November 2018 Issue 11, Volume 69

News

THE STREETS CAN BE

PAINFUL

THE STORIES YOU’RE CREATING THE LIVES YOU’RE CHANGING

CAN MAKE A LASTING

IMPACT!

Your Love DURING THE

HOLIDAYS

Lighthouse

Matt DildineChief Executive Officer

My last office was in the third story of one of North Fresno’s fanciest buildings sitting on a bluff overlooking the San Joaquin River. On a clear day, I could see all the way to Friant Dam and the snowcapped mountains of the Sierras. Most days I would look enviously on the people fishing below. Now I dodge homeless people driving to work and my office window overlooks skid row. My view, however, couldn’t be better nor more motivating. It still makes me want to fish, just for people.

On October 1st, I started as the new CEO for the Fresno Rescue Mission replacing a mentor of mine, Don Eskes. I often get asked, what motivated you to leave behind a successful law practice at a prestigious firm to work at a non-profit…on skid row…with homeless people. There is a long answer to that question but the short one is that it is because I believe that Jesus is real. I believe that his heart bleeds for the poor, and I believe that Jesus can transform people and our city.

Starting in this position is humbling for many reasons. It is humbling to see what God has built over the last 69 years at the Rescue Mission. To say that we are not a soup kitchen is an understatement. I’ll be honest, I sat on our Board for three years and volunteered before that and I still only knew about a fraction of what the Mission does in the community.

It is also humbling to think how God has provided and where our support comes from. We do not receive nor depend on government funding. We are debt free. We do not rely heavily on grant funding. Instead, our ability to grow and operate depends on faithful people believing in our work, sitting down at their kitchen tables, writing a donation check, praying for us, trusting us with their resources and partnering with us in ministry.

Finally, I am humbled when I think about the tremendous needs of our community and the opportunities ahead of us. For over a decade Fresno has had the highest concentration of poverty in the United States and our homeless problem is only getting worse. Untreated mental illness ravages our community as much as any drug. Now more than ever we have an increasing population of “hidden homeless” who sleep in their cars, families that move from one slum house to the next, or have no permanent safe and stable housing.

While these problems may seem insurmountable or the product of a system that cannot be changed, I believe they can. Why? Because Jesus is real. Jesus bleeds for the poor. Jesus can transform people. I am humbled when I think about the ways that God can and will use the Fresno Rescue Mission to change our city. Even when looking through an office window overlooking skid row, that picture looks pretty amazing.

Leaning on Jesus,

Gone Fishing

Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Mark 1:17 (NKJV)

So Grateful for Your Support

Fresno Bee Headline, August 17, 2018:“Fresno’s homeless task force cleans 2 tons

of trash a day. Is that an officer’s role?”

And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves...”

Luke 10:2-3 (ESV)

LIFE ONTHE STREETS

of Fresno

ABC30News, June 26, 2018:“[Homeless] Man hit and killed by van after running into street while being chased by dogs in Northwest Fresno”

ABC30News, Sept 11, 2018:“Woman arrested, charged for arson after setting homeless couple’s tent on fire while [they were] sleeping”

ABC30News, Jan 19, 2018:“Police investigate [shooting] death of homeless

man after body discovered in Northeast Fresno”

YourCentralValley.com, Sept 4, 2018:“Man beats, violently rapes homeless woman”

YourCentralValley.com, May 25, 2018:“Body of Homeless Man Found off Highway 41 and Herndon”

ABC30News, June 22, 2018:“Thousands of encampments cleaned, but few homeless people accepted Fresno’s help...”

FRESNO’S NEWS HEADLINES capture the most shocking evidence of decay and violence on our streets, but for agencies like ours, it’s the personal relationships we’ve built with the victims - before they became the latest victims - that haunt us. “We get calls on a regular basis from the Coroner’s office asking for our help in identifying bodies,” Chaplain Jay Carroll shared. “Most of the time we know them. They are people with whom we’ve met, case-managed, tracked by services offered, or simply knew in the early morning or evening hours when they would come in to eat with us.”

