June 2011 Update

Summer arrived today and there is no shortage of hot weather in Charlotte. News about life is heating up, too. Once again, I was delayed in sending you this report and consequently, there is much to cover. Buckle your seatbelts, here we go!

Blessing, whose shower I reported on last time, gave birth to little Rhema McKayla on May 13. Rhema weighed 8lb 14oz and was 22″ long. You may remember a few details of God’s amazing work in her life. She has even become a firm believer in Christ. She has been staying with Jeannette and Rob Wilson since Rhema was born. She is in very good hands! She will soon move to the newly opening Church of God home for mothers in Concord, NC. Here are a few pictures of little Rhema, her foot, and Blessing:

Rhema
Rhema's Foot
Blessing

The very next day, May 14, Lupita gave birth to Henry Yeshua! I haven’t told you about Lupita yet. Her shower was on April 23. Jeannette (same lady mentioned above) and I traveled to Monroe NC to Lupita’s home. Jeannette met Lupita at the Latrobe killing center last fall when she was 7 weeks pregnant. She had visited the Monroe Pregnancy HELP Center before making the abortion appointment. I’m thankful for their intervention and the seeds of life they planted. Nevertheless, Lupita pursued her abortion plans. I’m so grateful for Jeannette and her children, who were a stopgap measure in this critical process. Lupita didn’t speak to anyone on her way inside the clinic, but she had a change of heart once inside, due to the witness outside the clinic, proclamations of truth, and prayers lifted from the sidewalk. She came outside and sought out Jeannette. Jeannette followed up and maintained a relationship, even driving to Monroe to have lunch with Lupita shortly after meeting her. She consistently pointed Lupita to the Savior throughout her pregnancy.

We showered her on that lovely spring day. We met her 9-year old and 4-year old children. We also met her sister, sister’s children, and her father, who all live with her in a tiny 1000 square foot house, which she owns. She has a steady job at an insurance agency and is a hard worker. The Lord gave Jeannette and me a truly divine opportunity to clearly spell out the Gospel message that day, even as her neighborhood was under siege from Jehovah’s Witnesses. Two different groups came to her door that day, in the short time we were there. We discerned it as spiritual warfare — her soul was being fought over. A few weeks later, Jesus won! Lupita has recently committed her life to the Lordship of Christ and is now in fellowship at a good church! This is the JOY and VICTORY of ministry! It’s incredible when the lives of the unborn AND the souls of their parents are saved, for God’s glory!

Here is a photo of little Henry and also one of Lupita, while she was still pregnant:

Henry
Lupita

I also want to communicate a special need that Lupita has. She owns a small, older home in Monroe, NC and has a major need of a new air conditioner and heating system. She has had 4 different companies come out and access the problem. All agree that the whole system needs replacing and the cost is approximately $3000. (The unit she has is too old to repair and parts are not available.) She does not have the funds to cover this. She has applied for financial loans, but nothing thus far has worked out. It is my hope that someone reading this can help her. Perhaps you work in the HVAC field and can replace her system at a far reduced price or maybe you work in the financial field and can help her with a loan. Perhaps you want to help monetarily with this need. Please contact me at TruthMercyLife@aol.com or 704-992-0195 if you can assist Lupita.

Next, Astrid’s baby girl, Safari Jean, was born on May 28, weighing 6lb 9oz. I reported on Astrid’s shower last time. Katherine Hearn and Sallie Saxon met Astrid at the Latrobe abortion clinic. They faithfully witnessed truth to Astrid, and now little Safari, who was formed in secret, is here for all to see!

Safari

On May 11, Catarina was showered in Marshville, NC, just outside of Monroe. Catarina does not speak English so I recruited my friend Arlene Berger to help me communicate. Arlene did a wonderful job and I’m so grateful to her! Chris Griffin met Catarina, again at the Latrobe center, and effectively got her away from the killing place. She has 3 other children, aged 5-2. She delivered her new baby daughter, Petraona, which is a feminine version of Peter, on May 30. She barely made it to the hospital in time. Petraona was born just a few, short minutes after she arrived, but she is healthy and weighed 7lb. Here is this new image bearer of God, and also a photo of Catarina, still pregnant:

Catarina

Next, I showered LaPortia, here in Charlotte. Katherine met LaPortia, again at Latrobe. Leah Gibson and her daughter, Kayla, were involved in this save, too. They got her and her husband, Octavius, to stop and receive some literature. Their hearts were quickly softened by the power of the Lord. LaPortia was 17.5 weeks pregnant at the time and had just found out it was a girl. They did not want another girl because they already have 2 young daughters and an extended family with many young nieces. They decided to abort. I know that most people don’t believe sex-selection abortions happen here in America, but they do. All the time. Thankfully, gentle but bold Christians were there intervening that day, proclaiming God’s truth. Katherine quickly put me in touch with LaPortia. I prayed with her that God would enlarge her vision to see that having three little girls is His best plan for their family. LaPortia now regrets her earlier abortion plan and God has indeed answered that prayer. She and Octavious now joyfully awaits the birth of this little girl, who is due July 22. Here she is with Octavius and their two daughters:

LaPortia & Family

Lastly, I showered Ronisha in Mt. Gilead, NC. Mt. Gilead is 1.5 hours away from Charlotte, so Ronisha had sent a friend to the Latrobe clinic to get abortion information. That friend was met by a sidewalk counselor in front of the clinic who gave her pro-life information, including my name and number. I have no idea who this saint was! Ronisha called me and I counseled her towards life and Christ. Thankfully, she made a firm decision for life and I showered her on June 7. She is expecting a boy, possibly to be named Carter, any day now. Her due date is tomorrow, June 22. Here she is, one grateful and happy lady:

Ronisha

Thank you for making all this possible! Without you, I’d have no gifts to give in the powerful name of Christ. Without gifts, I wouldn’t have the inroad into their lives and thus I wouldn’t have the opportunity to minister the Gospel message. Thank you for your faithfulness.

I want to tell you of a creative fundraising opportunity before us. My friend and neighbor, Edwina Pegram, is a Jafra consultant. Jafra, in case you don’t know, sells a quality line of cosmetics and skin care products for both women and men. She has generously offered to give 25% of her proceeds from sales to Truth & Mercy! You have two weeks to place an order. This is what you do:
1) Go to her website at www.myjafra.com/epegram
2) Click “Shop Now” at the bottom left
3) View “All Products”
4) Add any items you want into your cart
5) Click “View Cart”
6) Click “Check Out Now”
7) Look for the box titled “Customer Information”. Put my name, Sheryl Chandler, in the “Host Name” field.
8) Note that there is no field to receive your payment information. Edwina will contact you to get your payment info. You can pay by credit card, cash or check. She will work that out with you and she will also personally deliver your items if you live in the Charlotte area or she will mail your order to you if you aren’t local.

If you have any questions or if you’d rather order via phone/catalog, contact Edwina at 919-244-7516 or ecpegram@aol.com.

Please place your order in 2 weeks, by July 5. You should receive it soon after the 12th. Thank you for considering this and thank you, Edwina, for your extreme generosity!

May the Lord bless you all for your support! You equip me for the work of the ministry!
May God be glorified.
Sheryl Chandler