LIFTING YOUR SPIRITS THROUGH STORIES OF HOPE

PhoenixRescueMission.org

March 2013

continued on page 5

Derek (left) has experienced an incredible transformation in his life

and he is grateful to Dean Glasco (right), spiritual advisor for the

PRM Men’s Program, who has mentored and encouraged him.

Sitting next to a dumpster, homeless, penniless and alone, Derek was handed a five dollar bill by a young boy walking through a dirt lot with his mother. As he took the money,

Derek vividly remembers the look of pity on the boy’s face. Derek had seen that look many times before.

For the past week he had been living off the kindness of strangers. While loitering near seedy motels, he’d receive loose change, food and an occasional cigarette from the motel’s occupants, who were barely making a living on the margins of society. Derek imagines he must have looked pretty down-and -out to merit their help.

The next morning, Derek still had the five dollar bill. He knew he needed to use the money to get help. Instead, he used it to buy beer. He felt worse than ever about the way he was living his life. By the afternoon, he had entered the Men’s Recovery Program at the Mission.

“I realize now that an angel was leading me to the Phoenix Rescue Mission. Earlier that week, this man, a recovering addict himself, showed me how to find which homeless shelters had programs. I Googled and the Mission was the first to pop up,” said Derek. “So I called and the man who answered the phone was in the program. He told me to find a way to get to PRM and then spoke to me for over an hour, really explaining how God was working in his life.”

Derek didn’t believe in God, or that God was the answer to his problems, but knew he could not stay on the streets.

Derek was task oriented and progressed well in the program. He was benefiting from daily counseling sessions and breaking through the walls he hid behind for so many years, but admits he had not accepted Christ into his life. Something still rang hollow.

He found a mentor in Dean Glassco, Spiritual Advisor for the Men’s Program. Dean, a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for 40 years, challenged Derek to reconcile his past by studying the Bible. It was one of Dean’s assignments that had a profound effect on Derek, forever changing his life.

Dean teaches a program curriculum called the “Storms of Life.” He assigns the clients a series of worksheets where they write their experiences coping with the storms in their lives. As Derek wrote, the Holy Spirit grabbed him and he finally understood how to trust in the Lord.

“I remember the exact time; it was August 16 at 7:10 at night. I jumped up and started asking other guys if they had

A Transformed Life

When you think about it, Easter is the celebration of something

truly unique, something that shouldn’t have ever been possible

in the eyes of a truly just God – a second chance. Thankfully, through

His sacrifice on the cross Jesus not only bought us a way to escape

destruction; He also gave us the opportunity to begin again, to wipe

away the garbage from our past and start fresh with a clean slate.

Everything we do here at the Phoenix Rescue Mission revolves around the power of this undeserved miracle – all our

efforts focus on helping men, women and children to find that new beginning and it’s this hope that lies at the heart of the

fourth and final element of our 4R’s– Re-Entry.

Re-Entry is split into two separate but very similar parts – Bethany House and New Start.

The Bethany House transition program is the final step for the men in our recovery program. This last piece allows

our graduates a chance to test out the tools they have learned over the past year in a real world environment, but with the

added safety net of daily check-ups from our staff. They do this as roommates in one of our two Bethany Houses - single

family homes located in a residential area outside of the Mission Campus.

Unlike their previous year spent in recovery at the Mission, here they are required to be virtually self-sufficient. That

means cooking their own meals, finding their own transportation to and from work, even paying a small amount of rent.

It’s a safe and structured way to re-introduce our graduates to an independent lifestyle, set free of their addiction.

For others who come the Mission looking for help, but are not suffering from any sort of addiction, New Start

represents the best place to find a second chance. Many times all that is needed to pull these individuals out of their crisis

situation is a new skill set and assistance in finding employment. New Start does this and more by not only providing both

of these services, but requiring check-ups on their progress – similar to the service we provide for our recovery graduates in

our Bethany House program.

Both sides of Re-Entry are critical to our Mission and highly successful in providing access to the new beginnings we

strive to provide.

Thank you for your tireless support of our long-term recovery programs and the power of a second chance. Happy

Easter!

theMAINthingkeeping the main thing,

a message from Jay Cory, President and CEO

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Watch our latest videoat youtube.com/user/phoenixrescuemissionto see stories of second chances.

You may also scan the QR code with your smartphone or tablet to view the videos.

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We welcome Barbara Sloan who joins the

Phoenix Rescue Mission as the new

Women’s and Children’s Program

Director. Having served for eight years

with the Salvation Army specifically

building and managing women’s

programming, Barb brings

a wealth of experience

to our women’s and

children’s programming

at the Changing Lives

Center.

