Stacey Gagne

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Carol of the Fryars… the barnyard song

stacey : December 16, 2010 5:40 pm : Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE-  We receive lots of calls and emails asking who sings the “barnyard carol of the bells song”.  Unfortunately, we don’t really know.  It’s a song that we received years ago at the station on a special “radio only”  release cd.   It’s become a favorite for many listeners and I wanted to let you know that if you just can’t wait for the next time the song is played on WJTL, it is actually available to watch/listen to on Youtube.

Enjoy!

Stacey M. Gagne

Merry Christmas!

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Worshipping Together

stacey : November 16, 2010 5:02 pm : Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE –

I love corporate worship settings.  There is something so special about joining together with others in singing to Our God.

This afternoon  I am singing along at my desk with Phil Whickham, Chris Tomlin and Lincoln Brewster.    I wonder how many other listeners are singing along or at least joining in worship silently from wherever they are.   We are worshiping together!

Just a thought!

Stacey Gagne

A Worshiper singing along at WJTL

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A Story From the Prayer Wall

stacey : November 10, 2010 3:05 pm : Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE – We recently added the Prayer Wall feature to the website.  It’s already been an amazing tool for people to share their prayer requests and see that others are praying for them!!!  I was looking through some of the testimonies on the stories page and thought I’d share an excerpt:

“A few weeks ago I wrote a prayer request out of desperation. I was frusterated with trying to find a Bible Study and feeling let down by my friends. First of all, I want to say that I was totally blown away by the number of people that prayed for me and then by all the advice I received. The body of Christ is an amazing thing!”  (You can see the full story at the Prayer Wall Stories Tab)

There are already many many requests on the prayer requests page.  Please take a moment to visit the page, let someone you know you are praying and even encourage someone.   Prayer Works!

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Hoping for A Childs Love

stacey : November 3, 2010 1:14 pm : Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE – I have had the privilege of meeting some very beautiful babies and children recently as I have several friends having and adopting children these days.  Today as I was greeting and trying to connect with my newest sweet little friend I found myself welling up with this hope that this child would decide that I was someone they wanted to love and that they would one day come to trust me as one of their parents friends.

I’m not a parent, but as I’m sitting here going about my day I am realizing that this is a feeling that parents must have on such a deeper level… and that God has on a greater level still.  He’s longing for us, His creation,  His children to love him, to trust Him and to come to Him, even honor and obey Him out of that love.

Just a thought I’m thinking … while being thankful for the precious little ones I get to be friends with.

Stacey M. Gagne

Thankful for God’s love for His precious ones big and small.

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An Invitation

stacey : October 19, 2010 5:49 am : missions, Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE – It’s 5:30 am and I’m so excited for this day to begin.  WJTL’s 26 Hours of Compassion is here.  This is the culmination and purpose for my trip and experiences in Ethiopia… to let others know about what Compassion is doing and give you an opportunity to  get involved.

This morning I got really excited when I saw the link go up for the children needing sponsorship from the FBI (Faith Bible International) Project.  These are the kids that will be filling the classrooms and playgrounds that I walked through!!!

So here is your invitation!  Listen in!  Check out some child profiles … and please pray!  Then give us a call and sponsor a child!  We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

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Final Years Are Crucial

stacey : October 13, 2010 11:25 am : missions, Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE – I just clicked on our direct link to Compassion International from WJTL’s web page.   I noticed that as I went in a couple of pages there are many pre-teens and older teens in need of sponsorship. I wanted to take a moment to highlight this group of kids.  I think it’s often the case (at least it was for me) to have that excitement to start a sponsorship with a child from a very young age.  I, personally, love the idea of walking with a child through their years of growing up and knowing I was along with them every step of the way.  I started sponsoring both of my children from early ages.

The thing is for these teens, what has most likely happened is that for one reason or another they lost their sponsor somewhere along the way.   I’m sure financial troubles have been a large factor due to the economy as of late.   These students are in a crucial time in their life as they finish out school, deal with the many issues that teens deal with, etc.  It’s their final push to finish out the program and possibly move on to university!  They can use encouragement and support now more than ever.  I just wanted to put out an encouragement for anyone who might consider sponsoring an older child… you might only have them for a couple of years, but your impact on their life will be great.  If you have a heart for teens, or like the idea of being able to motivate and encourage a child as they finish out the program… there are children out there who would love to meet you.

