Give It Away to Keep It

This post is part of our current Blog Series - focusing on Addiction! As you read these stories we invite you to share your thoughts, reflections and insights. This series will include stories on addiction, along with 8 articles from our most recent Messenger magazine. Our hope is that as we engage in conversation together, we can gain a deeper understanding in the midst of trials and celebrations of overcoming addiction.

About two years ago, I had significant back surgery but was not ready to surrender to the idea that my body had given out. At the same time, a Water Street Ministries flyer came through our church mailbox, and the mentoring program at the Mission jumped out at me. I am an alcoholic with 20+ years of sobriety under my belt. The old AA saying is, “give it away to keep it”, so what better opportunity than to share some counsel and hope from my own experiences with destitution, homelessness and depravity? I could do this whether or not my back healed.

Thus started my relationship with my mentee, George. In the 12+ months I’ve known him, I’ve seen him blossom from a person hiding in an angry shell to a person with feelings and compassion.

Not too long ago, I attended “Landmarks”, a ceremony celebrating Water Street Mission clients’ landmarks on their journeys out of homelessness. The stories were nothing but amazing. As George got up to share, I thought, “Could this man be the same person I met so many months ago?” He is not; he is a new being on both the outside and inside by the grace of God. I look forward to continuing my relationship with George and being a part of what God is doing throughout Water Street Ministries. By Bill Holder, Volunteer Mentor, Water Street Mission

We hope you enjoyed article 7 of 8 from the Messenger magazine - Winter 2011 Edition! Sign Up to receive the Messenger magazine electronically, here!

Stay tuned for the next post in this series on Addiction!

Thanksgiving Blessings at the Lydia Center

In this season of Thanksgiving, the staff and residents of the Lydia Center have many things to be thankful for! Two items stick out in my mind: warmer buildings and the employees of JK Mechanical, Inc. of Willow Street, PA. On November 10, 2010, a group of 68 employees from JK Mechanical came to bless our ministry through a community service project. Wow! Did I say 68 people? Yes, I did! The grounds of the Lydia Center were buzzing with activity as doors were being replaced on the cottages, as windows were being replaced in the child care room, as the heating/cooling systems were serviced and as windows were being caulked and cleaned.

The residents have already expressed how much warmer it is in the main building where they attend classes. The new windows in the child care room come at a perfect time as a children’s ministry coordinator has been hired and is planning to start in December. Yeah! The children will have a warm place to play and sleep!

As a way to bless the group, the residents baked cookies and delivered them to the company. Here is part of a thank you note we received. “And as far as the cookies, everyone is enjoying them immensely. The thank you card was quite an encouragement too-especially the personal notes that everyone took time to write. It meant so much to us to know how the Community Work Day has benefitted each person individually. What a blessing this was to us!”

Thank you, JK Mechanical, Inc. for your generosity and service! We are grateful and blessed to see how you took time, resources, and energy to invest in our ministry.




Lisa Good, Lydia Center Program Counselor

Serving in the City - Answered prayers at Teen Haven

Often times, people outside the city are reluctant to come in and volunteer in the city. But as God's Word tells us where two or three are gathered in my name there am I.

For a long time I had been praying about starting a Girls Bible study which has been non-existent for over a decade, at Teen Haven in the city of York, PA.

And as those prayers were whispered…. a dear sister in the Lord, who herself is battling Lupus, felt the Lord leading her to reach out with her life to young girls. She heard about this ministry opportunity and our need to have someone come and lead the girls program and Teen Haven. She contacted a friend about volunteering with us, and that's where their journey began alongside our ministry.

After our first Bible study, one of the women shared that she was definitely "outside her comfort zone," but the other day after Bible study she told me how much she enjoyed being with the girls and getting to know them personally. She shared that through these growing relationships that she is falling in love with them.

I'm thankful for the power of prayer and the divine timing of our heavenly Father. So if you have never volunteered to help those in need you have missed out on a blessing. Consider giving of your time, talent, and treasure; you won't be disappointed.

Alex Mikusow, Teen Haven, York Field Director

A Soup Party with a Purpose!!

For the last three years, Rick Anderer and his wife, Karen, have hosted a middle-of-winter party for some friends. But it’s not just any party; it’s a party with a purpose!

Tell us about the event.

