April 2013 Changing Lives newsletter

121 Years of Service

DenverRescueMission.org

April 2013

A Group Effort All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. Acts 4:32(NIV)

Tim’s mother was an advocate for his sobriety from the beginning. They have finally restored their relationship, thanks to Tim’s success at Harvest Farm.

Many of Denver’s homeless are struggling with addiction

and live in isolation, without the love and support of a comm

un ity.

“The simplicity and the beauty of nature and animals and farm living provided a setting where I could quiet my mind and start over again .

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Tim’s job as a Yard Loader Technician provides him fulfillment and joy. He sees his work as most people see their hobbies: fun!

A Group Effort Six years ago, scared and alone, Tim spent his first night at the Lawrence Street Shelter. It was winter and the city was blanketed with snow. He had just stepped off the bus from Grand Junction, drunk, hoping to find solace in his mother’s home.

“I called my mom from the bus station, and she said, ‘This is the bed you’ve made.’ It was tough love, and it was exactly what I needed,” Tim says. She directed him to Denver Rescue Mission’s Lawrence Street Shelter and instructed him to speak with a chaplain about the New Life Program. He did exactly as she said and found himself packed into the lobby with many other men who needed shelter from the cold weather.

After a few nights as a guest, Tim enrolled as a Program Candidate. Three months later, he moved to The Crossing to begin the New Life Program. Phases 1 and 2 went well for him, but Tim says: “I was stubborn. I kept telling myself that I could handle drinking.” He wanted to manage his alcohol intake instead of eliminate it. After breaking the Mission's no-drinking rule, Tim had to leave.

Once again, Tim’s life spiraled out of control. He spent his nights alone, drinking. He didn’t have a place to live, and he lost his job. The program at Denver Rescue Mission had helped him find a semblance of peace the first time, so he decided to give it a second chance.

He breezed through Phases 1 and 2 just like the first time. But the nagging temptation that he was strong enough to drink moderately got the best of him. “I still wasn’t dealing with my issues. I wasn’t giving myself to God. I still wanted to do things my way, not praying or acknowledging that I had to give up some of the things I wanted in order to get some of the things I needed,” says Tim. One night, he tested positive for alcohol and had to leave…again.

After another year of tumult, Tim prepared to spend his first night on the streets. It was snowing, and as he downed whiskey to keep warm, he had a sudden thought: he didn’t want to be there. He called a friend he made at Denver Rescue Mission who had graduated from the program. “He picked me up and put me to sleep on his

couch,” Tim says. The next morning, hungover, Tim tried to put up a fight when his friend drove him to the shelter for the third time.

He didn’t want to go back into the program; he didn’t want to fail again. But this time was different. After two weeks at the shelter, he was allowed to join the New Life Program at Harvest Farm.

Tim flourished there. “The simplicity and the beauty of nature and animals and farm living provided a setting where I could quiet my mind and start over again. I could relearn what was important in life: the simple things,” says Tim. He learned how to open up for the first time, allowing other people help him heal.

Tim graduated the New Life Program on January 17, 2013.

He has worked as a Yard Loader Technician at Insurance Auto Auction since July 2012, and he is already moving up in the ranks. “If I have a loader job for the rest of my life, I’m excited about that. I’m optimistic about that.

My goal right now is to be good at whatever job I have. I want my mother to be proud of me and not have to worry.

I want to find a way to serve other people,” Tim says.

He has chosen to stay in the post-graduate program at The Crossing for the next nine months, surrounded by his community: “I desperately don’t want to relapse, and I need accountability. I need godly people around me to solidify my sobriety as part of my normal life.”

Tim’s success is a result of the group effort of many people God placed in his life over the past six years.

It was his mother telling him to make things right, his friend pushing him back into the program, the chaplains giving him three chances to find sobriety, the men he walked alongside at the Farm, and donors like you who believe in the power of community!

To post a note of encouragement for Tim on the Mission's Facebook page, visit Facebook.com/DenverRescue.

From the CEO Dear Friends, In my role at Denver Rescue Mission, I often have the wonderful privilege of sharing on television, radio, and in front of groups about the lives that have been changed at our Mission. Even though I appreciate the opportunity to share with others how men and women come to us looking for hope and leave with a changed life, I am always mindful that this is truly a group effort. I am just blessed to be the spokesperson.

