After an eight year career working with juvenile delinquent girls, Nancy Alcorn became passionate about helping young women break free of many harmful, addictive behaviors and find freedom in Christ. She formed Mercy Ministries, now Mercy Multiplied, a nonprofit Christian residential program that is free of charge to young women ages 13-28 and exists to help residents “stop destructive cycles, discover purpose for their lives, and become productive and thriving individuals.” Join us as we hear more from Nancy about all God has done through this ministry, the future of Mercy Ministries, and powerful testimonies from several graduates of the program.
hey they are welcome welcome I’m so glad
that you’re here I’m Priscilla and this
is the chat with Priscilla we just kind
of chat around here about good stuff
today’s going to be a great opportunity
for you to hear about an organization
that is making incredible changes in the
lives of young people
all over the world really Nancy Alcorn
is here she is the founder of mercy
multiply and when you hear about how
this ministry is multiplying mercy all
over the world
[Music]
hey there welcome I am so glad that you
are joining me this is a fun place to be
especially today because there are a lot
of great people that we’re going to be
talking to you today that you’re going
to want to stay connected with and know
about and so I’m glad that you’re here
this is the chat with Priscilla and we
just chat about stuff that I hope will
be exciting to you listen this is part
two of a conversation we’ve already been
having so if you have not seen part one
make sure that you sort of go back and
see that one as well because it will
kind of connect the dots between that
and what we’re going to be talking about
today we have been spending time with
Nancy Alcorn who is the founder of Mercy
multiplied it is an organization that
changes people’s lives that’s the bottom
line I mean it does lots of stuff but
the bottom line of everything is it
changes people’s lives
she is also author ditched the baggage a
way to change your life keys to your
freedom you’re going to want to grab
hold of this will you guys please help
me to welcome nancy Alcorn back to the
program she is getting next to two
incredible women one of which shared her
story with us in part one Thank You
Camilla for joining us as well and then
we are joined by this purple hair
sitting over here
AHA I like it very very much my friend
her name is Frances would you guys
please welcome them as well
we’re glad you were here Nancy just
gotta set the stage for for us about
what mercy multiplied is and what the
goal and vision of the organization is
well basically whatever the problem is
Jesus is the answer and we have
facilities across America and in other
countries for young women between the
ages of 13 to 28 who have some type of
life controlling issue whether they’ve
been sex trafficked or addictions or
eating disorders or unplanned pregnancy
or sexual abuse or suicidal or all of
this any kind of problem you think of
Jesus Christ as the answer and so for
girls who want help we take them in free
of charge they stay with us an average
of six months sometimes it’s longer
depending on the layers of their issues
and and we help them discover who they
are in Christ they no longer identify
with what they’ve been labeled or told
they would never do or will never be but
they find out that God has a great plan
for their life and his hope give them
hope and a future and that they can
actually use what’s happened in their
past like the Apostle Paul did to have a
future and give other people a future
well there you go in a nutshell that’s
what it is huh and it has changed many
people’s I’ve met I have met so many
women over the years from Mercy
multiplied so many women who I look at
them and the picture I might see of them
of who they were before if I looked at a
photograph and then I look at this
person that is standing in front of me
it looks like two completely different
people not just because of clothing or
something superficial like that there is
a light in their eyes because they’ve
heard somebody say you are valuable you
are worth something you do not have to
be the person that you once were and
we’re so grateful that you’ve chosen to
devote really your whole life Nancy you
devoted your whole life to this and we
celebrate that don’t we today we’re so
glad
Frances you are one of those women you
are one of those women who are changed
right
yeah absolutely okay we want to hear
your story tell us about the past what
did it look like where’d you come from
definitely well I grew up in a very
dysfunctional home from the outside
looked great and it looked like
everything was fine my parents were very
withdrawn at the age of six I began to
be sexually abused by a family member
and by age 10 that escalated to sex
trafficking it was by a family member
again and also by someone else in the
community and I throughout that entire
process I was just taught that my
purpose my value everything that I was
everything that I could ever be was
