we need is for you to pray about what God would have you do to contribute to the funds for the fence (which is step 1) and for materials and supplies to get the house fixed back up. If God has been tugging on your heart to get involved and you are looking for a place to contribute, then check us out and do what God says do.

We took photos on Saturday and will take more for you to see as the work continues…….we will be glad to give you a tour around the place if you want to come visit. We will be excited to have you visit and you will, without a doubt, catch the vision while you are here.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=117668&id=530478890&l=47ba727b8d

This link above will take you to the photo section of my face book so you can view the photos from the house next door.

Be blessed, Charlotte

Wingard Home has been plagued for the last month with lots of viruses, flu, and strep throat. We are quite sure that we are not the only ones who have been fighting this fall flu season. Many of the schools in the area have had the same thing going on. We are “seeing daylight” and are praising God for the victory. As I catch up on my paper and “cyber” work, you will notice the Christmas plans and projects being posted and just in time, I might add.

Thank-you for all of your prayers through our tough times. I will be getting a “total ministry update” to you all in the next few days.

November Projects include some of the following suggestions: 

1) The House Next Door: We have recently obtained a two story house that adjoins the ministry property on the south side of the Chapel. The house must be cleaned out, stripping out the bad wood, sheetrock, etc and renovated according to code. There is a 10 foot wrought iron fence that has to be cut, dug-up and rerun on the opposite side of the house. Talents needed are electrical, carpentry, demolition, painting, sheet rock mudding, general clean-up, plumbing, HVAC, fencing, welding, tree removal, insulating, and flooring. There will also have to be some minor ground moving of the surrounding yard– filling in the low areas and pushing down the high places – landscaping. We would like to finish the house up with vinyl siding and a metal roof – talents in roofing & siding.

2) We have a small playground started, but would like to add to the chil dren’s area with lots of physical play options. The keyword with this pro- ject is “sturdy” to the point of being virtually indestructible. The project would involve planning, producing, and implementing the play areas. In the photo is what we have so far– our population has included up to 26 children at one time….so you can see why this is not sufficient.

3) We have an ongoing project in the men’s dorm that will include some carpentry, sheet rock mudding and sanding, and painting (cut-in & rolling) to finish up the men’s dorms and the family dorms. 4) We have an unfinished library in the commons area of the ministry. The completion of this area will require two different types of labor.a) Carpenter to raise the front entrance door, level the floor, and finish around the inside entrance

b) Flooring talents to lay the plywood, backer board, a wood floor

c) The other project talent in the library area, would be to gather some bean bags or juvenile type seating so the children are drawn to the library area. We want someone to take on the task of making the library area bright, inviting, and user friendly to children, teens and adults in the Home. This will involve talents in interior design & decorating, and organizational skills.

5) Tear Down & Replace a Barrier Wall: The old decaying crossties on the North side of the ministry propertyact as a barrier wall to keep the yard and fence from eroding into the street. This whole area needs to be redone (removing the rotten crossties and replacing them with landscape stones, concrete and rebar, or crossties in good shape)

6) Cook A Meal: We serve supper every night at the ministry. We prepare for 40 people and serve at 6 p.m. On Sunday, we serve at 5 p.m. and have church at 6. You can split up a pre-determined menu and cook things separately at your homes (like you would a “church social”); then all bring the meal to the ministry and serve the meal, eat with us, and clean up the kitchen afterward. -OR– Bring the things you prepared and leave them for us to serve. –OR– Bring the things you prepared, serve, eat with us, and then have a short chapel with us. The sky is the limit! You could even bring ingredients for whatever you plan to serve and come together as a group in our kitchen to prepare the meal.

7) Adopt A Dorm Room: We are almost ready to move the men back into the renovated men’s dorm and need groups who are interested in supplying bunkbeds (man size metal), mattresses, twin sheets and comforters, heavy-duty chests of drawers, footlockers for shoes (and other such items), and pillows. We will also need the same for two rooms in the women’s area (only in “feminine” color scheme) & no footlockers. If you want to throw in some color-coordinated towels & wash cloths– we will count our extra blessings.