Denver Rescue Mission’s Spring Graduation This spring, Denver Rescue Mission is thrilled to honor our New Life and STAR Transitional Program graduates on Friday, May 24th, at The Crossing’s outdoor amphitheater!

The celebration will begin at 9 a.m. to commemorate the outstanding accomplishments and changed lives of those who have completed their journey through our programs.

We welcome and invite all Denver Rescue Mission supporters to join us for this wonderful occasion.

For more information, please contact Ann at 303.313.2454 or ASchlesinger@DenRescue.org.

Usually, there were family and friends who tried everything they could to help our program participants prior to them joining us. It is not uncommon for outreach workers, pastors, police, and others to work toward getting people to come to us for the help they need.

Once men and women have joined our New Life Program, it is our chaplains, counselors, education specialists, facility assistants, volunteers, and a variety of other staff members (too many different job titles to name!) who work together to help our program participants succeed. Certainly as a donor, you play an integral and critical part in making all of this work. We simply could not do this without you.

As I reflect on this group effort, I am also particularly grateful for the parents, grandparents, spouses, or other family members and friends who have been quietly and unselfishly praying for years, hoping that somehow their loved one might find the help they need to overcome their addiction. If no one has ever recognized you or said thank you, please accept my sincere appreciation for caring so much.

Thank You, Colorado Business Leaders!

In honor of Presidents’ Day, nine local business executives skipped their lunch break to serve hot meals to the poor and homeless at the Mission’s Lawrence Street Shelter on Friday, February 15th. Thank you to these community leaders who have come alongside Denver Rescue Mission to change lives and provide Denver’s homeless with opportunities to become productive, self-sufficient citizens!

Together, and with God’s help, we are making a difference!

God Bless,

Brad Meuli, President/CEO Wells Fargo • Colorado Rockies • Kroenke Sports Enterprises Denver Broncos • Intrepid Potash, Inc. • CenturyLink • Guaranty Bank and Trust Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce • Stinkin’ Good Green Chile

Spring Graduation

Statistics (Fiscal Year) How You Help

Friday, May 24th 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The Crossing Amphitheater 6090 E. Smith Road For more information, please contact Ann at 303.313.2454 or ASchlesinger@DenRescue.org.

FEBRUARY

YTD

Meals served

46,872

368,705

Beds

24,680

182,643

Chapel attendance

6,852

48,225

Food boxes distributed

62

1,761

Furniture (households)

40

290

Clothing (lbs.)

10,546

130,092

Chiropractic

75

508

Dental

205

1,121

Medical

668

6,138

Optical

344

2,623

Be Prepared!

You probably know the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared. It’s a great motto because you can’t predict what’s going to happen and when. Guess what? It’s also applicable to having a valid will or living trust. Unless you can predict the future, it’s a good idea make these arrangements in advance. In other words, be prepared, so you don’t leave important decisions to chance, up to others to guess, or to the state to decide.

Our Outreaches Lawrence Street Shelter: Emergency care: meals, overnight shelter, free health care, food box and clothing distribution.

Fort Collins Rescue Mission: Emergency care: meals, overnight shelter; and transitional program.

Writing a will may seem daunting, even overwhelming. But we can help. Even if you’ve never been a Scout, it’s not too late to be prepared.

Champa House: Residential facility offering long-term help toward self-sufficiency to single mothers with dependent children.

For more information, please contact Alice at 303.313.2487 or visit our website at DenverRescueMission.org/LegacyGiving.

Harvest Farm: Long-term New Life rehabilitation program, farming and ranching operation, food and clothing distribution, and Fall Festival.

The Crossing: Long-term New Life rehabilitation program, transitional program for New Life graduates and homeless families, temporary housing for interns and visitors.

Ministry Outreach Center: Administrative and warehouse facilities; food, clothing and household goods distribution.

Family Services: Transitional program; assistance for permanent housing; mentoring for homeless working families, seniors and refugee families.

Global Ministry Outreach: Consultation, resources and support to city/rescue missions around the world.

Changing Lives is the monthly news publication of Denver Rescue Mission.

Director of Communications: Christine Gallamore Designer: Rachel Vigil Writer: Rachel Greiman P.O. Box 5164 • Denver, CO 80217 • 303.297.1815

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