A Lesson in Faith

One of the joys of being a part of the Mission is the opportunity to pray with and for our guests. The Mission has existed for 102 years on the premise of faith. God has always provided to meet needs, and guests recognize that everything, from the meal they eat to the warm bed at night, is a gift from the "Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). We encourage prayer, as an avenue to express gratitude and to ask for God's continued provision.

Recently, a staff member shared about a young girl who always asked prayer for one of the little boys also staying in the shelter. This little boy was autistic and his condition made him non-verbal. Many children could have been afraid of him because he was different and his loud expressions, that passed for speech, seemed intimidating. Her prayer was that this little boy would one day talk.

 

It was a humbling reminder of the need for faith as evidenced by this young girl. We, in our "knowledge" of his condition and obstacles, might consider this an impossibility. We might not even presume to ask for something that would require a miracle. But she had faith that God is able to do, as He said, "far more abundantly than all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20).

 

Our prayer for you, this Christmas, is that you experience faith like this young girl. That in the midst of the busyness and the "obligations," you get a sense of the wondrous miracle that is Christmas. God, in His love, sent His only begotten Son, as the great Redeemer and Rescuer of mankind. A gift born to set people free. And you can go to Him with your troubles and your fears. Your needs and your failures.

 

The little boy in this story has since left the shelter, with his mother. The staff were excited to see the improvement made during his time at the Mission. God alone knows the future of this little child, as He knows the future of all the children, and men and women, who come to the Mission. We can have faith in His love and care for them.

 

Thank you for your gifts to the Mission. You enable us to provide food, shelter, and hope in our community. Thank you for being a Rescuer by helping us help others.

All in a Day of Rescue!

One of our staff members once compared working at the Mission to experiencing Christmas every day. The truth is that we never know, when the doorbell rings, what blessings await us. Either gifts coming in to help us help others, or people in need whom we can help. The following list was made by one of the men who work at our men's shelter. Below is his description of a few highlights from his day.

 

How God Uses His People to Provide for His Children

Saturday, December 7, 2013

• Panera provided 30 sandwiches, 3 specialty salads, pickles, and bread. It was an order that wasn't picked up. This was eaten that day for lunch.
• A man gave 2 turkeys, flour, sugar, and some canned goods. His father was an alcoholic, came to the Mission program. The family was grateful for the City Rescue Mission.
• A husband and wife gave blankets and bests in remembrance of their son who died.
• A man brought 10 new hooded sweatshirts.When he purchased these, he told them what he was going to do with them. They gave him "No Charge" for 5 of the shirts. He also gave a gift of $100 and said he would be back on Monday with more shirts.
• A mother dropped off 4 bags of coats and gloves, a lot of them new. Her daughter put out signs at Central Michigan University about collecting coats to be given to the Mission.
• A lady gave a large bag of new stuffed animals, plus 2 bags with food and toiletries.

Every one of these people gave with joy and very large smiles.

God is Good!

 

In addition to these gifts coming in, we were able to provide food, shelter, and hope to about 150 women, children, and men that night. Indeed, God is good, and we are truly blessed by our great community of fellow Rescuers!

Don't Forget Those Who Have No "Home for the Holidays."

Recently, we received a call from one of our Fellow Rescuers. Karen had participated with a church drive last year to provide Christmas gifts for the men who stay in our shelter. Although the church had chosen another focus for 2013, Karen still wanted to provide some gifts for those in need. We were excited by her request because the men at the Mission are usually overlooked at Christmas. Although Karen cannot provide gifts for all 70 men who will call the Mission "home" this holiday season, she wondered if others would be willing to join her efforts to make a difference in the lives of those who are truly needy. We hope you will consider helping her help others. While the Mission meets immediate needs for food and shelter, your gift would help remind them of the "hope" we also offer. At Christmas time, we celebrate the greatest gift ever given to mankind, God himself wrapped in a small baby, in a humble stable, in a small town. The men who come to us have learned humility the hard way. Your compassion can provide a bright memory this Christmas.

