Summer 2004 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission

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

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SU M M ER 2 0 0 4

Life-changing Anniversaries WhensYours?

Ithank God for leaving me stranded on

Highway 99, and for the Missionbeing here. It was part of Gods plan

all along. In 1991, a county sheriff found

Bob stranded on Highway 99 and brought

him to the Visalia Rescue Mission. The

drugs and alcohol he was addicted to had

lost their thrill, and he was ready to change.

BO B met Je s u st h rough ch ape l

services. It was

l i fe - ch a n gi n g. I

found the peace

and forgiveness Ineeded.

After stay i n g

a few months at

the Mission, B o b

took a job at a

re s t a u rant in

Fa rm e rs v i l l e.

Soon, he was

working so many

hours that he put Jesus on the back burner,

forgot about church, and fell into old habits.

Bob returned to the Mission to get Jesus

back into his life and learn skills to keephim drug and alcohol-free for the rest of his

life. After a year in the program and a year

in training, Bob became the Food Services

Director. Since 1996, hes been responsible

for more than 295,000 meals!

This year, Bob celebrates his 11th year

of sobriety. He attends a local church, where

he provides snacks for the children and

cooks for their Fellowship Breakfast. Hes

also helping others reach their anniversaries

by being the house manager for Alpha House

a sober living home for program graduates.

M A RV I N

lives at AlphaHouse, and cel-

ebrated his first

year of sobri-

ety on June

26th. That was

an exciting day

for Marvin. I

have life in

Jesus Christ,

Im going to

school to get

my G. E . D. ,I mworking and

paying bills,

and have been

clean and sober

for one year! Gods making me the man I

always wanted to be.

Marvin experimented with drugs early

in life and quickly got into crack-cocaine.

He dropped out of school and lived on the

streets, making bad choices that landed him

in prison seven times.

On June 26, 2003, Marvin woke up after

having used drugs for a week straight. Hethought, God, this isnt right today is the

day to change my life. Something told him

to go to the Mission. He walked as fast as he

could straight to the Visalia Rescue

Mission, and entered the program. That is

when Marvins life started to change.

Marvin asked Jesus to come into his life

and change him from the inside out. Christ

gave him a foundation for life. When Marvin

visits his home, people are amazed at the

changes in him. Someone told him, Marvin,

Im trying to be like you. Youre the last per-

son I thought could come this far. If you can

do it, I can do it! God has healed Marvinand restored his relationship with his son.

The joy of the Lord spills out of Marvin

through his smiles and encouraging words

Hes excited about the changes God made

in his life, and is filled with compassion for

those who need the same help. Marvin

knows the truth of Mark 27:10 With God

all things are possible!

JOSEPH came to the Mission the sameday as Marvin. A friend of his told him abou

the Mission, and he

decided to reach out forhelp. During chapel,

Joseph started a person-

al relationship with

Jesus Christ. He learned

God wanted him to

become a better person.

With Gods guidance

and the Missions help,

my life has changed

dramatically. I no

longer want whats bad

for me; I only want to

serve God!!!Like Marvin, Joseph

t u rned to drugs and

alcohol early in life.

He had grown up in

foster homes, and didnt have a strong fam-

ily connection to give him guidance and

advice. He dropped out of school and

b egan wo rk i n g, but lost seve ral jobs

because of his drug use. Tired of abusing

drugs and alcohol, losing jobs, and an

please see ANN IVERSARY on pg 2

Bob manages the preparation ofmore than 260 meals each day.

Marvin rides his bike to his jobat a local restaurant.

Joseph prepares to donations from the cty for the Thrift Store


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Board of DirectorsRandy Vogt

Chairman

Mark SheltonVice Chairman

Tammy MainordTreasurer

Jeannie VanRyn

Secretary

Michael Allen

Paul Baxley

W ayne Ingram

John Koster

Nonning Leyendekker

Brad Reenders

Greg Scroggins

Sid Tuls

Jenny Zeeb

Leaving a LegacyWere grateful to Henry and

Ethel Bachmann, who remem-

bered the Mission in their wills.

Faithful supporters of the

Mission, the Bachmanns donated

the contents of their home,

which will help furnish the new

Womens and Childrens Shelter.

We also wish to thank Tim and

Diane Denton for their assis-

tance during this time.

Because You Carewe are setting records in 2004.

In one week, 7/26 8/1, a recordnumber of meals, 2,025 was served!

Meals served to date

51,459

Bed nights

18,806

Graduates

13

Chapel attendance

11,316

When you purchase your 2005 calendaror update your palm pilot for nextyear, what is one of the first things

you will do? The first step for me is tomark all of the important dates for the New

Year; birt h d ay s , i m p o rtant due dat e s(taxes, etc!), andanniversaries. Have youthought about why annive rs a ries areimportant? We celebrate annive rsaries inorder to remember events that have signif-icantly impacted our lives.

