THESE PEOPLE ARE UNBELIEVABLE❣️
What an incredible honor to hang out with these people! They could have been shoveling snow off their roofs and driveways or just simply taking a day off from an almost constant onslaught of sky flakes, but they didn’t.
Under the leadership of Marvin & Teresa Johnson they slogged their way through the mush and slush with tired bodies to go and let folks know how much God loves them.
We were originally scheduled to visit the children at NAOMI House, but several snow-related factors caused us to cancel those plans. That’s a bummer because a visit to NAOMI is one of our Ministry favorites. We could have taken the day off and sat in our lazy boy recliners and ate bonbons, but that’s not in Marvin & Teresa’s blood. They have servant hearts par excellence!
They went the extra mile (through snow banks) to cook up 120 burritos and buy 12o pairs of socks. Bellies were warmed. Feet were warmed. Hearts were warmed. All by the warmth of God’s Love.
Thank you everybody. I’ll try and tag you all, but please forgive me if I miss somebody. THERE WERE SO MANY OF Y’ALL!
#CompassionMinistriesFlagstaff #GrillandaPrayerFlagstaff #ywap4Jesus #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW #ywap4repentance #ywap4revival #ywapagainsthumantrafficking
Church for the Nations Flagstaff & Compassion Ministries & Youth With A Purpose Inc. Mentor Force Flagstaff, Arizona

Heart-Smiles were like face paintings at Compassion Ministries “Valentines For The Homeless” celebration.
Marvin handed out Heart-Gift bags as folks carried their dinner plates.
This was a total team effort that included collaborations from folks in Flagstaff, Phoenix, Rimrock, AZ, Buffalo, NY, North Carolina and Florida.
Marie, Marvin and Teresa helped put the Heart-Gift bags together.
A scrumptiously delectable dinner prepared by Marvin was smilingly served up by Marie, Foster, Andrew, Jaci and Marlee.
❤️ They cooked, shoveled and shopped.
❤️ They brought food, hot chocolate, socks, gloves, boots, underwear, a dog sweater, Valentines Gift bags and more.
❤️ The best thing they brought was their hearts.
❤️ Thank you Jane and Linda for working behind the scenes.
❤️ Thank you Mark and Youth With A Mission for socks.
❤️ Thank you Paul for gloves.
❤️ Thank you Diane for a ton of clothing donations.
❤️ Thank you to the generous folks from Buffalo, NY, North Carolina and Florida who support our heart-reach to the homeless.
❤️ Thank you everyone who brought a heartbeat to share with the Shelter folks.
❤️ Thank you God for the tears on my pillow as I was overwhelmed with gratitude for people that put your love into action.
Jesus loves you and so do we.
#Valentines4theHomeless #CompassionMinistriesFlagstaff #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

YWAP, YWAM, COMPASSION & NAOMI - A Collaboration of Heart-Smile Creators!

When God-loving folks work together in people-loving endeavors, beautiful things happen in the neighborhood!
A team of wonderful big-hearted people from Youth With A Mission - YWAM Tribal Winds joined up with Church for the Nations Flagstaff & Compassion Ministries and Youth With A Purpose Inc. for some fun and work at NAOMI House.

Last Saturday 2/4/23 was the fun day. The team shared some fun and games, gave out birthday presents and as usual they ate pretty good. No, they didn’t just eat pretty good, they had an other worldly, scrumptiously delicious lunch from the Compassion Chefs. They always cook up a meal that brings a smile that stretches from the head to the toes!

On Wednesday a work crew returned and attended to some unfinished business. Paint, caulk, ceramic tile, drywall, wood trim - just a few minor items?.
Thank you everyone of you big-hearted people who loved on those children the way Jesus loves on you!

NEXT UP: LightBreak at the Flastaff Shelter. 2/15/23 @5:30 pm. We serve dinner and give out clothes and gifts.
We’d like to do something extra for Valentines if you have any ideas.
If you’re interested, please call 716-830-8240.

Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.
#ywapagainsthumantrafficking #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW #CompassionMinistriesFlagstaff #BeyondChurchWalls

INCREDIBLE! INCREDIBLE! INCREDIBLE!
Some days are better than others,
but each new day at Grill & A Prayer
is better than the day before!
Moms & Dads with Kids, Grandparents, Guys on bikes, people from many different walks of life found their way to our little spot in the shadow of snow covered mountains.
One person made a wrong turn and ended up with three people praying for her.
James saw a car run over a wallet in the middle of Fourth St and went to retrieve it. Marie found a Drivers License which we matched up with a Facebook picture. The next thing you know James points to a lady across the street and she matches the pictures.
She was in tears after we gave her the wallet back along with a goodie bag for her daughter.
That folks - is just the tip of the Grill & A Prayer episodes of today.
We believe there are no coincidences.
God made this a Beautiful Day in the Prayerhood!
Thank you everyone who shared their time and their hearts.
As usual, Marvin, Teresa and Foster brought a wonderful hot meal with snacks.
Thank you Diane for providing some beautiful clothes that helped some families with children in need.
Marie, Paul, James, Andrew, Julio, Mark, Gino, Diane, Michael & Serenity all helped.
The quote of the day came from a young father. He said, ”We’re so grateful for people like you guys who really do give things for free. Most of the time people say it’s free just to hook you in, but this is really free!”
We we gave most freely of all was prayer.
Our greatest desire is to freely give the love of Christ which is so freely given to us.
One last quote from Marie, “This day was so good I can’t wait to do this again!”
Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.
#JLYASDW #ywapagainsthumantrafficking #ywap4Christ #CompassionMinistriesFlagstaff
Youth With A Purpose Inc. Mentor Force Flagstaff, Arizona Teresa Johnson Church for the Nations Flagstaff & Compassion Ministries.

     
          The volunteers from Compassion Ministries don’t worry about the weather. They’re more interested in a LightBreak of climate change by creating a contagious warm atmosphere in the hearts of folks at the Flagstaff Shelter. Truth be told, they really don’t change much of anything. The folks at the Shelter are extremely warm-hearted. The staff is awesome. We’re overwhelmed with admiration for the patient way they treat everyone with respect.
     

          There’s a lady behind the desk named Levette who always goes the extra mile to make visitors feel welcome and valued. She does her best to remember their names and attend to any special needs they might have. Even when a heavy snow drives up the number of people who seek shelter. She patiently shows compassion - even while making sure everyone respects the boundaries and rules at the shelter. There's a few other great people who go the extra mile to help us, Brynn, Jamie, Nick, Ina and Bailey. All of you guys are awesome!
     
          Because of the dedicated staff taking care of business, our volunteer staff can concentrate on creating heart-smiles. As usual Marvin and Alan cooked up a fabulously nutritious dinner. With help from Mare, Marlee, Jayci, and Bob they served up a great meal.
     
          This was “Sock Night” as we brought large quantities of socks for men and women. Frigid weather causes wet and cold feet. Warming the feet is like kindling for heart-fires with smiles!

          Our next Shelter Outreach is Feb 15 - the day after Valentines Day. Would you like to share your heart! 💝 Come and volunteer or donate some socks or clothes. We’d love to have you join us.

          For more information about our outreach programs in shelters, on the streets or at safe homes for children, please call us 716-830-8240
​
Thanks for your time.
Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.
#LoveBeyondChurchWalls #CompassionMinistriesFlagstaff #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW #FlagstaffShelter #TeamJesus