Christmas: At Christmas, we do all sorts of “extra” stuff for the children and less-fortunate families of the tri-county area. We strive the reach the folks who are not able to get help from anyone else, because of their situation. I am enclosing a Christmas brochure with this mailing to give you an idea of how these projects would have a lasting effect on this area’s needs. 9) Anytime Volunteers: An inner city ministry like this has many, many different opportunities for you to help. We welcome you to set up time slots in your schedules that would be best for you and reserve that time with us. Whether it is an hour, or several hours: once or twice a week or once a month, you will be able to touch so many lives for the better during the time you spend here as a volunteer. The tasks include everything from minor “fix-up” to raking leaves: examples are washing dishes, organizing food pantry, sorting donations, painting, baby sitting, tutoring, reading books to children, cleaning, doing office work,……..and the list goes on and on.10) Take on an Apprentice or Student: If you have a talent or a trade that you could share, then share it with one of the folks here at the ministry. For instance, singing, playing an instrument, welding, knitting, drawing, painting, dance, etc. are all talents or trades that you could share.

11) Organic Garden: We really need someone to come and build and set up a compost area and oversee it. We always have a need for herbs, fruits and vegetables. A lots of time folks will give us fruit & veggies that have rot mixed in with the good. We could keep the good and place the bad in a compost heap.

12) Birthday Volunteers: Here at the ministry, we try to make birthdays a very special time (especially for the children). If we could have some volunteers to be on standby, we could present a list of all the birthdays for the upcoming month and then count on you to come and bring the party with you. That would mean, bring the cake, ice cream, treats, gifts, or whatever you will. Making folks feel special in times of trouble is a very necessary part of the healing process.

13) Do A Drive Or Scavenger Hunt for Supplies: All the things that we use to help folks with come from folks like yourselves. Some examples of fun and helpful drives include: cleaning supplies; canned food; cereals and breakfast foods; personal hygiene; men & women’s underwear & socks; laundry supplies; winter coats, hats, and gloves; feminine hygiene and beauty supplies; or bedding supplies.

14) Thanksgiving: The season of parties and get togethers is upon us and what better way to help someone and share your favorite family holiday recipe, than to sponsor Thanksgiving Dinner for the home. When you are baking all those special treats, entrees, and sides for your Thanksgiving table, just make an extra for the ministry’s Thanksgiving table. These folks won’t be going home or to grandma’s house for the holidays, because for most, this will be their home and family until they can get back on their feet.

 To All Supporters & Prayer Warriors:

Some of you have asked me for an update on the “house next door” and other projects and goings-on in the ministry. The summer has been so busy and with back-to-back projects and programs and people needing help - more than ever in our entire 21 years in ministry, we have not been in the office very much. We are so blessed to have you all praying and supporting and I personally ask you to forgive my slow response time in some areas.

The house next door is still there and depreciating by the week as vagrants and drug addicts filter in and out of the broken windows. We were able to gather 16,000 dollars (it was 19 thousand, but one lady who gave 3 thousand told us to put the money where most needed, so we moved it from the “house next door” fund to the “pay the high utility bills” fund). Mark Samsell refuses to take what we have gathered for the house, so we are holding the other until God tells us what to do. If Mark sells the house to someone else in the meanwhile, then we will return the 16 thousand to all you good folks who gave toward the purchase.

During the summer, Mr. A Joseph donated 4 single-dwelling houses to the ministry. They all have minor fix-up issues but are in the Farrish Street Historic District. Three of them are beside the Bethlehem Center and the other one is on Cohea Street, right around the corner. Pray for us to find and follow God’s purpose for these houses. We offered them to Mark Samsell as an even trade for the “house next door” but he wants all four houses and the 19 thousand dollars…..God laid a definite NO! on my heart for that deal. 

Last month, a three bedroom house was donated to the ministry. It is a single family dwelling in the McDowell/ Terry Rd. area near I-55. The house needs some assorted repairs and a lot of cleaning and painting. It would be a beautiful starter house for someone or a great ministry house. It is a project waiting to happen and a grand opportunity for a blessing.

 On and off all year, we have had the Crossgates Baptist church (Hands of Hope Ministry) coming over as they could and working on our men’s / family dormitory. They are very-much-sought-after so we are more than blessed that God assigned them here for this project. They are truly miracle-workers!! 

Some of you have asked about a way to give monthly to ministry so you would not have to remember to write a check every month. It never occurred to me to tell you that our web site has a ” donate now” button on it and on that service, you can choose to have groundspring automatically deduct whatever you choose to give each month. I copied the statement below from our website and present it to you so you will know. Our web address is    www.wingardhome.org     & then click on the “donate now” command.

    ”If you select “I want to make a recurring donation”, you will be registering to make a credit card donation every month, 3 months, or year. After you complete this initial donation, future donations will be made automatically. For example, if you choose to make a recurring monthly donation of $10.00, your next donation of $10.00 will be automatically charged to your account one month from today.