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Coffee Ceremony

stacey : October 12, 2010 6:29 pm : missions, Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE – One of the things that I’ll never forget about Ethiopia was the coffee.  DELICIOUS!!!  I brought back my own clay pot and several bags to share with friends and family and co-workers here… and it’s all going too quickly.  We were served deliciously strong and perfectly sweetened coffee pretty much everywhere we went.  The coffee ceremony is not only a show of hospitality, but part of their culture and tradition.   Great time and care is put into preparing the beans and serving the coffee… I was served popcorn, roasted barley and coffee served in beautiful little glass tea cups in a tiny tiny little one room home that is smaller than my office.  (We also were often served soda in glass bottles… which seemed to taste much better to me… but I digress…)

When we visited one of the churches, where the Yeka Meker Church Child Development Center is held; “PK”  the Project Director there, shared about how they use coffee as an opportunity to share Jesus with the parents of children who are involved in the Child Sponsorship Program.

I love that the ministry of Compassion International is reaching into individual families with the Gospel.   As families see their children receiving the tangible benefits of child sponsorship, they are also receiving the more lasting benefits in the seeds of truth being planted along the way.

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Dinner with Serious

stacey : October 12, 2010 11:03 am : missions, Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE – Yesterday I was going through a bunch of video clips from my trip to Ethiopia.  I was reminded of many things including the dinner and then panel time we had with the Leadership Development Program students.  I had the opportunity to have dinner with a young man who we called “Serious”  (that was the meaning of his name which I couldn’t pronounce).  He was a very charming and intelligent 21 year old and we had a lot of fun chatting at dinner.

Serious grew up through Compassion International’s Child Development program from age 6 because of his sponsorship.  He shared with me and my friend Joe how he had been so blessed by the ministry of Compassion.  It became especially intense and important to him when he was 16.  At age 16 his mother passed away and he was left alone.   He was in the midst of preparing for his National Exam and so this was a really crucial time in his life.  He shared how Compassion was the only one to provide for him,  support him through this time and enable him to pass his test and go on to University.  When he graduated from the Child Development Program he received a new sponsor for his Leadership Development Program from which he is a recent graduate.  He studied Animal Science at university and is anxious to find a job in his field that will help him help his community.

During the panel discussion time, Serious shared with the group that through Compassion he and the other LDP students realized that they have value.  That as they received love and care through the programs offered through their sponsorships Compassion became a part of their “background” and story.

I’m so thankful that someone decided to take a chance and sponsor Serious and help him move into a life filled with possibility!

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The Riches of His Love

stacey : October 11, 2010 4:23 pm : missions, Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE –

Yesterday at church we were singing the worship song “Forever Reign” and tears came to my eyes when we sang the lyrics ” … the riches of your love will always be enough”.   It reminded me of the quote “The opposite of poverty is not wealth,  the opposite of poverty is enough”.   It reminded me of  the fact that my idea of what a home with “enough” looks like has changed both in the spiritual and the physical.

I saw the riches of God’s Love on display in the faces of so many children in Ethiopia.   I saw the light of hope.  I saw how God is providing for basic needs for these children through their sponsors and the volunteers at the churches.   They are learning about Gods love for them through scripture and through the ways they are being provided for by Christians who’ve never even met them.   They are learning about God’s love as they are fed, clothed, educated and cared for.

Oh God shower the riches of your love on these kids!  I am anxious to see how God will use our audience once again to bring His “enough”  into the lives of many children next week during our 26 Hours of Compassion.  Please join me in praying for this.

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Hope in Their Eyes

stacey : October 6, 2010 4:04 pm : missions, Stacey Gagne

STACEY GAGNE –

On our daily trips around the city of Addis Ababa it was common to encounter people begging for money.  Sometimes they would be trying to sell us something and others they would yell “Money” or approach our vehicle hoping for some spare change.  I wished that I could help out each and every one of those people… but of course there are many reasons why me giving a few birr (Ethiopian currncy) to every person that asked was not going to work for many reasons.

The children, of course, were the hardest to pass by.  On our first day we did some sight seeing and a little gang of boys followed us around trying their hardest to get us to give them money.  At that point I hadn’t even changed  over any of my American dollars so giving them money was literally not an option.   Another day 2 boys approached the van while we were stuck in traffic and asked for money then began singing the chorus “This is the Day”.  I had to wonder if they even knew what it meant … and it broke my heart.

I can tell you that there is an obvious difference in countenance between the children out on the streets and the children in the program.  Their home life situations are probably quite similar… but there is a light of hope in their eyes.  The children in the Compassion projects are being taught ways to earn a living such as wood working, sewing, among other life skills.   They are being instructed that there are better ways to survive than begging.  They are being cared for,  fed, and clothed.  Most importantly,  they are being shown the love of God both tangibly and through scripture.

I am confident that Compassion International is making a difference in the lives of children and their families because of what I’ve seen in Ethiopia and therefore trust it’s the same way around the world.  This, to me, makes sponsoring a child an obvious choice.

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