8/8/2019 Winter 2005 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission

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The Miracle BabyThe Miracle BabyW I N T E R 2 0 0 5

Mom, were so proud of you!

Those words inscribed on a

Christmas card from her daugh-

ters represent the greatest gift Becky

received this last year. The next greatest

gift? New teeth, which for Becky mean a

chance to get a job and begin living the

normal life that she sought for manyyears. Through several years of drug

abuse and domestic violence, Becky often

cried out to God in desperation for a nor-

mal life. Her prayers were answered, but

in very unexpected ways.

At 16 years of age, Becky dropped out

of high school to get married and have her

first baby. Her second

daughter was born

four years later, and

as Becky describes it,

she led a Leave it to

Beaver life.

However, after eight-

een years of mar-

riage, the unimagin-

able happened, and

Becky had to ask her

husband to leave their

home. After a few

months of trying to

cope with what she

saw as a failure on her part, she moved in

with another man, who introduced her to

drugs and was physically abusive.

Five years of beatings left Becky with

a 75% loss of sight in

one eye and a 50% loss

of hearing in one ear.

After his death, his fam-

ily came to their home

and took away every-

thing that the couple

had, and Becky wasforced to start over. The

only thing she really

knew was drug dealing, so Becky began

supplying her boyfriends customers. She

went into two other relationships that

were based on dope, and continued her

downward spiral. That came to a halt at

the end of 2003,

when she was jailed

for possession.

Upon entering jail,

Becky was offered

the choice to do time

or take drug classes

and enter a program

for substance abuse.

She wound up doing

nine months in jail,

and during that time,

her first grandchild

was born. While

attending Bible stud-

ies in jail, Becky heard about Jesuslove

for her, and invited Him into her life. On

July 9, 2004,Becky was released from jail

into the womens program at the Visalia

Rescue Mission,and on

January 9, 2005, gradu-

ated from the Missions

recovery program.

Becky is learning

how to live life in the

peace of Jesus Christ.

She began communicat-ing with her mother for

the first time in 10

years, and talked with her husband at

Thanksgiving without anger and hatred in

her heart.

Becky knows that her ability to forgive

and extend grace is only possible because

of her relationship with Jesus. She wakes

up early in the morning to pray, and finds

herself talking with God all day long. She

likes who she has become; a contented,

joyous, peaceful person. She is close to

completing her GED, after which she will

be ready to go to work. Becky is looking

forward to learning to trust in God alone,

and not rely on her former habits.

Did God answer Beckys desperate

prayers? Yes. Not in the way Becky asked,

but in the right way. Even though Becky

suffered the consequences of her poor

choices, God was standing with her and

directing her steps. Her experiences have

equipped her to help others see that God

will answer their prayers, and that they

can turn their lives around. Becky has

found theres no better gift than that!

VisaliaRescueMission

P.O.Box109

Visalia,CA93279

Non-ProfitOrg.

U.S.Postage

PAID

VISALIA,CA932977

PERMITNO.119

ReturnServiceRequested

In June of 2003, Shaundra gave birth to Keontae. Although born one month premature,Keontae was

a perfectly healthy baby boy. The miracle? Shaundra used drugs and alcohol every day for the eight

months leading up to his birth. Because Shaundra was using at the time of his birth,Keon tae wastaken from her and placed in foster care with her mother. She missed having her baby,but didnt give

up her 16-year, $100 a day drug habit.Shaundras CPS worker recommended the Visalia Rescue Mission to her, and told her it was a

Christian-based program. She completed the interview process and was accepted into the program,but didnt go. In her words, she was too busy out there. I wasnt ready to come in. When CPS

removed Keontae from her mothers care,S haundra became desperate for help,a nd called the Mission, begging to come back in.

At the first Bible study Shaundra attended, the volunteer leading the group asked who wanted to invite God into their lives. Shaundra

immediately responded, and committed her life to God. As she went through the program, she saw many miracles unfold in her fami-lys life. Her baby was placed in foster care with her aunt, and Shaundra was able to have wee kly visits with him. Her 2 older children,

who had been taken by their father when Shaundra went to jail on drug charges, moved back into the area so Shaundra could have vis-

its with them as well.

At her graduation, Shaundras mother, daughter and two sons watched proudly as she received her certificate of completion. Theyare living together and learning what it means to have a regular life. Shaundra is taking real estate courses, going to church, and liv-

ing with an attitude of gratitude. She u sed to think it was very boring to have a regular life, but is realizing that the regular life can

be very exciting and happy. Her favorite verse is John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that

whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life. Why is that her favorite? Because It lets me know justhow much that man loves me!