found in sex and pleasing men in any way
I possibly okay I got to stop right
there and ask you about the sex
trafficking a little bit because I think
when we hear the word sex trafficking in
our mind most of us get a picture of
brothels in Greece somewhere or you know
off in the four corners of the world
where this is happening on a large scale
it really is y’all there there are
slaves women and children in particular
but men is men and boys as well slaves
all over the world it’s a horrific
crimes against humanity but it doesn’t
always look like what we see on TV so
you’re saying here you are in America
and you are on a daily basis regular
basis being trafficked by somebody in
your family what does that look like
because it doesn’t mean that you
disappeared for months at a time does it
no okay
tell us what that literally looked like
in your life for me that meant when I
got home from school there was no one
there but me and that particular family
member and there would be men just
waiting for me there’d be men who would
just come into my room there would be
people who would groups of men at times
I would be escorted to my room where to
wherever I was in the house I never knew
when it would be and never knew what
time would be I never knew who would be
but I always had that that fear and just
knowing that it was coming out over you
starting at 10 years old starting at 10
years old absolutely did you have any
sense of peace at any point in your day
was there a place you could go for
refuge any friend person adult that was
around you that knew anything about
what’s going on other than this family
member no but you’re going to school
during the day right sometimes
sometimes sometimes so when you went to
school all the teachers all the
principals all the the Hall monitors
nobody knew what was going on you know
when I look back as an adult I know that
there were certain teachers and
faculties that knew something I don’t
think anyone knew everything I don’t
think anyone knew exactly how to
pinpoint it but some people knew
something was going on but nobody had
the guts to step up and confront it can
you just tell us before we move on with
your story because we want to keep going
with your story but can you tell us what
would be some things that we should be
on the lookout for with young people
that are around us whether in school or
at church or in our neighborhood what
are some things we could be on the
lookout for that should alert us that
there’s something up with this child
yeah absolutely
withdrawn that’s the biggest thing for
me and I’ve just looked back and I’ve
met several other people who have been
through sex trafficking and it doesn’t
always look the same but definitely I
could say there’s just a vacancy and
there is always a sense of fear
anxiousness and for me I tried to cover
that up as much as I possibly could
about being bubbly and loud and kind of
obnoxious but I’m just definitely
looking for that that that anxiousness
or just that jumpiness even at times for
me I missed a lot of school I missed a
lot of school too much to to even
understand what was going on so just
little things like that and just
honestly as believers we have
discernment we have the ability to be
able to say okay know what Lord
something just doesn’t feel right
something isn’t right about the
situation about the specific child and
so just knowing that and knowing that we
have that access he’s not going to let
that get past us Francis where was your
mom when all this was happening my mom
is a strong woman but she was very
vacant and she definitely worked a lot I
rarely rarely saw her if I did it was
late late at night and she she had her
own her own skeletons in her own closet
that she was dealing with my father and
her relationship was very
verbally and emotionally and she was
just very scared she was scared to
address things she was scared to just
kind of come out of her shell and be the
woman that that God created her Nancy do
you find that there’s some common
denominators in the parents of the
children that you see coming into your
home in the kinds of parents that that
our parenting these kids you mean you
mean kids like in Francis case uh yes
they’re like she said there’s a lot of
absence absence in the home times where
kids are left alone they don’t really
know where they are they don’t know who
their friends are they don’t even know
like in her in Francis’s case like what
a family member was doing because
they’re not there they are not there for
them and and and I will also say to
balance that that some of the best
parents I’ve ever met have had daughters
walk through our doors or with other
types of issues and they cared very much
but but in this case it’s it’s it’s
usually families it like I think in your
mother’s case she was trying to make
ends meet
and trying to put food on the table and
and just a lot of issues around all that
okay so tell us now you you’re the sex
trafficking went on for how long kind of
13 till you were 13 so three years of
living in fear and pain most likely
emotionally and physically absolutely
