Changing Lives May 2014

122 Years of Service

DenverRescueMission.org

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:12 (ESV)

May 2014

they don't convince you to get better—they love you until you are better.

The reason I've been able to so radically forgive is because I understand how radically forgiven I am. I've hurt so many people and done terrible things. I was a vicious person. I had so much anger and fear that I lashed out at people. The fact that God still wants to be with me and be my Father makes me want to try really hard to forgive those who hurt me.�

Some of the people most influential in Joy’s recovery were the women she lived with at Champa House. She is pictured here with Allison, a former Champa participant, and their children. They still meet for playdates!

On paper, it looks like Joy and Will’s relationship should never work out.

They met at a rehabilitative center, both struggling with mental illness and grasping at stability. With judgment clouded by circumstance and logic overruled by passion, they fell in love.

Joy was seeking treatment for an eight-year struggle with anorexia and depression after years of sexual abuse from six different men. Will was finally receiving diagnosis for lifelong mental disorders. But this quick, 10-day program provided little more than heavy medication and was a small band-aid on severe wounds for both of them.

They left the treatment facility together and started living in hotels, rented trailers and friends’ houses. Within a couple weeks Joy found out they were pregnant, so they moved to Texas to stay with Will's parents.

through orientation. “When they called me, I knew that I was going to get in. This was my last chance; all other doors closed. It really needed to happen. I was walking around my house crying and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, things are finally going to change.’”

And things did change. She had her baby, Xander.

She began spending time reading the Bible and praying.

“God is so incorporated into everything at Champa.

The staff prays for us, meets with us and gives us shoulders to cry on. Having that kind of support in my life was so good for me. Before, I pushed everyone away who tried to support me. But I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I started taking responsibility for things,” Joy explains. One of those responsibilities was for errors in her relationship with Will.

Shortly after the move, Will had a breakdown. Joy had weaned herself off her own medication and as she watched Will slide into his old patterns, a fog lifted. “There was a voice in my heart telling me that I needed to leave. It was so scary. I didn't know what was going to happen next or where I would go, but I had to leave,” Joy remembers.

“The staff asked me, ‘What can you take responsibility for?’ I started praying. I knew in my heart that God was going to do something really big and my relationship with Will would be a big testimony for Him. All I wanted was for God to be glorified,” she says. Joy wrote letters to people she hurt—to Will and to his family. After months of anger and resentment, her heart opened up to the idea of being with Will again.

Her dad bought a plane ticket and she came back to Colorado. She stayed on her mother's couch, praying for God to show her the next steps. Her mother delivered some tough love. Joy says: “My mom told me, ‘You can't raise a baby while living on my couch.’ And she was right.”

“During the nine months of not speaking, I learned how much I wanted God, and I was seeking Him because I realized it was the most important thing to do. When I got her letter, it felt like life was possible again; I felt hope,” Will recalls.

Joy had been turned away from countless maternity homes, but then her dad found Champa House. At five months pregnant, Joy filled out an application and went

Joy felt hope too: “I spent such a large portion of my life trusting in my own understanding. A huge part of being at Champa was learning to trust other people's counsel. Throughout the whole process with Will, I've

had people to go to. I've never done that before with anything in my life. I had no idea what it felt like to be led by God.” Now, Will and Joy are getting married. With so many factors trying to work against them, they have found rest and comfort in the fact that they serve a God with much bigger plans than they could ever imagine. They believe that God brought them together not to hurt one another, but to heal and restore.

“We both represented each other’s greatest fear and greatest hope. But the whole time we were following God through it,” says Will.

God has blessed them with emotional stability and financial security. Joy is staying home with Xander, but they think about the future constantly. They want to foster children and adopt them. Together, they want to show

others the unfailing love, forgiveness and redemption that God has shown to them.

For now, their main priority is being stable parents for Xander, but they are already pursuing ministry involvement in their church. Joy is looking to find a place in the women’s ministry where she can show other women how to overcome struggle. Will misses leading worship and is beginning to look into becoming part of the church’s team.