Rick: This is the 3rd year I have held the “Anderer’s Soup Kitchen” event. We solicit donations from local restaurants and grocery stores. I send out invitations, and the guests bring a mug and as many non-perishable food items as they can. The day after the party, I take the food items to the Water Street Mission, have them weighed and then send out a thank you letter with the final results to all involved.

Why do you do it?

Rick: I had a brother who spent some time in a shelter in Atlanta, so this is very personal to me. It’s my way to help return the kindness my brother received.

What comments have your friends made about the event?

Rick: My guests love the event and tell me it is much more fun shopping for food than giving a monetary donation. To many, the shopping part is an event itself. They arrive telling me where they went, how they decided what to get and which things were the best bargains, etc. In addition, each guest drops off their donation on my front porch as they arrive. They tell me how motivating it is to see the pile growing as they arrive and depart. The large pile of food is something tangible, something they get immediate gratification from, and it inspires them to make it bigger. Some guests return the next day with additional items to do just that. Many of those who were invited but couldn’t make it drop off donations the next day, also.

What type of results have you seen this year? How did this year compare to other years?

Rick: This year the event donated 1209 pounds of food (during the big blizzard) as compared to last year’s 977 lbs.

Where did you get the idea for the event?

Rick: I got the idea from John Jarvis (a former head master of Lancaster Country Day School) who would have a yearly get together for all his neighbors on Charlotte Street. I modified it into a benefit.

Thank you Rick, Karen and all your friends, for your kind hearts!

Moving Day Surprises!

Last week two volunteers and I were making a delivery of furniture to a Water Street Mission resident who just moved out. As we got out of the truck to start carrying in the furniture I was surprised to see a familiar face a couple doors down—another volunteer who rides on the truck to pick up furniture with yet another volunteer who drives for us. Okay, that’s a lot of volunteers in one spot but I am amazed at who God brings the community together with the time, energy and ability to make this service to the poor possible.

Dean Wenger • Redistribution Manager

"Compassion" - A Poem

The art of poetry has been experienced in new ways at the Lydia Center, where woman have been given an opportunity to learn, write and express through poetry together! There are six poems which these woman wanted to share on our blog, so be sure to read the upcoming poems from this collection.

Many thanks to Jennifer, a volunteer, who lead the poetry class where the following poem was composed:

"Compassion"
By Dymphna, client, Lydia Center

As I sat in the circle
Of the ones chosen to hear,
The cries and remorse ripped
From her innermost being,
My heart longed to embrace her,
To comfort and encourage.
My own fear kept me bound.
As my tears welled, I felt
The ocean of anguish inside
As I fought to anchor.
All I could do was pray.

(Poem 1 of 6)

Pondering Prayer

During Morning Prayer in the Learning Center, each client was asked to pray for their personal prayer requests. When it was Bram’s turn to lift up to God what was heavy on his heart, he began by thanking the Lord for the opportunity to speak with him.

It seems silly right, to have a prelude to our prayers?

Or do we take being able to come to our Lord, knowing that he is always willing to listen, for granted?

I have had the privilege of getting to know Bram over this past year in the Learning Center, and it has been such a blessing. Bram is never shy about his 18 wheeler, and how much he loves the open road. There is not a conversation topic in the world that he could not turn around, by the end, to truck driving. And he will be the first to tell you that having a life where you are always on the go, and where you are forced to spend very long hours alone, can be very taxing on you both physically and spiritually. He has experienced the depths of loneliness and the emptiness of addictions, but because Bram has persevered through these tough times, he can fully appreciate someone who is willing to simply sit and listen. He will never take that for granted.

It is through this simple, grateful prayer where Bram reveals an acceptance of his past, and an understanding that he is here to serve the Lord, and not the other way around. How many of us can say the same things when we pray?

By Jon, Volunteer

Sharing from a Volunteer

Below, a volunteer reflects about a first time experience serving at the Mission. We appreciate the sacrificial giving of time and energy that each volunteers invests into the ministry. Thank you for sharing this story too...

My son and I served in the kitchen last night and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We would like to do it on a monthly basis. The staff was very kind and the folks we were serving surprised me. I didn't realize how much the Mission does in a holistic approach to helping people heal and the tools that are available to foster them into a healthy and fruitful life. I don't think I mentioned to you that I have 17 years in recovery (AA) so I have spent plenty of time around those that are malnourished and in constant relapse. Your residents look so healthy - it's fabulous. Tom (I think that was his name) explained that a lot of it is the 3 nutritious meals per day.