what happens at 13 well for me like I
was saying I found I found my purpose
and my value in who I was in men in in
sex and so when everything ended that
family member ended up getting arrested
for some gang activity had nothing to do
with what was going on behind closed
doors
but after they got out things ended and
I you would think that I would be
overjoyed about it but I was devastated
I felt like I no longer had any purpose
I no longer had any value Wow
I felt like I was no good for anything
any longer so that led me to alcohol my
father struggled with alcoholism my
whole lives always had access
to anything that I wanted at any time I
got to the point where I was taking
alcohol to school with me
I was selling alcohol to other kids at
school just little petty things of that
nature and then it escalated from there
to just being very promiscuous because
now it can be on my terms it could be
how I wanted when I wanted and I found a
lot of comfort in the fact that I had
control in that area and do you hear any
any bits of an echo of that in your
story at all Camilla in terms of liking
to feel like you’re in control and
feeling like you for once have control
over whether it’s the alcohol or you’re
choosing the drug or you’re choosing the
relationship and you feel grown up in a
bit in control when you when you kind of
get wrapped up in a habit or a lifestyle
like that that definitely identify with
that and I also identify with indulging
in that behavior because you want that
validation because you don’t have it
okay and that’s a common thread I think
there’s so much what we talked about
that all of human beings every human
being humanity is looking for and
searching for the value in the
significance they really have already
been given by God but really he allows
us as human beings the privilege of
calling out that significance from
especially our children stamping them
with significant speaking well of them
and when we don’t when they don’t find
it in the words and the the looks the
expressions that we give them that say
you are valuable you are worth your
worth listening to you worth spending
time on then oftentimes they run off and
they’re going to find it somewhere else
we’re going to continue to hear about
the stories of these young ladies and
how mercy multiplied change their lives
in just a few minutes stay tuned
[Applause]
[Music]
if you’re feeling discouraged and
defeated if you’re a bit overwhelmed or
maybe even feeling undone if you’re
wondering whether or not your future has
any hope of victory then listen this
Bible study is for you
strongholds are torn down while the Word
of God fortresses are dismantled by the
Word of God when you place faith in
Jesus Christ the righteousness of Christ
is credited to your spiritual bank
account that you are the righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus I invite you to
join me for a lesson in putting on the
whole armor of God our lives are going
to be taking yours and mine because
we’re going to learn that we’ve got the
victory in Jesus name
[Music]
well we’re going to jump right back into
Francis’s story she’s just telling us a
bit about what set the framework for her
life and honestly what could have paved
the path for your entire life had you
not encountered nancy Alcorn and mercy
multiply which is an organization that
has helped thousands of young ladies
just like you so you’ve taken us through
what was a very dysfunctional situation
that could have destroyed your life here
you get to this place where you now are
controlling things at least you’re still
not making wise choices but you feel
good about the fact that you’re in
control at least and you set for
yourself a goal a life mission this is
what you want to do this what you want
to be what was that again my my goal was
to be fulfilled in what I was taught was
my purpose and so I thought that my only
my only chances were to either be a
prostitute or a stripper and I was like
all right cool this is what I need to do
so at 15 I dropped out of school
thinking well this is not going to help
me in the path that I want to go down
after dropping out of school things kind
of spiraled even more out of control I
got into self-harm started drinking more
I got into smoking marijuana even being
more promiscuous and what is self-harm
when you say that what did that look
like for you for me that was cutting and
I cut with anything I could find
anything that I could get my hands on
and it didn’t start off as as me saying
okay I’m going to go go get this
specific tool or this item it was a man
like I I feel so numb I feel so empty
that I need a way to escape this I need
a way to feel like I’m still living and
I’m still like that what cutting is all
about because I’ve often wondered what
what is the purpose what’s the
gratification that you would get from
cutting your own skin and bleeding what
does that do for you you’re saying it
takes you out of numbness and for me it
was it was two things that was
definitely a part of it and then at
other times it was to escape emotional
pain that I was feeling because the
