July 2009 Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Newsletter

8/8/2019 July 2009 Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Newsletter

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Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission

A Ministry of

Rescue & Discipleshipa publication of the

Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Anchorage, Alaska

Larry AldrichOperations Manager

David WilliamsProgram Director

Randy HessMaintenance Supervisor

Larry OConnor

Greg Mann

Roger Klein

David McKnightVan Driver

Solomona TalivaaMaintenance

Darlene WhaleyKitchen Manager

r

escue

newses

t.196

5

july

2009

What does Independence Day mean to you? As I reflect back on the events of the

world and see the rioting in the streets of Iran, the political turmoil in North Korea,

and the democratic struggle in Iraq, Im grateful to have been born in America.

Sadly, it has taken many years for me to think of the 4th of July as anything other

than picnics and fireworks. As a child, those were the important aspects of the

holiday. As a young adult, my pursuits focused more and more on me; therefore,

the significance of freedom was lost to me. Now that Im approaching 50, I can

appreciate the sacrifices that got us here as a nation. Although here is not where it

used to be, and I could write a book complaining about the loss of, or at least the

attempts to eradicate basic freedoms afforded us by our founding fathers, I chose

not to do so. A birthday party is not the proper forum to air grievances. Americans

have set aside this day as a time of celebration, a time to pay homage to everything

we have ever been as a nation. Weve had our finest hours and our not-so-fine

hours. From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli, weve been willing

to include others under the umbrella of our democratic process. We are the most

giving nation on earth; so much so, we will give our lives to insure that people we

dont even know have a safe place to exist.

There are those who misunderstand us because they see us through filters of hate. We

will defend you. There are those who wish to use us for their own selfish motives.

We will defend you. There are those who would have us wiped from the face of the

earth for reasons we will never understand. We will defend you as well. We will

defend you because we understand how precious freedom is. We believe once you

get a taste of it you will become a defender rather than a destroyer.

As you spend time with your families this year we ask that you not forget the men,

women, and children who depend on the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission for

their 4th of July meal. Many of our homeless population served in our nations

military, placing themselves in harms way to insure all of our freedoms. This is

their day too and we ask you to help us make it a celebration worthy of one nationunder God.

God Bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Thru the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home.

Happy 4th of July!


2/8

2

Your steps are being prepared.

The steps of a goodman are ordered by the LORD,And He delights in his way.Psalm 37:23 (New King James Version)

I can remember a time when I would spend a good deal

of time staring at myself in the mirror and desperately

trying to figure out why in the world I was ever born.

Even though it may seem like ages ago, it is a time that

is really not all that distant in the rear view mirror of

life.

I used to feel as though I was not living, I just seemed to

exist. You know what I mean, just breathing and eatingand consuming resources but not really serving any

purpose in life. I felt as though I was going through an

endless cycle of nothingness, where I got up every day

and went to work and did the same thing over and over

again and not really making any contribution to life.

Well, God, by his mercy changed my understanding

about life and He changed how I see the reflection staring

back at me in the mirror. You know, one of the greatest

lies that I ever bought was the fact that my life had no

significant meaning. Today, some of the most talentedpeople that I know walk around feeling as though they

are not going anywhere in life. They have no sense of

purpose or direction in life, and therefore feel as though

they are not really alive. You must understand that God

designed each one of us with a very special purpose. He

is the designer of the world, and He is the designer

of our lives.

I have three fairly young children and it seems

as though I can walk through the house at any

given time and find a piece of some jig saw

puzzle just lying around on the floor somewhere.

When I see a piece of a puzzle on the floor somewhere

collecting dust, I see the strange shape and the weird

abstract colors that seem to make no sense, and it

appears to be a useless piece of cardboard. However,

the jig saw puzzle it belongs to will never be complete

without that one in its rightful place. The designer of the

puzzle sees the colors and the odd shape of the puzzle

piece and sees something that belongs, sees something

that fits in a perfectly designed place that adds beauty to

the overall portrait, the completed project.

Our lives are like small pieces of the puzzle that

make up the larger and perfect design of God.

