Spring 2004 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission

8/8/2019 Spring 2004 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission

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SPRING 2004

Residents Share Test imonies of Hope at Annual Banquet

Five hundred and thirty-five guests attend-ed our Annual Celebration Banquet.

What a great evening of testimony,

encouragement and inspiration it was! Jan

and Dave Dravecky were terrific as they

shared about Gods ability to overcome

tragic circumstances in their lives. I am con-

fident all left that night feeling blessed to be

a child of God and thankful to be on the

receiving end of His constant, faithful care

and unconditional love.

The evening was our opportunity to

share with our faithful donors all that hap-

pened the past year and our plans for the

future. Its also an opportunity for our resi-

dents to share their testimony with the peo-

ple who pray for them as well as contribute

financially to their support.

In many ways, those who come to the

Rescue Mission are alike; they have very lit-tle hope in their lives, and they are on a road

of self-destruction. Yet each one has a

unique testimony of how the Visalia Rescue

Mission impacted their lives.

CAROLINES life of substance abuse

began when she was 4 years old. Her life of

abuse brought her failed relationships, the

death of a child, losing custody of her chil-

dren, and finally, incarceration. Her last preg-

nancy was difficult and she sought God to

help her through. She entered Mothering

Heights and stayed until the birth of her son,

when she wrotethe following:

Dear God you

know where Im at

financially, you

know what I need.

I know that all

things are possible

through you but I

want to see how

you pull this off.

The next Monday morning, the Rescue

Mission called. Caroline said, I really didnt

want to do another program but thats the

door the Lord led me to, and who am I toargue. After moving into the Mission, my

daughter was returned to me. I stayed at the

Mission for 10 months. I got a chance to

work on my relationship with God and my

children. In August my Mom died and the

staff and my Family Center sisters were very

supportive. Without them and God I may not

have made it. I came through with a new

sense of strength. In November, I moved into

my own apartment with the Missions help

and Gods promise of faithfulness. My home

is blessed with love. All of my children are

with me now; my oldest is 19, middle is 10and my baby is 17 months. My prayers have

been answered. I have started college. This is

my second semester and I am doing well.

JENN IFER knew she needed a recov-

ery program, and knew she needed Jesus in

her life. In her early 20s, she became a drug

addict. She sur-

vived a brutal rape

and several car

accidents, experi-

enced near death

during the birth of

one son, lost another son to SIDS. She asksHow do you handle a birthday for your

child when they have already passed away?

I didnt know but God did. Since Ive

been at the Mission, God has surrounded

me with his love. Since Ive had God in my

life, I constantly get chills. I can feel the

Holy Spirit in me. I know He has a great

plan for me. Because of the Visalia Rescue

Mission, I know God! I believe in Jesus,

have recovery, and I have life.

ROCCO lived on the streets from age

12. Living on the streets and addicted to

Heroin and booze, my life

was a mess. I was in andout of jails, institutions and

the military service. I did

not know God or have any

interest in Him. In 1997, an

old friend directed me to

VRM. What a miracle! My

life did a complete 180. I

became a new creation;

with God we can accomplish all. God is

good all the time and my life is so differ

ent. Now, I pray when things go wrong and

right now I work for the same Mission tha

took me in, with all my brokenness. I havea place to live, a vehicle to drive, all my

needs are met, and all of the credit for thi

goes to God. He is the One who accom-

plishes these wonders in my life.

At the Visalia Rescue Mission, we strive

to provide hope and encouragement to all

the men, women and children who seek ou

help. Last year, we turned away 1,103

women and children because we simply did

not have the space for them. Please pray

with us as we seek the Lords direction in

addressing this unacceptable situation.

We strive to provide hope

and encouragement to allthe men, women and

children who seek our help.


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Board of DirectorsRandy Vogt

Chairman

W ayne IngramVice Chairman

Tammy MainordTreasurer

Lois Murray

SecretaryMichael Allen

Paul Baxley

Keith Haverman

John Koster

Brad Reenders

Mark Shelton

Sid Tuls

Jeannie VanRyn

Sally Vanciel

Jenny Zeeb

Memorials andHonorariums

IN H ONO R OF:

Ruth Smith

Michael & Sara Knight

IN MEMORY OF:

Dick Alt imus

Don & Rosemary Gordon

Gerald Lopes

Mr. & Mrs. Eddie Lopes

Phyllis Kramer

Mary Dickerson

Because You Carewe are setting records in 2004.

