MAY 2016 | Vol. 20 No. 3

PO Box 7668 Olympia WA 98507 | Donate at OUGM.org | 360.709.9725 |

Christ Changes Hearts

“I want to be just like my mom-my – drink wine and smoke cigarettes.” Those words came out of Jodi’s toddler over 14 years ago. That’s when it hit home to her that she needed help to get clean and sober. Her transformation brought others to her wanting help through their sobriety, so she finally decided to get educat-ed and do it legitimately. She went to a Christian College where she was able to incorpo-rate God’s Word with her stud-ies, graduating with a degree in psychology specializing in addiction recovery.

Two years ago, Jodi came to work on staff at the Mission as the Program Manager for the Women’s Life Transforma-tion Program. An answer to her prayers and dreams, she would be able to work with the women that came to seek help through the Mission’s recovery program.

“My personal experience in sec-ular inpatient involved people who didn’t want to be there,

but the women at Genesis Acres come of their own free will. They want change and are seeking help. They need Christ. Some just don’t know yet that they need a relationship with Christ, but God is awakening their hearts. That really makes my job easy.”

The women that are currently going through the program are very involved with the Mission, having servants’ attitudes in work and an obvious desire to stay on God’s path and God’s will to be clean and sober. “One thing that is obvious,” says Jodi, “the women are becoming better parents and mothers and reconciling their bro-ken relationships.” Stories of their reconciliation with children and parents have circulated through-out the Mission, blessing staff and volunteers.

Jodi told stories of grandmothers in her program that have been pursuing custody or having week-end stays with their grandchil-dren. One woman saw her child for the first time since she had to give him up in adoption. Others were back in relationship with

their children that had been taken away because of their addiction problems. One woman heard her mother tell her for the first time “I love you.”

“The difference is that these women are being transformed by Christ in areas that they never believed about themselves. They are learning that they are beauti-ful women in Christ, which grows their God-esteem. We share with them that they are fearfully and wonderfully made and they are worth the time of day and they do deserve a good life with Christ. They in turn feel worthy to reach out to family members. Each final-ly feels she is a good parent and wants to show the love of Christ to all their family members.” Christ has changed their hearts.

You have a wonderful opportu-nity to meet these women in the Mission’s Life Transformation Program and those who will be graduating. Please join us for the 2016 Graduation Celebration Saturday, June 4, 6:30pm at West-wood Baptist. Reserve your FREE ticket(s) for the event by going online at OUGM.org or calling the Mission at 360.709.9725 and we’ll save you a seat!

Jodi Yarbrough, Women’s Program ManagerLife Transformation Program

Olympia Union Gospel Mission Restoring hope...Transforming lives since 1995

Etta B. Miller, a friend of the Olympia Union Gospel Mission, went to be

with her Lord and Savior on February 1, 2016.

Etta was a spry 86-year-old. Having been raised on a dairy farm, she knew what hard work was about. She was always in forward motion as she volunteered at the Mission – you didn’t catch her just sitting and whiling the time away. Whether she worked at prepping and serving meals, helping a client with writing a resume or preparing donor re-ceipts, Etta had more energy than most of us half her age. Truly a servant, Etta’s shoes will not be easily filled, but rather she is a source of inspiration to all of us that worked alongside her. A quote from her family summed up this woman well…

“She was fiercely independent, pig-headed, stubborn, highly intel-ligent, frugal, and full of mischie-vous humor.”

We love you, Etta, and will see you at the East Gate of eternity. ~ Your friends and family at the Mission.

Update on Construction: I am pleased to report that the

Dental and Vision Clinics really turned out very well. Our staff is in their new digs and seeing patients. You should arrange a tour of the facilities that you helped make possible. The con-version of the Franklin Street facility into expanded dining, showers and laundry is about 50% completed, and my hope is that it will turn out as nice as the health care facilities.

Our Graduates: Later in this newsletter you will find a picture of four simply wonderful men and women who will walk the stage at the June 4th graduation. We are all so proud of them and all they have ac-complished on their journey to a new life. You really need to come hear them speak during the graduation ceremony.

But they still have far to travel. Their paths to our doors look like a china shop after the bull passes through. Left behind are broken dreams; broken promises; educations cut short; crim-inal arrests and convictions that will follow them; children not knowing their birth parent; trust shattered by abuse and rejection. And just like fine china, their lives cannot simply be glued back together; their lives need to be re-cre-ated by the master human glass blower – Jesus.

These graduates need to be reconciled with what cannot change from their past (like criminal convictions) so they can pursue reconciliation with the new life Jesus offers. Through the miracle of Jesus’s love: dreams can be recreat-ed; relationships can be healed; they can learn whom to trust; mothers and fathers can become involved with their children; they will find that they can learn and begin to develop vocational skills. They are not stupid, they are not lazy, and their lives do matter.

Reconciliation is hard work and not without pain and setbacks. It also takes time. This is where two words, princi-ples used in the Bible, “Perseverance” and “Patience” will become very real. I feel absolutely confident that with our love and support, along with God’s grace, this year’s graduates will create new lives that honor Jesus and those of us who believe in them.

Buildings & Lives Ave Being Remodeled!

Mark your calendar

and join us for the June 4, 2016

graduation. Hear how your support

is helping to changes lives through

the grace of God.

PO Box 7668 Olympia WA 98507 | Donate at OUGM.org | 360.709.9725 |

They call me Miss Denise!“I had been out for five months

doing some very intense physi-cal therapy. When I was able to come back to volunteer at the Joseph’s Coat (aka clothing bank), the clients at the Mission told me how much they had missed me.” That is the kind of relationship that volunteers develop while serving at the Mission, and Miss Denise (as clients affectionately call her) can vouch for that.

