Getting Our Grub on at The Mission

Faith Wall is dedicated to all those who made this possible.

There is something special about family meals around the table. It is where some of our most fond memories are made with each other here at the Mission. A meal is prepared and we all get together and eat as one big family. It’s a tradition at Mission Messiah that started since the beginning. Many of the women have never actually sat down and had a meal together in their home with their families, unless it was a holiday or very special occasion. I know from my past experience, the kids and I usually ate McDonald’s in the car on the way home or ate in the living room in front of the TV. That was the “norm” for us. This custom of sitting around the table with our families has formed a habit for me that I know I will continue at home even after I graduate. We’ve recently added a new addition to Mission Messiah. Continue reading to get the scoop!

Blessings Galore was Mission Messiah’s first thrift store started in 2001 where the women worked while they were in the program. People from all over the Permian Basin would come by and donate used clothing and other items for our store. It was a part of the women’s ministry, they had prayer request and praise report logs that customers would fill out at the register. They were diligent to pray over any new donated items that would come in and who those items would go to. The thrift store was not in good condition; it was used, run down and aged with the years. Unfortunately, Blessings Galore burned down in 2006 due to electrical problems.

Thereafter, it became a storage space for all scrap materials on the property. We had everything from toilets to air conditioning units. It had become a secluded part of the property that no one went by unless it was given as a work assignment.

In 2008 God had a plan for the old, burned down building. Mission Messiah decided to renovate it and make it the first commercial kitchen for the mission family. It started with a fundraiser last spring. Then “Campers on a Mission” along with “Dan Higgins Construction” volunteered their time and helped to restore the facility. Everything began to fall into place. Over 50 people, individuals and companies alike, gave their time and money to the renovation. Over $160,000 was given for what we now call, Faith Hall. The grand opening for Faith Hall took place on May 17 and we were able to express our gratitude with our supporters and fellowship together.

Our previous kitchen, The Sheep Gate, served 10’s of thousands of meals over the years to women and their children going through the program. It has been our multi purpose room for class, meals, gatherings, and activities. Although the Sheep Gate is a very humble kitchen, it has been apart of many lives. The Sheep Gate won’t be leaving us though! It will soon undergo construction and be transformed into another wonderful facility for the women and children here at the Mission. You will have to come back and read about that in future blogs.
We are grateful for everyone’s contribution and efforts to help us at Mission Messiah.
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12

The Story That Will Change Your Life

Nahni, Lauren, Amy and Veronica at WOW

Hi, my name is Veronica and I’ve been at Mission Messiah for 7 months. God has completely changed my life, and because of it, I want to share with you a little more of what goes on inside WOW.

We commonly hear “You’ve given me hope”, “I can really relate to your situation”, “If you can do it, I can do it too”, “I’m overwhelmed by the power of God in people’s lives!” Many of the costumers at WOW respond this way after listening to the women testify about how God has brought them from a chaotic and destructive lifestyle and made us into His glorious creation.

A story is one of the most powerful and influential things in the world. People often write books, movies, or music to share their life experiences with others to give hope and encouragement. Part of the ministry at WOW happens when we share our testimonies with different individuals who come to our store.

A few weeks ago, at the church congregation that we regularly attend, there was a sermon entitled “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” The sermon captures the power of the gospel and it’s effects on people’s lives throughout history. As we continued listening that Sunday morning, Senior Pastor Daniel Stevens drew a connection between our personal stories and the story of Christ’s love. It is this connection that had a big impact on all the women here at the mission. Each one of our lives has been drastically changed because of the unconditional love of Jesus Christ (Click here to watch this sermon online).

Because of the many customers we receive each day, we are able to strengthen people’s faith and glorify the Lord. I asked a few of the women that work here what excites them most about sharing their stories with the customers. Nahni, who has been with Mission Messiah for 4 months, is able to witness to people when they feel they’re prayers aren’t being heard. She enjoys sharing God’s miracles in her life when people seem discouraged. Often Amy, who has been in the program for 8 months, hears the costumer’s remarks of disbelief and astonishment when she shares her testimony – “People can’t see the darkness that overtook my life anymore, they see the light of Jesus, and are drawn to me now”. Patty, who has recently graduated, is always willing to share her “working progress” and let people know that the journey is never complete. She encourages others and assures them that we can get through it together.

You can now have the pleasure of reading our women’s testimonies right here on our Blog. We will continue posting more over the next few weeks. The stories are truly powerful along with the before and after pictures of the women. It’s amazing; you can see God’s love all over them now! Don’t forget we’re constantly open to prayer, you can always go to our website or just click here and we’ll be faithful to pray with you through whatever the circumstance may be.

