FEBRUARY 2016 | Vol. 20 No. 2

nSince June 2015 we have distributed over 16,000 lbs of food to children

nNow at 7 locations

nStarted with 4 volunteers and now have over 17

nContact Mindy Owens @ 709-9725 to volunteer

Friday afternoon everything was in an uproar at the Annex. Everyone was excited, visiting and laughing, while preparing to go out to

their locations.

At first glance it all looked like chaos, but these 17 individuals were here to volunteer for the VegOut program. That day, they were sorting and preparing to head out to designated low in-come communities to distribute fresh fruits and vegetables to elementary children as they came off their school buses.

The boxes were loaded into vans and cars and were off to the different locations to set-up in time for the children coming home from school. One of the volunteers had heard about the program at church. When she found out that it wasn’t going to continue during the winter, she called Mindy, OUGM’s VegOut Coordinator, and told her that she would find a way to make it happen all year round.

Volunteers exclaim that they had no idea these low income communities existed so close to their own neighborhoods. Most of us go by them, whether to church or work, on a daily basis with hardly a glance. The first timers are taken aback by the bleak conditions that these children live in – boarded up windows, tarps for roofs and no place for the children to play.

“If you have a heart for service, children and their families, this is the place to serve,” says Cissi. She has been one of the outspoken vol-unteers in support of VegOut. She contacted Cathy and convinced her to help. Cathy was immediately smitten by the children on her first visit out and now her husband can’t resist going too. They look forward to showing Christ’s love and gaining the trust of the children and their families over time. Cissi and Cathy both agree that their heart is to see folks move from being physically fed, into a church body where they will also be spiritually fed.

No words could describe the VegOut program better!

One little boy Cathy talk-ed about gets off the bus and is greeted. He looks at everything, but never takes anything, not even at Christmas time when they offered him a stock-ing filled with goodies. They pray for him and look forward to the day when he does accept their gifts, but until then Cathy says, “We won’t stop offering.”

A child in 1st grade was introduced to his first coconut! Can you imag-ine how his eyes lit up when Cissi said he had to break open the coconut to drink the juice and eat the contents. The next time she visited he had to tell her all about his experience!

UPROAR, CHAOS, EXCITEMENT!

nVegOut serves over 300 children

Join the conversation on Facebook at VegOut!

PO Box 7668 Olympia WA 98507 | Donate at OUGM.org | 360.709.9725 |

Cathy, volunteer

I would like to welcome you to 2016 with a prayer that your lives will be blessed by God in the coming months.

As you read this column, we will HOPE-FULLY be in the process of moving the Dental and Vision Clinics into their new homes in the “Annex” at 309 Washington Street NE. As soon as operations smooth out, we will be excited to welcome you to an open house. We all need to take pride in the new clinics that God has allowed us to construct and equip. In God’s economy all gifts count, large and small, and all add to the blessings He has in store for those patients who come to the clinics.

Next we begin the process of remodeling the Franklin Street building to double the: dining space, showers, laundry and cloth-ing bank. It will take several months, but we are really excited to be able to offer improved services to Mission guests and clients.

When the Franklin Street project is completed, the Board and I believe that the downtown facilities will be put

to the maximum and best use.

Time to look for another project! Did I just say that?!?!?

Actually, I did. As an organization, we know that there are more lives that can be reached for Jesus and society if we add capacity. Increasing the Mission’s shelter system for men and women in intensive, long term (2 years or more) drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and post - graduation transitional living facilities is a step in that direction.

Have you attended an annual graduation ceremony? If so, then you know how in-spiring it is to see these men and women graduating. Just a couple of years earlier they may have been living under a bridge and depending on drugs or alcohol to get through the day. Now, they stand before you with bright, clear eyes and testify to how giving their hearts to God has changed their lives. If you have not attended, here is your chance; the next graduation will be June 4th. Circle the date on your calendar.

I’ve run out of space here, but in coming issues I will do my best to paint the vision we have for the men, women and their children that we are privileged to serve. At almost 73, I’m not sure how much longer God has me in this role. My hope is that before I turn the executive lead-ership over to the next generation, we will double the number of smiling faces that walk across the stage and be better positioned to provide them transitional

housing.

Here is the punch line, for every man or woman that graduates, society

gains a productive citizen. Their children have a safe home, a parent they can look up to and respect, and you have a good neighbor. If that is not a worthy endeavor, I don’t know what is!

God Bless You for your support!!

“My dog broke the lenses to my glasses and I didn’t get them fixed.” I chuckled as I heard Theresa share her story, but quickly I realized it was no laughing matter. That incident caused Theresa to become more dependent on her husband for most every-thing, even driving. Six months ago tragedy hit Theresa’s home, her husband died and now she was a widow trying to live on a small Social Security check. There was no way she was going to be able to get her glasses fixed on her budget.

She moved to the Olympia area and wanted to start volunteering, the first steps to getting back into a working world. There-sa sought out the Olympia Union Gospel Mission by calling and getting a tour of the facility. During her tour she learned that she was eligible for an eye exam and glass-es at OUGM’s No-Fee Vision Clinic.

She made an appointment with the clinic manager, Violet, and has received new lens-es for her glasses. “Getting my glasses back was a huge issue for me because there had been no way I could even consider applying for a job without being able to see. I am so grateful to the Mission for their help.”

CAUTION!

CUIDEADO CAUTION CUIDADO CAUTION CUIDADO CAUTION CUIDADO

“The awesome number of meals served each month and the kitchen facilities.”