Q: What are you most

excited to accomplish at the

Changing Lives Center?

A: Henry Drummond once said “to

become Christ-like is the only thing

in the world worth caring for, the

thing before which every ambition

of man (or woman) is folly and all

lower achievement vain.” Like many

of the women here at the Changing

Lives Center, I too have come out of

the ashes of a destructive/abusive

marriage and it is my great hope to see

vast numbers of women and women with children come

to the realization that without God in their lives they will

remain hopeless and helpless - unable to move forward

towards a transformed (whole) life.

Q: Why do you believe God directed you to the

CLC?

A: The great Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustuv Jung said that “the

true leader is always led”. His words have always rung with

challenge and comfort for me. I am a follower of the greatest

leader who ever lived and long ago surrender my path to his

lead. As I do not remember applying for this position, but

clearly remember submitting a volunteer application - I do

strongly believe God directed me to the CLC.

Q: How will you use your

experience to establish

outstanding

programming at the

CLC?

A: The touchstone of all

that I do is found in Luke

12:29-31, which reads,

“the most important

commandment is to love

the Lord your God with

all your heart and with all your

soul and with all your mind and with

all your strength.” Everything else I do

(my gifts and my talents) is an outcome

of that mission and of the map I

follow. It is and will be my compass to

which I will look for direction. It is

my magnetic North which will guide

the CLC team towards excellence in

service to others.

Q: How can you tell if a client in

the program is making progress

and starting a “new life”?

A: They will smile more; they will trust more; they will

embrace change, they will be made whole, they will be

transformed!

Q: What is an interesting fact about you?

A: I trained for the 1968 Olympics in 200 meter butterfly

and I was the first female fighter jet mechanic the USAF

sent to Europe.

Q: Tell me about your family?

A: I have been married for 25 years (2nd marriage) and

have a wonderfully successful son, brilliant daughter-in-law

and the cutest 2-year-old grandson - I have pictures!

Meet Barb Sloan...New Women’s & Children’s Program Director

Barbara, pictured here

with her grandson.

“The touchstone of all that I do is found

in Luke 12:29-31, which reads, ‘the most

important commandment is to love the Lord

your God with all your heart and with all

your soul and with all your mind and with

all your strength.’”

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Angelo Espinosa has donated his Saturdays once a month to the

men and women here at the Phoenix Rescue Mission for the past

10+ years. He’s served in multiple areas, from kitchen help and

food service, to maintenance and setup, before finding his true

passion as an integral part of our weekend chapel services. But

what motivates someone to continue to give their time faithfully,

month after month for over a decade? For Angelo it’s the fact

that he sees volunteering at the Mission as an opportunity to

serve on holy ground.

“Chapel is a place where hurting men and women can lay

down the thoughts and cares of this world for a moment and consider the

possibility, maybe for the first time, of a sovereign God… it’s a powerful

thought and sometimes a life-changing one. That’s why I consider

the Mission to be holy ground; because every day this is a

place where people get transformed… and I want to

be a part of that”

For Angelo, the Mission is the perfect place

to live out his own part of the great commission

and speak truth into the lives of our brothers and

sisters; a chance to share in their struggles and offer

clear direction to the rock that is Jesus Christ. But

Angelo admits that volunteering isn’t a one-way street

– he receives as much as he gives.

“The real value of the Mission isn’t the fact that it

provides food and shelter, even though those are good

things… the real value of the Mission lies with the

potential it has to change and transform lives. I’m not just

talking about homeless men and women; I’m talking about anyone

that walks through those doors. Through this experience God has changed my life and my perspective as much as He

continues to change the lives and perspectives of those that I serve here... I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

In our daily walk, we all feel the urge to “give back” – to reflect the love that Christ has given us into the lives

of others. In Angelo’s search to fulfill this desire, he never could have guessed how much God had in store for him.

Volunteering here at the Mission is unique. It does more than satisfy an urge, it changes you. We invite you to become

a part of a life-transforming ministry that has kept Angelo and others coming back for more than a decade. If you are

interested, please give our volunteer coordinator, Sofia Ontiveros a call at 602-346-3363 or visit our volunteer page online

at phoenixrescumission.org/act/volunteer.

Thank you Angelo for your dedication and service to the hungry and homeless.

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A Transformed Life from page 1

read their homework – no, you got to read this. I started reading paragraphs to people in the halls,” Derek said. “All of a sudden the light bulb came on for me.”

He accepted Christ into his life and through that process he forgave himself, then he finally forgave his mother for dying.