I believe God has a role for me at Water Street. I'm learning to listen and be patient - I don't know what He has in store, but I'm suspecting it's not in the kitchen although I look forward to serving much more often. I'm one of those volunteer types that'll do anything and then ask what else needs to be done. Just put me to work :)

Robert's story

For a class project at Millersville University, Sam was asked to create a form of art that exists online. Wanting to incorporate his passion for people, Sam chose to tell the stories of several clients at the Water Street Mission. Through his project, he said he hopes individuals will be “reminded of how fortunate they are to have what they have, and that they easily could have ended up like any of the people at the Water Street Mission.”

I walked into the library, a small space the size of a bedroom. Books on practical living, motivation and inspiration sat on the tables and lined the walls. Robert, 55, was comfortably seated on one of the couch chairs, legs crossed. His gaze on the book between his weathered hands was peaceful and meditative. His eyes lifted, meeting mine and we shook hands, introducing ourselves. There was something very honest about him that I could feel right away and knew I was going to love. The notebook I was using to record his story didn’t survive the meeting very long. It was pulling me away from being engaged in the conversation him and I were getting lost in.

Robert was raised in Baltimore and moved to South Carolina when he was in seventh grade. He graduated from a rough high school where fights and race riots were nothing out of the ordinary. “If you could survive, they passed you. I graduated high school and hadn’t learned a thing,” he told me. Robert was a big drummer, playing in both school bands and rock bands including Archie Belle and the Drells. He moved back to Baltimore and eventually to Pennsylvania where he started a drywall company.

The consequences of a few bad choices changed the route of Robert’s life in a dark way. When he began experimenting with hard drugs it was very occasional. Before he had the chance to take a step back and realize what he was getting into, his life had spun out of control. Life was no longer in his hands, but in the hands of the heroin that swiftly pulled him under. Heroin and crack dictated Robert’s life for years. When snorting no longer sufficed, the syringe came into play, and shooting up became a daily dependence simply to function. This threw into play another corkscrew; in 1981 Robert learned that he was HIV positive. The will to live was gone. “I figured ‘hey, I’ll be dead soon anyways, why stop now?’” he told me. After a long ten years passed and Robert was still alive, a light was starting to shine within him. He managed to quit using I.V. drugs, but was still tired of living life hanging by a thread. Three years ago, he fell upon the Water Street Mission, and they took him in with open arms. “I just wasn’t yet ready,” Robert said. He found himself back on the streets after relapsing. Then the result of one solid choice finally put his life back on a road to freedom from the sick cycle carousel of drugs and the emptiness that consumed him.

Robert was in the area and swung by the Water Street Mission to talk to Chuck Albright, shelter manager/intake worker. Chuck was a man Robert became close to through his first experience at the Mission. He just needed someone to talk to and confide in. Chuck of course asked him to come back and give freedom from his emptiness another try. Robert agreed to come back in about a week. “I remember that moment like it was yesterday” he said with a smile. “I had already planned where I was gonna get high that day.” And Chuck knew it. “No,” Chuck said. “If you’re doing this, you’re gonna do it right now.” That bit of persistence on Chuck’s part might have saved Robert’s life.

God can inevitably do some purely beautiful things and Robert’s life is a testament to just that. “Ninety-five percent of the people I used to do drugs with are all dead. They just couldn’t give it up,” Robert said. Almost thirty years have passed since he was diagnosed with AIDS, yet his medical condition is currently better than it has been in any of those years. Among his six children Victor, Tony, Kim, Ronetta, Targus, and Tina, not a single one of them have inherited the virus. “I had so much of the virus in me, I was taking twenty-two pills twice a day. Now I’m down to just two and better than I ever was with the virus.” Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital are contacting him constantly trying to figure out how he is still alive. The virus in his body is currently ‘non detectable’.

