Lighthouse. Thankful for YOU! Celebrating New Life with GRATITUDE. News. November Issue 11, Volume 68

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1 Lighthouse News November 2017 Issue 11, Volume 68 Thankful for YOU! Celebrating New Life with GRATITUDE

2 GIVING THANKS As we enter into this Holiday Season, we start by giving thanks. To do so, we should take into account all that God has created; being grateful for His provisions. Yet, are we truly grateful? As we watch the nightly news, it s easy to become discouraged by the mayhem and suffering broadcast. We witness human tragedy, natural disasters, and acts of human depravity. We see overwhelming interpersonal conflicts that destroy families, communities, countries, and the world at-large. A steady diet of this can create an attitude of callous hopelessness. And yet, if we were to reflect upon the goodness of God and His love for us, the evils of this world would greatly diminish in comparison. Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom - teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 DON ESKES Chief Executive Officer My life-verse keeps me thankful in God s promises: If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. My heart is filled with gratitude for the blessings of family, friends, freedom, and health; great reasons to praise God. Mostly, I m grateful to be called a disciple of Christ and child of God. I have the opportunity to love and serve others in His name, constantly amazed by His healing and transformative power to shape and change our future. Seeing the Lord s care - -not only for me and my loved-ones, but also for the people we serve through the Mission s ministries - - provides me with incredible clarity and a reason to be at peace. I hope you experience the same. It s amazing to step forward and put faith and hope into action; become thankful by giving all He has already given. Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the nations, And I will sing praises to Your name. 2 Samuel 22:50 As we celebrate this season, my hope is that we continue to cast our eyes upon the Lord and the blessings He provides. When our hearts are overflowing, we ll find it much easier to share His abundance, not only with those we love, but also with those who need our help and have yet to hear His Good News. With truth and gratitude, have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving, Isaiah 58: (NIV) GRATITUDE IN ACTION As we are busy preparing for changes coming in 2018, we are likewise celebrating ministries God prepared in advance of our needs. Street Outreach THE CHALLENGE: High-Speed Rail will be taking our 310 G Street property and we will be moving our downtown ministries that occupy this space into temporary structures, currently under construction across the street. Once construction is complete (we estimate December 31st) we will be moving in. Because the property will require less maintenance and grounds-keeping, we needed to consider new options to occupy the work-therapy portion of our Academy program. ANSWER: Community Partnerships. Today, the men and women enrolled in our recovery programs are beginning to apply what they are learning; gratefully giving back to their community through work, ministry outreach, and more.

3 GRATITUDE IN ACTION Continued from page 2 Currently, the Academy has built working relationships with Habitat for Humanity, Community Food Bank, Catholic Charities, World Changers, Bit Wise, Every Neighborhood Partnerships, City of Fresno, Kaboom!, Fresno City College, Valley Dream Center, and more. The idea is to expand training efforts for program participants, build relationships with organizations (who share a similar vision), and make meaningful contributions to our community as we change lives. We wanted the women to develop a sense of gratitude, shared Priscilla Robbins, Director of Rescue the Children. One day a week we load up 2 vans with water and materials we ll need, then we travel into our community to search for women living on the street. This was something staff and women in the program felt God was placing in their heart. The impact has been incredible. Just two months ago our disciple (Pictured left, page 2) was sleeping behind a 7/11 store. Through this new outreach opportunity (Serve Day) at Rescue the Children, she is now able to reach other women who are sleeping where she was. This ministry is very new, but comes at a time when our Community Care Department is busy developing its own MOBILE UNIT as a resource for outreach; a small RV with a Community Care Response Team to facilitate assessments of individuals living on the streets, and an attached trailer to help load their belongings should they desire immediate assistance. Making connections in advance of this ministry s readiness is a blessing! It wasn t planned. The timing came about as a result of our city s No Camping ordinance and our ongoing efforts to recue individuals from the entrapments of street-living. Better put, while we were busy discussing what we lacked in helping individuals suffering the effects of chronic homelessness, God was putting to use the desires of our heart with His expert-precision-timing! Continued on page 6

