september 2009 anchorage gospel rescue mission newsletter

8/8/2019 September 2009 Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Newsletter

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Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission

A Ministry of

Rescue & Discipleshipa publication of the

Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Anchorage, Alaska

rry Aldrichrations Manager

avid Williamsgram Director

andy Hessntenance Supervisor

rry OConnor

oger Klein

nt Supervisor

avid McKnightDriver

lomona Talivaantenance

nny Leffler

ll McCormick

nthony Boone

ado Spates

homas Nolcinise 5 Disciples

res

cue

ne

wsest

.1965

septemb

2009

Why Should You Care ForThe Least, The Last, The Lost

B E C A U S E,

The Bible tells us, The poor shall never

cease out of the land, Deuteronomy 15:11

The last, the least and the lost is very descriptive of the homeless. When I read Deuteronom

15:11 and Mark 14:7, For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will y

may do them good.. I believe God is telling us to help provide for the less fortunate

know that we will always have the poor, needy and homeless people with us. There have be

plans by many cities, including Anchorage, to end homelessness and have even set a tim

frame. However, I have been dealing with this problem for many years and I do not see an

mass movement to end homelessness and there never will be. It seems like there is no end

homelessness. Usually by this time of the year we can see a noticeable reduction in the numb

of people coming to us for help. But again this year we are seeing more people continuing

come to us for help. We can only accommodate a few of these people with shelter (becau

one of our dorms has been closed by the city) but the numbers of people coming for mea

and clothing has been on the increase. I do not believe Anchorage has felt the effect of th

recession yet but when it hits more and more people are going to be looking for help!

There are many reasons why a person may become homeless. In the minds of most peop

though, drugs and alcohol are the main reason. I will agree that they play a big paand may be the end results of why a person becomes homeless. But there are many oth

reasonsmental illness, divorce and the break-up of a home are other reasons. Howeve

one of the big reasons for a person being homeless in our city is unemployment. Most of th

people that come to the Mission would work if they could find a job. When a person los

their job, their source of income, then gradually everything they ownthey may turn to drug

and alcohol. They think they can find some relief from their problems by taking this outl

only to find out they have created a greater problem. Finally, when all is lost, they may com

to us for help. But, we are limited as to what we can do because of lack of space!

Those that do come to us (and can get in) and have a sincere desire for helpcan find it her

You see, we believe a persons real help comes from GOD. With Jesus in their life and th

Holy Spirit to give them the help, guidance and comfort they need a person can look beyon

their present circumstances and see the Lord can help them reach their goals and achievemen

in their life. They do not need the drugs and alcohol for a crutch. But now they have Jesus

lean on and He will help them to get where they want to be recovered and serving. Plea

pray for the Mission and Staff that God will open the way for us to aid more of the people th

come to us for help.


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progra

mdirec

tor

i

DavidM

.Willi

ams

When was the last time you came home and complained

about not getting a traffic ticket? Try to recall the time

when you received your paycheck and then tried to get

out of taking it by saying, Its not my fault I had to

work in order to support my family. How many of

us have become victims because we didnt stop at the

liquor store and spend our last few dollars on alcohol?

Why am I so willing to accept the consequences

of my positive action yet at the same time resist the

consequences of my negative actions? It seems to

me this character flaw makes me a hypocrite. My

willingness to accept consequences equally defines who

I am as a person. As a Christian I have a fundamentalresponsibility to the body of Christ to not only be a

good steward of choice but to also be willing to accept

the consequences regardless of the classification good

or bad.

I have a dear friend who has had a really difficult year.

He made some really bad choices and as we all know

there are consequences. Like me his instinct is to make

excuses rather than practice acceptance. Its easy for

me to blame others for my circumstance because it

allows me to believe my pain is not self inflicted. If Ican somehow make it their fault I can then focus my

anger and hate in their direction rather than my own.

They become my safety net. After all isnt that what

Satan loves for us to do? Beat ourselves up! Its painful

therefore we attempt to avoid it at all cost. The irony

is; the more I struggle to break free of Satans will, the

more I take on his nature by lying to myself

and blaming others for my circumstances.

