Shanon's House update

Greetings from Shanon's House of Compassion,

In September and October we have had guests from Scottsboro, Decatur, Albertville, Collinsville,Florence and Athens, AL. In September and October we only had a few guests at Shanon's House, but as I write now we have a full house! This is what we want and pray for. As of October 31 we have had 86 guests.

Most of our guests have had babies in the NICU. It always amazing to see these precious babies come into the world so small. The parents have showed us pictures of their babies with the daddy's wedding ring all the way up the baby's arm. One mother came by this month and brought her baby he started out a 2 pounds and is now up to 10.

One couple who stayed with us this month left us with a special memory. They were surprised when they got to the hospital that morning and were able to bring their baby home a day early. They came by the house to gather their belongs and to show us the baby. As they were saying good-bye Johnny asked if he could say a prayer with them. As he started to pray they held out their hands for us to hold. I was touch and had tears in my eyes. Here we were strangers a week before now we were friends forming a cirlce of prayer around this precious baby girl. After the prayer the father gave Johnny a big hug. Once again we were so thankful for Shanon's House.

Toward the end of the month we had a guest whose husband had suffered a stroke. When she came in the first thing we said was "this is a God sent." I didn't know what I was going to do, now I know I can handle whatever is to come." She then realized she knew about Mayfair because of the Abundant Living television program.

Also in October we had a couple who had just welcomed triplets into the world. The babies were born at 28 weeks. When the Dad came over the first thing he said was, "This is a God sent. We didn't know what we were going to do, they told us our babies would probably be here until Christmas."

The Madison Academy 10th graders came over one day to help. They raked leaves, cleaned windows and blinds. We always enjoy having young people come to help, they bring a lot of energy and laughter to Shanon's House. The Servant's at Heart Class at Mayfair made gift bags for the guests and wrote notes to the guest. I put a bag in the rooms for each guest. We always want our guests to know that Shanon's House is a church wide ministry.

We get updates from some of our guests about their babies. The mother who adopted the baby with Down Syndrome wrote recently that he had gone home from the hospital. When we first met her she was told her baby would probably not live. She was told to make funeral arrangements. Now he is called the miracle baby. His mother wrote in her update "I sit in the rocker and I think what was and what could have been and what is. I think of how good God still would have been even if He would have taken our baby to be with Him, but how incredibly and unspeakably thankful I am for His grace. I did take him to church yesterday (and hope to as long as the weather and people’s health holds), and as we sang “Shout to the Lord” I tried to shout, but sometimes I only squeaked out a whisper as I choked back the tears. Fourteen weeks ago I had tried to take him to church, and now we had finally made it. My heart was so full of praise that it seemed so surreal." If we ever make it back down there, you can be sure we’ll stop by! Please pass on our thanks and gratitude. I could have never made it through one of the most difficult trials of my life without you! The Lord answered SO MANY prayers through the Shanon House!"

It's been one year since Johnny and I were asked to consider being a part of Shanon's House. It's been a journey with so many blessings along the way. We continue to meet some of the nicest people that enrich our lives. We continue to see God using Shanon's House to show the world that God's family cares for the hurting. God has been so good to us and we are thankful to Him and to all of you who encourage and help us to continue this ministry. We feel as our guests do this month "Shanon's House is a God sent!"

In Him,
Christy

Greetings from Shanon's House of Compassion,

Shanon House of Compassion update for August

Greetings from Shanon's House of Compassion,

It's been another busy and rewarding month at Shanon's House.
This month we've had guests from Rainsville, Florence,
Moody, and Boaz AL, and Florida.

It's God's hand at work, that's a phrase we
hear allot at Shanon's House. This month we've experienced the
joy of seeing young families leave with their newborns. Several
have come by to let us see their baby-this makes our day.
One of the guests I mentioned last month from Ohio sends
us updates on her baby. He was transported to Ohio and closer
to his new parents. She was so impressed and thankful for
Shanon's House. She told me that she was not tired when she
got back home because of being able to stay here.

In this work we are constantly learning about people. It has
opened our eyes to see a lost and hurting world. We see some
who are struggling because of their own actions. We pray that
Shanon’s House will be a chance for them to meet a group of
Christians and see how a relationship with our Lord can help
them through the difficult times in life.

