Oh, forget it. Who am I kidding? I've been talking nonstop since I woke up this morning. And I mean nonstop (right, mom??).
I loved this graduation ceremony. Soooo much less stress and effort than the last one.
It's thanks in part to this guy in the tie: he's a Chick-fil-A owner and after taking a tour of Victory Home recently, he offered to cater the graduation. I can't express how AWESOME that was - he and a personable employee brought all the food, all kinds of beverages, all the paper goods. And let me tell you, I was thrilled to skip breakfast to be able to enjoy that yummy food.
It was a hit among others, too.
And the moment we were done, he turned and said, "When's your next graduation?" He enjoyed it so much, and was moved by the testimonies, and said that this was the kind of thing Chick-fil-A wanted to be a part of. Oooh, I can't figure out a way to say that without dangling a participle. Sorry, Dad.
These three thrift store volunteers carpooled from the store to see Roy, the man who manages it, graduate. That woman in the middle is the 88-year old fireball I've mentioned before.
The other person responsible for pulling this whole thing off was Flutterbug the Magnificent. She knows how to take a project by the horns and she certainly did here. She picked up some terrific books for gifts for the graduates (shopping is her forte) and did a great job with the table decorations. I brought a bunch of clear narrow vases in different styles from the thrift store, and she ran pretty ribbon and confetti and glitter along each table and we popped pretty white and lavender flowers in the vases (she got them from Walmart for just $5 a bunch, and only had to buy two bunches).
There were about sixty people in attendance, I estimate. A lot of the Victory Home guys came, plus family members of the graduates, supporters of Victory Home, people who were curious about us, a few church members, relatives of former graduates, someone from our BNI (networking) group, volunteers, and a slew of thrift store patrons.
Seven men completed the program! And it's not an easy program to complete. They worked hard, stayed focused, applied the things they learned, made it through trials and tests, and gave up the things they'd been clinging to in order to overcome and have a victorious life. Kudos to them all!
This guy came on his lunch break - he had lost his job and much more when he came to us, and recently got his job back, which he never imagined would happen. He cried when telling it.
This is Roy, from the thrift store. He went off script as you can tell when looking at Mike, hehe. But it was a terrific testimony and I'm so glad that he's staying on with Victory Home for a while. So are the thrift store customers!
O glorious VICTORY that overcomes the world!!
Oh, and yes, I had a brownie.
6 comments:
What a great day, and yay for Chick-fil-A too!
I wish I lived near you! I would love to help and get involved. Wish I knew of a program like that near here. I get discouraged sometimes because it seems like so few people are serious about change and applying Biblical principles to live victoriously. I never tried Chik-Fil-A...I've heard it's good, though!
Oh it is good. Are there any in New Hampshire, I wonder... Their chicken batter (and they only do boneless - nuggets and tenders) is very fine (as opposed to KFC's textured batter, and I can get a similar taste by adding some confectioners sugar to my flour mixture when I do chicken strips, etc. They also have delicious fresh fruit cups and other good sides. They're closed on Sundays for the Lord' Day, and they train their employees well - they're friendly, which is an extreme contrast to every other chain in this urban area, where it's almost impossible to get the employees to speak, or to thank you, etc.! We often stop at CFA when we're traveling.
Michelle, as far as the other stuff you said, even down here in the so-called Bible belt, it's hard to find a message like that. So many people try to come to God on their terms and are totally accepting of their defeated lives, chalking it up to backsliding (for 25 years...righhht) or assuming that it's just a matter of praying a prayer and then living how you want. So totally UNbiblical! Mike's passion is to open peoples' eyes to the error of their thinking, and come to God on HIS terms, which can't help but result in a transformed life. It's a strong message, but then, so was Jesus' to the rich young ruler! Praise God, He has transformed you in a beautiful way, and I'm sure you're affecting others by it!
Sounds like an awesome graduation! I love Chick Fila, too. I can't believe they're actually gonna put one here in Elizabeth City :-)
BTW, happy birthday. I certainly hope it was a special one
No Chik-Fil-A in NH that I know of...maybe I should open one!
Love what you have to say about coming to God on His terms!
Steve - thanks for the comment. Kudos for getting a CFA in your town!
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