Our family recently celebrated my Momand Dads 50th Wedding Anniversary. Thecelebration began July 9 and lasted tendays! Fifty years of marriage deserves that,dont you think? The celebration concludedwith a wonderful weekend in SouthernCalifornia enjoyed by our entire family!

Wedding dates and birth dates are mile-

stones in our lives and the lives of our fam-ilies and friends, but there are other life-

changing events that deserve to be remem-bered as well. Many of the men and womenat The Visalia Rescue Mission have addedtwo new dates to their calendars1. The day they decided to shed their

addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, and2. The day they met and accepted Jesus

Christ as their personal Savior!The amazing stories of Hope and

Restoration in this issue are examples ofhow our Lord and Savior is changing peo-ples lives through His work at the Mission

Thank you for your faithful prayersyour time and financial support! Withoutyour help, the Mission would not be here toshare the message of Hope and RestorationThrough Jesus Christ. With your continuedsupport, many more of our residents willmakenew entries in their calendars in the

days ahead!God bless you and your loved ones.

Dear Friends by Randy Vogt, Chairman

unsettled life, Joseph decided to get help.

He entered the Missions recovery pro-

gram and his life began to improve. There

was structure to help him recover from his

addictions and begin building a better life.

Last November, Joseph became the driver

for the Rescued Treasures Thrift Store. He

loves going to work, and feels good know-

ing what people give helps the Mission stay

open. He says, I have a responsibility. Im

going to stick with it, and I feel great abou

it! I dont have to worry any more, because

I am a believer in Jesus Christ.

Because friends like you care enough

to support the Visalia Rescue Mission

many others will be celebrating signifi-

cant annive rsa ries of sobriety and

healthy, joyful life in Christ Jesus. Thank

you for giving them a place to find hope

and restoration through Jesus Christ.

ANN IVERSARY continued

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to winthe Jews. To the weak I became weak,to win the weak. I have become all thingsto all men so that by all possible means Imight save some.I Corinthians 9:19, 22

Missions identifies the desire to connect

with those in need. Worldwide, we perceivegreat hardships of hunger, extreme poverty,and lack of medical care. We see a greatspiritual hunger to define purpose for life. Ihave often related to these issues as beingtheir problems.

It came as quite a shock to me to see theneed right here in our own Valley. For a statethat has the ability to feed the world, we findthere are more than 10,000 homeless andhungry in Tulare and Kings Counties alone.Homelessness and hunger are ongoing prob-lems so daily we strive to meet the needs ofthe poor those we are called to reach.

Realizing this call tomeet local needs, we arelaunching a reality-basedoppo rtunity for youngpeople in the Valley to seewhat its like to go hungry

and homeless. We havemet with the youth ministers of this area toask for attention to this local outreach bycommitting to raise money for the Missionand to spend one night on the street. Eachyouth will be given $3.00, and asked tomake it 10-12 hours on that. This will hap-pen on Friday, October 15th. Please con-tact Angela ([email protected] or733-2231, ext. 18) or your local youth min-ister to take advantage of this wonderfuopportunity. You wont want to miss this!

Join us as we long to identify with thoseto whom we minister. God bless you!

Greetings from the DirectorGreetings from the Director


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Grocery Shopping

Being Part of GodsWorkI

n their study Experiencing God Henry

Blackaby and Claude King challenge

believers to find where God is moving

and become part of it. A recent visitor to

the Visalia Rescue Mission told us, it

seems like God is moving here, and I wantto be part of it!You are part of what Gods

doing when you preach at chapel, lead

Bible studies, and teach life skills classes.

Your commitment of time to see lives

cha nged helps our men and wo m e n

through the recovery process.

Here are some specific needs for volun-

teers at the Visalia Rescue Mission

CHAPEL PROVIDERS:Share the good

news of the

Gospel with

our residentsand overnight

guests at the

A m a z i n g

Grace Chapel.

R e c e n t l y ,

youth groups

from as far

away as

Agoura Hills

and as close

as Neighborhood Church in Visalia have

come to minister through singing, sharing

testimony and serving dinner.

G U I DANCE COU N SELOR: U s eyour skills to help residents deve l o p

resumes, conduct job searches, prepare for

i n t e rv i ew s , and fi n d

meaningful employ-

ment within the com-

munity. Also assist in

guiding them through

the process of locatinghousing when theyre

ready to move from

the Mission.

MENTORS: Spend

time one-on-one with a resident in our

recovery program. Share your faith, chal-

lenge them to grow in theirs, and be a posi

tive role model.

LADIES AUX ILIARY: This is a neworganization for women who love Jesus

have a heart for serving, and want to help

open a shelter for homeless women and

children in Visalia.

To be involved as a volunteer, or to tour

the Mission, please call Angela at 733-

2231, ext. 18. Wed love to see you!