It has been four months in the program, and things are going well. Normally there is heavy bigotry towards those suffering from AIDS, but the Mission didn’t hesitate to support him. He explained the Water Street Mission’s ministry as very open. There is a strong love here that is inevitably rooted in Christ. He went on to tell me how much he loves the Biblical Life Management class. “Nothing religious is forced, but is always available,” he told me. They want those in need to see the love of Jesus through the love the Mission gives. Robert has found a place to stay as he continues his journey, and he has found his home in Christ. I heard Robert’s whole life story, and in his 55 years, he has never had so much peace. The love of Jesus emanates from him.

Randl's Story

For a class project at Millersville University, Sam was asked to create a form of art that exists online. Wanting to incorporate his passion for people, Sam chose to tell the stories of several clients at the Water Street Mission. Through his project, he said he hopes individuals will be “reminded of how fortunate they are to have what they have, and that they easily could have ended up like any of the people at the Water Street Mission.”

At 27, Randl had had enough. “I was in a whirlpool of crap,” he told me bluntly. Financially his life was spiraling downward. Though he tried to make ends meet, supporting himself and his eight-year-old daughter, Hayley, was becoming next to impossible.

Randl is a laid back guy with a quiet demeanor. It took a little bit of time to get into his past. During our first meeting we conversed for over a half hour but I didn’t realize until after I had left for the day that I had learned nothing about Randl’s life prior to the now. When we finally got into it, I understood why. A deep pain rides closely next to the memories of his history.

Randl grew up in a broken family, mainly residing in Quarryville, but moved around a lot as a kid. As a kid he suffered from bipolar disorder, anxiety and extreme depression. As he got older it worsened. He was in a tough financial standing as it was, so he had no medical or health insurance to visit a doctor. “I had no guidance and was pretty much left to fend for myself,” he told me. He couldn’t continue the way he was, and began to self medicate with alcohol and drugs. It was his only escape. He paused, as his gaze started to zone out. “I still hate even talking about this.” There was a pain that swept over his face as he continued. “Before I came here I didn’t know what else to do. To calm myself down, I was drinking and smoking so much.” It was his only release from the emotional and mental torture he endured daily. “I was at the point where I was on a melt down; completely self-destructing.” He was through with it. “I didn’t know where to go, but I wasn’t about to go back to the whirlpool.” He cried out to God for help, to follow His way, because he realized that his own strength just wasn’t working.

There are a lot of pretentious assumptions made about rescue missions and homeless shelters. “To be honest, I really didn’t want to go live with what I assumed were just a bunch of bums. I just needed somewhere to stay for a few days till I could get back on my feet for a bit.” He had no idea of what was in store for him. He knew nothing about the recovery program that was available, and that there were volunteers at the Mission specifically engaged in their client’s lives, to develop relationships with and help the struggling to find peace. Here he was able to receive proper medical help and find direction as he sought God’s guidance, giving up his pain and putting his trust in Christ. “I had to be completely taken apart and reassembled,” he told me. And that’s just what he did through the help of the Water Street Mission. The need for drugs to escape from his pain is no longer necessary. Love has taken over and saved him from the destruction he was quickly moving towards.

Randl is now twenty-eight years old, and has been in the program for eighteen months. He is working towards going to Thaddeus Steven’s School of Technology where he plans on getting his degree in architecture. Randl is solid and steadfast on moving forward in his life, and is happy to have had the help of the Mission. He tells me, “This is a great place to be if you’re ready to change.”

Dennis's Story

For a class project at Millersville University, Sam was asked to create a form of art that exists online. Wanting to incorporate his passion for people, Sam chose to tell the stories of several clients at the Water Street Mission. Through his project, he said he hopes individuals will be “reminded of how fortunate they are to have what they have, and that they easily could have ended up like any of the people at the Water Street Mission.”

Dennis walked into the room, a middle aged man with a grizzled light beard. He moved with a subtle caution in his step but a smile on his face. As soon as we began to chat I could feel that I was talking to someone with a lot of insight on the value and beauty of human life. As we spoke, it quickly became clear to me as to where this wisdom was coming from.

Dennis grew up in Pittsburgh in a family of alcoholism and abuse, both verbal and physical. For as long as he can remember, his parents were constantly putting him down for not being good enough or not meeting their standards. All the negativity that constantly bombarded him took a toll on his sense of self-worth. He told me that when he was young he would hide away from people and just daydream about a better life, one free from all the cynicism. Instead of encouraging Dennis, his parents would hammer him down. As he got older he began to find refuge in drugs and alcohol. “Those little daydreams I had as a kid were so enhanced when I was doing drugs. I was able to completely escape reality for a little, and I loved that.” Years continued to pass and he began to be convinced that he must be different, that he was a step below the rest of the world. He told me that while substance abuse “numbs the pain,” he also described how it “robs joy from the soul.” Dennis was hollow.