44You belong to your father, the devil,

and you want to carry out your fathers

desire. He was a murderer from the

beginning, not holding to the truth, for

there is no truth in him. When he lies,

he speaks his native language, for he is

a liar and the father of lies

John 8:44

I had a spiritual awaking while watching the Foo

Network. A mother of four girls was competing for h

own T.V. show and one of the challenges included h

telling why she felt this would be right for her. She to

about how she had climbed the corporate ladder an

how it had filled her mind yet had left her soul empt

Then she turned to her passion, food. She told abo

how she was no longer afraid to try new things becau

if she failed at least she was failing at the right thing.

My passion is Christ but Ive always been afraid to faThis fear of failure has been a barrier in my relationsh

with Him. Thanks to the voice of a mother of four wh

I will never meet I can now deconstruct the barrie

before me and get a better understanding of who Chri

is. Even when I fail it no longer matters. For I no

know Im failing at the right thing. This knowledg

gives me the freedom to stand back up and try aga

without wasting time playing the blame game.

This begins by acceptance. I told my friend it was h

decision to travel the road of destruction therefore h

could not blame others for his circumstances. Like I

wont to do, he began playing word games by askin

me if it was the road to destruction or just a bump

the road. I didnt respond because he was missing th

point while looking for a way out. The truth is he w

on the road to destruction. Just because that road d

not, PRAISE BE TO GOD, end in total annihilatio

doesnt mean he wasnt on the road. After all I don

have to go all the way to Seward to have been on th

Seward highway. This attitude illustrates our propensito avoid the real issues and that is, the consequences

our choices are ours and ours alone!

We are choice driven. Once Ive made a bad decisio

I have a new set of choices to make. They are: be

myself up for my mistakes, blame others for my action

or accept the consequences of my decisions. Beatin

myself up or blaming others is me failing at the wron

thing. Accepting the consequences of my decisions

me trusting Christ and that is the Right Thing.

The Right Thing!


3/8


4/84

Trust has always been a big issue of mine. That and

doubt. I guess it started at a very young age for me.

I was born in Pender, Nebraska, and raised in Dakota

City, Nebraska (pop 1200). The small town was home

to the biggest Beef Packer in the United States, IBP.

This is where my mother and father earned a living, as

did most of the small town. Union made, and close nit,

the small town was rough and full of trouble.

My childhood was a happy one. I had my cousin Bruce

to play with, and my sister Penny to pick on, and we

were all close. I had a very nice baby sitter who made

the best half dollar sized pancakes in the world (I once

ate around 35 of them, outdoing my cousin. A memory

I am for some strange reason, very proud of).There was

baseball, football, fishing, boy scouts, and church. I

was a pretty confident outgoing kid. But it began to fall

apart, at about the age of seven.

One day at school, my cousin Bruce took me aside on

the playground. He had bad news to give me. He was

moving. His mom and dad had decided to split from

each other. He would be moving back to Central South

Dakota, 220 miles away to where our family has its

roots. My best friend was leaving me.

It was not long after this, that the same tragedy hit

my own immediate family. I remember being parked

on the floor in front of the television set watching a

show about UFOs one evening (strange I rememberthat show being on), and my mother asking me to come

to my sisters room. Getting up I walked to her room.

My sister was crying, and my mother tells me that she,

and my father, are splitting. We will be moving to the

neighboring town. Looking back, I believe my identity,

and all that was me, was lost in that moment. My

mom, my sister, and I moved to South Sioux

City.

I did not adjust very well. I did not like my new home

did not like the kids in my new neighborhood. I becam

very angry and upset. I went from a popular kid, full

fun, to a lost kid fully depressed. All I could think abo

was how to get it all back. My friends and my famil

the life I loved. The way it was. It was never going

happen.

I began to destroy things, toys, friendships, family, an

myself. I use to participate in school. I loved gym clas

school plays, and other activities. Now, my attitud

was, why bother? From the age of thirteen to seventee

I lived with my father. I pretty much did what I wante

Dad set some rules, but rules were meant to be broke

I just did what I wanted. I thought, Nobody car

anyway!I moved back in with my mom when I w

seventeen. She had her hands full to say the least. I w

drinking heavy along with everything else.

I graduated high school. Dont ask me how. Th

negative, hateful attitude followed me through m

military career, and beyond. It was the snowball affec

Every year my attitude grew darker. I never really g

over anything, or ever learned to let things go. It all ju

festered, and I always wanted revenge, or a way out

married twice looking for happiness. I divorced twi

finding sadness. No surprise. I had no God. I had n

test

imonies

Resu


5/85

love. I felt I had nothing to offer. My failed marriages

left me completely lost. What is it going to take to

make me happy?