“It’s easy,” says Miss Denise, “to develop relationships if your heart is really there.” She cautions anyone that “You can’t separate yourself from these folks, and yes, they may not have had a shower or clean clothes for some time, but they need a hug as much as you or I do.”

“I get so much out of volunteering at the Joseph’s Coat. I like to play the role of being their personal shopper, so I set items aside that I know they might like. One man likes soccer shirts and one of the gals loves Hello Kitty – I just want them to feel special and know that someone is thinking about them.”

“There is a rule that we don’t keep suits, but one time I couldn’t help but save out a black suit that had been donated.” Weeks later, Miss Denise said a young man came through the door and told her his father had suddenly died. His family was unaware that he was homeless and living on the streets. He had been given money for a bus ticket home, but had nothing to wear to the funeral. Miss Denise pulled out the black suit that she had kept in the back room and had him try it on. She exclaimed, “It was as if it had been tailor made for him.”

Graduation Celebration2016

Saturday, June 4, 6:30pm Westwood Baptist Church Reserved seating

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Jewell has endured a lot of hardship in life. His life transformation experience has built his confidence and his next steps are to enter into the military.

Psalm 23:1 John loves to do caregiving. Like the shepherd in the Psalm, he is called to care for those in need.

Romans 8:28Toni’s past helps her to empathize with those who are homeless. She is the short term wom-en’s shelter house lead-er working with those who are struggling with addiction and wanting to get off the streets.

Matthew 28:38,39Amber loves Jesus and her goal is to tell as many people as she can. Someday she en-visions herself traveling in a bus and sharing Christ wherever she goes.

Donate new and gently used clothingM-F, 9-5pm.

JOSEPH’S COAT

Support and celebrate with these graduates on Saturday, June 4, 6:30pm at Westwood Baptist. Light appetizers and dessert will be served. Reserve

your FREE ticket(s) at OUGM.org or call 360.709.9725 for this event. The grad-uates look forward to your support. Donations are gladly accepted.

Craig, Joseph’s Coat Coordinator, is pictured with Miss Denise.

PO Box 7668 Olympia WA 98507 | Donate at OUGM.org | 360.709.9725 |

A wife of a former addiction recovery client stopped by to share her God story

in my office this past spring. I remembered her from the past – two small boys and newly married to our client, the boys’ father. He was just finishing up the Mission’s Life Transformation Addiction Recovery program and starting to work.

Flash forward four years, relapse for him, di-vorce and her losing her children and enter-ing a recovery program in the community for herself, there didn’t seem to be much hope.

One of the VegOut teams was at a new location setting up. They had boxes of produce lining the sidewalk for children as they got off the school bus. In the

midst of setting up, a young man wandered over to Mindy. Seeing that she was in charge, he asked what was all this about. She explained the program and upon finding out that it was an Olympia Union Gospel Mission ministry, he said, “Why of course it would be the Mission out helping.”

Today was the day that he had been given keys to his new apartment. He had been homeless, but through the help of the Mission he was able to get off the streets and into housing.

“I have the key to my new place, but little did I know that there would be a welcome wagon with food too. I’ve been worried about my first night in the apartment with my son and how I would feed him, but you filled the gap.”

Cody, the Director of Street Ministries, was significant in getting him the help he needed. Jason had visited the Mission after the store where he worked went out of business. This left him and his son living in his car unable to make ends meet. Through meals at the Mission and help with showers and laundry, Jason was able to maintain appearances and stay healthy for his all-important job search. He saved the little money from his VA benefits, and Cody was able to help with a small amount more bringing him to this point that he could open the door to his new apartment. “I know that I have been given a great opportunity and I need to stay on track. You have no idea how much this means to me and I even have a job interview coming up , funny thing is, it’s in produce!”

The VegOut program will be gearing up for the summer months and more volun-teers are needed. Teams will be sent out to low income areas where children and their families have limited access, for economic reasons, to fresh produce. Join a VegOut team and help a neighbor in your community. Call Mindy at 360.709.9725 or go online to www.ougm.org/vegout to learn more about the program.

H o w yo u r

S u p p o rt

b r i n g s O n e

m a n’s l i f e

F u l l c i rc l e .

together to start a new life. The children are excited to be a family once again, and they look forward to their new home and school. I sat in stunned silence as I heard this miracle of God unravel before me because only He could orchestrate some-thing like this. She spoke with renewed hope and confidence that could only be from God. Before she left, she made it abundantly clear how excited she was, and that without a doubt, “Jesus gets all the glory.”

Are you aware that the Mission’s Recov-ery Program relies on no state or federal funding? It costs approximately $30 a day to house, feed, and provide a vibrant spir-itually-based program for those that want to change. Although, this young couple struggled after he graduated the program and their circumstances seemed bleak, Jesus was there by their side.

In between lapses of addiction, he was able to make it through trade school and headed out to Virginia where his brother had found work and he followed.

Now clean, he contacted his former wife who was finishing up her program where she grew in her faith, had her children back and was stable, and told her some shocking news. He had been going through documents and found their unfiled divorce papers – they were still married!

With a fresh start to life and a job he loved, he began to court his wife from afar. More recently, he invited her out to his new home in Virginia. The time together was surpris-ingly sweet and unexpected for both of them, so they decided to begin to heal their past hurts and make an effort to reconcile.

Today, they are planning to get back

A God Story...