Mission Monthly

I would like to thank you for all the donations for the parking lot sales. We usually have at least one more during the sum-mer, but this year we are very busy planning for our 5-year anniversary celebration on September 17, 2016. Mark your calendars and come celebrate 5 years with us. We still gratefully accept donations of our ‘daily’ needs and always women’s clothing, as well as, twin size sheets, (white cotton, fitted and flat) and Christian DVD’s. 9am – 5pm, Mon-Sat. at the back gate. Thank You. A group of ladies from Glory Christian Fellowship Church came with supplies and made bags of items for our guests and staff. In the picture are Monique, Leslie Kendra and Alicia representing their group from the Church. The ladies were very happy with the gifts and expressed a loud thank you. As you can see by the pictures, our staff is excited for the home made slippers from Torrance First Baptist Church la-dies. Thank you ladies for your prayers and warm feet! Cie was here cutting hair for the staff and shower guests Monday. She is very faithful on coming about every 2 months to do this ministry for our people in need. Just a quick note, we are planning a 5th year celebration for

the Doors of Hope Women’s Shelter in September. I can hardly believe it’s been 5 years since we opened. Wow, so many miracles have happened. God has definitely been in the midst of all. AND you also. Keep September 17th open and come and join us and celebrate! We have been asked what are some of our daily needs here. This month we need 2 ply toilet paper, pine sol, size 5 and 6 under-wear and size 32. 34. and 36 bras. We are grateful for all the dona-tions we receive. Thank you. You are a blessing to us!

Serving the homeless and needy in the South Bay area for over 100 years with "Soup, Soap and Salvation"

www.beaconlightmission.org JULY/AUGUST 2016 www.doorsofhopewomensshelter.org

Linda Stratton Dir. of Operations

Doors of Hope

But we spread the Word in different locations. No matter where we go, it takes a few minutes to set up, but the word goes out that we are there, and the homeless come. Some walking, some on their bikes; and occasionally they drive in with a old well used rusted car or van, whose decorations are scratches, dents, broken windows, “flower power” stickers, and missing parts. “But,” they say, “it runs and it sleeps good. When the Police come, I don’t have to pack up. I just drive away before they get to me.” The homeless all know that we pray for the meager food we provide, (yes we are still giving out our 12 oz cup of soup, hot coffee, and sandwiches, except in the Parks), plus prayer and socks, and prayer and blankets; hygiene kits for men and women and prayer…you get the idea) so they begin to form into a circle just after arriving. We take their calloused and rough dry hands in ours; hand in hand, we thank them and/or give a minute or so devotion before we bow our heads to the Almighty and ask for a blessing on the food and our friends. Afterward, we share the gospel when we can and occasionally a story from the bible. Once in awhile a person will walk away because they don’t want to hear the truth; but,… maybe next time. In the meantime, we listen to their stories, and problems or the things they are thankful for. Some humbly ask for a second cup of soup, or sandwich which we gladly serve to them. Love that word. Serve! What joy it gives us to be a servant to our friends…the poor and needy. Then the occasional hug or gentle touch as they take hold of an arm or our hands and look us straight in the eye and thank us for all we do. That little smile on a dried wrinkled face that speaks with sincerity their appreciation as they walk back to their ”homes” really lifts one up.. Then, a last good-by as they yell back, “See ya’ next week.” As we watch them walking single file to go back into their hovels, a small green bag that we just gave them hangs from their shoulder partially filled with socks, a bottle of water, a can of soda, a package of Oreo

During this time, we have met more than one officer who has stated they don’t like what they “have” to do…”but orders are orders.” I understand this very well having spent 10 years working downtown skid row and “having” to do similar things and it too left a bad taste in my mouth. But it’s the officers attitude that have impressed our homeless friends. Last night (7-26-16) we were chit-chatting with several of them at a un-named location, and one of them brought up the difference in the attitudes of the officers then and now. Before, without warning, they came in and destroyed our camp by cutting up the tents and tarps and wrecking our “furniture”. The officers we met then were a whole lot different that the ones we meet today. Of course she immediately caught the attention of my ears as she went on to explain, “We really feel the officers who have been around here lately really care about us and understand what we are going through. They actually talk to us and not at us.” The homeless in unison agreed and reflected that they have seen a big change in the officers, and even though they have to “move or lose it”, it’s the way the officers go about their job. They don’t walk away from the officers with the dislike and disdain they had for them before. Watching the City Workers and police at several locations during the last couple months doing their job to please a few complainers, one gets the impression that it’s like squeezing a partially filled balloon. No matter how hard you squeeze, you can’t deflate it as it will just pop out somewhere else. The homeless aren’t gone. They just pop up some place else, and we go out and look for them sleeping in any vacant doorway or under some trees or hidden bushes, or in a dark, dank, alley that smells like a “Port a Potty”. Here we spread the Good News to them, and pass out socks, hygiene kits, bibles, tracts, prayers, etc and a hot cup of soup. Our Mission was established in 1902 for this very reason, with our motto being, Soup, Soap, and Salvation and we have been doing this it to the best of our ability to fulfill these

attributes for 112 years.