The only answer I could come up with on my own was

alcohol, drugs, and sex. But these medicines had bad

side effects. They were temporary, and left me feeling

depressed and empty. I was dead. Alive physically, but,

inside I was dead. I just kept digging a deeper grave to

lay in.

My choices led me from a small Midwest town to the

streets of Anchorage, Alaska. Cold, Hungry, tired,

hopeless, and homeless. I had just finished a 15 month

prison stretch, and the one thing I was sure of was, I do

not want to go back to prison, and I do not want to go

back to the streets. What do I do? Give me an answer!

Someone was listening. My mother, and my older sister

Penny, asked if I would consider joining the NewLife

program here at the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission.I would be safe there they told me. So I called the

Mission and made an appointment for the next day.

In the morning I entered the office of David Williams,

Program Director for the NewLife Discipleship

Training Program. He welcomed me with a smile. He

spoke of Jesus, and that before me right now, was an

opportunity. An offer that if I choose to accept, will for

certain change my life. I joined.

I settled in upstairs and opened a bible to 2 Corinthians

chapter 6, verse 2. I was stunned at what I read. In

an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day

of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the

accepted time, now is the day of salvation. How could

this be? The timing was incredible! This is exactly what

I needed to hear! I was convinced, there is a God! He

knows me! I decided right then and there, I am ready

to accept Jesus Christ into my life. I choose to believe.

I will fallow him and do the best I can to keep his

commandments.

Today, I am doing just that. My life and my attitude

being completely transformed. I am not perfect. I mak

my mistakes. But, I have conviction now. I confess, an

we move on. We move forward and improve. With th

help of Jesus Christ and the staff here at the Anchorag

Gospel Rescue Mission, I now have a life I am happ

to be living.

If you are reading this and you have not opened yo

heart to Jesus, please do. Do not wait. He will giv

you life. He will restore all that you have lost. He w

heal your pain. He will guide and direct you, and nev

forsake you.

I was hopeless, and I now have hope. I was worthles

and I now have a life of value, and with purpose.

I have been resurrected!

So, I end this testimony with a passage out of Psalm 3

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have lifted

me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over

me. O Lord my god I cried out to you and you

healed me. O Lord, You brought me out the

grave; you have kept me alive, that I should

not go down to the pit.

God Bless you a

Kel

rrected!


6/86

direc

torsde

sk

Rev.Do

nBettis

A Child of The KingMy Father is rich in houses and lands,

He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!

Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,

His coffers are full, He has riches untold.

My Fathers own Son, the Savior of men,

Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;

But now He is pleading our pardon on high,

That we may be His when He comes by and by.

I once was an out-cast, stranger on earth,A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;

But Ive been adopted, my names written down,

An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

A tent or a cottage, why should I care?

Theyre building a palace for me over there;

Tho exiled from home, yet still I may sing:

All glory to God, Im a child of the King.

Chorus:

Im a child of the King,

A child of the King!

With Jesus my Savior,

Im a child of the King!

There have been several version of this old hymn, but

see if you remember this one.

When We See ChristOft times the day seems long, our trials so hard To

bear: were tempted to complain, to murmur

And despair; But Christ shall soon appear to Catch H

bride away, all tears forever over

In Gods eternal day.

Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a

Ray of light; Were tossed and driven on,

No human help in sight; but there is

One heavn Who knows our deepest care,

Let Jesus solve your problem,

Just go to Him in prayr.

Lifes day will soon be oer,

All storms forever past; Well cross

The great divide to glory safe at last;

Well share the joys of heavn,

A harp, a home, a crown;

The tempter will be banished,

Well lay our burden down.Chorus:

It will be worth it all,When we see Jesus,

Lifes trials will seem so small,

When we see Christ;

One glimpse of His dear face,

All sorrow will erase,

So bravely run the race

Till we see Christ.

Back to the Good Ole Days of

Heart-felt Gospel Music

I have not had much response from you the last few months concerning the old Hymns of Faith. Perhaps you hav

been busy or away for the summer. I am going to give you 2 this month. If I do not receive much response fro

these I will drop this portion of the newsletter for a while. All I want you to say is that it was a favorite of yours

that you remember it. I love the old hymns.


