MAY 2015 | Vol. 19 No. 3

Olympia Union Gospel Mission | 360.709.9725 | 413 Franklin St NE, Olympia WA 98501 | OUGM.ORG

Restoring hope...Transforming lives since 1995

The singing had begun and the raspy, smoker voices of the homeless slowly

began to awaken. Steve turned the volume of the music video up in the Mission’s day room, so the crowd wouldn’t be intimated by the sound of their own “joyful noise”.

Softly at first, then becoming stronger, I heard my older friend “Sarah” singing. I was surprised that she knew the contempo-rary worship song, but she sang along, not missing a word. For the next fifteen minutes Sarah sang except for one song, which she appeared not to know. But on the next song she joined in again.

What is so surprising about her singing?

Because rarely have I heard this precious lady utter a rational thought. Only three times in three years have I interacted with her in a manner that I could understand her thoughts. Sarah lives contently in a realm far from the reach of this world’s reality. But for fifteen minutes she voiced praises to the Living God. Obviously the worship music had drawn her out before because she knew the songs.

I rejoiced and thanked God that He could break through her mental haze and in those moments she was able to sing praises to Him. Sarah and God communed. When the music stopped, her mind wandered back to her private world. There she conversed with her unseen friend in a secret place that I’m barred from entering. But God isn’t. He can draw her out.

Years before coming into the program, Billy and Christy had a relationship, and she ended up pregnant (she also had a child from a previous marriage). They married, but true to Billy’s old nature, he would leave Christy for periods of time, using drugs and cheating on her. Christy was desperate and took up using drugs and drinking (she stopped while she was pregnant) to keep Billy home. At one point, Billy and Christy were both arrested for meth use and their children were taken away.

This was a defining moment for Christy. She wanted to get a handle on her life. She got off drugs, got her children back and started going to school full-time at South Puget Sound Community College to become a medical assistant. She realized her co-de-pendency to Billy was destroying her life and she needed to stop – she turned to God for help.

Billy hit rock bottom and ended up on the streets, homeless and penniless. He started going to the Mission for breakfast and Bible studies. Soon Billy got into the recovery

GRADUATION CELEBRATIONSATURDAY, MAY 30, 6:30PM ~ Light Appetizers & Dessert

WESTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH | Reserve your free ticket(s) 360.709.9725 or OUGM.org.

program, while Christy started going to church. Both began to focus on God.

When Jesus entered Billy’s life through the program, he became a changed man. His heart was filled with a peace and love that he had never experienced before. “God has given me a love for people and a desire to be kind to them, something I would not have cared about before I gave my life to Christ.” Billy and Christy have renewed their marriage vows and their family has been restored. They are keeping their eyes on Christ as He transforms them and leads them step-by-step. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Meet Billy and his family Saturday, May 30th, 6:30pm at the Graduation Cele-bration. Reserve your free tickets online at ougm.org and join us at Westwood Baptist for light appetizers and dessert. Celebrate and support these transformed lives. (More on page 3)- Interviewed by Donna Morse, volunteer

Lives Transformed

– A Family Restored

Memorials & Honorariums are located online at OUGM.org under the donate tab.

GRADUATIONOn Saturday May 30 at 6:30pm a Grad-uation Celebration at Westwood Baptist Church is being held for five men and one woman to receive their certificate of graduation from the Mission’s Life Transformation Program. There they will share their testimony of how the Holy Spirit has worked through the Mission to redeem them from a life of abuse, addiction and crime. As a financial and prayer supporter of the Mission, I would urge you to come for several reasons. First, you will gain insight into a world that many of us have never experienced and how the Holy Spirit intervenes to save from certain disaster. Second, your atten-dance will show the graduates that you

Olympia Union Gospel Mission | 360.709.9725 | 413 Franklin St NE, Olympia WA 98501 | OUGM.ORG

BUFFET

care about them beyond sending money. They are about to embark on perhaps the hardest journey of their lives, being pro-ductive, God-fearing, citizens. To make it “in the world” they need to know that they are loved and that their lives matter to you. Your presence ushering them into the next stage of their return to society will mean more to them than you can imagine. Third, it would be the Board’s and Staff’s honor to demonstrate to you how God is using the Mission to do much more than just meet basic needs, but to truly transform lives.

Please, plan to attend!!

