News & Reports
A group of 13 ladies, including 3 sets of sisters, recently gathered in Big Sandy, Texas, for a Journey to the Heart. The Journey house is on beautiful lake Loma at the International ALERT Academy.
At the height of East Texas summer, more than 200 people gathered in Big Sandy for a week of fellowship, encouragement, and strengthening from the Word of God. Many were returning families, while others were first-time attendees.
Praise the Lord for the work that He did in the 20 young men and leaders that participated in the Young Men's Journey to the Heart July 10–18. This Journey, held in Big Sandy, Texas, was a powerful time of seeing the Lord work in the lives and hearts of the guys that attended.
Mrs. Anne Garvin, 89, stepped peacefully into Heaven on June 20, 2021. Formerly of La Grange, Illinois, she was residing with her daughter and son-in-law in Plano, Illinois at the time of her Homegoing. Mrs. Garvin was preceded in death by her husband, Phil, in November, 2018.
At the end of May, a group of approximately twenty ladies and their leaders, along with three mothers, gathered at the beautiful Northwoods Conference Center for a Journey to the Heart. The time included large group sessions, team discussions, and personal times with the Lord, with the goal of learning to hear from Him.
Shelley Hendry loved Christian biographies and made history come to life as she shared the life stories of various women from the past. On Sunday, May 23, 2021, her time on earth came to an end when she was killed by a drunk driver.
The ALERT Missions class had the opportunity to serve in the mountains of Mexico for two weeks last month helping the Tarahumara people. The men were able to serve the local community by making much-needed repairs on a community center and a home.
After the perils and stress of 2020, hundreds of families were eager to gather in person for the 2021 April Big Sandy Family Conference! God put together a wonderful group of staff, speakers, and attendees for a week of rich fellowship, dynamic messages, and spiritual encouragement.
Praise the Lord for open doors for Journey to the Heart to return to three prisons in March! The last time a Journey was held in prisons was February of 2020—right before COVID lockdowns made it impossible for volunteer groups to enter the prison facilities.
After a ten-year pause, the Excel program returned this year with sixteen young ladies in attendance. The ladies had classes in many topics, including nutrition, spiritual gifts, hospitality, sewing, hand lettering, first aid, and spiritual growth. Five weeks of in-person study was followed by five weeks of study at home. God worked mightily in each student, as the following testimonies reveal.