For many people, shopping is a recreation-

al sport. Yet, often those who love to shop

do n t like to go gro cery shopping.

Sometimes nothing seems more tediousthan going through the refrigerator, pantry

and freezer to figure out what your family

needs for a week of well-balanced meals.

Imagine trying to determine a shopping list

for 1,847 meals. Thats the number served

at the Visalia Rescue Mission in one week!

Our shopping list looks like this:

150 pounds of beef

80 pounds of chicken ($100/week)

30 pounds of hot dogs ($50/week)

40 pounds of lunchmeat ($100/week)

35 loaves of bread ($20/week)

40 gallons of milk ($50/week)

40 dozen eggs ($50/week)

60 pounds of cereal ($100/week)

Thanks to area dairy m e n , beef is

donated, and USDA through Food Link

assists with donations as well. The restmust be purchased. We are feeding more

people, so our shopping list is growing

And when the shopping list grows the

food budget increases. We spend approxi-

mately $2500 per month to buy food to

supplement donations. We need your help

to keep feeding those who come to our

door. The next time you go to the grocery

store, please consider helping us with ou

shopping list and feeding the hungry of

Tulare and Kings Counties.

Thank YouYou have helped us in unique

ways this summ er, and we

want to sayTHAN K YOU!

FIREW ORKSBetween June 28th and July 4th,

52 vo l unteers and 27 reside n t sworked 627 hours to sell fireworks at

stands in Visalia and Woodvill e.

Were very thankful for everyone

who worked to help raise money for

the Visalia Rescue Mission. The pro-

ceeds will help with the rising food

costs, as well as the opening of a

womens and childrens shelter in

Visalia this fall.

Thank you to the following busi-

nesses that donated assistance:

A-Septic Service

Woodville Mini-Mar t

Sign Times

Automation Solutions

Etco Marine

MEAL SERVICEH ow do you celeb rate yo u r

annive rs a ry? Would one of your

choices be to serve dinner to more

than 100 people? Thats what Carol

Sm i t h chose when her husbandasked her what she wanted to do.

She and her family not only came to

s e rve, but also brought dessert !

Imagine coming inside for a meal

after a day in 100+ heat, not know-

ing what to expect for dinner, and

finding ice-cold root beer floats!

Thank you Carol for finding an

unusual and thoughtful way to bless

the residents and guests of the

Visalia Rescue Mission!

HEALTH FAIRThe College of Sequoias third-year

nursing students, under the direction of

Dr. Janet Lile, provided medical

screening to more than 150 people in

mid-May. Linda Duran, of the

Family Health Care Network, and

Visalia residents Dr. Omar Franklin

and Kristin Hopper also provided

valuable assistance to those who came.

Being Part of GodsWork

Grocery Shopping

Geoff and Jill Ludlow share thegospel through music and testimo-ny during a service at the AmazingGrace Chapel

Morri Nash, who has several women, also hduring a community m

At her graduation, Irene talks with Nancy Olsen, whoteaches a Bible study at the Family Center.


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RecentGraduationsHave you seenthese men?

Almost every day of the

week , the residents of the

Visalia Rescue Mission can be

found around town using theirskills to provide assistance to

the community. Jim Rouse,

Mens Program Coordinator,

says, Were not here just to

receive, but to give back to the

community as much as possi-

ble. Some of the recent activi-

ties the men have assisted with

are setting out flags for the

M e mo rial Day Celeb rat i on,

participating in the Trash-A-

Thon Day with the police

department, and helping work-ers install the pipe organ in the

Fox Theatre. Since the commu-

nity has given so much to us,

we are glad to be able to show

our gratitude in these ways.

RecentGraduationsO

ne of the most exciting events at the Visalia Rescue Mission is a

graduation ceremony for a resident that has completed their 6-

month recovery program. This is a time to hear how the power of

Jesus Christ brings healing and restoration not only to the individuals

but to their families as well. At Jennifers graduation, her mother

shared what it meant to see her daughter complete the programThere was a point I never believed youd ever make the changes nec-

essary. I prayed for you to be the daughter and mother God created

you to be. And now I see that you have turned your life around; Im

so proud of you! Youre a great mom.At her graduation, Della shared

her plans to stay involved at the Family Center. She wants to come

back as a volunteer and see others graduate like she did. She said, I

want to stay clean and sober, walking with the Lord. I want to be

strong, sturdy, and steadfast, like the oak trees.

Congratulations to all our recent graduates: Della, Doug

Florentino, Gordon, Irene, James, Jennifer, Matthew, Roy, Joe

Jacque, John and Mike. Were proud of you, and pray for your con

tinued recovery as you head toward your first anniversary of a year

clean and sober.

Residents assisted the VFW by setting outflags for the Memorial Day Celebration.

Summer 2004 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission

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