It
will be six years this coming May that David and I arrived in Charlotte,
NC as total strangers having been given an opportunity to introduce our
ministry ~ Emily's Foundation ~ to the community. Skip & Jerry
Mudge were some of the first people we met and it was a blessing straight
from Heaven. They took us under their loving wings and became friends
in the truest sense of the word. They don't even know (until now)
that their steadfast adherence to the call of God to minister to bereaved
parents ~ no matter what obstacles they have faced ~ has been an inspiration
to us and kept up going when the going has gotten tough.
Emily's Foundation
tithes every penny that it receives from any source and our board of directors
had strict guidelines regarding where we could give our tithe to and not
violate the intended purpose our donators had for their dollars supporting
Emily's Foundation. Footprints Ministry met those guidelines precisely
because of the unwavering focus of Skip and Jerry in ministering to the
spiritual and emotional needs of families grieving the loss of a child.
As the founders of Emily's Foundation, David and I want to use this opportunity,
in their own newsletter, to thank them for being a ministry that we can
joyfully and confidently give our organizational tithes to. We know
that, in Skip and Jerry's hands, God can use every dollar to comfort, bless
and grow His kingdom.
For those who
are wondering ~ Emily's Foundation was formed in 1996 in memory of our
daughter, Emily, after she died in a car accident on May 4, 1995, just
6 months after marrying her high school sweetheart. The purpose of
the Foundation is specifically to strenghten and preserve (and sometimes,
save) the marriage and family relationships of couples who have lost a
child.
For seven years,
the Foundation has provided scholarships for bereaved couples to attend
Family Life Marriage Conference Weekends ("A Weekend To Remember") from
coast to coast. After we had served as volunteers for Family Life
for several years, we then experienced the tragic death of our precious
Emily. We became aware that the relationship between husband
and wife becomes very vulnerable after this type of tragedy ~ some experts
estimate that as high as 75 to 90% of couples end up divorcing if they
don't get help. (A deeper description can be found on our website
~EMILY'S
FOUNDATION~
We felt God
moving us to provide the needed help to prevent that awful statistic in
grieving families. We knew from experience that the Family Life Confrences
were excellent in every way. They taught couples from Friday night
through Sunday afternoon all the aspects of how to strengthen, deepen and
repair their marriage. Even the strongest marriages got stronger
and even the marriages about to divorce were saved. What better place
to send a couple going through the greatest challenge their relationship
would ever face ~ the death of their child!!! So we started by providing
a schlorship to one couple in St. Louis, MO in November 1997 and since
then have provided schloarships to over 400!
Although it
has always been a hugh challenge to raise enough funds ~ praise God ~ we
have never had to turn away any couple desiring a schlorship for a Family
Life Marriage Conference. We are praying that will never change.
We have been blessed by receiving may testimonies from couples who feel
they would have definately lost their marriage if they had not received
help from Emily's Foundation to attend a conference.
We invite any
couple who would like to apply for a schlorship to contact us directly
by using this e-mail
or by phone
(315-484-2175) or through our website.
~EMILY'S
FOUNDATION~
The deadline
for applying is 30 days prior to the date of the conference you would like
to attend. There is no financial qualification but donations are
joyously accepted and well appreciated.
If you would
like to find out more about the Family Life Marriage Conferences, you can
find information as well as our schedule of upcoming conferences in every
city, by visiting their website
~FAMILY
LIFE~
One final note,
if you are not in need of a schlorship but have a heart for helping other
grieving couples who are sturggling to hold their marriage and family together,
your contribution would be a God-sent blessing and, as always, ten-percent
would always be returned to Footprints Ministry.
God Bless you
in your journey of healing.
Judy and David
NuHavun
Syracuse,
New York