Sometimes we see our lives as a weird shape with

strange abstract colors and we think: How in the world

could this life ever mean anything? We can only see

the small picture of life and to us, sometimes, it may

seem as though we dont fit anywhere. But my friend,

God sees the big picture and He created your life to

fit in the larger portrait that He has painted upon the

canvas of time. The portrait will never seem complete

unless you are in your rightful place

.

I thank the Lord for the Anchorage Rescue

Mission and for the assistance they are providing

some of the puzzle pieces that are trying

desperately to find the place where they fit in life.I am humbled each time I walk through the doors

and see the loving hands of God working through the

mission to carefully place the puzzle pieces together.

I am blessed to know the staff and residents of the

Anchorage Rescue Mission, and each day I get to spend

with them I am learning the value of these people and

I see just how much God can love. For its through the

Anchorage Rescue Mission that I see and understand

what true ministry really is.

I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart tothe staff of the Anchorage Rescue Mission for allowing

me the privilege to see you in action and to learn the

true meaning of ministry. It is because of you that

I can now see my lifes purpose more clearly. I know

exactly where I fit in the puzzle of life.

Your humble Servant,Tom Barber

Radiant Life Church

Pastor Tom Barber has come to Anchorage for the last

two years to volunteer his time here at the Anchorage

Gospel Rescue Mission. While here, Pastor Tom makes

sure our computer network has its annual checkup and

is running as it should. He also teaches the morning

Bible study, which gives Bro. Don a much neededbreak after a year long marathon of classes.

Pastor Tom has become more than a volunteer. He

has become a treasured friend to the staff, the men in

NewLife, and to me and my wife. We already miss

you and look forward to your return.

David M. Williams

Contributing Author


3/8

3

Oldies With A MessageBro. Don has received a great deal of feedback on his

article Oldies With A Message. So much so, I felt

excited at the prospect of including my favorite hymn

of all time while he and Mrs. Charlotte are away on

vacation.

Softly and TenderlySoftly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

calling for you and me;

See, on the portals He's waiting and watching,

watching for you and for me.

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,

Pleading for you and for me?

Why should we linger and heed not his mercies,

Mercies for you and for me?

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,

Passing from you and from me;

Shadows are gathering, deaths night is coming,

Coming for you and for me.

O for the wonderful love He has promised,

Promised for you and for me!

Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,

Pardon for you and for me.

Chorus:

Come home, come home,

you who are weary, come home;

Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,

calling, O sinner, come home!

I dont know why the old hymns touch my heart the way

they do. I suppose the contemporary Christian music is OK

but for me there is nothing like the old Gospel Hymns to

get my mind and heart in a place where Im ready to pay

attention to what God is trying to teach me.

Living Memorials.touch lives as they honor the memory

of loved ones and friends.

In Memory of

Danny Wright

Wesley Small

Simeon Boots

Stanley Ivey

And two unidentified brothers.

Perhaps youve read about or have heard about the

recent deaths among the homeless community. The

Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission would like to

express our heartfelt sadness at the loss of these men.

We extend our condolences to their families, whoever

or wherever they may be. Know this: your sons,

brothers, husbands, and friends found warmth, comfort,

nourishment, and a kind word here at the Mission. We

feel your loss because it is also our loss.

In Memory of

The American Soldier

Throughout the history of our nation there have been

countless men and women who have served and

sacrificed to ensure the freedoms we who call America

home, enjoy. John 15:13 says: Greater love hath noman than this, that a man lay down his life for his

friends. You called me friend and never knew me. You

gave me freedom yet never knew me. I know you and

I remember!


4/84

If we want to win in the race for eternal life, we have to

let our past go. Every thing must go; our marriage, our

children and our job must be put on hold. The only wayto survive is to focus only on God. By demonstrating

your faith in God, and by trusting and obeying the Word

of God, God himself will give you everything that you

lost and more, if your faith is strong. Just look at what

He did for Job. Its just like Pattie La Belle sings in

her song I Have a New Attitude and this is what

we need to have, a new attitude. In Revelation 21: 5,

God says: Look, I am making everything new! Ever

since the first sin in the Garden of Eden, God has been

working to restore His earth to its original perfection.