4 2017 Fall Celebration Banquet Thank You!... to all who supported this incredible event! TITLE SPONSOR GOLD SPONSOR JD Food Johanson Transportation True Organic Products, Inc SILVER SPONSOR Anonymous E & J Gallo Winery Eye-Q Vision Care Karl & Jill Kienow, River Valley Church GRADUATE SPONSOR Granville Homes Gary & Sue Castro Clovis Hills Community Church Darden Architects Vic Gunderson St. Agnes Medical Center Robert Kolbert Tom & Doris Selzer Zenith Agribusiness BRONZE SPONSOR Robert C. Abrams, Esq., Real Estate Law Administrative Solutions, Inc. American Ambulance Dowling Aaron Incorporated Express Employment Professionals Harbour & Associates Jessica Fetcho Premier Valley Bank Sanitary Stainless Zumwalt Construction

5 Congratulations Graduates! Jose Aburto Buryl Acosta Chris Alvarado Michael Burns Josephine Cavallero Salomon Cordova Adam Dixon Jeff Eller Samantha Ellsworth Anthony Ensalaco Oscar Escalante Jordan Espana Eric Frost Amos Garcia Larry Gomez Jennifer Gonzales Jose Gonzalez Raul Gonzalez Chanthou Hour Steven Ingles Laura Johnson Nathan Littlefield Juan Marquez Juan Mancha Cherice McMillian Marcie Mejia Fidel Mojica Lanise Navarette Daniel Nunez David Olguin Tadd Patrick Amy Perez April Pizano Manuel Ramos Margarita Reyes Jose Rodriguez Leonardo Rodriguez Merced Rosalez Elizabeth Sandoval Juan Santiago Timoteo Suarez Wochington Thao John Tirey Juan Valdez Howard Willhite Garrett Willingham Although not all could join us for this special celebration, 46 men and women earned Certificates of Completion for their accomplishments in the Fresno Rescue Mission s recovery programs. Congratulations to the Class of 2017!

6 GRATITUDE IN ACTION Continued from page 3 Meet Benito, better known as Benny by his family and friends. Benny came to the Mission in early February of He required a long-term program to address a twenty-year addiction to drugs and alcohol, but soon discovered he had much more to offer the world than a life of mere sobriety. God is using my passions for art, for speaking, and my heart for service to serve Him. When I was 16 years old I heard about an organization called Habitat for Humanity. [Habitat for Humanity, like the Mission, serves people in need with a hand-up, tangible tasks, training, and partnerships. Working in conjunction with the organization and the training they provide, people-in-need build or improve a place they will soon call home.] I remember talking to my sister about HFH and how much I wanted to be part of the work they were doing. Eighteen years later, because of the Mission s outreach partnerships, I m now supporting HFH through the Academy s work therapy portion of the program. Only God could have made that possible. Benny has now entered the 4th quarter of his recovery program, preparing for reentry into society in He is still working on several areas of his life where wounds linger. When I was at my worst, I made really poor decisions. I hurt the people I love, especially my girlfriend and our children (2 year-old twins, a boy and a girl.) They mean the world to me. Because of the hurts I ve been able to address while in the program, God made a way for me to see my children recently. It was the BEST gift ever. In the program we studied the life of Abraham, a man who trusted God with true faith. The precious gifts God promised to Abraham didn t happen right away, but he held them in his heart as if he could see them happening each moment. I m learning to do that now, too. If I remain open to God every day, ready to get my hands dirty for whatever work He has for me, I ll discover the precious gifts He has prepared for me along the way. Recently, the FRM received a special certificate and a lovely card from the staff of District 7, County of Fresno: Please accept this certificate as a small token of appreciation for all the work your volunteers put into our Kaboom! project at Granny Park. Everyone could not stop talking about how great the Rescue Mission guys were! We could not have built the playground without your help! We were proud of them, too. FOR MORE INFORMATATION about working partnerships, Community Care ministries, or community outreach opportunities, visit our website: FresnoRM.org