“The Mission’s whole thing is self-sufficiency, but they teach that the only way to be self-sufficient is to be totally dependent on God,” Joy says. Together, Joy and Will have put their dependence on God and through Champa House, they’ve laid a foundation to keep it there.

Share your story of healing and restoration on facebook.com/ DenverRescue or @DenRescue using the hashtag #changinglives.

We need your support to help more women like Joy at Champa House.

Please use the enclosed envelope to mail your donation today!

From the CEO Dear Friends, As I reflect on the last several years of stories we have shared with you in our Changing Lives newsletter, I am struck by the fact that the work we do is often complicated and difficult. There is simply no “cookie cutter” approach that fits all situations.

When you work with people in need, there are all kinds of issues that come up. Frankly, it is messy. I wish I could say, “If we just do this, everything will be fine. It works every time.”

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

What I do know is that the one constant in all of our programs, the one thing we know we are going to do, is share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why? Because we know that Jesus can change lives, He can make a difference, and in the end He is all that matters.

Yes, we have a policy manual; yes, we have consistency and integrity in our programs.

We utilize chaplains, counselors and case managers. But more than any rule, procedure or policy is our love for the people we serve and our desire to share the love of Jesus with each of them. Like Joy, featured in this issue, people who want to join our programs are desperate for change and need our help. Even though their problems may seem overwhelming, for the God we serve, anything is possible. It is a blessing for me to see God work every day. Thank you for continuing to partner with us in expanding the Kingdom of God in people’s hearts, where real change takes place.

God Bless,

Brad Meuli President/CEO

Hit a Home Run Against Hunger Join the Colorado Rockies, King Soopers and Denver Rescue Mission for the “Hit a Home Run Against Hunger” campaign. Please bring nonperishable and/or canned food items to the Rockies game in June, and help feed the poor and hungry in our community.

You can also make a monetary donation when you check out at any King Soopers store in the Denver Metro Area from June 1st to June 30th. Thank you for helping the Mission “Hit a Home Run Against Hunger!”

For more information, please contact Lisette at 303.313.2414 or LWilliams@DenRescue.org.

Harvest Farm 5K 2014 Saturday, May 17th Harvest Farm Wellington, CO Registration: 7:00 a.m.

Race Start: 8:30 a.m.

For more information or to register, please visit: DenverRescueMission.org/farm5k2014.

Mission Events

Statistics

(Fiscal Year) How You Help

Spring Graduation Friday, May 30th 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

The Crossing Amphitheater 6090 E. Smith Road

CHAMPA HOUSE

Please RSVP by May 23rd to Josh at JLittlejohn@DenRescue.org.

Average Age of Champa Mom

28

Average Meals Served Monthly

547

Average Meals Served Daily

18

Average Families Per Night

8

Bed Nights Total GED’s of All Time Total Graduates of All Time

5,486 More than 25 36

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.

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

Standards of Excellence In its commitment to spiritual and financial accountability, as well as to community relations, Denver Rescue Mission has long-standing memberships with the following organizations: The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability is committed to helping Christ-centered organizations earn the public’s trust through developing and maintaining standards of accountability that convey God-honoring ethical practices. Member since February 1991. (ECFA.org) The Association of Gospel Rescue Missions is an association of rescue missions and other rescue ministries which (1) serves local rescue ministries through education, training, consultation, conferences, conventions, and networking; (2) starts new rescue ministries; (3) shares the message of rescue; (4) promotes prayer, spiritual values and growth in the rescue family.

Over 300 affiliates in US, Canada, India, Australia, South America, and Africa. Member since August 1962. (AGRM.org)

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: Warehouse facilities; food, clothing and household goods distribution.

The Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau is dedicated to promoting and fostering the highest ethical relationships between businesses and the public through voluntary self-regulation, consumer and business education and service excellence. Member since November 1991. (DenverBBB.org)

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

Caring Connection of Colorado aims to offer a recognized choice for giving in the workplace, and provides local organizations and individual donors with the opportunity to support the human service agencies they know, trust and believe in. Member since 1983. (CaringConnection.org)

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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