BACKPACK MISSION MINISTRIES, INC.
6657 Valleypark Drive
Nashville, Tennessee 37221
www.backpackmission.com
diane.durham@att.net
615-943-2760

Oct, 2008 Update

LYDIA’S HOUSE MINISTRIES / a maternity home.

It is the most beautiful time of the year in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky. The apple tree in back of Lydia’s House is laden down with its bounty. This weekend I was standing there under the tree picking little red apples with black speckles, thinking of how good they will taste in pies. Occasionally, I stopped to look at the yellows, oranges, reds and gold dotting the mountain side. The sky was a beautiful blue with billowy white clouds. As a soft breeze blew, I listened to the sound of the apple crack each time I bit into its tart sweetness. The juice ran down my chin and my heart was filled with the glory and wonders of the Lord and I was once again in awe of the perfection of His creation.

Saturday night the temperature dipped into the 30s. Winter’s cold is just around the corner. We worked most of the afternoon Thursday filling holes in the foundation and cracks under the doors in preparation for the cold winds that blow in the mountains. My job was to use cans of spray foam to fill in cracks in the foundation. Since I had never done this before, I was not aware that as the foam dries it expands. The foundation now looks like a giant cake with butter cream icing exploded under the house!!! It always helps when a little humor is added to the hard work.

God had blessed us with an almost new propane central heat and air unit for the downstairs. We are praying and believing for the metal duct work and someone to hook it up. We know the Lord has gifted many people with the skills and knowledge of how to do this; we just need to be in touch with the ones He is sending to Lydia’s House.

The house is inching closer and closer to completion. At this point the kitchen is mostly complete and functioning. The downstairs bath and master bedroom are complete except for a little trim work. The living room is complete. The foyer has its new hardwood floors in place and some of the trim complete. Sixteen new six feet long treads and risers for the stairs are in the works and almost finished. The drywall for the dining room has been delivered and is sitting in the foyer waiting patiently to be installed.

The sanctuary is complete except for the installation of paneling and trim. Upstairs needs trim work everywhere. Most of the wood trim has already been donated. The bathroom upstairs needs new flooring. We already have a vanity and commode. We are still praying for the central heat and air unit for the upstairs.

The Lord has already blessed us with so many of the provisions we needed and we are just waiting for those special people to hear the call of the Lord and come running to get this house finished and ready for the Lord’s work. Those of you who have seen Lydia’s House know what a wonderful, peaceful haven this will be to the women and babies the Lord sends there.

Please keep the work on this house in your prayers and if you know an individual or a group who would like to help, please send them our way.

May the Lord bless and keep you always.

Diane Durham
Backpack Mission Ministries, Inc.
6657 Valleypark Drive
Nashville, TN 37221
615-943-2760
diane.durham@att.net
a 501(c)(3) non profit charity

December, 2007 Update

As most of you know, the Lord has put it on our hearts to open a home for unwed mothers here in Kentucky. Thanks to your great generosity we purchased a wonderful old boarding house on October 30th. Around November 15th we started the renovations. God has touched the hearts of some wonderful people to help us get this home ready to start receiving young women and give them an option other than abortion. The hope of saving babies’ lives has really filled us with energy and determination to get the house ready as soon as possible. God has provided an almost new kitchen and the labor to install it. We have removed the thirty year old carpet and soon will be in the process of cleaning and restoring the wood floors. God has also provided much of the furniture we will need. We are in prayer for drywall and someone who can install it in a couple of rooms. There is still much cleaning and painting to be done.

Please keep Lydia’s House in your prayers and if the Lord touches your hearts, please come and help us get this home ready to receive these precious little babies and their moms. We can use all the prayers and man/woman power you can spare.

September 27, 2007 Update

Dear Friends,

I am so excited about what God is doing here in the mountains of Kentucky. We at Backpack Ministries have been busy working with the children, getting them fed and back to school. Once again the backpacks are being filled with food and given out each week to His little ones.
As many of you know, when God sent me here to Appalachia, He told me that I would be working with women and children. For the last year and a half the majority of our work here has been with the children. Helping them has blessed me in ways I can never explain. And now the Lord is ready for the next part ……the women.
The best way to change the lives of these hungry, hurting children is to change the lives of their mothers. God has given me a vision for a women’s center, a place where we can minister to their needs both physically and spiritually, a safe haven in the midst of their stormy lives. We will have Bible studies, praise and worship and one on one teaching of the Word. We will be available to listen, give loving counsel and teach them practical life skills such as cooking, budgeting, hygiene, parenting, housekeeping, job training and applying for jobs.
This will be a center not only for the lost and hurting women in the community but also a place where women of God can come, rest and reconnect with Him. There are elderly women that live in this area who are lonely, shut-in and need help with daily tasks. We want to be there for them to brighten their lives and love them. Here they will find a sanctuary where God’s love abounds for all the women, young and old, those serving the Lord and those needing to find the Lord.
I have saved the most exciting part for last. The Lord is opening doors for us to be able to minister to the needs of young pregnant women who are choosing not to have abortions. We will be able to provide a place for them to live while they are pregnant and a place for them to recover after delivery. While they are with us we can show them the mercy, grace and love of Christ and reward them for choosing life for their babies. Can you imagine the difference we can make in the lives of these women and also in the lives of their unborn babies? I thank God for the opportunity to be a part of saving even one child’s life and I know you want to be involved also.
The Lord has shown us the house He wants to use. It is a wonderful place that was once a boarding house. He has named it Lydia House. His peace and presence abound there. He has given us instruction from Habakkuk 2:2, “Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” This is the written vision made plain so that you can read it and help us get it accomplished. Christ uses our hearts and our hands to reach the world and do His work. We need your donations to fulfill the vision He has given. For only $100,000.00 we can purchase the house and open the center.
We have been approved by the IRS as a 501c3 non profit organization, so all of your donations are tax deductible. He promises that when we give to Him we will receive it back. “Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over” Luke 6:38 Praise God and His faithfulness.
Right now we have an urgent need for the money to secure the house. Thank you for your prayerful consideration and for wanting to be a part of His glorious work in the mountains of Appalachia. Without you none of this would be possible.

God bless and keep you,

Diane Durham
Director