Merry Christmas from Arms Wide Open!!

     We are praising God for you and your support in all it's forms because this year Arms Wide Open has seen the fruits of the last five years of ministry.  We have seen a baptism, a college graduation, and a military graduation, all in part because of the support system we offer. We have heard "thank you"'s aplenty as time after time our kids come back to show appreciation just for BEING THERE, LOVING THEM, and BELIEVING IN THEM. You see, that's really all they need. A Christ-like unconditional love and a little faith goes a very long way in the life of a child. I know, because it sure went a long way in mine!
   
     I would not be where I am today nor would I be so passionate about helping as many kids as I can if I had not once been one of these children in desperate need of love and faith myself. I didn't have anyone to take me to church and I didn't have anyone to take me to wonderful Christian events, and I never had the opportunity to go to summer camp. But there were good Christian people along the way who loved on me in passing, who gave me just enough hope in a better future to keep me going when it seemed everything was hopeless. I will never forget those people. I want more than anything else in this life to BE one of those people. I hope that I am.

In addition to the great success stories we have witnessed this year, we have also continued ministering (minus the short sabbatical) by transporting teens to church and doing other trips and events such as: the Wait Now event by Options Now/Future Now, two separate Summer Camp weekends at Reed Bingham, our annual Grand Bay trip, a trip to the Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, FL, the ChristOutLoud "It's Christmas Tour," and the Flint RiverQuarium in Albany.

On behalf of all of our children we want to thank you for your encouragement and support as we continue to seek to shine Christ's love into the next generations.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year!!  May He bless you and your families so abundantly that your cups runneth over!

Kristi Godwin
Arms Wide Open Ministries, Inc.

Our First Albany RiverQuarium Trip

I cannot express to you how exciting it was for me to be able to drive these kids to Albany, Georgia today. It was almost as exciting as getting on a plane to fly to Paris, France (which, by the way, was a lifetime dream for me)....I so love experiencing new and educational things with these kids that it has been on my heart to take them to the RiverQuarium in Albany for years now. The issue was transportation and finances. Well, this year God decided to give me the desires of my heart (isn't it amazing that He loves us enough to do that???) and He enabled me to buy discount tickets, making it an affordable trip. So, today, I was finally able to live one of my dreams, and we thoroughly enjoyed every single second we were there!! We first toured the aquarium, which elicited many "oooohhh's" and "aahhhhh"'s. We also visited the bird sanctuary before heading across the street to Imaginarium theater to watch a film on the ecosystem of Baja. After that we couldn't resist stopping at the Ray Charles memorial, which I absolutely love. It plays his music over the speakers so you can almost imagine you are at a live concert. Before leaving the boys ribbed us all into rolling down the grassy hill behind the memorial (just for fun). And, yes, I did roll down the hill with them!! In doing so I discovered the answer to one of life's age-old questions: What happens when an old person (in this case ME) rolls down a hill just for fun? The younger people come running to see if you are ok!! :).

I had one of the best days of my life today. God is so good, and His gift of life is so much more enjoyable when you are doing the very thing He created you for. There is nothing else more blissful than that!!

Mikeschair and the "It's Christmas" Concert

We had the great privilege of taking our teens once again to see Mikeschair live in concert. Thanks to ChristOutLoud's ministry of bringing great Christian music here to South Georgia, we have been able to treat our kids to many wonderful artists. Not only did we all have an amazing time worshiping God and celebrating the birth of our Savior with live bands, but I was especially blessed because one of my kids actually used his money to buy me a t-shirt from this concert without me knowing. He surprised me with it afterward as a Christmas gift. My heart just melted!! How humbling to know that he is appreciative enough to do something that grand and selfless. These kids steal my heart over and over. I love each and every one. Sometimes, in moments like this, I wonder....if I can love these children who are not "really" mine this much, how much more does our Heavenly father love us?? It boggles the mind, it truly does. Our human understanding is just not equipped to grasp His love. Oh, thank you, Lord for your love that knows no bounds!! Let me demonstrate just a glimmer of that love to all I meet!

Gainesville Trip

As a special treat we visited the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, FL a couple of weeks ago. This was a wonderful opportunity to learn about God's creation, science, the development of civilization here in the United States, and also to experience a city where one of the most popular universities resides. While there we also visited the Butterfly Rainforest and the Museum of Art. We have a trip to the Flint Riverquarium planned this month also! We love to take our kids to places where they will be immersed in culture and knowledge, where their eyes can be opened to future possibilities for them all across the world. We don't want them to limit themselves any more than their Creator does!