The years continued to pass and Dennis was going through life with a mindset of emptiness and aloneness. The people he thought were his friends took advantage of his vulnerability. He would try to be nice to everyone in hopes that he would be accepted, but instead he would end up being walked on. He grew more and more submissive and was losing respect for himself. It left him even more alone and deeply bitter. Through bad choices and adverse circumstances Dennis was given an ultimatum that landed him at the rescue mission.

When Dennis came to the Water Street Mission, he was taken aback. He wasn’t used to anyone showing him genuine love. It was something he had to adjust to and even now, at forty-nine, is still learning to embrace. To recover from spending the majority of life being trampled on requires a lot of healing. As we spoke, I could sense that between his words he was still subtly putting himself down. I was deeply burdened to hear such an honest and insightful person feel that he is falling short of some mark. Christ’s love is reflected in the love that the Water Street Mission shows Dennis, and he is learning to find genuine truth and self worth in Christ. He is developing a truer self-image of the man of God he is. He has been in the program for 20 months, and works at the Mission.

Dennis loves to read and write. He is also an artist. I had the privilege of looking at some of his computer-based artwork and was impressed with his solid understanding of basic design elements. He also shared with me a few pages of his journaling; his writing style is very honest and aesthetic. Dennis is continuing to grow in his relationship with both the people around him and with Christ.

Volunteers share about their Experience

A note from some volunteers who recently served at Water Street Ministries...

Hi Pearl!
We really enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to coming back =) We loved helping and it was nice to see that it was appreciated. Everyone was so nice. It really taught us a lot of lessons and it was wonderful interacting with the people while we served them food. A man named Eli, who was a member of the community we served food to, came up to us afterwards and talked to us a little bit and thanked us. We will definitely remember this experience for the rest of our lives!
Thanks,
Mindy and Arianna

For information on volunteering, visit:http://waterstreetministries.org/MakeADifference/Volunteers.aspx

Diana shares her testimony from Teen Haven

These last two years at Teen Haven have been the most fulfilling of my life. I remember back when I started volunteering there, almost two years to the date, and Pastor Jose Jimenez asked me one day if I could sweep the pool room and begin setting up for the after school program that was taking place that day, Torch. The program was for elementary school aged children from 3rd-5th grade. When he asked me this I thought “what, does he know how old I am why can’t I do something more important?” I quickly repented and remembered, “He who is faithful with little will be blessed with much”. It was hard at times, humbling, but God remained faithful in spite of my negative and prideful mindsets. He continued to lovingly rebuke me and remind me why I volunteered there and why it was so important for me to serve in such a way, my love for Him and the ministry. The kids I was able to meet and minister to made it more worth the long hours and the not so glamorous duties. Their hearts, smiles and testimonies really impacted me. This and just the simple reminder that God is faithful to those who remain faithful and that whatever I did no matter how small, my reward was being stored up in heaven. This gave me the drive that I needed to minister, to serve, to submit and do whatever small and/or great thing I was asked to do.

After a year and half of serving and wondering if should remain there, God opened the door for me to become a paid intern at our Teen Haven campsite on girl weekends; this was an answer to my long awaited prayer. Being an adult and having to go to school fulltime and work was not always easy and often took me away from Teen Haven, my favorite place on earth. How amazing and wonderful, what a blessing! As the school year ended I was remembered again by our Heavenly Father and was offered a full time position there as a summer intern, after some prayer and some meeting with my church leaders I took the position, what a summer it was and just on time. Going back and forth to camp, serving at different churches throughout the city and having day camp programs was satisfying and exhausting at times but God remained faithful. Now the summer is over and God has blessed me with a new job at George Washington Elementary School as an Outreach Paraprofessional. This job will give me an opportunity to work with families in that neighborhood and help them get connected in the school and community, possibly Teen Haven. A major part of my job is being able to work as a team member and also being able to bring my strengths to the table to help equip the team and better serve our community something that Teen Haven really focused on this summer.