Becky knowsthat her abilityto forgive andextend grace

is only possible

because of herrelationshipwith Jesus.SAVETHISDATE

FridayMay13,2005AnnualCelebrationBanquet

The Greatest Gift

Shaundra surrounded by her mother (hold-ing Keontae) and children at her graduation.

8/8/2019 Winter 2005 Helping Hands Newsletter, Visalia Rescue Mission

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Womens AuxiliaryBoard of Directors

Randy VogtChairman

Mark SheltonVice Chairman

Tammy MainordTreasurer

Jeannie VanRynSecretary

Michael Allen

Paul Baxley

Wayne IngramJohn Koster

Nonning Leyendekker

Brad Reenders

Greg Scroggins

Sid Tuls

Jenny Zeeb

Because You Care. . .we set records in 2004.

Meals served92,673

Bed nights31,054

Graduates22

Chapel attendance

19,676

Thank YouAlmost 2000 people were fed during

the Visalia Rescue Missions annualThanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

More than 900 children received giftsdonated by churches,schools , and indi-viduals in the community.Nearly 650volunteers participated by serving andpreparing food,wrapping gifts, singingencouraging music, and showing the

love of this community for the hungryand homeless of our area. Thank you

for joining us in ministering to ourneighbors.Through your partnershipmany lives were touched,and many

holidays were brightened.

Honors & MemorialsIN HONOR OF:

Susan FerrBarbara Baxley

Patricia BallewLouise Ballew

Barbara Roemer & Glenn MillerJane Lightner

Our God is an awesome God, He

reigns from heaven above.These

words from a familiar worship chorus

have been playing in my head and heart a lot

lately. God continues to bless The Visalia

Rescue Mission beyond measure! Thank

you for your prayers and support in 2004.

Thanks to your faithfulness during the past

year,we not only met our budgeted income

goals,but received additional donations and

pledges toward our new Emergency Shelter

for Women and Children.

I am also excited about the formation of

our Womens Auxiliary! These commit-

ted, godly women have hit the ground run-

ning and already are involved in helping

our staff and board minister more effective-

ly to our residents. ( If you are a woman

with a heart for the Mission and the work

God is doing here, you need to be a part of

this dynamic group! Call Angela or Linda

at the Mission office for the date and loca-

tion of their next meeting.)

We are working diligently toward a

March opening for the Women and

Childrens Shelter. There is such a huge

need in our community for this facility. By

Gods provision and grace, the Mission

will soon be able to meet the short term

needs of women and children in our area

for shelter, food and clothing. It is our

prayer that those who come to us with

these basic physical needs will also expe-

rience the joy of restoration and a n ew life

in Jesus Christ,our Lord and Savior.

Please pray with us that the repairs and

upgrades of the Women and Childrens

Shelter will go smoothly and on schedule

so we can very soon begin to minister to

many more of the homeless and hurting

women and children in Visalia and our

surrounding communities.

May God bless you and your family in

new and special ways in 2005!

Dear Friends by Randy Vogt, Chairman

It has been the most the most incredible year

we have ever seen here at the Visalia Rescue

Mission. We have fed more than ever

92,673 meals served. We have slept more than

ever before 31,000 bed nights. We are over-

whelmed by the generosity of our donors, vol-

unteers, and churches as we have seen more

response than ever. All of these elements have to

come together under the direction of our Lord to

see this work accomplished for His glory.

We know our task is large and the wo rk

never seems to end. We rest in the fact that

our calling is accomplished one life at a

time. We are ministering in an environ-

ment that produces less results than wewould like to see. Yet, we long to do the

Lords work, and know it is His calling

that drives us. We need your prayers as we

face daily challenges.

I was reminded of this challenge as I

encountered a lady on our property the

other day. She was homeless and sleeping

in a car. She had nowhere to go. We had

nowhere to place her. We could feed her

yet could not shelter her during the day or

provide overnight services. She needed

help, and it pains us to know we could not

help her.

Herein lies the opportunity. There is a need

and we intend to meet it. We are finalizing plans

for expanding our Family Center to house

women and children overnight. We have consis-

tently turned away an average of over 1000

women and children for the past four years. This

new shelter will allow us to provide assistance

for a need we have not been able to address.

Please pray with us as we enter a new phase

of ministry. We need your prayers. We needyour support to address these needs that seem

too large at times. God Bless you as you consid-

er your involvement.

Blessed in Christ

News from the DirectorNews from the Director

HONORS & MEMORIALS cont.