Interview with Jamie Berryhill

Hey everyone, Brant Greathouse writing here. Well I can’t say that getting our new store online has been an easy task but it has been a wonderful experience and God has greatly blessed the process. Over the past few months there have been a lot of people who have been anticipating the arrival of the WOW Fashion Warehouse online store and as of May 28th we had our first official sale in the store to a very nice lady from Abilene, TX who purchased a wonderful gift for her mother (who is a huge fan of WOW, she said). It is very exciting to watch as God has orchestrated everything that has gone into this new online store. As we continue to blog we will be talking about the many different things that go on not only with the WOW stores but also what the latest is at Mission Messiah. Today we have a very special treat as we have interviewed none other than Jamie Berryhill. For those of you who don’t know Jamie, he is the founder of Mission Messiah and has been working with women and children for over 12 years. He is a great visionary and man of God always paying close attention to where God is leading him. He has been a huge part of making this online store possible and he has got some good stuff to share with all of us.

1. What is your favorite thing about the WOW online store?
The intent of the WOW! online store is to bring WOW! gift and home decor ideas at affordable prices to the world and to be a work training program and a source of financial support for single women and their children. My favorite thing about the WOW! online store is its’ purpose of sharing the message of hope and freedom that God is bringing everyday through Jesus Christ for those that want it.

2. What is your personal favorite gift item on our website?
Although it is difficult to choose my favorite gift item on the website, today, I would have to say the handcarved crosses from India are absolutely sensational. They are not only beautiful works of art, the prices are truly unbelievable.

3. What can you envision God doing through this new opportunity?
I am very excited about bringing a message of encouragement and hope to the hurting. We have been blessed to live and breath the incredible faithfulness of an all powerful God in the transforming of lives that have lost all hope to fullfilled, vibrant individuals with purpose in life.

4. Who all is the WOW online store helping?
Through the online store we hope to bless individuals with the just right gift, we hope to see women and children that have been unable to meet financial responsibilities, blessed through diligent work and service to provide for their families, and foremost to glorify the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

5. What does the proceeds of the store go to?
The financial intent of WOW is to provide for single women and their children and to financially support other similar works that are benefiting those in need and encouraging abundant life.

6. What are some ways that supporters of Mission Messiah and WOW Fashion Warehouse can contribute to the success of the store?
Helping to share with as many people as possible the WOW! story and the Mission Messiah story is a wonderful way that supporters can contribute to WOW!’s success.

7. Of the 12 years working with Mission Messiah what would be some wisdom that you could share with the rest of us?
Over the past 12 years of endeavoring to hear the Lord and following His instructions in Mission Messiah’s development, the wisdom and encouragement I would share with all is this; The Word of God is absolutely true.
Come to Jesus.
Fix your eyes upon Jesus.
Lay every care at the feet of Jesus.
Learn to hear His voice.
Obey His every word.

Mystery of The Bag Ministry

Our gift bag display in our WOW parking lot has been a big attraction to many west Texans. Shelly Kirkmeyer, a graduate, artist, and staff member of Mission Messiah decorates our gift bag trio about every other month to attract customers. Many drive down Grandview just to view our new theme and scripture. Ector County Independent School District nominated WOW as one of there favorite places to visit because of our famous display. Many have confessed to taking an alternative route home just because the gift bags make the highlight of their day and minister to them. Our landmark alone changes lives!

Just recently, as driving into the parking lot on Saturday, June 6th, we were taken back by our famous attraction… destroyed. Our gift bags were smashed and scattered all over the parking lot! We were forced to throw our legendary shopping bags in the dumpster. The winds can get pretty fierce here in West Texas and our bags have stood firm up until now. We don’t think it was the wind. Whatever happened still remains a mystery. The bottom line is our bags are destroyed.

Since this catastrophe our customers come in grieved about the situation and share their testimonies about how our display has delighted them. Augustine Martinez came in to the store to offer us his help and time to restore the gift bags. He shared with us the impact our inspirational gift bags have had in his family’s lives. Needless to say we will rebuild to continue the ministry of our famous gift bags!

Welcome to WOW’s Blog Site

This is WOW before it became WOW. It was litterally called Sin Citi

This is WOW as we know it today!

WOW! What a story we have to tell. “WOW” stands for Women Of Worth and that is exactly who we are. A little over 2 years ago a ministry called Mission Messiah started a business as a venue for ministry to all who walk through our doors, workers and customers alike. Mission Messiah reaches out to hopeless women in bondage and teaches how to live a Christ centered life though intense study of scripture and extensive, consistent, structure. But where does WOW enter the picture? WOW comes in and gives us the ability to learn good work ethic and on the job training that can go in our portfolio after we graduate the 12-month program as well as providing the financial support for the women who come through along with their children. Every day here at the store is exciting and brings new trials as well as victories and “God moments.” If you want to see more about how God is working in Odessa, Texas through our store then you will love following our posts. We will be sharing our testimonies, daily happenings and much much more. We are first and foremost focused on God’s ministry and secondly we are a retail store. Because of this our number one goal is to shine the light of Christ into as many parts of the world as possible and to provide unbeatable service to all of our customers. We hope you enjoy all that God has to bring you through this ministry. God Bless.