FROM THE DESK OF BILLY BLACKWOOD

Dear friend,

I hope this finds you having a great day!

I want to let you know about an opportunity our family has to serve on a short term missions trip this summer. My wife and I, my oldest daughter, Brette, her boyfriend, Derek, and my youngest daughter, Ellie, are planning to go to Port au Prince, Haiti from June 28th - July 4th.

We will be serving in an orphanage in the city and helping to conduct some VBS like events for children there as well as seeking to meet their physical and emotional needs. Also, we are each taking a bag of clothes, gifts, and supplies to leave with a local pastor for distribution to those in greatest need.

While the 7.0 earthquake of 2010 has long since left our minds in the US, Haiti continues to struggle to recover and rebuild from the devastation left in it’s wake. Basic necessities are in short supply, infrastructure is in disrepair and poverty is rampant. Haiti and it’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, are said to be the poorest places in the western hemisphere.

The trip cost is $1950.00 per person. If you would like to have a part in helping to send us you can make a tax-deductible contribution to Billy Blackwood Ministries, Inc., a 501c3 non profit corporation in the state of Tennessee, for which you will receive a tax deduction at the beginning of 2015. Our mailing address is P O Box 777, Goodlettsville, TN 37070.

If you cannot help to send us we would ask that you pray for us as we go. Brette accompanied me on a mission trip to Tecate, Mexico when she was seven, and my wife and I have both been to Jamaica. But this will be a first time experience for both Ellie & Derek. Those of you who have been on trips like this know the impact of them. I am expecting God to use this trip to change the course of our lives for the rest of our life here on earth.

Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support. We will be sending a report with pictures via email upon our return. May God bless you richly as you serve Him.


Billy Blackwood

Mercy's Well and Compassion International: Buy A Tent For Ashley In Haiti

From Mercy's Well email newsletter of February 21, 2013:

Occasionally, we make mistakes...actually we make them quite often! But...we wanted to take a moment and correct some information from our newsletter earlier this morning.

In talking about our involvement with Compassion International and our recent missions trip to Haiti, we reported that the goal had been met to purchase a new tent for Ashlee (our newly sponsored child in Haiti) and her family. That information is INCORRECT, so let me clarify.

After sharing about our trip, some wonderful friends in Florida felt led to collect money from their Sunday School class to purchase three water filtration systems through Compassion's Water Of Life program. On a separate note, Greg mentioned on Facebook after our trip of a need for a tent for Ashlee's family.

We ARE still accepting donations for the "tent" project for her family and we are over half way to our goal. If you wish to help, there's still time. We will be making a donation through Compassion for this family and 100% of the money received will be used to purchase the tent and make repairs. No administrative costs are taken out of these type gifts with Compassion. If you wish to help, you can send a donation through PayPal to: brad@mercyswell.com

Or you can mail a check to:

Mercy's Well
5603-B West Friendly Ave., PMB 272
Greensboro, NC 27410

Make checks payable to Mercy's Well (include "ASHLEE" in the memo line) and we will be sending one payment directly to Compassion. This is the only way we can make sure these dollars go directly to our newly sponsored child and her family. For peace of mind and transparency, we will provide each donor with a detailed statement of how their money was used.

We apologize for any confusion. Hopefully we will see each of you at a concert or worship service very soon!

Blessings,

Brad Strider

Mercy's Well News

From Mercy's Well email newsletter of February 21, 2013:

We had some great services in NC and TN last weekend, and wanted to thank those of you who were able to come out and support us! Pastor Toby, Drew, and Mike from Enon Baptist Church made us feel right at home. We enjoyed a nice, warm breakfast and fellowship around the table before the morning service - a great way to start the day! We ended the evening at the church of our good friend, Brian Franklin. This was our first visit to FBC Mountain City, TN but hopefully not out last. We got Pastor Ricky up on the stage to sign with us, so we think that left a pretty good impression on him. He's one of us now!

One of the great opportunities we had while in Haiti was the privilege of sponsoring another child through our ministry - Ashlee. We met Ashlee and her family, and were able to spend just a few minutes talking with them about life. Ashlee's mother mentioned that, as a result of the earthquake in 2010, one of her tents (used for cooking, cleaning, etc.) had been severely damaged, and that she was trying to save their money to buy a new one. After this meeting with Ashlee's family, we spoke with some of the Compassion Int'l Directors who were with us, and inquired about what it would take to get Ashlee's family a new tent. A monetary goal was set, and we casually mentioned this idea to some dear friends of ours in Florida. The next week, upon our return to the States, we got a call from this couple saying they felt a burden to help, presented this need to their Sunday School class, and raised enough money - on the spot - to purchase a new tent for Ashlee and her family! This is so exciting for us! This is what being the hands and feet of Jesus is all about! Let this be an encouragement to you today: God is still in the business of changing lives through people like me and you!

Our most recent radio release, "Beautiful, Terrible Cross" is making its way onto more and more radio playlists across the country, so keep calling and requesting it - hopefully you will hear it on your station TODAY!

Have a blessed week!