Ken & Caroline CasidaTimothy & Linda Donahue

Mike PoprawaDesiree & Bari Lane Molyneux

Carl & Judi LanfordVerne & Alison Miniaci

Al & Ruth SmithSara KnightChristine Smith

Jack Tallentire

IN MEMORY OF:

Marlene BaizaDarlene MacNeilly

Isabel FrantzMary Dickerson

Barbara DunbarDolores Elam & Paul VerissimoOliver Bettencourt

Mary & Edward Bettencourt

Steve IngramHarry BakerCharles & Norma BartonDavid & Mary Becker

M.J. BennettH.D.& R.J. BomannBoyds Electric MotorsTeresa BurkdollRichard & Karen CarlstromLoretta,Tony & Brian CostaDG Insurance AgencyHarrell RanchR.H. & Shirley Hickam

John,Pam & Johnnie HubbardChuck & Nancy IaconoEdward & Marilyn JanzenWalter & Leni KupferSusan & Richard Mangini

Aron & Carrie MargosianRoger & Martha MarshburnThe Bill Peacock familyDarrell & Bernice PriceBillie & Stanley ShawlFannie F.Wilkinson

John & Karen Yohannes

Al SmithHarry Baker

M.J. BennettPaul & Ellen BissiriGlen & Vicki CaineKeith & Amy CrainEleandra GroomWayne & Sally LovejoyKenneth & Alice Moore

Betty PartridgeDavid & Susan Pearson

Jack & Helene PutnamRay & Dorothy ScottL.F.& Joan SimonsLaura Spalding

Mabel SparksJohn TallentireFrank & Ruth Van GilluweDavid & Janet Williams

Thank You!A

shoori & Company Jewelers sponsored a

Christmas tree for the Visalia Rescue Mis-

sion at the annual Chamber of Commerce

Christmas Tree Auction in December. They

also donated a beautiful pair of diamond ear-

rings to complement the tree. Layne Downes,

Wendy Little, Judy Simpson and Monica

Stahl selected the theme of Diamonds in the

Rough, and adorned the tree lavishly with

beautiful jewels and decorations. The tree

reflected the beauty of a life changed by the

hope and restoration found only in JesusChrist. Todd Trimm, of Above & Beyond

Auto Detailing,purcha sed the tree, and Susie

Whitten won the earrings in a drawing.

Shelley Venema donated two hand-

painted platters sold in the live auction.

Altogether, more than $16,500 was raised

for the Mission. Thank you to all of our

friends who gave so generously to bless the

homeless and hungry of Visalia.

EASTER

COMMUNITY MEAL

On Saturday, March 26th, the Visalia

Rescue Mission will host a community

dinner for our neighbors from 11 AM

2 PM. The success of this meal is depend-

ent upon your involvement in cooking,

serving, decorating, cleaning, and sharing

the love of Jesus with those around us. Your

hour or two of service can have an impact

on someones lifetime.

TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE DAY OR

PROVIDE FOOD, PLEASE CALL

ANGELA AT 733-2231, EXT. 18.

FOOD NEEDED:

Cooked ham, mashed potatoes, corn,

rolls, dressing, pies,ice, and beverage mixes.

In the late summer of 2004, the Mission

began a Womens Auxiliary to serve as anadditional support in meeting the needs of

the women both in the program as well as

those in our community.

The Auxiliarys purpose is to workalongside the board and staff at the Mission

and assist with volunteer needs, fundrais-ing, prayer, mentoring, decorat-

ing, and other projects as required.

It has been an absolute blessing toall who have had the privilege of

being involved. The work has

great worth because of those we

have the opportunity to serve.Each month we will seek to

highlight some of the women

from the auxiliary and tell of the

creative ways their ministry hastaken form here at the Mission.

Layne Downes came to the

Auxiliary with a burden of meeting a phys-

ical and emotional need. One of her proj-ects was to help the women feel beautiful

and valued as precious daughters of a lov-

ing, Heavenly Father. She was able to

orchestrate a Day of Beautyfor the ladiesin the program in late 2004. On this day she

made arrangements for the ladies to enjoy

several different salon treatments that had

been rare luxuries for these women in thepast, if ever. It was a day to celebrate the

Lords love and value for each one of them.

Jacque Baxley knew immediately that

her desire to serve others through theAuxiliary would combine her love for

Christ, hospitality, and cooking! She hasbeen holding bi-monthly

cooking classes for the

ladies in the programwhere she supplies the

recipes and ingredients and

they supply the attentive

and hungry audience. Shehas enjoyed her work with

ladies and has been used

by the Lord to again meet a

spiritual need and physicalone as well.

There are as many

opportunities to serve, as there are ladies and

creative ideas that come with each. If youfeel you have a desire to help, in any way,

please join us for our monthly meeting on

Monday,February 7th in our chapel here at

the Mission. For more information on meet-ings or involvement, contact Wendy Little at

627-2670 or Angela at 733-2231,ext.18.

THE VISALIA RESCUE MISSION

Womens Auxiliar y

Monica enjoys Laynes beautytreatments during the spa day.