MISSION GROWTHI would like to provide you with more information on the pending expansion of Food Service and Day Center Ministries, which necessitates relocating the dental and vision clinics. Two highly conceptualized floor plans are included. The first shows the remodel that will need to occur first in the Mission’s Annex at 309 Washington Street to prepare space for the dental and vision clinics. When the construction is complete the Mission’s Health Services Division and Administrative functions will all be located in the Annex. This will pave the way for a significant rearrangement of functions in the Day Center on Franklin Street NE. The square footage allotted to the dining room will be doubled to seat 120 individuals, the number of showers and laundry machines will also be doubled. The clothing bank will move back into the Day Center and confer-ence and office space will also expand. The ultimate goal is to provide a more wel-coming, professional and accommodating space for patients, clients and guests at the Mission.

Board Members and Staff look forward to construction of the Health Services space in late April or early May. Demolition and re-constructing the Day Center space will start in June or July. As part of the Day Center remodeling, some of the kitchen equip-ment purchased in 2003 will be replaced and upgraded. A second walk in freezer and refrigerator will also be installed at the Franklin Street location.It should be one exciting Open House and we hope you will come and visit - stay tuned!

FUNDRAISINGThe budgeted cost of the project is $400,000. Recently, we announced that

we still needed $50,000 to completely fund the construction and equipment budget. It is with deep gratitude and humility that I announce to you that as of this writing, the financial donors to this ministry had contributed $51,200. What an answer to prayer and I want to thank all the Mission’s loyal supporters. Thank you, thank you!!!

I was asked the other day that if the Mission received more in donations than the project required, how the funds might be utilized? The honest answer is that some dental and vision equipment is over ten years old and is getting a little “tired” and should ideally be replaced. We could spend another $10,000 on upgrading equipment to further enhance the quality of patient care. Soooo, if you have not yet con-tributed but still desire to invest in this great project, please know that any funds you might donate at this time will be used to improve patient care in Health Services.

Again, on behalf of the men, women and children who will be the beneficia-ries of your generosity – THANK YOU!!

Olympia Union Gospel Mission | 360.709.9725 | 413 Franklin St NE, Olympia WA 98501 | OUGM.ORG

Jewels and the Red Rocket

“Hey Church Family,

Today, we had a couple guest speakers from the Union Gospel Mission...they shared about how our financial support is helping in practical ways...Jewels shared her testimony, it was super powerful. A journey from frustration, and pain as a child to drug addiction and homelessness as an adult...yet, God who is rich in mercy, got a hold of her. Part of her story included a guy named Ron, who was also struggling with addiction...they were and are engaged to be married. Jewels shared how both of them decided to seek help about 15 months ago...Ron, met Christ in his rehab, and so did Jewels.

Well, to back up a bit...about 15 months ago, our very own, Mike, at one of our Sunday gath-erings asked us to pray for his friend who was struggling deeply, and was entering rehab from drug addiction...well, it turns out, this friend of Mike’s is RON!!!!!

Mike talked to me after the service and told me this amazing story...I couldn’t believe it. I want-ed to remind us all, that PRAYER WORKS!! To think through our prayers and financial support to the OUGM, we played just a small role in this powerful story of healing, transformation and change.

Keep praying and keep believing...God is at work in our midst, and I am so grateful we are all a part of it.

May the peace of Christ be yours this week!!“- With permission from Rhyan Smith, Pastor Cornerstone Presbyterian

GRADUATIONCELEBRATIONTherefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here! -II Corinthians 5:17

Craig, Lucy, Kurt, Rhett, Ron (pictured lower right), and Billy (pictured on page 1) will be graduating from the Life Transformation Program at the Olympia Union Gospel Mission. A wonderful cele-

bration is planned, and we would like to invite you to celebrate and support this special occasion with them.

Each graduate will be sharing a short testimony of their lives and how God has used the Life Transformation Program to set them free from debilitating addictions. Call or go on-line to reserve your free tickets to the event.

Saturday, May 30, 6:30pmWestwood Baptist Church

Program Begins at 7pm~Hosted By~

Loren “Skip” SteffenDonations Gladly Accepted

Prayers from God’s people helped to set Ron free of drug addiction.

RSVP for your free ticket(s) to guarantee seats, light appetizers & dessert.

Reservations:360.709.9725 or OUGM.org

The Mission is a haven for the homeless. Daily they come in out of the weather

into a Christ-centered environment, glean clothes, eat meals, shower and wash their clothes. But they aren’t the only ones who benefit from Mission services. There are others who are not homeless but find there is more month than money.