His mother’s death had been a turning point in Derek’s life. He had surprised her by visiting on Christmas Day. He was 32 and had been living out of the state for several years. Her health had been failing for a while, in fact, that was partially the reason he planned the trip. Two days later after visiting some friends, he walked into her house and found her dead. Derek was a functioning alcoholic at the time. He was a skilled cabinet maker, who always paid his bills and made it to the job site on time. When his mother died, he took care of everything – arranged her services, sold the house and paid the bills.

“My greatest achievement, before coming to know the Lord, was taking care of all of that stuff. I now know who was guiding me through that process, because I didn’t have a clue. But I took care of every single solitary thing and then just started running.”

The alcohol became central to his existence. He moved from one job to the next, from one state to the next. Jobs became fewer and fewer as his alcohol addiction worsened. In the six months leading up to his stay at the Mission, he sold his car, paid his bills and just sat on the couch and drank. Pretty soon, the money ran out.

“My head had to hit the pavement,” said Derek, “And frankly, that was the only way I would make a change.”

Derek graduated from the Men’s Recovery Program in 2012. He entered the Servant Leadership Training portion of the program where he took a leadership role among his peers in the program.

“I wanted to help my brothers get out of the mindset that they are “just addicts” and that is all they will ever be. They are children of God and new creations, and I wanted them to know that and see that.”

Derek is now attending South Mountain Community College and just moved out on his own from Phoenix Rescue Mission’s Bethany House Transition program.

“I look towards Christ’s humanity. I really cling to that. I remember my own time on the streets. Supposedly these dregs of society, these people who are supposed to be just horrible, they showed kindness to me. Kindness abounds in the least likely of places, because God works through anybody.”

New High Impact Volunteers Needed!Starting this month there is a whole new way to partner with the Phoenix Rescue Mission!

New High Impact Volunteer positions have just opened up for those who would like the opportunity to use their past

career experience to change lives! We are looking for people with a background in counseling, customer service, food

service, case management, and childcare, just to name a few, who are willing to put their skill sets to great use.

Please take a moment to visit http://phoenixrescuemission.org/act/volunteer/impact and see if your past work

experience would make you the perfect candidate to impact lives in a powerful new way!

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

To mail a gift: P.O. Box 63005 ~ Phoenix, AZ 85082-3005For shelter & meal service: 1801 S. 35th Avenue ~ Phoenix, AZ 85009602-233-3000 ~ www.phoenixrescuemission.org

WishList

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Cookies That Change LivesThe women of the Changing

Lives Center whipped up

their first batch of cookie

sales at the Avondale

Farmer’s Market March 9,

2013. Their new business,

Mission Cookies, is the first

social enterprise venture for

the Phoenix Rescue Mission.

“Creating, marketing and selling

cookies provides our clients with an entrepreneurial

spirit,” said Jay Cory. “They get to see all facets of a

business environment, while

learning skills to ready them for

a career.”

The women began baking

cookies almost six months ago

as treat for guests coming to

the Center. Visitors and staff

members began requesting

the delicious baked goods

and a business was born. The

women have worked hard to

perfect recipes for four distinct

flavors of cookies. Life By Chocolate, a play on words

for the popular Death by Chocolate cake, is the fan

favorite. Spice of Life, a traditional spiced sugar cookie;

Changing Lives Chocolate Chip; and Peanut Better Life

were equally popular with market-goers.

With a regular spot Saturday mornings at the

Avondale Farmer’s market, the mom-preneurs hope to

bake their way into other Farmer’s Markets around the

Valley. The cookies sell for $4 for 5 or $1 each. Mission

Cookies will soon have an on-line ordering form and

future plans to expand into the popular cupcake market.

Music With A MissionJazz and Live Media Innovation Concert

Benefitting the Phoenix Rescue Mission

Music performed by The Bob Ravenscroft Trio

Dinner Served at 5:30pmConcert at 6:15pm

When: April 27th

Where: The Changing Lives Center Chapel 338 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix 85007

Tickets $50Only 80 Seats Available. Act fast!

For reservations or more information please contact Don at 602-346-3336

Generously sponsored byMusic Serving the Word Ministries

The Phoenix Rescue Mission is in need of the following items:

• High Chairs (New or Gently Used)

• Kitchen Spices, such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion

salt, chili seasoning

• Disposable Razors (Men’s and Women’s)

• Towels (New or Gently Used)

• Twin Sheets (New)

• Board Games and Puzzles

• Arts and Craft Supplies especially for children

• Garbage bags (45 Gallon)

• Cleaning Supplies

Please consider donating ONLY items listed, or call Vince at

602-346-3343. For additional items or for information on

holding a donation drive, please visit phoenixrescuemission.

org/give