Toward the end of the month we had guests from Florida. The
family was vacationing about two hours from Huntsville. A
tragic accident involving a young man and his father brought
this family to Huntsville. The father was in critical condition.
This is a family we will not forget. They were so appreciative
of having a place so close to the hospital to stay, One of their
relatives from Florida came by to visit. She was very impressed
with the Huntsville hospital and Shanon’s House. She
commented to us "I want to move to this city. I don’t know if
it’s southern hospitality or the love of God, but there is
something different about Huntsville, AL.” Some of the family
told us they could have gone to Birmingham but were so
thankful to be here in Huntsville and their comment
was “It had to be God’s hand at work.”

During the last week they were here, they were our only guests.
We felt like this was God working also because they could rest
and grieve in private. Their loved one in the hospital was a
retired fire chief with the Gainesville Fire department.
The Florida department contacted the Huntsville department
to ask them to check on the family. The Huntsville Fire Chief
came over to meet them. When he learned that Shanon’s House
was a ministry of the Mayfair church of Christ he told me,
“I’m not surprised, that church is helping people all over the
city of Huntsville.” He told me about the dinner and all that
Mayfair had done for the Huntsville fire department. Many of
you stopped by to visit with this family and we are so
grateful to each one of you. The family was with us for 14 days
and on the last day their loved one passed away. Even though
we had only known this family for a short period of time we felt
very close to them. I over heard one of them say on the phone
“You will not believe the ministry that the Mayfair
Church of Christ has here at Shanon’s House, I’ve got so
many stories to tell you and don’t let me forget to tell
you about the quilting ministry.” I said a prayer of
thanksgiving right then for all of you who make
this ministry so special for hurting families.
There were many times during this family’s stay that
we could see God’s hand at work. I wish all of you could
hear from the family how much they appreciate all of you
who make Shanon’s House possible.

I read a statement once that said “Never doubt that a
small group of fully committed people can change the
world-In fact it’s the only thing that ever has.” We see
every day how Shanon’s House and all the other ministries
at Mayfair are impacting the world around us for good and
for that we are so thankful to all of you. We are so blessed
to be able to see on a daily basis God’s hand at work in this
ministry.

One special memory this month was from a 12 year old boy. He
called me aside and said “You know when you give up things for
God you get a reward in heaven.” I smiled and told him “that’s
true, but we also get rewarded here on earth by getting to
meet people like you.” That’s how Johnny and I feel about
all of our church family we’ve come to know with the work at
Shanon’s House. We feel blessed. Thank you all for your
help, prayers and encouragement.

In Him,
Christy and Johnny

Summertime greetings from Shanon’s House of Compassion,

Summertime at Shanon’s House has been very busy. We took a few
days of vacation and came back rested and ready for the full house
that God supplied very rapidly! This month we’ve had guests from,
Texas,Tennessee, Ohio, Florida and Muscle Shoals, Cullman, Grove Oak,
Elkmont and Rainsville, AL.

We have had many opportunities to listen, encourage, and pray
with our guests. Included among the many blessings for us in
this ministry are the lessons and encouragement we receive
from our guests. Here are a few lessons we’ve learned this month.

One guest we became close to was leaving and taking her husband
to spend his last few days at home. We were saying our goodbyes
and I told her what a beautiful example she was to me in the way
she cared so lovingly for her husband. Her reply with tears in
her eyes was “I love my Lord and I love my husband.” All week I
thought about those words. When we love the Lord with all our
heart, loving others will come naturally.

One guest was talking to another guest and they found out that
they had several friends in common. We made the statement “It
really is a small world.” Then our guest whose wife is terminally
ill with cancer said, “Just like all our problems are small to God.”
I thought how true, there’s nothing too big for our God.

Many of our guests have newborns that are born prematurely. Many
are unable to hold their baby until they reach a certain weight.
One mother was describing to us how wonderful it felt the first time
she was able to hold her newborn baby. Then she said, “This must be
how God feels when He holds us.” What a beautiful picture of the love
God has for each of us.