Now God has blessed me with much because I was faithful with the little. There were definitely times when I doubted that I should remain at Teen Haven and others when I did not want to serve. I even prayed if I should take the position at Teen Haven, isn’t that so much like the human nature, praying for so long for an opportunity and then when God gives it to us, we pray and ask God if this is really Him, thank God for His grace, patience and faithfulness. I am so thankful to all the staff at Teen Haven, everyone has blessed my heart and affected me in such a way that I cannot describe in words. Continue to remain faithful and God will bless you. Your treasures are being stored up in heaven for the sweat, tears, long hours, and torn ligaments, I love you Angel.

Blessed and Highly Favored,
Diana Serrano

Volunteers Creating Impact

“I have the privilege of volunteering with Water Street Ministries once a month on an official vacation day from my full time job. Volunteering gives me tremendous satisfaction as I can align my value with the Mission’s Core Values.

The staff I interact with are more than staff members. They are so wholly committed to the mission of Water Street as evidenced by the conversations I have with them. I have no idea what their pay is (nor do I want to know) but I can feel they give 100% plus to the mission of Water Street. I consider it an honor to be able to give a few hours a month to support Eunice in the office.”

Cheryl

Warmest regards from Lancaster County,

Cheryl Deaven, Director of Membership & Community Outreach
PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau

Feeling exposed

Sometimes a student’s time in the Learning Center does more than just address academic needs. It affects the heart as well. Here is a letter from one of our Learning Center Students.

“While working on my Phase Petition (an application to move to the next level of the program), I was inspired when I discovered some information about the Learning Center.

Up until this point in my time here, I didn’t believe that there was a time I was caught so naked until then. The Learning Center format is set so that you can't just cruise through under the radar. The Learning Center format is designed to strip away all our masks and hiding places. My own resistance to the Learning Center was not because I was afraid of learning. It was because I was afraid of admitting that I didn’t know or was having trouble grasping the simple basics of education.

The Learning Center is designed to expose people like myself. In there, I wasn’t the coolest or the smartest or toughest. I was forced to expose these discoveries to volunteers half my age. Not being the smartest guy in the world is something I already knew. But showing everybody else that I wasn’t was one of the most difficult things I’ve done.

I am a man who wears many hats, several masks and, at times, both. But I couldn’t fool the Learning Center system. And, I found out that despite my flaws, the Learning Center loved me…warts and all!"

Sharing some hope...

We had a neat volunteer group from Hope International this morning that blessed us and our neighborhood in a major way. They cleaned up the local streets and brought back 250 lbs of litter.

It is really uplifting to see another ministry come to serve us, clean up trash, thank us for the opportunity to serve and then pray a blessing on our ministry as they leave.

Just wanted to share that as a highlight for the day.

-Dean Wenger, RDC

A Father's Journey

(The following article can also be found in the most recent Water Street Messenger)

By Wendy Capoferri, volunteer

Russell Mumma does not sugar coat his life choices. He shares, “I was a lousy father to my daughter. I was not around for birthdays or anything. Holidays were all about me, me, me. They were just another day to get high.”

Until two years ago, Russell hardly remembers a time when drugs and alcohol were not the focus of his life. Married at age 19, he was already an addict. When his marriage ended five years later, he continued to live a destructive life until he hit rock bottom at the age of 48. Suicidal, addicted to heroin and homeless, Russell ended up in a local hospital. Upon his release, he came to Water Street Rescue Mission and enrolled in the long-term recovery program.

“No one would have wanted to be around me two years ago,” states Russell. However, change did not happen overnight. “God is working on me daily. I see things happening in my life that can only be the work of God. They can’t be me,” he says.

Currently working on earning his GED, Russell recently became a Men’s Ministry Intern. Love and kindness are two feelings Russell prays will grow and develop as he strives to be a positive influence to others. “Being around Christians here at Water Street makes me see how good it feels to help others. It feels so much better to give than to take,” he says.

As for Russell’s daughter, who is now 30 and has a 9-year-old daughter, she has given her father a wonderful gift – forgiveness. Russell recently attended his daughter’s wedding. He shares, “I rejected my daughter, her mother and the rest of the family for 25 years. They were happy to see me and so glad I became a Christian. They welcomed me with open arms. I even got a hug from my granddaughter. I will never forget that.”