We’re frustrated. We all want to help, but some people are so engrained in the street culture they won’t or can’t listen until something scars them for life. Chaplain Jay shared, “Brian is back in Community Care [24-hour services offered by the Mission]. He’s been through social service agencies, Community Care, and the FRM Academy program - twice - but he keeps leaving. A couple of months ago he tangled

with someone who snapped in outrage and beat him badly. He was fortunate that our exterior cameras caught the incident as it unfolded and our Community Care Providers rushed to break it up. Because of that beating, his left eye is now permanently damaged.”

We get calls on a regular basis from the Coroner’s office...”“

NOT ALL DEATHS REPORTED ARE CAUSED BY VIOLENCE. Most are a result of their bodies giving-out; old age, years of substance abuse, exposure to the elements [extreme temperatures], or simply indeterminate causes. The problem remains, THEY’RE OUT THERE. “Once they leave our agency, the cycle takes a harsher turn. CPS takes their children, they lose the resources they had gained while they

Continued on page 7

A Conversation with Chaplain Jay Carroll,Director of Community Care

2018 Fall Celebration Banquet

Thank You! ... to all who supported this incredible event!

GOLD SPONSORTrue Organic Products, Inc

TITLE SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSORSAnonymousE & J Gallo WineryElectric Motor Shop and Supply Co Don & Betty EskesKarl & Jill Kienow, River Valley Church

BRONZE SPONSORSAlvarado Group of CompaniesJeffrey BergmanCalViva HealthDarden ArchitectsDowling / AaronEye-Q Vision Care, Dr Campbell Waldrop JS Fetcho Tax, Jessica S. FetchoHarbour & AssociatesStephen & Carolyn Hogg

PLATINUM SPONSOR

Johnson AirLaw Office of Robert C. Abrams, Bob & Cheryl AbramsRobert Kolbert Investment Services & Matthew Kolbert-President; Misfits, Inc Moore Grider & CoPremier Valley BankSanitary StainlessStrategic Mechanical

Congratulations 2018 Graduates!

GRADUATE SPONSORSClovis Hills Community Church Assemi Group Inc., Granville HomesJS Fetcho Tax, Jessica S. FetchoJones Cleaning Centers, IncSt. Agnes Medical CenterThermo KingTom & Doris SelzerLisa A. Smittcamp, Fresno County District AttorneyTS Matthews Construction, IncZenith Agribusiness Solutions

Christopher AguirreJose ArroyoPatrick BartlettSakander Singh BasroanBrian BlalackMichael BroadrickTommy James BrownAdriana CalderonJesus CovarrubiasMichael GarciaSamuel GarciaJohn Paul GonzalesAngelina Grajiola

Tristan Lawrence HodgesNaser KianersiadeganiIsaac LaraRobert LullJulio Antonio MaganaCharles Brent McNeilEddie MercerMatthew Sanchez MirandaRuben MurilloDustin PetersonKenyotta RichardsonThomas RodriguezGregorio Rosas

Augustine Castro SalazarKevin SalleyJoseph Gerard SandovalJoel SerdaDarcy SingerGurwinder Singh (Ruby)Rodney Joe SissonJoseph SmithDavid TrujilloJerry VargasPeter VillarrialJoshua White

MEDIA SPONSORS

www.fresnorm.org

You Changed Their Lives

Tania CheekAlumna 2014

Donnie VaughnAlumnus 2014

This is the lasting impact you make happen; the people we serve together learn to see themselves through the loving eyes of their God. When that happens, they are changed.

During the evening’s celebration, guest speaker Donnie Vaughn shared, “In 2012, I received word that my father passed away. He meant the world to me. I started drinking a lot to numb the pain. I didn’t really want to deal with it - but then God exhausted all my options and it wasn’t long before He brought me to the steps of the Fresno Rescue Mission. It was through the Academy program that my life turned around. To this day, what I learned I carry with me. My faith leads me to try to be the best man, the best dad and the best husband I can be. Life isn’t easy. I am facing painful choices even now. But even in trials, I trust God and I trust His processes.”

The Fall Celebration Banquet is just one small sampling of the changes we celebrate each and every day throughout each year. It’s nearly impossible to explain the enormity of the challenges faced by every person we meet, but through your willingness to care and share in their recovery, people like Tania are alive to talk about it.