7 DOWNTOWN UPDATE The temporary modular buildings are being added in rapid succession as we prepare for moving day. We anticipate everything to be ready by the end of this year, but we still have plenty to do. Please continue to keep our ministries in prayer. Our goal is to ensure that the services we provide to people in our community are never interrupted during this transition. With careful attention to detail, we truly feel this is possible. We also want to assure you that the entire transition is paid for by California High-Speed Rail. Every dollar we receive through the generosity of our community will continue to support what we do through programs and ministries. The temporary setting runs the length of G Street, south of Ventura, under the bridge, to California Avenue. Chapel Looking Forward We are taking a sneak-peek at the construction process. Like us, you ll have to let your imagination fill in the missing elements, but we re excited to provide you with a glimpse into the near-future with just a few of the structures. Dining Area... unfortunately the lights are not on, so we ll have to wait to show you the interior. The amenities are going to make meal prep wonderful! Administration A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places Isaiah 58:10-12, The Message Translation Don Eskes shared his life-verse as part of his letter to you on page 2. The Message translation was so fitting with the content of this month s publication, we re sharing it again, with verse 12: If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people s sins, if you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places firm muscles, strong bones. You ll be like a wellwatered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.

8 We are in need of nonperishable and freezer-safe food items for the holidays. You could help. Share with us: TURKEY ROASTS! CANNED VEGETABLES! INSTANT MASHED POTATOES CANNED YAMS/ CRANBERRY SAUCE BOXED STUFFING MIX GRAVY MIX PREBAKED PUMPKIN AND APPLE PIES COFFEE/COCOA/TEA SPICES Every morsel is put to great use! Thank You! SERVE-A-MEAL: Go to our website and click on GET INVOLVED and APPLY TO VOLUNTEER NOW! Early! NEW!! TEXT-TO-GIVE to the FRM HOMELESS to Share the Warmth of the Holidays FRESNO RESCUE MISSION, INC. 310 G Street, Fresno CA P. O. Box 1422, Fresno CA Phone: (559) Fax: (559) FRESNO RESCUE MISSION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Steve Ocheltree, Chairman Jim Mosqueda, Vice-Chairman Robert Abrams, Treasurer Matthew Dildine, Secretary Leonel Alvarado Pastor David Carothers Daral Kennedy Steve Pearson Lonnie Petty Emil Butch Rusconi Janet Steinhauer ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES Don Eskes, Chief Executive Officer Pastor Rob Cravy, Chief Operating Officer Randy Bresee, Chief Financial Officer Deborah Torres, Chief Development Officer COMMUNITY CARE Pastor Jay Carroll, Director 315 G Street, Fresno CA Hour Emergency Services (559) FOOD SERVICES Phillip Roberts, Director THE ACADEMY Rev. Bud Searcy, Director RESCUE THE CHILDREN Priscilla Robbins, Director 2320 W. Weldon, Fresno CA COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Karen Gutilla, Director Mission at the Mission 335 G Street, Fresno CA MMission@fresnorm.org Tours/Volunteer Opportunities FRM Speakers Bureau FRM THRIFT STORE AND CARS Sandra Patel, Director 181 E. Sierra, Fresno CA (559) PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF: Al Kawasaki YourRacePhotos.net al@yourracephotos.net Ted Morgan FRM Volunteer Ken Scheid ScheidImages.smugmug.com scheidimages@att.net Scott Streble Scott Streble Photography scott@scottstreble.com Mariano Friginal MARIANOFRIGINAL.com ADDRESS CHANGES Linda Culver (559) , Ext. 209; lculver@fresnorm.org Please remember the Fresno Rescue Mission in your will or trust