 

Below is a list of items to place in each Christmas bag. Our goal is to make every bag standard, as these are all items the men can use. Feel free to fill the bags and bring them right to the Mission (607 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing). You can include a Christmas card or note of encouragement, but we ask that you do not include any personal information.

 

If you have questions, feel free to contact Karen directly at karenesweet@aol.com or call the Mission at 517.485.0145. (Click here for pdf flyer.)

Men's Christmas Bag Items:
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Soap (in a ziploc bag)
Shampoo
Shaving Cream
Twin Blade Razors
Cough Drops
Kleenex (small packs)
Hand Warmers
Gloves (ski type)
Knit Hat
Warm Scarf (if possible)
Card/Note of Encouragement (no personal information please!)

Junior League Luncheon at the U-Club!

Mark "serves" Board President Bill Rinck and his wife
Sandy at a previous Junior League of Lansing luncheon.

On the 14th of November, Mark Criss, our executive director, will be participating in the Junior League of Lansing’s Lunch with League at the University Club in Lansing.  This is a fundraising event which helps to support volunteer efforts for things such as:
           
• Special Olympics
• Haven House Dinner & Youth Activity Project
• Allen Neighborhood Project
• Ronald McDonald House Dinner
• And much, much more!

 

The Junior League of Lansing provided funds for the classroom kitchen at our women and children's shelter and continue to support the Mission in many other ways.  Please help us support their efforts by letting Mark wait on you!  He’ll refill your drinks and run back and forth for your every need.  Tickets cost $25 and will be for a specific seating time ranging from 11:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. If you are unable to attend, please consider leaving him a generous tip instead…all proceeds will benefit Junior League of Lansing.

To purchase tickets and guarantee a spot in Mark's section, you must go to:  www.LWL2013.eventbrite.com (Click on the number of seats for Mark Criss at 11:45am or 1:00pm seating times).

Encounter with Hope

Intent on reaching my office and the work that awaits me there, I take the stairs two at a time. I'm so focused I barely manage a nod and tight smile for the boy and young woman coming down the stairs in my direction. He, too, is intent and moves purposely toward me, so that before I even realize I've walked straight into...a hug. He beams a smile at me that, if science could manage it, would light our entire building. My glance lifts to his mother, who is also smiling.

 

"He hugs everybody," she tells me.

 

I ask his name, and he tells me his nickname. Work waits while we share a moment's conversation in the stairway, yet even as I talk with him I'm seeing beyond his smiling face and into the bleak future that could lay ahead of him.

 

If my job were in a business or a retail setting, these thoughts would never occur to me. But I work at a homeless shelter. The stigma and obstacles attached to a child in poverty, let alone a homeless child, are very real. As real as the smile on a face that sees nothing but hope. He is not afraid for his future. Like every other child, he dreams of being a firefighter. Or an astronaut. Or a basketball player.

 

They go on their way, this child of hope and the mother who so obviously dotes on him. And in spite of the statistics and the studies, I take a little hope with me too. Because where he may go is not as relevant as where he is. He is safe, and he is here. Praise the Lord, he and his mother have found shelter at the Mission. Where the love and compassion of an entire community come together to provide him with food, shelter, and the hope that is ingrained in his personality.

 

You will probably never meet this little boy, but to those of you who support the Mission through donations, volunteering, and prayer, Thank You. On behalf of this boy and his mother, and the 553 moms and kids we sheltered last year, I want to tell you that you have made a difference. You are making a difference.

 

Thank you for being a Rescuer by helping us help others.

Communication

Any Mission staff person will tell you that it is a blessing to speak with our "Fellow Rescuers" whose gifts, prayers, and volunteer efforts support the ministry of Rescue. However, I can still be surprised by things that are said to me when I represent the Mission at various events.

 

Recently, as I waited by our display at an event, I was approached by an older person who is a member of an organization that has supported the Mission for many years. While I did not recognize this gentleman, I was pleased that he'd stopped by to talk while so many walked on by without a word.