Meals served to date

29,722

New record

1,832 served in one week in April,

a daily average of 262

Bed nights

11,342 After only 4 months, this is

almost half the number for all of 2003

Graduates

7

Chapel attendance

6,071

Every good and perfect gift is from

above, and comes down from the Father

of lights, with whom there is no variation

or shadow of turning.James 1:17

Have you ever had the privilege of

receiving a gift you neither earned nor

expected? It is truly an expression ofgrace when we are given a gift from

someone just because. Perhaps it is a

thoughtful gesture from your spouse,

child, friend, or coworker. Whatever it is,

when unexpected joys come our way we

should be thankful and appreciative.

I had this experience recently at the

Mission. One day I returned to my car only

to discover that one of the men in the pro-

gram had given it a much-needed wash.

This was an unexpected gift. I hadnt

asked for it. I hadnt done anything in par-

ticular for this man to

merit such an act of

kindness. But he gave

it anyway.

It made me reflect

on the Lords incredi-

ble, unmerited favorHe sheds on each one

of us. This is what we try to reflect and

emulate in even a small way to those who

come to us at the Mission. Those who come

to us grant us a privilege of being able to

serve them. May we be found faithful in

these opportunities that the Lord has given

God Bless You!!

Executive Director

Greetings in the

Name of our Lord,

I hope you were

able to attend our

C e l e b r a t i o nBanquet March

26th. What a great

evening of testimo-

ny and inspiration it

was! Jan and Dave

Dravecky were ter-

rific. I am confident

you left that night

feeling as I did;

blessed to be a child

of God, thankful to

be on the receiving

end of His constant, faithful care and

unconditional love. The testimonies shared

by three of our residents were powerful.

What an awesome Lord and Savior we have

the privilege to serve!

As we approach the half-way point in

the year, the Visalia Rescue Mission board

and staff is focused on meeting a great need

in our areaemergency overnight shelter

for women and women with children. Last

year we were forced to turn away over

1,100 women and children seeking tempo-

rary shelter. We are committed to changethat statistic in the months ahead!

We have identified a property suitable

for the expansion of our Family Center (for

women and children). The lease is current-

ly in negotiation and we hope to move for-

ward soon. Pray with us that the Lord wil

provide the resources necessary to open and

operate this new, expanded facility so tha

the physical needs of many more hurting

women and children may be met AND

more important, that many more women

and children will learn to know Jesus as

their personal Savior.

God bless you.

Dear Friends by Randy Vogt, Chairman

Greetings from t he DirectorGreetings from the Director


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Ask Bob

The Real Gap

ThankY

ou

1,103 That is a number we never

want to see again. That is the

number of women and chil-

dren needing shelter that were turned

away last year for a simple lack of space.

That is a number that we pray will soonhave a safe and clean shelter.

Various studies attempt to identify

just how many people in Tulare and

Kings Counties are homeless and with-

out shelter on any given night. High

unemployment (3 times the national

average) and poverty levels combined

with a lack of low-cost housing are the

main causes of homelessness. It is esti-

mated that 2% of the population is home-

less, or 10,208 people.

In Tulare and Kings Counties, there are

only 666 beds available for emergency,

overnight and transitional housing for the

homless. That means that each night

potentially 9,542 people are without shel-

ter. That is the real gap, and one that can

not be filled by any one person or agency

It will take a community effort and determination to close the gap and begin to

address the needs of the homeless. The

board of directors and staff of the Visalia

Rescue Mission ask you to join us in our

fight to close the gap. Pray for Gods wis

dom as we seek to expand our facilities

Give as God guides you to be involved

Love as you encounter the ones in the gap

As we meet the needs of the disadvan

taged, we hear the words that Jesus said

when you have done it for one of the

least of these my brothers, you have

done it for me. (Matthew 25:40)