physical pain took my mind off of the
emotional pain and then
no stress that I was under so at
different times it operated different
roles for me okay
so do you find a lot of women young
women that come to you I have a problem
with cutting absolutely in fact these
days it’s it’s more likely that they do
then that they don’t really absolutely
one girl had had carved so deeply the
word forgotten in her arm that it was
just like forever going to be there she
went through the protein it seemed like
and she went through the program and had
a tremendous life change God healed her
heart she got set free from all that
stuff and she came we had a 25 year
anniversary of Mercy girls coming back
about seven years ago and she comes
running up to me and she said you know
what I got a revelation God can heal my
heart he can take away these scars that
I started fighting on my scars and she
goes look it’s gone and I mean that word
was not God took it off her arm and only
got got that supernatural yeah yeah
that’s beautiful that’s beautiful so you
find out about mercy ministries at what
point in your journey oh man I found out
about mercy at 18 years old I got my
first place moved out and thick and
everything was going to be great I have
my own life now that was not the case if
anything I was able to be even more
ratchet than I was before I love the
word ratchet ratchet the only way I can
explain it yeah um but my mom actually
called me and told me that she heard
about mercy on enjoying everyday life
which is Joyce’s program and she was
kind of hinting that I should go but at
the same time didn’t want to tell me
what to do so your mom knows all this
your mom knows what’s going on she knows
how you live and she knows all the
wretchedness yeah she kind of didn’t
want to look at it didn’t want to see it
but she knew and some like mom’s not
playing with me I know I need to go I
know I need to get my life together and
I immediately went online and applied
and I walked through Merck the doors of
Mercy on August 13th what did you first
encounter August 13th
what year 2013 2013 so this is just a
couple years ago
what did you encounter when you
you feel when you walked into this
environment if anything I would say
overwhelmed with love and with
acceptance right away
and it wasn’t that I had to prove to
them who I was or I didn’t have to show
them some type of activity as to what I
could do for them I just had to be me I
just had to let my walls down that was
the hardest thing for me but just being
able to experience God’s love in a
tangible way through other people was
something I was so foreign to me and so
scary but also so comforting because it
felt right Camela what what if there’s a
young lady that you know I was
considering this and what can she expect
if she goes what can she expect to find
when she gets to a mercy multiplied
house the word identity comes to mind
identity mm-hmm because I believe that
that’s the main thing that’s missing
like you just don’t know who you are and
so having an opportunity to to learn
what that is because it’s the truth it
becomes a part of you so I would say
that’s the main thing that she can
expect in addition to all the other
wonderful things that Francis alluded to
and Francis what does your life look
like today because how old are you now I
am 21 so you’re 21 years old
you got purple hair we love it thank you
and you a ratchet no more how about a
home thank you lord
so tell us what your plans are oh man
what does the future look like where are
you working what are you doing was like
look like my life is so incredibly
different and I never expected my life
to look like this I am an intern at the
st. Louis Dream Center there I work with
the youth and kids 12 to 18 sometimes
like 21 so I never want to leave I get
to be with them and just be what I
needed in that time in my life and we’re
in inner-city missions and just being
able to love on them and to see them
grow and transform because the love that
they get through God through us and I’m
also working at Joyce Meyer ministries
just being able to be there at the call
center and man just operating in what
God has shown me to be my passion is
just interceding and just loving on
people and being able to show people
that there is another step that you can
take there is another way out of the
life that you’re living what would you
like to do when you grow up I actually
have a nonprofit organization that I’m
working on right now just the baby baby
steps of and it’s ultimately just a safe
haven for youth and just an opportunity
for them to have a place where they can
come and relax and be themselves and get
equipted to do what they love we’ll have
things such as dance or vocals training
or whatever that may be that will just
light their fire and show them their
purpose and their value and will help
them to sharpen those gifts and then
we’ll also have them transitional living
in safe houses and things of that nature
for more serious situations so in other
words in other words you’re just kind of
multiplying the mercy you get having it