    You will receive an email receipt for each recurring donation with a link to the site where you can login and change your donation options (amount, frequency, billing information, etc.) at any time. Of course, you will also be able to cancel your recurring donation at any point in the future.”

 Thank-you! is not enough of a word to express our gratitude so we will continue to serve God through this ministry and ask Him to thank-you for us. We are humbled and totally blessed by your faithful support, your prayers, and your encouraging words.

Charlotte Wingard

In the hot Atlanta summer of 1988, we were homeless! We found refuge in the Quinn House in Lawrenceville Georgia. Since we are , in a manner of speaking, alumni of the Quinn House program, we are quite proud of their ministry and accomplishments.

When I saw their testimonial video on You Tube, I was taken back to the time we lived at Quinn House and how very much we came to love John & Carrol Quinn. They have both gone to be with Jesus now, but the awesome lives they led and all the folks they helped and led to Christ…….that still lives! Gene Brinkley and his staff are carrying on in glorious Quinn House style and we are so proud of their dedication to carry the torch.

Roy and I are products of their ministry success. In that spirit, we would love to give a “shout-out!” to the wonderful folks at the Quinn House and to say “Thank-you God”!  that they took us in when we were homeless. That spirit of loving and giving is still alive and well in Jackson, Mississippi and in Carthage, Mississippi because God worked through John & Carrol Quinn and changed our lives FOREVER.

Quinn House Testimonial

 22 But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like to a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and straightway forgets what manner of man he was. 25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.   James 1: 22-25

I received a phone call this morning from a dear friend, “John Wayne” Blough in Brandon, MS. If any of you have read materials on our web site, you will know that Wayne and his family helped us with our son, Marcus. By help, I mean that I started taking Marcus out to Hilltop Painted Acres in Brandon, MS when he was only 11 to be trained in the “ways of the cowboys”. Wayne and his family are Christian folk and taught Marcus from the Bible, using the Word of God as a teaching tool for riding, caring for the horses, and roping. Our son was at an age in his life where he refused instruction from us, his parents- even though we are both ministers! But, he would receive from his cowboy friend and now, his life is changed forever because God used Wayne Blough and his C.O.W.B.O.Y.S. ministry to mentor Marcus. I tell you that to tell you this……..

Sometimes, we get so busy with “life” taking care of the stuff like working a job to provide a living for our family and getting through the “rearing children” and paying for their needs, that we put our “callings from God” on the back burner. Sometmes, we just can’t see a way to do what we are called to do and take care of our family too. That is basically what Wayne was telling me this morning, but God has spoken to him in the past few days- spoken in a “burning bush- thunder and lightening” sort of way. Wayne has a non-profit called the C.O.W.B.O.Y.S. inc and God has definitely given him a detailed plan on putting this back as a priority in his life.

Wayne has a burden in his heart for homeless and abused children……God has a plan……BRING BACK HILLTOP PAINTED ACRES!!!! Wayne and his family are sitting on the “promised land” and Hilltop Painted Acres WILL be again……because God said so!!! Get on board and be a part of the miracle that God is performing in Brandon Mississippi. Do it because it is the right thing to do and because it is for the children. We know his program works, because Wayne has always welcomed and helped the homeless children from our ministry; and, of course, he helped Marcus.

Click on this link to photo show

On Saturday, May 30, 2009 (just the other day) our ministry campus in downtown Jackson was buzzing with almost a dozen Wal Mart Associates…….most were the Asset Protection Associates from Richland, Flowood, Vicksburg, Hazelhurst, Highway 18, Clinton, and Brookhaven. They came armed with gloves, yard tools, woodworking tools, flowers, sand, soil, BIG SMILES, and such servant’s hearts. They spent the better part of the day with us on Saturday and accomplished a ton of “yard stuff” that badly needed to be done ( including the hanging of “old Glory” after repairing the flag pole) !!

Praise the Lord for Wal Mart !!!! Please watch the slide show and be blessed.

WalMart Photo Show

To up-date you all on the progress at the Wingard Home Main Campus, we are very soon to finish up all the work in the dining hall and kitchen of the main house. We now have ready a list of supplies needed before we can begin to go to work on the men’s dorm bathroom and laundry area. We have closed the men’s area and moved the male residents remaining into 1/2 of the women’s dorm.