Toward the end of the month we had a guest from Ohio. She was
adopting a baby with Down Syndrome. We were talking with her and
asked her how she decided to take on this challenge. She said,
“I was praying for God to take away my selfish heart. Then one day
I heard Gene Stallings talk about what a blessing his son had been
to him. I believe I’m just doing what God wants me to do.”
This was a powerful lesson to us about stepping out in faith.

One of our guests wrote in a note this month, “We will forever be
grateful and hope to be able to pay it forward when we see other families struggling.” This made us aware of what a wonderful world this would be
if we all “paid it forward”.

The last two months we have had a full house. We believe the word is
out about Shanon’s House. One guest came for a return visit,
it was after the Marriage Matters seminar. He told us “I tell
everyone about Shanon’s house and every time I saw your church on T.V.
(advertising the seminar) I thought about Shanon’s House”. Another
guest from out of state sent updates on her baby that went out to about
40 people,she wrote “The Lord has provided a wonderful place that I got to
stay at while I was there called the Shanon’s House of Compassion. It is
a ministry of a local church named in honor of a very special young
man who passed away from cancer. The church provides hospitality and
lodging for people needing it and they don’t charge anything.
That is a HUGE blessing!”

As I looked back over my journal for the month, I realized when our
reservoir was running low, God sent encouragement through many of our
church family and also in the guests we had. Once again we were reminded
that God is faithful and God is so good.

We often say that everyday here is a new adventure. We meet so many
interesting people from so many different backgrounds. We feel blessed
to be able to work with our fellow brothers and sisters as we strive to
be that sweet aroma of Christ to the world. We know this work would not
be possible without all of your support and prayers. Johnny and I are
grateful to each and every one of you and most of all to our Lord and Savior.

In Him who gives us hope,
Christy and Johnny

Hello from Shanon's House of Compassion,

This month we have had guests from Muscle Shoals, Florence, Decatur, Al and Winchester, TN. This is the first month that we have had guests every day of the month. We have had guests who have left with newborns and guests who have had to make life and death decisions.

We have had a few calls inquiring about staying at Shanon's House. One call came last week. The couple was from Florida and their child was having surgery. They had already secured a place to stay but wanted to see Shanon's House in case they had to stay longer. This couple was orginally from a far eastern country. Their accent was difficult to understand. When they arrived I showed them around and then told them the story of Shanon Dickerson and I told them this was a ministry of the Mayfair Church of Christ. The mother said, “this feels like home.” Then when they were leaving she said “when you see Shanon's mother and father please tell them thank you and tell your church thank you also, this is a wonderful ministry.” The ministry of Shanon's House is reaching out to so many people, including those from different countries.

We enjoy meeting so many different people. The young couples energize us, the older guests tell us of life experiences, and the guests our age have things in common with us. Some of our guests have become good friends that we will keep in touch with through the years.

One of our guests learned about Shanon's House through a member at Mayfair. After showing her around she showed me a card that she had received from the Lifesavers Class at Mayfair. She said “We have been receiving a card a week from this Sunday school class. I see Shanon's parents name on here and also your name. God does work in mysterious ways.” This card helped her know that many people were praying for her.

We receive so many kind thank you notes. This note came to us from a mother and daughter. The husband and dad was terminally ill. They wrote “You were a bright light in our dark hours. Mom and I both consider Shanon's House as one of God's blessings for us during this sad and emotional time. We found not only a refuge but good friends we can keep close to our hearts for years to come. Shanon's House became a home to us, and one we looked forward to returning to each night.”

Shanon's House continues to be a home away from home. One young couple who stayed for several weeks would come in at night and say “we're home now.” We would laugh and tell them we like it when the children come home. This same couple came in one night and said “we used to say home is where our heart is, now we say, home is where our car is.” This made us smile.

We've been at Shanon's House for six months now. The time has gone by so quickly. The experience has been every thing we thought it would be and more. We have had a total of 55 guests. They have been from as far away as Illinois and as close as Decatur. Through this ministry we've seen God's faithfulness. The Lord has provided those of you who come along side us to help and encourage us. God has provided guests we can show the compassion that Jesus tells about in His word. God has also provided the strength and wisdom for each day and each different circumstance. To all of you, and most of all our Lord and Savior we are so grateful.

In Him,
Christy and Johnny

Hello from Shanon's House of Compassion,