The Wingard Home Blog

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 

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

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.

We have a Christmas program in it’s 19th year of existence. It is the HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS! FESTIVAL. Through God’s guidance, we comb the surrounding communities and find children who are very much in need of things for Christmas. Now, I say things because, sometimes the three Christmas wishes we ask the children for consist of clothing, homework supplies, warm bedding, personal care items…….in other words, necessities! There are toy and bike wishes, too ….and skates, skateboards, CD players, etc.

We target the children or grandchildren of working parents or grandparents. The people our ministry helps (through you, of course) are the folks who are trying to provide and are just temporarily in dire straits. In other words, trying to work a start-up job and attend school to do better for themselves OR grandparents who are still working a little or are disabled and trying to support a household full of grandchildren in order to keep them in the family. We go to the home and meet and talk to the parent, interview the children and find out what their Christmas wishes are and then invite them as special guests to the big party for baby Jesus. We find special needs all the time by doing this …….like children without proper bedding, homes with no furniture, homes needing heat or air. We are so moved by the Christmas wishes we see from the children, that this is our most passionate time of the year.

We have grand opportunities to show the love of Jesus Christ at this time of year, so we want to grasp every opportunity that God gives us to bless families. Won’t you join us! You will be so blessed that this will undoubtably become a “family tradition” for your family, too!

We call the children who need sponsors, “Little Lambs” because Jesus is called the “Lamb of God”. We have written the wishes of the children on lamb-shaped cards and placed them on a Christmas tree at the Flowood Wal Mart on Lakeland Drive. If you are local, I challenge you to go out and sign up to adopt the wishes of one of these children. If you are not local, and want to have a hand in this anyway, call me and I’ll work out something with you……the opportunities are infinite!! The rewards are out of this world!!

Charlotte Wingard       601-355-9589   OR   601-906-1976

e-mail      wwjdcaw@aol.com

Don’t let this opportunity slip by you……..we have 400 children and each one of them needs a sponsor..IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES!!!!

From the front lines,

Charlotte 

We are sitting at the door of November, the air has a chill in it, and thoughts of giving thanks for our fall harvests and bountiful blessings are overshadowing the long, hot, weary summer. The next big group of projects for this ministry will be the very busy task of helping hundreds of children and their family for the Christmas season. The season actually begins with Thanksgiving and ends with Christmas morning festivities and celebration.

Of course, the biggest thing for us is the big birthday bash that we throw for Jesus. We invite hundreds of this areas “children in-need” and throw a huge Happy Birthday, Jesus, Festival ! These pre-qualified, screened, specially invited children and their family are honored at the festival and  given toys, Bibles, food, entertainment, photos, and furniture (ex. sometimes, when children are giving us their Christmas wishes, they ask for things like a bed or a new mattress or a study desk). For these children, the festival is the absolute high point of their holiday season. For us, it is an awesome opportunity to , not only tell folks about Jesus’ love, but also to show them the love of Jesus in our works and actions.

I have a photo show from last year for the Happy Birthday, Jesus, Party and the Christmas Morning Family Christmas we do for the Wingard Home residents. Please pray as you watch and ask that God reveal to you how you can be a part of the Holidays at Wingard Home for 2008.

Wingard Home Christmas Morning, 2007        

18th Annual Happy Birthday, Jesus, Festival, 2007

Call me or e-mail me with your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and pledges.

Get involved! You just can’t out-give God!!!

Charlotte Wingard (601-906-1976)

wwjdcaw@aol.com

Thanksgiving was a glorious time of thankfulness and peace around our house…..and with a full house, we are talking MIRACLE! We have 23 children at our home and most of them are under the age of 8. We do want to thank all of you who made that Thanksgiving meal possible because you gave unselfishly.

Since Thanksgiving, we have been very busy screening Christmas applications made by families in need of assistance. We are now gathering decorations for the ministry houses and for the families we find that don’t have a tree or lights for the children to enjoy.

Our biggest ministry concern right now is that we really, really need a warehouse. This is the perfect time of year to gather furniture and appliances to give to our families as they move out on their own and get on their feet. The not-so-perfect thing for us is that we have no way to store the things.

On North State Street in Jackson, there is a man named Mr. Warren Wright who owns a row of warehouse type storefront buildings and they are for sale. I have my eye and my prayers on one of those buildings for the  ministry. Please call me if you can help with this in any way or if you know someone who can & will help us get a warehouse or to get that warehouse. My office number at the ministry is 601-355-9589…..anytime!

Please remember to check the brochure for all the times and needs for the festival. There is a link to the brochure on one of the previous posts to this blog. We are still looking for places to put up a bunch of lambs for folks to choose a child to sponsor for Christmas.

Please e-mail me if you have any questions…….      

wwjdcaw@aol.com

Serving gladly,

Charlotte Wingard

If you have seen our festival brochure, you know that the needy children who attend the “Happy Birthday, Jesus! Party” (alias,”the Festival”) are specially chosen children of the working poor in our communities. We call them “little lambs” for two reasons: first, they are the children of the flock of sheep (in God’s word, Jesus said to His deciple, “Do you love me? …….then feed my sheep”) and second, Jesus, himself, was referred to as the “Lamb of God”.

We place the names of these needy children and their three wishes on a card shaped like a lamb. The children are given 3 wishes which is symbolic of the Holy Trinity-Father, Son, & Holy Spirit (3). These cards are then placed on a Christmas tree where sponsors can view them and pick out children to help for Christmas. There is an instruction card on the bottom of each lamb. It looks like this:

More than several folks have asked me “What does the Wingard Home need for Christmas?” Once a year we have the luxury of telling our Wingard Wishes to you. Please see the following list to find our how you can bless 40 people all at once and bless them with gifts that will keep on blessing folks every day of the year.

• 6 commercial mop buckets with wringers
• a case of large wooden handled deck mops
• a case of brooms
• pool table for the teens and adults
• computer with a printer
• small walk-in cooler
• small economy car that runs good (not a junker)
• a roofer for the family dorm
• STILL need a playground for the yard (at the time of this entry, we have 22 children living here and NO playground)
• If we could get two bathrooms built in the upper dorm area, we could house two more families with children.
• We still need a warehouse….I have my eye on a perfect one on State Street a couple of blocks north of Northside. It is a good building and has a good price on it……Call me! We’ll talk about it!

We are blessed this year to have the opportunity to present these “special” big Christmas Wishes to you.

Charlotte Wingard

contact me at   wwjdcaw@aol.com

Thank-you all so much for your prayers and support in this year of 2007. We are getting set now to help hundreds of children-in-need for the Christmas season; and, have created a printable brochure filled with all the information about the festival. Please click on this link to view or to print…. Christmas 2007 Brochure

Please feel free to tell folks you know about the festival, the projects, the brochure, the website. They will have the opportunity to help…..OR, to tell someone else, or to pray for the projects, this ministry and our family as we minister on the “front lines”.

Blessings to you,

my e-mail … wwjdcaw@aol.com