We need to move as quickly as possible with this project, because we are 10 beds short as long as the dorm is closed. Please look at the list below to see if you can help:

Please forward this list to others if you would like……we desperately need the supplies before we can start this phase of our renovations:

3    2 x 6 x 16 treated wood

9    4 x 4 x 8    treated wood

2    boxes of 16 penny nails

9    80 lb. concrete mix

53    green board  4 x 8 x 1/2   (or yellow)

22    2 x 6 x 8  spruce boards

12    2 x 6 x 8  treated

48    2 x 4 x 8  spruce boards

60    2 x 4  spruce studs

12    2 x 4 x 8  treated

4     2 x 4 x 16  treated 

4     1 x 8 x 10  treated   

4     2 x 4 x 16  spruce

4     2 x 6 x 16  spruce

4     2 x 6 x 10  spruce

4     1 x 6 x 12  spruce

16    1 x 6 x 8   spruce

15    4 x 8  T/G 3/4″  Flooring Plywood

20    3 x 5  #500 Hardie Backer Board

8     4 x 8 x 1/2″  blue insulation board

12    4 x 8 x 1/2″   silver insulation board

2    shower floor pans  5′ x 5′ rubber

1    roll  12-2  electric wire (250 ft.)

1    box of wire nuts (red)

1    box wire nuts  (yellow)

5    5 lb. boxes of sheet rock nails

2    5 lb. boxes of sheet rock screws    

1     toilet    

1     urinal

2     32″ interior door units

2     rolls sheet rock tape

2     5 gal buckets of sheet rock mud

2    5 lb. boxes 16-P nails/ sinkers

2    5 lb. boxes 12-P nails/ sinkers

1    5 lb. box 8-P nails/ sinkers

1     5 lb. box 12-P nails/ casing

2     bathroom vent fans

4     florescent light fixtures 3′ with cover

11     light switches

7     switch cover (single)

2     switch cover (double)

1    case of Alex Plus Caulk

1     Heavy Duty Washing Machine

1     Heavy Duty Clothes Dryer

* Please be in agreement with us that God will provide the materials or the resources for the materials….in all things, let us Praise God!

With Great Expectations,

Charlotte Wingard

601-906-1976

In Jesus Name!

Charlotte Wingard

Please! If you are in the Jackson, MS area anywhere and hear of, know of, or HAVE job openings where you are, please e-mail or call me. We need your help in getting these folks who live at Wingard Home employed. They are clean, sober, and well dressed individuals who have fallen into dire straits and are quite capable of working to get themselves out of homelessness if they could just have a chance. This is your opportunity to bless someone and help them get back on their feet.

What is that old saying??? ” Don’t just give someone a fish, but, instead, teach them HOW to fish……in doing this, you have really done them the greatest of service. We do not teach our folks how to get on public welfare, food stamps, and government “giveaways”; but, instead, we give them job counseling and assist them in getting interviews for good jobs. Then, we teach them how to save and spend money when they do start working. All they need is a chance to get employed.

My e-mail is wwjdcaw@aol.com

My phone # is 601-906-1976 ……..please help!

Serving with great expectations,

Charlotte Wingard

Thank-you’s go out once more to the Morgan Foundation ……this time, for the money to provide our main house on West Street with a fine metal roof. We had so many leaks that we did not have enought pots to catch the water: and now we have NO LEAKS !!!!  Don Sebren of Sebren’s Home Improvements gave us an awesome price on the roof and since we know him personally (he is also the youth pastor at Castlewoods Baptist Church) we KNOW that he is a man of integrity and sound Christian values. I always love doing business with one of God’s people.

Mr. Joel Price, of Southeastern Wood Products Co. brought a crew of his men and fixed the sagging ceilings in the main house of the West Street property. Thank God for Mr. Joel and his heart for the Lord. I tell you the truth, when his men told him about the severity of the situation at the house and let him know it was going to be a lot more trouble than expected to get it fixed, they had already told me that they did not think he was going to go for the fix-up project after that. Mr. Joel simply looked at them, once he heard their report, and said, “What do I think? Well, I think it is a wonderful opportunity to be a blessing!” What a man of God!!

We have so many projects going on here at the Ministry….and they are all going on at the same time, it seems. There are numerous opportunities for you to come over and use your talents to keep this place maintenanced. Joe Drake, from Pine Lake Baptist Church has also done extensive work on the entire property, as have Paul Atkins, and Darryl Thurman. God’s got an army, folks…..please remember these men in your prayers.

 We are still gathering money for the house next door and need you all to pray for the owners so that their hearts would soften toward this ministry. At present, we have gathered approximately 19,000 of the 39,000 they are asking. We are believing God that they will cut that price down some more.

More later and some photos of the roof will soon be on the blog.