It would have been enough just to see their smiles, but when you listen to their words - that’s when they really make our hearts smile! One volunteer had tears in her eyes as she witnessed the children at NAOMI House having fun with the toys, dolls, stuffed animals and a stroller her family had gifted them.
The Compassion Ministries team and Youth With A Purpose are regular visitors to NAOMI House. This visit was anything but regular or normal. It was New Year’s Eve with birthday presents and an extravagant Christmas gift.
​ We’re blessed to have a Secret Santa and a Mystery Birthday Benefactor. This kind and generous person buys and wraps birthday presents for the children who celebrate birthdays in the month we visit. This anonymous donor went above and beyond her usual angel-like behavior and provided the funds for a new trampoline. Between the birthday gifts, the trampoline, a wonderful meal from Marvin, Teresa and Jeff, along with a group of big-hearted volunteers - these kids smiled from the bounce house to the trampoline to heaven and back!
I know, you probably think I’m going overboard, but you should have seen them and heard what they said! “Do you have to leave already?” “When are you coming back?” “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” It was heart-warming,y awesome!
It’s important to note that putting a trampoline together isn’t for the faint of heart. We want to thank Kai, James, Jessie, Brian, Shawnti, Jason and some very young and eager helpers for their diligence in getting the job done.
There’s many people that support Compassion Ministries and YWAP as we go the extra mile to help young and old know how much God loves them. Thank you everybody.
If you’d like to get involved by supporting, volunteering and praying, please call 716-830-8240.
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
​Jesus loves you and so do we!
#CompassionMinistries #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

It was an extra special day of new beginnings on our regular visit to NAOMI House. Most of the young people are at NAOMI because their parents needed some extra special help. That means they get loved by folks who love them an extra mile!

This may be the first time you’ve read about one of our NAOMI adventures so we’ll give you a link to their website. Please visit their site to see how extra special they are and how you might be able to help. https://thenaomihouse.org/

​We began a new tradition in celebrating the birthdays for the month. For October we had two great teenagers receive gifts, blew out candles and listened to all of our melodic voices sing Happy Birthday!

We had planned for a spaghetti dinner, but then we found out the kids might prefer pizza. That’s when our culinary imaginations kicked into overdrive!
Our new invention from the Compassion Ministries kitchen is called, “Pizza-Ghetti.” If you're a nutritionist you might call that carb-on-carb! We did have some fruit and pepperoni has about .05 g of protein! Anyway the kids loved it and it made them smile. Our goal is to create heart-smiles.

​We’re grateful for all the volunteers who help us make the NAOMI young people feel loved. Some of us were on site and others worked behind the scenes. They bought gifts, wrapped gifts, wrote Bible verses in the gifts and prayed for the children and staff.

In November we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving along with five birthdays. If you’d like to sponsor a gift or two, please let us know. 716-830-8240. We’re going to call the birthday celebrations by a special name, “Cracked Pot Birthdays.” The name comes from a story about how all of us have flaws that God can use as strengths to create things of beauty. The story will be told to honor Sean Steven Manygoats. Sean had some cracks, but was a loving kind father, son, grandson and friend.

A few of the pictures below show some drywall in need of repair. There’s also a need for someone with a trencher to help put in a security monitoring system. It’s extremely important to go the extra mile to keep these extra special young people extra safe. Please text or call if you can help.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.
​#naomihouse #compassionministries #cftnflagstaff #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes before anything this big happens. It actually starts years before - being shaped by the life events of many people. This isn’t just about planning, shopping for food, meal preparation and serving, this is more about empathy created by common life experiences. Last night’s (10-19-22) outreach called “LightBreak” at the Flagstaff Shelter was a deep heart—connecting encounter.

We took a few minutes before serving dinner to explain who we are as folks waited in line for dinner. First we apologized for being late and asked for forgiveness. Then we spoke to the people straight from the heart. It sounded something like this, “It may look like we’re outsiders coming in here once a month just to serve dinner and give away some stuff. It’s a lot more than that. You see some of us have stayed in this Shelter before. Some of us have been homeless. Some of us were addicted to drugs or alcohol. Some of us have been victims of abuse. Nobody knows where we’ve been, the trouble we’ve walked through or the trouble we caused. God loves all of us the same. We’re all equals in His eyes worthy of being loved. We’re more like family than outsiders. We all struggle together.” And then we prayed.

One of the best parts of this event called LightBreak is the individual and private conversations we have. Folks share personal stories with each other. The food prepared by Marvin, Teresa, Brittney and Foster was delicious! Goulash, French bread, apples and hot chocolate were the ingredients of a heart and soul warming dinner. Marie, Marlee, Donna and Bob served helped them provide heart-smiles! There were other folks who donated clothes, socks and money to buy socks. Thank you everyone.