cookies, crackers, or women’s personnel needs; maybe an extra sandwich. or a blanket tucked under an arm. We watch as make their way through a barricade and following a crooked well worn path into a dense wooded and bushy area known as “The Jungle”. They skirt a burned out area which was of their friends “house” that had burned to the ground. Fortunately they all escaped, but it is a reminder how careful they have to be with their candles. As they disappear into “The Jungle”, my mind begins to evaluate our efforts. What did we do?, I ask myself. A cup of soup? A bottle of water? A pair of socks, maybe a blanket and pillow? A can of soda or hot cup of coffee? A couple sweaters? What did we do? The answer is, we were able to give away to very appreciative people, our donors’ demonstrations of their love and care for our homeless friends. We get to give donations to people our donors love but do not know and may never get to meet. Yet, you give. It’s because of you, dear donors, that we are bathed in our homeless friends thanks and we are warmed by their appreciative hugs and handshakes, plus enriched by smiles from weathered, smiling faces as they depart. Dear Matthew 25:37 people. We can’t thank you enough for supporting our small effort to bring comfort, care, and love, to those in need. It’s our teamwork for the lost and lonely. It’s our Team work to share God’s love. It’s all of us Matt. 25 believers working together to glorify God by serving the “least of them.” Luv Ya!!! Jhr "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,

'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King

will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of

these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Matthew 25:37-40

Our Care-A-Van outreach continues to have a good deal of

success in bringing the Word of God and your donations to the

homeless despite their constant harassment and intimidation by

authorities. Don’t get me wrong. The officers we have met have

been professional in every sense of the word, but like the whole

system, they are being pressured to do what they can legally to keep the homeless from congregating in one location. This

pressure goes from the working men and women on the street, all the way up through the Department to the City leadership.

Jerry Rilling, Executive Director Beacon Light Mission

Doors of Hope

care-a-van c

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The best Medical Missions Adventures (MMA) outreach we have ever had in four years of providing Medical assistance to the

homeless, and the largest MMA outreach for the year. But it was only possible because dedicated professional men and

women, and lay volunteers, performed to their optimum ability. Let’s look at some stats:

Medical Services 040 Dental Services 027 Optical Services 048 Total 115

Number of Patients Checked in 098* Checkd by RN’s 098 Glasses RX’d 036 Readers Only 010 Picked up 005 Prescriptions RX’d 031 Total 295

Professional Volunteers 024 Non Professional 040 Facility Volunteers 010 Total 074 *(7) placed on waiting list.

A very special thank you to all you volunteers. We had 74 volunteers help out with the 98 patients we served. Without you, a successful outreach like this would have been impossible. Dear readers, if you know of someone who volunteered for this Medical Mission or any Medical outreach to the less fortunate, give them a hug and thank them.

medical mission adventures m

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I hope this note finds you all well and happy. We have had a relatively successful month with our meals program. For the months of June and July we fed a total of 6360 including the Tuesday night street mission.

Our pantry is running low and we are in need of your help. Especially needed are: � garbanzo beans � kidney beans � Chili � marinara sauce � Mushrooms � refried beans � red enchilada sauce (mild).

Especially critical as of this writing is cooking oil (olive-canola blend)

These items take a big bite out of our budget so any donations are greatly appreciated. These are available at Smart and Final, COSTCO and Sam's Club. Thank you in advance for your generosity and concern. Ben Amorelli

testimony time Sydney Great news! One of our Team Volunteers, Sydney, who came to us several months ago, is working on furthering her education by applying for her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license. When she came to us, she immediately starting helping and we saw her potential, so she was brought on ‘staff’. Now, she feels confident again and desires to better herself by furthering her education… starting with pre–information and tests to get into the class. Doors of Hope has an education fund when some-one needs financial help to go back to school. We are praying that the state will fund Sydney for her schooling and her uni-forms. Doors of Hope will help her any way we can with the fees and bus tokens to get her back and forth to school. Virginia We have another extended-stay lady, Virginia, who is working full-time during the day! When we saw her potential we were able to extend her for 90 days to help her save money. Deborah Another guest who stayed with us last year was

also full of promise. We found out she was work-

ing and sleeping in her truck. So, we offered her

our extended stay program to give her a chance

to save some money to get an apartment. Deb-

orah worked very hard. She saved her money

every pay period. We worked on a schedule for

her to work, rest and help out here. In April this

year, she moved into her own apartment in Long

Beach. Deborah has come back once in a while

and has helped volunteer. She stopped by and

gave me this letter… I would like to share with

you. Deborah was given a chance to be on her

own. With God and your support, you made a

difference in her life. Thank you!