Brad, Greg & Kyle
Mercy's Well
THIS WEEK

February 24, 11:00 AM - Wedgefield Baptist Church - Wedgefield, SC
For more information: (803) 494-2933

Mercy's Well Haiti Trip Update

From Mercy Well's email newsletter of January 24, 2013:

What a week it has been! Before we get into what's been going on this week, we want to take a few moments and share with you about our previous weekend. Victory Baptist Church in Bonneau, SC was our first stop. It had been a couple of years since our last visit, so we were able to share some new music with the congregation. Pastor Jim, Latesha and the folks at Gray Hills Baptist in Beaufort, SC hosted us for our Sunday evening service. It had also been about two years since we last partnered with this body of believers, and it was so nice to see them and re-connect once again.

We want to thank you all for remembering Brad and Greg as they have been traveling across the country of Haiti this week. I (Kyle) have been in touch with them briefly, as internet access becomes available to them. Here is an update posted by Zane King, one of the Compassion leaders on this trip, at about 10:30 PM on Wednesday:

Just returned to Port Au Prince after spending the past couple of days
on an island called Ill-A-Vaches, where the only way around is by boat
or foot. No electricity there either. We...had church with some of the most
amazing people on this planet! I'm blessed!

Please continue to lift this team up in your prayers, as their week is only halfway finished. They will be arriving back in the States sometime on Friday, where we will rendezvous in Florida, and head out to our dates for this weekend!
Thank you all for your prayers. Have a blessed week!

Brad, Greg & Kyle
Mercy's Well
THIS WEEK

January 27, 10:30 AM - Zephyrhills Wesleyan Church - Zephyrhills, FL
For more information: (813) 782-7510

January 27, 6:00 PM - First United Methodist Church - Lake Alfred, FL
For more information: (863) 956-1701

Billy Graham Rapid Response Team Concludes Deployment to Haiti After More Than 22 Months

The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has completed its 22 month deployment to the earthquake-stricken country of Haiti. Chaplains first arrived in Haiti within 24 hours of the Jan. 12, 2010, disaster that is estimated to have killed more than 300,000.
More than 120 chaplains ministered in the impoverished nation during the nearly two-year-long endeavor, and those trained chaplains prayed with and comforted 35,420 Haitians and relief workers. Individual chaplains typically spent two to six weeks at a time in the country before rotating out.
"We have witnessed the best and the worst that this world has to offer as we've ministered in Haiti," said Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. "We've seen pain and grief on an unimaginably massive scale, and we've seen beauty, hope and joy in the spirits of the Haitian people that defies all explanation in the midst of such a hard place."
Recognizing the ongoing need in Haiti for spiritual and emotional support, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has implemented many of its other ministries in the country over the last several months as well, including a Franklin Graham Festival held in January 2011, a My Hope World Evangelism Through Television program that reached the entire nation through grassroots efforts, and The Greatest Journey, a special educational program for children. A Creole translation of the youth training course Dare to Be a Daniel is also in the works for Haiti.
The deployment to Haiti was the second-longest outreach in the history of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, chaplains immediately deployed to the Gulf Coast and had a presence there for two-and-a-half years until concluding the effort on March 14, 2008. 
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is a nationwide network of chaplains across 44 states that are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. Since the ministry was launched in 2002, it has responded to more than 120 natural and man-made disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and shootings.
For more information on the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, visit www.billygraham.org/rrt. For videos, photos and news articles from recent Billy Graham Rapid Response Team deployments, visit www.billygraham.org/response. Ministry updates and photo galleries are posted at www.facebook.com/BGRapidResponseTeam.

First Missions Reality TV App for iPhone

TULSA, Okla. Global Ventures TV announces the release of the very first mission's TV App available for iPhone. The App comes on the heels of the successful launch of Global Ventures reality television series -- Real People. Real Places. Real Life.

Now in its sixth episode, the unscripted thirty-minute program follows the adventure, miracles and dangers encountered on the mission field by John Smithwick and his team. Filmed on location in areas such as Haiti, Peru, Cambodia, Nepal, etc. it is a step into another world as Smithwick and his team encounter a voodoo witch doctor, blind eyes that are opened, police escorts through high risk areas and missions with the power of Jesus Christ.

The App (now available at: www.globalventures.tv/gv-app) allows the viewer early access to new episodes prior to their international release on GOD TV, Daystar and JCTV.

Also available via the App is access to recent news from the mission field, profiles and fun facts of the Global Ventures team, highlights of previous trips and how you can be a part of an upcoming adventure.

Latest episodes of the Global Ventures program can be viewed at: globalventures.tv/watch.

For an interview or additional information contact: Peter at 918.266.5764, or email: peter@globalventures.tv.

About Global Ventures TV & John Smithwick:
Founded by international missionary John Smithwick, Global Ventures has been taking people to the distant nations of the world for nearly a decade. Team members become the conduits of God's message and power, boldly proclaiming Christ and witnessing miracles unfold before them.

After leaving a nation, thousands have called upon the Name of the Lord and hundreds have received healing as team members and locals alike are forever changed. Caught on film for the first time and making it's way through global premieres, Global Ventures keeps going strong in the unreached nations of the earth. Join the GV Team and experience the ultimate adventure for yourself: www.GlobalVentures.TV.