Bob Peterman is the food service manager

at the Visalia Rescue Mission. During April,

he oversaw the planning, preparation and

serving of9,336 meals. When asked what

is on the menu, he replies whatever comes

in from donations. Sometimes that is fresh

fruit from the USDA, a case of canned veg-

etables that someone brings to the door ofthe kitchen, or even a head of beef from a

local dairy or ranch. The balance is pur-

chased in bulk at local stores. When asked

what the greatest needs are, Bob tells us:

Lunch meat

Hot and cold cereal

Eggs

Meat (including canned tuna)

Hot dogs Canned fruit and vegetables

Breakfast dr ink mix

Thank YouFor I was hungry and you gave

me something to eat, I was thirsty

and you gave me something to

drink, I was a stranger and you

invited me in.Matthew 25:35

Living out this verse is something

we strive to do every day at the

Visalia Rescue Mission. But to pro-vide an Easter dinner for almost 400

people, we need you, our volunteers.

More than 90 of you came together to

donate and prepare food, serve

guests, and share the love of God in a

tangible way on Saturday, April 11th.

The people of Visalia, Exeter, Three

Rivers, Lemoore, Tulare and Tipton

became Jesus with skin on to the

disadvantaged of our area.

One volunteer told her husband

next to caring for our children, this

is the one place I want to give my

time. I want to make a difference in

these peoples lives.

Volunteering is simple, inexpen-

sive and fun. You dont need special

skills, there is no fee charged, and

you will have the time of your life.

To become a volunteer, call Angela

at 733-2231.

Thanks to these businesses who

also donated food and gift certifi-

cates for that day:

Marie Callendars Foods Co

Glicks Meat Market

Vons

R&N Market

Rainbow Bakery

Food Maxx

Food Link

Thank you toDR. LYNN BAKER

CHIROPRACTIC

42261 Sierra Drive

Three Rivers

561-2210

The Real Gap

Volunteers and Merchandise NeededRescued Treasures Thrift Store is looking for gently used clothing, furniture, household

items, etc.You can drop off your items during business hours Tuesday Saturday.We do notaccept donations on Monday. If you would like your donation picked up,please call 733-3180

W E N EED VOLUNTEERS TO: Work the cash register Sort donations and stock the store

If you are interested in helping this ministry, please call Geneva at 733-3180.

RESCU ED TREASURES THRIFT STORE219 N Court , Downtown Visalia

HOURS:MONDAY: 9:00 to 3:00 TUESDAY FRIDAY: 9:00 to 5:30 SATURDAY: 9:00 to 3:00

Ask Bob

Donate Your VehicleYour tax deductible contribution of a used vehicle in running

order can help change a life

CALL LINDA AT 733-2231


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Shelter Plans Delayed but Not Destroyed

VisaliaRescueMission

P.O.Box109

Visalia,CA93279

Non-ProfitOrg.

U.S.Postage

PAID

VISALIA,CA93291

PERMITNO.119

Less than 24 hours before the Visalia City Planning Commission

approved a conditional use permit for the Visalia Rescue Mission to

establish a womens and childrens shelter, a centuries-old oak tree

crashed through the roof of one of the buildings on the property. That

same day,board member Mark Shelton was meeting with the owners

representative to iron out the final details of the property lease.As you can imagine, the board and staff of the Rescue Mission

were asking themselves what this could mean to plans for expanding

the Missions capacity to provide shelter for the fastest-growing seg-

ment of the homeless population. Was it a coincidence? Was it an

accident of nature? Or was it an act of God, something to catch our

attention? We know its not a coincidence these events happened with

in a 24-hour period, and that God has a plan in all of them.

We believe this is the right property to develop into a shelter for

the homeless women and children of Tulare and Kings CountiesWill you pray with us and for us as we move forward to address

this critical need? Proverbs 16:9 tells us a man may make plans

for his path, but the Lord directs his steps. It is our desire every

step of the way to follow the Lords guidance for us as we seek to

serve in His kingdom.

ReturnServiceRequested

Shelter Plans Delayed but Not Destroyed


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Spring 2004 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission

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