Sheltering Arms Orphanage

Lisa Mitchell wrote:

Rhonda,

Just a note to say thank you so much for allowing us to visit your home and children. We have someone who has donated some money for Sheltering Arms.

Please let me know where I can sent a check.

Give all a hug,

Lisa Mitchell

Sheltering Arms Orphanage Hi, Lisa!! The pleasure was all ours, believe me!!!! We were thrilled to have met you all and certainly look forward to getting our orphanage built so that when you come back there will be more little ones (and big ones) for you all to spend time with. I hope Edwin's parents liked all the photos you got of him. Whoever it was that donated the money for Sheltering Arms, please give them a big THANK YOU from us. That seems to inadequate, but I know the Lord will not forget the kindness all of you have shown to us. You can send the check to: Macedonia World Baptist Mission P.O. Box 519 Braselton, GA 30517 FOR: David/Rhonda Moore - SHELTERING ARMS MINISTRIES. If the envelope is addressed exactly as above, then it will go into the right account as we have one for the orphanage and one that is a personal account. Again, thanks so much. You all were a real blessing to us! Rhonda Moore.

Black Belt Beginning

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My heart has been longing to do some work in the "black belt" of Alabama. There are several poor poor counties (Green, Choctaw, Perry) in southwest Alabama. I contacted The Church at Brookhills, who passed me to MRay at Student Life, who had not had any contact in the black belt in the last year. I then contacted the governor's office, Carol East, to get the name of a contact in these counties. I was given the name, Billie Jean Young, a professor at Judson College, who sits on the committee for the black belt at the capital. I contacted Billie Jean, made an appointment to see her on Friday. Tonya Heartsill, Missions assistant at Brookhills, and myself left very early and traveled to Judson College in Marion, Alabama.

As we arrived in Marion and began to look for the address - there was this huge old plantation type house with giant columns, acres of manicured yards. I called the cell phone number I had been given only to find out that we should park in the back yard. As we entered this beautiful old house (a little dated carpet and furniture), a nicely dressed brown lady with long braided hair welcomed us to Judson. We were offered tea and fruit at a large dining table (would seat 20+ people). We introduced ourselves and told BJ we just wanted to help out in the black belt.

Raven

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It's Friday - Lori and I really don't have any plans for today. We set out with our eyes open as we drove into a shopping center off of Highway 280. Lori was driving and walking down the middle of the road was a very very large women. I told Lori to stop and ask her if she needed a ride. Lori rolled down the driver's window and asked the lady if we could give her a ride. The young lady, breathing hard, sweating, and swinging her white grocery sack replied "that would be great." She got into the back seat. Her name was Raven and she lived West Birmingham. She asked for a ride to the Walmart on 280, which is the closest bus stop. Raven was getting help on trying to lose weight at "LA Weight Loss". She has a 4 yr old little girl and lives with family. As we drove up to the bus stop she was so thankful for the ride. A small deed can be a big seed sown.

False Teeth

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During our time with the ladies from the Bethany Home - Lori and I have seen many needs. Lori's daughter, MW, decided that one of the ladies named Carolyn needed some teeth. Carolyn told us that due to her addiction on meth all of her teeth fell out while she was in prison for two years. Yikes. MW set up a lemonade stand in Greystone to raise money for some false teeth and there was an anonymous money matcher.

Lori and "M" took Carolyn to the dentist and purchased her top and bottom teeth. Thank You Jesus that we can provide for those who need to know You.

Jay Langhorn

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I heard this story below on the 6pm news station in Birmingham. At the time, my son, Wesley was in school in Tuscaloosa. I put money in his bank account and sent him to find Mr. Langhorn. This was an adventure to say the least. Wesley went to the hotel where Mr. Langhorn was to be staying and asked the front desk to ring his room. According to hotel, Mr. Langhorn had moved just this morning to another hotel several miles away. Wesley ventured to this hotel and found Mr. Langhorn. We offered to purchase food and art supplies for him as he was recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Article published Sep 13, 2005
New Orleans portrait artist says he’ll make his mark in Tuscaloosa
By Katie Porterfield
Staff Writer

TUSCALOOSA | When his 25-year-old daughter in New York heard that he was thinking about staying here, she thought he’d lost his mind. But 80-year-old New Orleans artist Jay Langhorne assured her that he knew exactly what he was doing.