“In 2012, I was done. I had been on meth, I had lost my kids, my job, and my family. God spoke to me and I heard his voice for the very first time. He asked me, ‘What would your mom think?’ And I knew - I couldn’t see my mom cry. So I responded, ‘Oh no, I have to get up and keep going.’ I entered RTC and when I got to my room I told Jesus, take this black hole - this pain I’m feeling in my gut - and change it. And He did!”

Today, nearly 5 years since they both graduated from the FRM recovery programs, Donnie and Tania are doing very well. Your support of the ministries of the Fresno Rescue Mission made their success possible. Thank you!

Each year we ask Alumni to tell their story and to encourage the graduating class. We know it takes years to cultivate healthy habits, so hearing from those who have gone before them is incredibly valuable.

were receiving community aid, they lose connection with loved ones who grew tired of their cycling in and out, and then it’s even harder to reach them.”

We’ve been at this a long time. The Fresno Rescue Mission has served the community of Fresno since 1949. The look of homelessness changes as the years go by, but the means to a solution never changes. “The truth is, without Jesus in their hearts and minds, it’s just them, alone, left to battle the demons that haunt them.” Chaplain is correct. Most of us do not have the stamina and self-control to battle alone. We need healthy relationships and we need the strength and love of our Lord Jesus Christ to keep us on the path that won’t harm us.

YOU CAN HELP. If you are someone with a heart for missions abroad, would you consider saving on airfare and traveling downtown instead?

Many people lovingly step forward to serve meals at the Fresno Rescue Mission. We love their kindness and heart for our guests. Perhaps you have a special calling that also allows you to easily engage. We would encourage you to pick up a tray of food and sit down with our guests to eat with them and get to know them. In time, you may build a relationship that God will use to save a life.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

Life on the Streets... Continued from page 3

Urban Plunge is designed to give participants a brief opportunity to engage with individuals experiencing isolation, deep poverty, and severe need.

Mission-at-the-Mission staff will provide helpful educational tools and service opportunities so that participants will be equipped to effectively reach out with compassion to people in need while using their personal gifts and talents to bolster their community.

Contact Karen Vargas to schedule your experience:(559) 293-4541 kvargas@fresnorm.org

www.fresnorm.org

Please remember the Fresno Rescue Mission

in your will or trust.

FRESNO RESCUE MISSION, INC. To mail a gift:

P. O. Box 1422, Fresno CA 93716-1422 Phone: (559) 268-0839 Fax: (559) 268-1317 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES – 263 G Street

FRM THRIFT STORE AND CARS 181 E. Sierra, Fresno CA 93710 (559) 440-0870

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY:Al Kawasaki – YourRacePhotos.netKen Scheid – ScheidImages.smugmug.com scheidimages@att.net

Scott Streble – Scott Streble Photography scott@scottstreble.com

Need Help? COMMUNITY CARE – 315 G Street 24-Hour Emergency Services /Case Management (559) 444-0451

FOOD SERVICES Dining Area/Kitchen – 285 G Street Breakfast: 6 AM Dinner: 5 PM

CHAPEL LOCATION – 239 G Street Service Times: 7:30 PM Every Evening

Help Us Prepare for ...Holiday Needs

CHILDREN

WOMEN

MEN

FESTIVE MEALS

Unwrapped toys for infants and toddlersUnwrapped toys for 3-7 year old childrenUnwrapped toys for 8-12 year old childrenChildren’s Scarves, hats and socksChildren’s Christmas pajamas

Women’s slippersMake up for all skin types and colorsJournals for the womenWomen’s hygiene products (shower gel,lotions, quality shampoo and conditioner)

Sling backpacksBeaniesGlovesSpiral Notebooks and pensJournals Winter jackets - for Community Care

Hams / TurkeysInstant mashed potatoesCandied yamsCranberry sauceCanned vegetablesPrebaked pumpkin & apple piesWhipped toppingStovetop stuffingMarshmallowsGravy mixCoffee/cocoa/tea

Save the Dates:

NOVEMBER 20thThanksgiving Luncheon for our homeless guests.

DECEMBER 15thAcademy Christmas for program men and their families

DECEMBER 21stChristmas Luncheon for our homeless guests.

TO VOLUNTEER for these events, go to our website and click onGET INVOLVED... ...Apply to Volunteer Now

NOVEMBER 17th

ALL MINISTRIESBIBLES! Engish and Spanish would be greatly appreciated