7/8

Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission P.O. Box 230510 Anchorage, Alaska 99523-0510

Here is my support gift: For Credit Card Donations:Food and Shelter: $_____Facilities Maintenance: $_____$46.25 For 25 Meals ______$74.00 For 40 Meals ______

$132.20 For 72 Meals ______$277.50 For 150 Meals ______

______Other:______ I Will Pray for this Ministry.

I would like to charge my total donation of $__________________

Check One: Visa M/C Am/Ex Discover

Card Number __________________________________________Exp. Date: ______/______ Signature _______________________

Name:________________________________________________Address: ______________________________________________

Please send this coupon with your donations.

All credit card information is kept in strict confidenceMake checks payable to the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission

You will receive a receipt.

7

We invite you to visit us on

the web or drop us an e-mail

with your comments and

suggestions

www.a

nchorage

rescue.org ww

w.an

chora

gere

scu

e.org

You can also make your

donations

on our secure On-Line

donation page

www.a

nchorage

rescue.org w

ww.an

chora

ger

escu

e.org

The Mission has lost its longest sitting Board Member.Enoch went home to be with the Lord on July 22nd,

2009. He served on the Board at the Mission for 35 1/2

years. He loved the Lord and he showed it by caring for

those who were lost in this big world. Enoch made the

world a little smaller by embracing those around him

and surrounding them in the protective shelter of his

love.

Goodbye Dear Friend


8/8

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postal

PAIDAnchorage, AKPermit # 290

Anchorage

Gospel

MissionA Ministry of

Rescue & Recovery

ge

sionres

cue

newsrescu

e

[email protected]

P.O. Box 230510Anchorage, AK99523-0510(907) 563-5603

return service requested

STATEMENT OF FAITH

The Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission is a Non-Profit, Non-Denominationa

organization. We receive NO municipal, state or federal funds. We are not a UnitedWay Agency. Your financial support and In-Kind donations makes it possible for us toprovide for the poor, needy and homeless people in our community. Also, your donation

allow us to provide a Drug and Alcohol Recovery program. All Donations are fully tax

deductible. We will give you a receipt for your donation.

Associa

tion ofGo

sp

el

Missio

nsMember

resc

ue

urgent

Our supplies of theseitems is constantly in

need of replenishing

Prayer

Paper Towels

45 Gallon Trash Bags

Fresh Meat

Coffee

Bathroom Tissue

Laundry Soap

Disposable Shavers

Cleaning Supplies

Liquid Dish Detergent

Dinner Napkins

Shampoo

urgent

Anchorage Gospel

Rescue Mission

Board of Trustees

Ed Shelton

(President)

Bob Collins( Vice President/treasure)

Enoch Adams

(Secretary)

Mark Soquet

Ralph Nobrega

Rev. Bob Sloan

Emeritus:

Cliff Hodgins

Rev. Willard Leisy

Advisory Board:

Paul Kelly

Rev. Don Bettis, Exec. Dir.

Charlotte Bettis, Asst. Dir.

resc

ue

resc

ueOur Ministry of

is to

the least

the last

the lost

Chapel Services for SeptemberSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

Anchorage

Pilgrim

Nazarene

2

Anchorage

Gospel

Singers

3

Anchorage

Vineyard

Fellowship

4

First

Presbyterian

Church

5

Calvary

Baptist

Church

6

Gods

Place

7

Abbott Loop

Community

Church

8

First

Assembly of

God

9

Anchorage

Church

of Christ

10

Christ

Community

Church

11

Calvary

Church

12

Wasilla

Assembly

of God

13Gods

Place

14Church

of God of

Prophecy

15Anchorage

Native

Assembly

16Christian

Evangelical

Church

17Sherbahn

Evangelistic

Team

18Sherbahn

Evangelistic

Team

19Lighthouse

Christian

Fellowship

20

Grace

Victory

Fellowship

21

Sherbahn

Evangelistic

Team

22

Attorney

Greg Grebe

23

Calvary

Baptist

24

Evangelical

Covenant

Church

25

In His Name

Sandy

McCollum

26

Glenn

Hermann

27

New Light

Community

Church

28

Calvary

Baptist

29

Grace

Brethren

Eagle River

30

Change

Point

Nightly Services7:30 PM to 8:30 PM

september 2009 anchorage gospel rescue mission newsletter

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