 

He mentioned the organization of which he is a part and made further comments about the Mission, which showed he knew something of our history. I shared with him the number of those we're serving now, 142 every night, and expressed that was a definitely an increase from how many we served even a few years ago.

 

He nodded and said, "Well, I know most of them want to be homeless, but they still need help."

 

I must admit I found myself suddenly speechless, especially as he was standing in front of a display featuring the smiling face of a little girl whose mother brought her to the Mission after escaping a rather tragic, domestic situation. He seemed a sweet man, and I didn't feel it was the time or place to argue with him. Nor was I able, in my semi-shocked state, to come up with words that would educate with kindness.

 

The truth is the man was looking at homelessness and our work among the homeless with a "stereotypical" viewpoint that may have been somewhat accurate seventy or eighty years ago, but not many people "want" to be homeless. The opposite is often true: we have many guests who long to be independent. Who want employment that enables them to support themselves. While they are grateful for the Mission and for those who give, they are willing and wanting to be self reliant.

 

Truthfully, there are those who fit the "stereotypical view." I've met one man (one person in nearly nine years working at the Mission) who enjoyed being homeless and living "in every state in the US." And we help men and women who are homeless due to addictions or other problems. However, there are "homeless," unseen and unknown who are working all throughout this city. People waiting in line at the bus stop. Children going to school. Young people attending college. Just regular people...who are homeless.

 

I am grateful to this gentleman for his support of the Mission and even for speaking with me. His words are a reminder that we still need to communicate what we as an organization do and whom we serve. Just by telling our story and the stories of our guests, we are making a difference. We are transforming a "number" into a person. And a "person's a person," if you will allow me to paraphrase, no matter where they live, a house, an apartment, or a shelter.

 

-post by CRM Communications Manager

 

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The Cost of Drinking

This article recently ran in the August 15 issue of "Street Smart," the online newsletter of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions. Many Missions, like the City Rescue Mission, have some kind of ministry dedicated to meeting the needs of those who are alcoholics and/or addicts. It is no surprise to read of the devastation caused by alcoholism, as in the case of this article, or addiction. We see issues resulting from this lifestyle on an individual basis every day, in the lives of the men and women we serve. However, the cost of drinking is a cost paid by everyone, as described in this article:
 

A CBS News report notes that the health woes related to heavy alcohol use costs the U.S. more than $223 billion a year in health costs. Heavy drinking carries major health risks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including increased chances of long-term ailments such as liver disease, heart problems, fertility issues, some cancers, and neurological issues such as stroke or dementia. Shorter term, alcohol poisoning, traffic accidents, falls, violence, and risky sexual behaviors are also associated with large amounts of alcohol consumption. Binge drinking—defined as when men drink more than five drinks and women drink more than four drinks in two hours—is responsible for more than 70 percent of the excessive alcohol costs, a total of $171 billion annually. The report estimated state-by-state economic costs of drinking, including those from binge drinking and underage drinking. The median state cost associated with excessive drinking was $2.9 billion, with about $2 out of every $5 of these costs being paid for by the government. The state that absorbed the least alcohol costs was North Dakota, coming in at $420 million. The most costs were found in California, totaling nearly $32 billion. Researchers broke down the numbers even further and found based on population, the District of Columbia has the highest per-person cost associated with excessive drinking ($1,662 per person) while Iowa had the lowest ($622). Across all states, excessive drinking costs due to productivity losses (such as missed work) ranged from 61 percent in Wyoming to 82 percent in the District of Columbia. The share of costs due to added health care expenses ranged from 8 percent in Texas to 16 percent in Vermont.

To read the original CBS News report, click here.

The City Rescue Mission's Life Transformation Program, for those dealing with addictions, is available at no charge to men and women in need. This is a one-year, in-house, Bible-based addictions program. Visit our website, http://www.bearescuer.com/GetHelpNow.htm, to review the information; then call the Mission at 517.485.0145 if you have further questions.