We are moving the Dental and Vision Clinics. Shelley Case, Dental Assistant, said, “It’s great to have a

whole new facility from floor to ceiling to move into. God’s gifted us this – it’s huge! It empowers us and confirms that we are following the need and doing what God is asking us to do. When you are moving in the right direction, He blesses.”

Linda Barrett, Dental Clinic Manager, shared about being a Christian and how easy it is to become complacent in the workplace (things are going well, the clinic is being supported, we had a successful benefit concert), but she is challenged by the fact – that’s when God starts to mix things up a bit.

Over a year ago, the Board and Executive Director rolled out a plan to take our two current facilities and rework the footprint to have a more efficient use of space. The Dental and Vision Clinics were to move to the Annex (309 Washington St NE), where most of the administration is currently housed. Moving the Clinics allows the Street Ministry facility to enlarge their dining space from 60 to seating for 130

during meal times, double the number of showers, washers and dryers, and create a new home for the clothing bank.

“Honestly,” Linda says, “we are grateful for the move and it lifts some barriers for folks to use our services, in particular our senior citizens. There is much better wheelchair access and an added bonus, the clinics are directly across from the bus transit station in downtown Olympia. This, and the fact that seniors on Medicare generally don’t receive any dental care component, makes access to the Dental Clinic a real blessing for them.”

Violet Hofman, Vision Clinic Manager, is very excited about getting the Vision Clinic open in the Annex because she won’t have to always set-up and take down after the Mon-day and Tuesday evening clinics that can go as late as 10pm. “We will be housed in one area, one room and everything will be very accessible,” says Violet. “My doctors are

especially excited because they are adding two important new pieces of equipment to the exam process that will help us better detect eye disease.”

Through the generous support of the Murdock, Boeing, Cheney and Archibald Foundations, $200,000 was granted for equipment and construction. Of that,

$120,000 went to providing just clinic equipment. The Dental Clinic received

two new ambidextrous dental chairs and delivery units, and the Vision Clinic has a new Optical Coherence Tomography and Visual Field Analyzer.

Overall, the cost of the remodeling the two facilities is a half million dollars. On behalf of the men, women and children who will greatly benefit from the new facilities, we want to express our deep appreciation to the Mission supporters whose combined gifts of $300,000 made all this possible.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW

HOME DENTAL & VISION CLINICS

Olympia Union Gospel Mission Restoring hope...Transforming lives since 1995

Violet Hofman, Vision Clinic Manager

PO Box 7668 Olympia WA 98507 | Donate at OUGM.org | 360.709.9725 |

I could hear no sound over the clamor in the room but her body shook from the sobs. Tenderly, I asked her. “Do

you want to talk?” She wiped her tears from her reddened face and nodded in agreement.

We went into a private space and she poured out her near death experience. The relationship she had been in was physically and emotionally abusive. She was used as a “punching bag” and fear was her constant companion. Finally he had taken her to a cemetery where with his own hands he tried to choke her to death. The police arrived just in time to save her life and arrest him. Still he threatened her from jail.

Her voice was hoarse from the dam-age done by the strangle hold, her neck was swollen and discolored from bruising. But the real damage was to her emotional well being. Her peace of mind vanished every time she relived that terrible night. What could restore that for her? As I listened to her life

story, she mentioned that she prayed and asked God for help. Sensing a lull in the conversation I asked her, “Who is Jesus Christ?” She said He was her Savior. She shared how she had been addicted to meth and it was only after she became a Christian that she was able to kick the habit. Even now God was helping her not to use. Calmly, she recounted how she experienced peace as soon as she entered the Mission. For the first time in days she felt safe and that there was hope. Someone cared. We prayed to-gether and I offered her a shower and clean clothes.

After dinner, as she was leaving, she came and gave me a big hug and thanked me for being there for her. Nothing had really changed in her circumstance except her view of life. Now she remembered that God loved her and that He was always with her, even in the dark of night He could save her. She recognized she wasn’t alone. She had hope.

~ Volunteer

When she walked in that day, just 18 years oldLost and confused, coming out from the coldHungry and scared, but fearfully bold

She had nothing left as the story is told

Into the shelter, if just for the dayNot knowing tomorrow, about where she would staySome food and some rest, no need to payHow she ended up here, she won’t ever say

It’s a place for a minute, or maybe a mealA place to get help, a place for wounds to healA place to seek God, to pray and to kneelIt’s more than a Mission, the people are real

Whatever the case, or level of ambitionIt’s a place you can talk, and someone will listenIt’s a place of great hope, love and visionMay God always bless, the Union Gospel Mission ~ Michael Flipp (2015)

Everybody needs hope to face the challenges and possibilities that enter their lives. The Backside of Hope recounts the testimony of

Tim Wimberly, former pastor of The Church of Living Water, Olympia. Tim and his wife, Dha-na, open their hearts and lives to show readers that nothing is impossible with God.

Tim grew up in a broken home, and although outwardly he looked successful, inwardly he was making decisions that caused him to spiral downward. He reached out to a pastor who told him about Jesus and Tim put his faith in the Lord.

The book focuses on Tim’s marriage and how he needed to learn how to bring love and respect into his home. To anyone that has felt loss of close family relationships, or whose hopes have been dashed by the carnage of life, this book can be a source of encouragement. It brings hope that you can leave a legacy better than the one you inherited.~ Reviewed by Donna Morse, Volunteer

There is Hope...

PO Box 7668 Olympia WA 98507 | Donate at OUGM.org | 360.709.9725 |