Although his daughter now lives out of state, Russell talks to her as often as he can. This Father’s Day, he would rather think of others than himself. Russell explains, “I’m thankful my daughter had a good mother and step-father. I am proud of my daughter and I’m glad she forgives me. I can hear it in her voice, read it in her letters and thankfully, I saw it on her wedding day.”

Common ground...

At Water Street Rescue Mission, the men’s long term program has a morning chapel each day of the week. This is a great way to minister to the guys and get the day off to a good start. On one particular morning, we had arranged for a high school hand bell choir to come play for 30 minutes. It seemed like an odd fit – a group of young students from a private school playing hand bells for a group of homeless men. (I began wondering what I had been thinking when I scheduled this group to come!) It only took minutes into their playing for us to realize that God had orchestrated the hand bell choir to be at Water Street that morning.

The songs they played ministered to the men’s hearts. One song represented a storm with a calm at the end. Many of our men have weathered very difficult and complex storms – storms that are finally subsiding as they allow the peace of God to reign in their hearts.

The students also shared testimonies. One girl shared how she had spent most of her young life working hard to gain her father’s approval. She talked of how she began to relate this to her relationship with God – feeling that, like with her own father, she may never gain His approval either. She talked of how she had truly embraced God’s grace and began to see His love and acceptance for her. Many heads in the audience nodded with understanding of how she felt.

At the end of the chapel, one man came forward and clasped the hands of the director. He began to pray with her. She and the group had touched his heart.

The body of Christ has no boundaries. The two very different groups of people had reached a common ground in Christ. The differences in outward appearance were stripped away and only inward souls were left.

We are all alike on the inside – whether we’re homeless or attending a private school. We each have longings, dreams, and emptiness that only He can fill.

Thank-you Lord Jesus that you come in to our lives regardless of our background, our choices, our circumstances. You see our hearts and you meet all our needs. Thank-you for working in us. Fill the voids and heal the hurts in each of us today. Amen.

- Cheryl Wahlberg, Volunteer Coordinator

It's not about me!

God has been impressing upon my heart a lesson that I need to be taught again and again - that it is NOT about me! That it was never about me and its never going to be about me.

Sometimes my job as volunteer coordinator is hard and forces me to step out of my comfort zone, do things that annoy me or stress me out. The selfish person in me usually wants to throw in the towel at that point. But if for even a split second I slow down and listen to the small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to me, I hear that He brought me to the Mission not to serve me, make me happy or comfortable, but lo and behold, to serve others and USE ME - the sinner that I am!

I praise Him that He never gives up on us or gets tired of speaking the same message with us again and again. He is long suffering and full of mercy.

-Cheryl Wahlberg, Volunteer Coordinator

The Gathering Place - reflecting the heart of God

The Gathering Place is a ministry in Lancaster City that works with people who have HIV or AIDS. This year, they are commemorating their 20th anniversary. Water Street Rescue Mission partners with them in meeting the needs of hurting people and is grateful for how God has used them to His glory in such a vital and redemptive way. The following is a letter from honoring their anniversary:

When I think of the Gathering Place …

I am reminded of many things when I think of the Gathering Place.

First I think of who God is and how Jesus came to this earth most purposefully to meet the broken and hurting, those who carry labels like poor, homeless, addict, and HIV-positive. That these people - who are truly most invisible to most of society – are treated with respect and dignity by the Gathering Place reflects the very heart of God.

I think too of how the Gathering Place embodies faithfulness as the staff and volunteers remain true to the founding vision of always being ‘there for’ the clients most especially when their situation is most dire and their suffering most great. This too reflects the heart of God.

And I am reminded of how trustworthy God is but also how unpredictable. Who could have predicted His choice of a construction guy to receive the vision for this ministry and His use of this same guy to flesh out the vision every day in such a redemptive and compelling way? Who He chose to lead this ministry reflects the wisdom of His heart also!

So to Bob and Melanie and to all the staff and volunteers of the Gathering Place we thank you for your colleagueship, your heart, your vision, your mission, your service, your compassion, your love for the least and the lost. May God be glorified as you embark on the next twenty years.

Truly, thank you.

All our love,

Steve Brubaker
Director of Residential Programs
Water Street Rescue Mission