“I told her to cut it out," he said. “I said, 'Before I met your mother, I was traveling and living all over the place by myself. I’m capable of living somewhere where I don’t know anybody. You just gotta get out and talk to people.’ "

Jay, who hadn’t even heard of Tuscaloosa before Hurricane Katrina forced him and his wife, Marie, to evacuate New Orleans, is looking forward to starting over in Tuscaloosa. In fact, the Jackson Square artist, who has been sketching portraits with charcoal and pastels for about 50 years, said he was bored with New Orleans.

“I had been wanting to leave for some time, but I didn’t know where to go," he said. “But then Katrina came and didn’t give us a choice."

Jay, his wife, his 19-year-old daughter, Ophelia, and their two dogs evacuated after Jay convinced his family, who wanted to weather the storm in New Orleans, that the Katrina threat was real.

“He saved our lives," Marie said. “We’re definitely grateful that he scared us into leaving."

The Langhornes jumped in the car and headed north with few belongings. Like many evacuees, they said they thought they would be able to return home after only a couple of days. They stopped first at a Jameson Inn in Birmingham because it allows pets and then continued to the Jameson Inn in Tuscaloosa.

Just days after their arrival, more than two weeks ago, Marie answered their hotel room door to find a stranger, Tuscaloosa resident Steve Mills, willing to help them. Mills and his wife, Teresa, wanted to assist evacuees, so Mills contacted the Jameson Inn and asked the hotel to direct him to a family.

At first, Marie said they didn’t need anything, but gradually, she and Jay let the Mills help. The Mills have provided the Langhornes with food, clothing and other items.

“The people of this city will always be No. 1 in our hearts, because they have been so good to us," Marie said. “Teresa and Steve Mills have given us everything we needed and more."

They even took Jay to Michaels to purchase art supplies.

“I told him, 'Now I’ve been feeding you, you have to draw my family’s portraits,’" Teresa said, laughing. “And the more he draws, the more he brightens up."

Before the football game Saturday, the Mills got permission for Jay to set up on The Quad, where he sketched at least six portraits.

“I loved it," he said. “It was great. People were all over the place."

Although Ophelia left last week to attend college in Boston and Marie plans to return, for at least a year, to New Orleans, Jay is here to stay. The Mills found an efficiency for him in Clara Verner Tower, where he hopes to move by the end of the week.

They’re trying to get him into Kentuck Festival, and he’ll continue to work The Quad before football games. He also wants to start drawing landscapes again.

He’ll keep drawing as long as he’s able.

“It’s the only thing I know how to do," he said, “And it’s the only thing I want to do."

After all, it’s all about what attracted him to drawing in the first place.

“Two chairs, paper, and an easel out in God’s blue sky," he said. “This is it."

One Lost

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The night of the Big Reveal - Dawn E. was kicked out of the Bethany Home - she had been 55 days without drinking alcohol - she went to the laundry mat and had a few beers which is against the rules of the ladies shelter. Lori and I have received many phone calls from DE to come and pick her up on Southside - we went but could not find her on the streets. During our weekend at the Radisson - DE showed us a diamond necklace that her mom had given her for her sobriety. DE left a message on my cell phone that she had pawned the necklace for beer and drugs.

Today we (Lori and I) set out to find DE - We heard that she was at First Light - not there - we went to Bethany Home and were told that DE took the bus to Pensacola Florida to be with her father.

Mike's Pawn Shop was the next stop - We found the diamond necklace - Paid 60.00 (she got 25.00 when she pawned it) - Maybe one day - Angel Friday will meet with DE again and give her the necklace from her mother.