2014 Boys' Camp Weekend

We spent our camp weekend at Reed Bingham this year, hiking their trails (in the rain no less!!), frolicking on the beach, and visiting their museum, where the boys got hands-on experiences with various reptiles. We roasted hotdogs and marshmallows over a fire later that evening. We learned about the wonders of God's creation as we explored nature. It was an awesome time!

2014 Boys' Weekend and Baptism

This weekend we took the AWO Boys out to Grand Bay for a nature walk,

and then to feed the geese at Payton Park afterward. Then we had pizza and popcorn while watching God's Not Dead, and cake for desert to celebrate the baptism of one of our boys this Sunday! A wonderful weekend and the boys had a blast!

A New Season

As many of you know, this past year has been a transitional one for both me and the ministry. I have known God was taking me in a new direction but was not sure exactly what that was for some time. Recently He has brought me confirmation and direction and I move forward into this new season with confidence in the things He is going to do!

Today was the launch of a new kind of ministry for Arms Wide Open. While we will continue to transport to church, do local field trips (we have Grand Bay and Flint RiverQuarium in our immediate future), and annual summer camps, we will be transitioning from our large local outreach events to smaller, more intimate outreach. What I have learned over the years is that reaching the multitudes is important, but reaching is really done through real relationship. My focus now is on building closer, more intimate personal relationships with individuals, and equipping those individuals to do outreach within their own community.

In the last year I have been learning how to be more sensitive to His Spirit in meeting the prayer needs of others. Today I brought a friend of mine who is anointed in this area and who has been studying alongside me in ministry over the last year. Together we ministered to the Arms Wide Open teens who came to meet us, praying for their specific needs as well as speaking a prophetic word over them each. I shared with them what God had put on my heart for them….to impart on them a better understanding of The Father’s Love. I spoke the Father’s blessing on each of them as well. We also gave each a copy of the Father’s Love Letter, and then went and gave copies out to other people who were at the park with us (strangers). We prayed and ministered to several people as God led. One of my AWO girls was courageous enough to go and minister with us even though we had just ministered to her…and it was clear to me that she has an anointing for that. She was powerful! I am so proud of her! This is what I see God doing through me for this season….

ministering and equipping for ministry. Ultimately we are all ministers!

I am continually amazed at God’s hand of love on US ALL, and how He speaks to each of us through His creation and through others. Let us all seek to be His messengers, spreading Hope and Life and Love wherever we go!

Thank you for your continued prayer covering, encouragement, and support as I endeavor to do His will. Thank you, Heather, for ministering with me today!

A College Graduate!!

There are days when you think of all the time, energy, prayers, sweat, and tears you have poured into countless kids, yet you see their daily struggles and you wonder, "Lord, has it made any difference at all??" Each time I ask that question He shows me ONE, just one, that it has made a difference for. This is enough for me, because my heart in the beginning and my heart still today is that if it only helps ONE, just ONE, then it is all worth it. Today, thankfully, is not one of those days! Today I am full to overflowing with pride because I can see how far some of "my kids" have come and I know that God, through me, had something to do with it. Not that I take any credit whatsoever for their successes, I do not, but I know that having someone believe in them and encourage them along the way did make a difference for them...they have told me so! So I want to share with you two of my college students, who were formerly AWO kids, who are now enjoying the result of their dedication and holding steadfast to their faith and their dreams. One is on the verge of graduating college and traveled to France for a study abroad program this past summer...doing very well and on the way to a successful career in international relations. Another just graduated with a degree in Cosmetology (her dream!) and is equipped now to open her own salon, something she has talked about for many years now. I traveled to West Palm Beach to see her graduate this past weekend and was able to see for a brief moment four of my kids who have "moved on" but who still hold a very special place in my heart and life. Once I love a child, I never stop! I always carry them with me. Witness here the evidence, the FRUIT, that good things are coming from this ministry. Sharing God's love with these children, being a consistent presence in their lives, teaching them to make good choices, encouraging them to pursue their dreams (With GOD, ALL THINGS are possible!!), IS making a difference! I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who has prayed for us, supported us, encouraged us, and volunteered with us over the years....you have made ripples in the water of life that will reverberate all the way to Heaven!

Girls' Camp Weekend 2014

Each year I always say that I am blessed as much as I bless in doing ministry. This year, this summer in particular, I must say that I know I was blessed much more than I blessed! These kids help keep me alive--they are so pure and genuine and such beautiful creations of the Master that I cannot help but be filled with joy when I am in their presence. In the wake of my recent sabbatical, I am still being "rebuilt" myself, so the kids with their unconditional love for me helped to restore my spirit just by showing me how to recapture the childlike joy of life that I may have lost. In the girls' weekend I sought to instill in them a strong sense of purpose, a strong grasp of God's love for them, an understanding of how each of our actions has ripples that go on for eternity (for the positive or the negative), and also to teach them some basic home-making skills. I accomplished all of that, but they in turn taught me how to laugh, how to frolic in the water, how to swing and slide and act silly, how to stay up late giggling and sharing our fears (oh, wait, they do that every year!), and how to have FUN! I taught them how to use a sewing machine, how to be sensitive to God's voice and visions in worship, and how to see His hand in every day life. It was a small, intimate group, but we were more relaxed and more focused on building relationship than following an "agenda." Something new for me....just another step on the journey God has me on! Thanks to everyone who has supported us through our changes, particularly to the Wooty Foundation for their generous donation which helped fund this weekend!