We want to give a special thank you to the staff at the Flagstaff Shelter. They are always patient, courteous, kind and helpful. They keep order in a beautiful way. Whatever we need to help provide a better experience, they quickly and freely give - with a smile! We appreciate you!

If you’d like to get involved in LightBreak and serve at the Shelter or any of our other Compassion Ministries outreaches, please leave a message here or call, 716-830-8240. If you’re wondering how we got the name “LightBreak”, you can read about it below.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.
#LightBreak #flagstaffshelter #compassionministriesflagstaff #cftnflag #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

“Then shall your light break forth like the morning,
and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life)
shall spring forth speedily;
your righteousness
(your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God)
shall go before you
[conducting you to peace and prosperity],
and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58:8‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

There were monsoons of many kinds at this year’s Father’s Fish Camp. One of the most memorable was a monsoon of mentors - men willing to sacrifice their time to become father-figures for a weekend of fishing and camping.
On the night before the boys from NAOMI House arrived, one of the leaders had a river running through the center of his tent! Marvin just stepped to the side and let the river flow! The rains came a few more times, but the monsoons of rain were quickly followed by rainbows and rays of brilliant sunshine.
Our goal at Fish Camp is to make sure there’s enough men to match the number of boys. That means a one to one ratio of Father-figures to boys. We had more than enough - it was relationship building at its best!
Each year we add a new component to Father’s Fish Camp. This year we created the Fisherman of The Year Award. We give it to a deserving young guy who showed true Christ-like character from the year before. Jesus was the greatest Fisherman of all time! He just told guys where to throw their nets and they caught more fish than they could handle! Then He told them to become fishers of men! We gave the award to Shawnti - a very deserving young man who is also a very serving young man. He’s a great role model for the younger guys and always willing to help.
Monsoons of rain, monsoons of mentors and while the number of fish caught wouldn’t exactly be monsoon-like, the accompanying smiles were! Yes, monsoons of smiles! There were several of us old-heads at camp named Robert. One deserves special mention as he just retired as NAOMI’s “Mr. Do-Everything Father Figure.” He’s one of the greatest mentors we’ve ever witnessed in our over 20 year history. Thank you Robert for your humongous heart to love and serve these children.
We’d like to give a special thank you to Pastor Michael Kistner and Starfish Ministries from Buffalo, NY. Their kindness and generosity helped make this Fish Camp extra special. Everything was free for the boys. We wanted to make the boys feel special and valued - just the way their Father in heaven sees them. Thanks Starfish people, because of you we were able to go the extra mile and freely give what we freely received.
This was a beautiful collaboration of team players and ministries who demonstrated what it means to love God and your neighbor. Thank you to everyone near and far from Starfish Ministries, NAOMI House, Compassion Ministries & Church For The Nations Flagstaff and Youth With A Purpose Inc.
Next year, because of this year’s monsoon of smiles, we’re planning two Father’s Fish Camps. Keep your fishing poles ready, your line untangled, your hooks sharp, your sinkers sinking and your bobbers bobbin! Bring on the heart-smiles! 😍
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.
#fathersfishcamp #starfishministriesbuffalo #naomihouse #ywap4Christ #cftnflag #compassionministriesflagstaff #JLYASDW

They come from all walks of life through many hard pathways. They’ve experienced homelessness, fatherlessness, abuse, addiction and other tough times. They know what a jail cell looks like. They know rejection, abandonment and heartbreak.
​
What do they do in the spare time? They go the extra mile to love people! They don’t moan and groan about how bad life is.
They go outside the walls of churches and hit the pavements and curb stones where people in need are.
We’re proud of all you guys who shared your hearts at Grill & A Prayer! And your Abba Father is too!

Our next love offering is at the Flagstaff Shelter on Wednesday 10/19 from 5:30-7 pm. We serve dinner and give away useful items.
We always need socks, underwear, feminine hygiene items and winter clothes for men & women.
Please call, 716-830-8240 if you’d like to help.
Thanks for your time,
Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.
#grillandaprayer #compassionministriesflagstaff #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW #cftnflag