current needs

DOORS OF HOPE � 2-Ply Toilet Paper � Small Hair Conditioners � Small Tooth Paste � Bras (sizes 32-36 Any cup size) � Cotton twin sheets (flat & fitted) � Christian DVD’s BEACON LIGHT MISSION � Men’s Disposable Razors � Men’s Underwear (Sizes M, L, XL

& XXL) � Shampoo (Full Size) � Men’s Tennis Shoes (Sizes 9-13) � Foam Earplugs � Shower Shoes � Paper Towels

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notes from the kitchen

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We need #10 sized cans please.

volunteers

needed Day Room Help-DOH Monday thru Friday from 2:45pm to 6:45pm and Saturday & Sundays from 3:45pm to 6:45pm. Helping set up snacks, monitoring guests and clean up. Front Office Intake-DOH Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8:45pm to 12:30pm and Wednesdays from 9:45 to 12:45. Answering phones and intake of new guests. And accepting donations. Sandwich Makers-BLM Every Tuesday afternoon at 2:00pm we make about 75 sandwiches for the Care-A-Van ministry. Front Desk Reception-BLM 9:00am –12:00pm or 12:00-3:00pm Monday thru Friday. Men or women may apply. Must have patience & tact. Light duty, some typing & filing. Familiar with computer. Contact: Gina at (310) 830-7063. Executive Assistant We are looking for an Executive Assistant (male or female) to work directly with the Executive Director, with writing, researching, interviewing, organizational and secretarial skills. Must be familiar with Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and Quickbooks. Contact Gina at (310) 830-7063.

Jerry Rilling, Executive Director

Dennis hard at work at the Front Desk

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Miriam at the Doors of Hope Front Desk

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Johnnie

“Fire Proof”…No, not that great Christian movie. We need to get fireproofed. As we step forward, our Board has voted for us to become even more transparent and has approved for BLM/DOH to enter into a Certification Program by the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM) of which we are a member. The standards are extremely high and will take many months to complete. One of the requirements is that we have a “2 hour Fireproof file

cabinet” for all our important papers. Our request is this: If you have such an item and would like to get rid of it, please give us a call. They are quite expensive (about $2700 plus delivery) but if you have one that is gathering dust, we would love to pick it up. Thank you.

needed

Beacon Light Mission & Doors of Hope Women’s Shelter 525 Broad Avenue Wilmington, CA 90744

NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID

SAN PEDRO CA PERMIT 102

DONATION DROP OFF

You may drop off your food, clothing or other donations any time between 8:00am-6:00pm for both Beacon Light and Doors of Hope. Just go

to the back gate of the Beacon Light Mission and honk your horn. Someone will come out

and collect your donations.

Financial donations on our websites:

Beacon Light www.beaconlightmission.org

Doors of Hope www.doorsofhopewomensshelter.org

Or by mail to:

525 Broad Avenue, Wilmington, CA 90744

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kent Meyer, President

Roy Barile, Vice President

Christian Bower, Secretary

Anthony Sogliuzzo, Treasurer

Paul Dever

Lee Ettenger

Sam Evans

Dan Fox

Margaret Grieco

Pastor Jewel Jones

Ronald Okamoto

Ralph Potter, Honorary

CONTACT INFORMATION

Beacon Light Mission 525 Broad Avenue, Wilmington, CA 90744

(310) 830-7063 email: beaconlightm@aol.com www.beaconlightmission.org

Doors of Hope Women’s Shelter

529 Broad Avenue, Wilmington, CA 90744 (310) 518-3667

email: dohws@att.net www.doorsofhopewomensshelter.org

�

I can do all things through Christ

who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is qualified to receive tax-deductible donations.

MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to minister the love and grace of Jesus Christ to the homeless in the South Bay by providing a safe and nurturing environment where they can receive food, clothing, temporary shelter, discipleship and spiritual encouragement in their present life circumstances.

In June/July with

your help, we

were able to...

2999

Attended

Chapel Service

serve 104

meals per

day

assign 2872 beds provide

showers for

608*

*Open showers are for any homeless man or woman. Each person is given clothing, hygiene items and served a hot

breakfast.