on yeah what about you Nancy talk to us
about where you think mercy multiplied
is headed and not only that what some of
maybe your most pressing needs are right
now that people could be aware well we
have a sparse pressing needs we have a
record number of calls this last month I
think 1,500 calls in 30 day period of
young girls trying to get into the
program where we only have under 30 beds
so we have 12 acres of property in the
panhandle of Florida which is heavy and
in Runaways and and and trafficking and
all the stuff that we deal with so we we
need finances to build that home and to
continue to take the young women in will
never charge them because I mean look at
these miracles but also when I’m sitting
here listening to Francis for example I
see that Mercy is being multiplied it
because those girls like kamila and
Francis they receive God’s mercy they’re
going out and pouring that mercy to end
to other people telling their story
I mean you listen to these two and you
know if God can do that for them he can
do anything for anybody and so they’re
out there like sharing there’s thousands
of young
women out there that are doing amazing
things we we have a young lady who just
finished an internship at the White
House working directly with Michelle
Obama trying to help make suggestions
for how to improve the national foster
care system because she grew up in
foster care and she knows all the things
that are wrong so mercy multiplied is
about the girls going out and making a
huge difference we have so many girls in
other countries and doing missionary
work and creating their own businesses
and giving back but also the book you
mentioned ditch the baggage we decided
to develop an outreach because the same
principles of freedom which are really
God’s principles of freedom they don’t
belong to us right but we put them in
book form and study guide form and
leader Scott form and 11 week video form
for Mercy multiplied and those same
principles of freedom that have set
these two free to go out in book form
and study God form to people out there
they can apply to their life but we did
beta test groups and women’s presents
all different demographics high school
girls college girls older women men and
the same results came back just people
sending us these crazy testimonies of
how they just had freedom that they
never knew was possible so I’m excited
about mercy being multiplied that way
right now very very excited that is very
exciting and you mentioned the property
in the panhandle of Florida are you
saying that you have the property but
you need the resources for a building
right we have the property but we need
the resources to build another 40 bed
facility on that home and that’s
probably six seven million dollars by
the time you did the landscape and the
furnishing and all them get everything
but you know what there’s a whole host
of people out there that I think care
right that would love to see women like
this have a place to go a place where
they can be made whole and set free and
all that great stuff and so listen you
have an opportunity to help
I personally am just gonna you know jump
out there and tell you you should help
I mean pray about it think about it but
listen if you are looking for a great
place to be able to donate not only your
money your resources but your time your
prayers invest them in mercy I keep
saying mercy ministries but it is a
ministry called mercy multiplied where
mercy is mercy is being multiplied
across the landscape
America and the world through this
incredible organization so listen this
is a great place for you to get invested
and involved I’m so glad that you guys
were here that you’re open and
vulnerable with your story because I
want you girls to know something that
your your willingness to be for real and
plain and simple and open and share what
happened to you is going to be the key
to somebody else’s freedom
it really is it’s going to send somebody
else free to come out and say for real
what’s going on and finally find the
hope that they need so thank you guys so
much for being able to do that stay with
you guys please
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
since 1983 Murcia South thousands and
thousands of young women find freedom
from life controlling issues such as
addictions self-harm sexual abuse
unplanned pregnancy eating disorders and
even young women who have been sex
trafficked we take every single girl in
free of charge
because of people just like you we never
take government funding or any other
funding that would take away our freedom
to share Christ
the girls who reach out to Mercy for
help come from all 50 states we have 4
locations across the country
and then we also are working on a fifth
location in Florida we also have three
international locations with more
expansion underway for anyone out there
who is hurting who is desperate who is
looking for an answer
there is hope there is freedom no matter
what you may be going through now no
matter what you’ve gone through in the
past
there is hope there is an answer
[Music]
you