Back on Track

Many changes are happening in 2014 and AWO has been affected. The format of how we do ministry will be altered somewhat. We will do more on-site ministry, there in the heart of the inner city where most of our kids reside. We will seek to reach out and minister to others who may "wander up" while we are there, as well. We hope to teach and equip our own kids to minister in their community even when we are not there. We will no longer do Wednesday night church transportation, instead we will do church transportation every other Sunday morning. Our camps this year will be separate girls and boys camps with smaller groups. More intense and intimate ministry will take the forefront of what we do. Rather than ministering to large groups, we will focus more on building strong relationships and discipling smaller groups of kids. We will have a girls' weekend as well as a boys' weekend, both of which will take place at Reed Bingham State Park this year. This summer a few of our kids also had the wonderful opportunity to attend another local summer camp, The Great Escape, with New Life Church, where they were cabin leaders and volunteers. They both ministered and were ministered to there. Thank you, His Hands, for giving us that opportunity! :)

Easter 2014

Today during the church service God spoke to my heart. As the pastor was speaking of how Jesus arose from the tomb...God said to me, it is time to wake up. Get up and go! So after church was over, I made an unplanned trip out to the inner city of Valdosta. I didn't get to see all of "my kids" but I saw every one I could find, and also a few new ones I didn't know. I handed out Easter candy with scriptures and the salvation prayer on it as well as Life Books to all I encountered. The kids I did find were so happy to see me! Although I have kept in touch with them over the sabbatical I hadn't seen some of them in person since its onset. It was a feeling like coming home to see their sweet smiling faces!

Brief Sabbatical 2014

For the first time since Oct 2008, when the vision for AWO was birthed, I feel led to take a “sabbatical” of sorts. Since the death of my father in August I have felt tremendous strain and have struggled with the grieving process. The stresses of life and the world continue to make demands on me and there is so little time to “rest” and really dwell in His presence. In addition to this, I am also having surgery this month and will need some time to rest and recover as my body heals. Because I have been the primary “minister” of AWO since its inception, there is no one to take over in my absence. I will maintain contact with the kids and will see them as often as I am able, but we will not hold regular monthly events until I have time to recover and allow God to restore my spirit. I ask for your blessing on this time of rest, as well as your prayers that God will restore me fully to where He wants me to be.

In addition to this, we ask that all donations be suspended during this time. Once we resume ministry you may sow in as you feel led to do so. Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and prayers in all that we have done for His Kingdom!

Kristi Godwin

Wait Now 2014

Two of my favorite ministries (OptionsNow and FutureNow) partnered up this year to form the Wait Now conference, focused toward promoting future-focused decision making and choosing abstinence before marriage. I was blessed to be able to take the AWO kids to this conference, which turned out to be one of the most amazing nights of worship I have ever attended. With testimony from Chris Musgrove and others, theatrical skits appropriate to life-events, film, and live music, it was a powerful night packed with Christian messages geared toward youth. When an altar call was given ALL of the kids I brought went forward to receive Christ. My heart was overflowing!!

Special thanks to Chris Musgrove, Becky Deas, and the rest of the Future Now and Options Now teams for all they did to make this evening possible. As you saw, it was all worth it when the auditorium was FLOODED with people accepting Christ! :)

Christmas 2013

We celebrated a season of GIVING this year with our kids. For the first time, AWO was able and felt led to give a gift to EACH of our AWO kids. Thanks to generous supporters who lovingly "adopted" and purchased gifts for the kids, most received items of clothing from their "wish list"...much needed shoes, warm sweaters, and other winter items appropriate for the season. All of the kids were excited and overjoyed when they received their gifts!

In addition to these individual blessings, we were also able to help one of our AWO families by having a local organization "adopt" them. Because of this they were blessed with bags full of groceries, household items such as silverware, clothing for all of their kids (including winter coats), and even furniture for their very bare house! For a family that was homeless at Christmas just two years ago, this was a dream come true! We were so grateful to be a part of it!

May we always strive to remember those less fortunate than ourselves during such a season of warmth and love, and always strive to LOVE others unconditionally with the grace and mercy that our Father Himself shows us.