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8/8/2019 Summer 2004 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission
1/4
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
8/8/2019 Summer 2004 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission
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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
8/8/2019 Summer 2004 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission
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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.
8/8/2019 Summer 2004 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission
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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.