Alana is one of those folks. Eight years ago she started her journey with the Mission when she was homeless for a month. Now

Alana has an apartment but she needs a little help. Having no washer and dryer she uses our laundry facilities. Joseph’s Coat provides clothes when hers wear out or she just would like something new. With the rising cost of food and the decrease in food stamps the Mission is able to supplement her food budget by providing welcoming hot meals. Alana has known Cody for years and is happy to consume his cooking. Another help to her are the hygiene kits which supply shampoo, soap and toothpaste. Alana doesn’t just “take” from the Mission but she also gives back. She enjoys visiting with her “peeps” as she calls them; people she knows who need a bit of encouraging. Regularly, Alana can be seen chatting with folks, sharing the caring for others. One day a staff member had brought cards to the day room for our guests to write thank you notes to our mission supporters. Blank looks stared back. Alana heard the request and she stepped right in and took control. She reminded each of them that they had a lot to be thankful for as she distributed the cards and pens. Then she went around and helped those who couldn’t think of what to say. At the end of the day most of our guests had completed a card. This wouldn’t have happened if God hadn’t used Alana to guide and encourage them as they wrote. Life is not easy for her but more often than not she still wears a big smile and finds others to help.

More and more the mission is helping the working poor, those who just need a helping hand to keep them from becoming homeless. Your gifts make that possible and all the “Alanas” thank you.

“In the beginning, we put those who we thought were in the most need and wanted to get off the streets into the Nest (short-term emergency shelter),” says Barbara Hudson-Justesen, the Nest’s counselor. With a year under their belt, Barbara and the staff of the emergency shelter have learned a lot. They now do extensive intake assessments for each person. If a woman is a potential candidate for the Nest, they fill out a form in detail; they are given some short objectives to accomplish, then a second meeting is scheduled a week later. Barbara says this helps to know who is really interested in what the shelter has to offer.

“I don’t think any of us realized the amount of time that needs to be devoted to this work,” Barb explains, “Each day counts. The ladies are on a weekly schedule to accomplish their goals; we do one on one meetings, Bible studies, help find employment, affordable housing, and there are usually health issues and psychological road blocks that plague them. We work with each individual and their individual needs.”

THE NEST - What we have learned and how we have grown…

Twice a month a volunteer rings the door-bell of 93 yr old Bessie Wheeler and then is

greeted with her infectious smile and bags of homemade quilts. Bessie first started sewing at seven years old, when she hand-sewed a quilt for her doll.

In 2005 Bessie found time to sew again. She turned her family room into a sewing room where donated fabric and batting line the walls. This gracious saint and her band of ladies don’t let grass grow under their feet. Bessie’s sewing machine can be heard humming far into the night, but she would be quick to tell you that the sewing circle ladies all play an important role in completing each quilt. Weekly, Edna Shellhart, Bessie’s right hand gal, joins her at the sewing

The Nest is a home with pictures on bright-ly painted walls, comfy cozy furniture, and houses up to three women and a house leader. Esther, the house leader, keeps the house running, assigns chores and keeps the ladies on track. She defuses the conflicts that arise and as Barbara puts it, “Esther is my eyes and ears.”

“I don’t care how tough they seem on the outside, the one thing that I hear when talking to women who are on the streets, is that they are scared. They just want to be somewhere, anywhere…safe.”

“I wish you could see the look on some-one’s face as they get a job or a home, or simply accomplish a goal…most have been told all their life that they will never amount to anything. The Nest is truly a safe place of rest and healing for those who have broken wings.” Barbara adds, “This would not be possible without the donors and volunteers of the Olympia Union Gos-pel Mission – God bless you!”

machine. Once a month other friends come and tie the quilts; finally the quilts are donated to the Mission. These ladies enjoy each other’s company and have a heart to help those in need.

Bessie and her team are a testimony to all of us about running “the race” until our last breath. In their “sunset” years they are not focused on themselves nor did they retire from God’s work. Recently, Bessie chuckled that she thought God was going to keep her around for a while because she still had plenty of batting and fabric to sew. She and the sewing circle are modern day “Calebs,” still conquering God’s promised land no matter how old they are.

- Once a month Bessie and friends finish quilts so they can donate them to the Mission.

Ninty-three and going

S T R O N G !

There Is More Month Than Money - How your donations are helping the Alana’s

Olympia Union Gospel Mission | 360.709.9725 | 413 Franklin St NE, Olympia WA 98501 | OUGM.ORG