Recovery involves discovering the good things that wehave misused and learning how to enjoy them in the

way God intended. The true test for us comes when we

come out of this environment. It is important for us to

create a sober environment outside this building which

includes sober friends, places and play, or we may be

headed for a relapse. This is when we really need true

friends who will hold us accountable for our actions.

To thy own self be true. You can get away with lying

to your friends and family for a while, but in the end,

it will all catch up with you. You may even enroll in atreatment center to try and win your wife and family

back, or even your job. But if youre doing it for that

reason alone, then it wont work. Nobody can save

you but you. Jesus wants to help you, but you have

to ask Him first. You must remember that God gave

us freedom of choice. Therefore there are choices and

consequences. Choose wisely.

I like the song by Frank Sinatra, titled Thats Life.

It tells the story of a man who has been through every

situation that life can throw at a person, and still bounceback. Some people who have an addiction problem often

relapse. In the song it says: Ive been up and down,

around and around and heres one thing, each time I

find myself, lying flat on my face, I pick my self up

and get back in the race... Thats life. As addicts, we

often feel as though our problems are drowning us and

that everyone is attacking us. No one is ever

there to take our side. In times like these,

we should cry out to God for help, submit

to His will, and entrust our life to His care. Ive often

said that the devil has 3 jobs, and that is to steal, kill

and destroy. The devil enjoys it when we are Slippinginto Darkness. If one of us stumbles and relapses, we

shouldnt hold that person down. We should give him

or her encouragement and help that person get back up

on his or her feet. Now for the one who did fall, you

need to be strong. Yes, people in here are going to talk;

thats because you didnt come to your brothers first

with your problem. You probably thought that nobody

knows how to deal with your particular situation.

You put yourself in the line of

fire. Not only did you refuse

help from your brothers in theprogram, you didnt contact

your mentor, you didnt talk it

over with godly people at your

church. You took matters into

your own hands. This type of

attitude only leads you to relapse

because youre still in denial.

The NewLife Discipleship

Training Program was designed

to teach us how to get alongwith people without using drugs

and alcohol. Nobody here was

forced to be here. We came here

voluntarily of our own choosing.

In Genesis 4:6-7, the Bible

teaches us that we need to be

careful when we face obstacles.

We need to carefully weigh the

strong feelings w e encounter

within our selves before acting on them. If we dont, we

may be passing up an excellent opportunity for a freshstart. Our recovery is based on Gods grace, which

always offers us an opportunity to begin again. Its hard

for some of us to give up control. We want to do things

our way, and we want the credit for success!

In 2 Chronicles 20: 17-20, God told the people of Judah

to stand still and watch as He gave them a great victory.

In recovery we must learn to give our battles to God.

Showing consideration to others is crucial for successful

ARE WE


5/8

5

recovery. Our human relationships are second in

importance only to our relationship with God. If we are

not at peace with others, we will be at war within ourselves, and that is a perfect recipe forrelapse. Proverbs

22:3 states this: A prudent person foresees danger and

takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and

suffers the consequences. Proverbs 21:29 states this:

The wicked bluff their way through, but the virtuous

think before they act. I cant speak for other addicts,

but I can speak for myself. Every time that I was under

the influence of any type of drug, somehow I thought

that I was feeling

better. I wasnt

fooling anyone butme. The only thing

that I was doing

was falling straight

into Satans hands.

Romans 12:3 says

this: I give you

this warning: Dont

think you are better

than you really

are. Be honest

in your evaluationof yourselves,

m e a s u r i n g

yourselves by the

faith God has given

us. Every thing that

the Bible says is

true. Drugs do give

you a feeling of

thinking that you

know everything and that you are always right when

actually youre dead wrong.

The N ewLife

Discipleship Training Program has really changed my

outlook on life. The requirements of this program are

for us to join a church, get a mentor, participate in

church functions and get a job. Well I always did work,

but it wasnt until I really started to read the Bible and

begin to understand it that it began to work for me.

My faith started to grow. To me, faith is like a muscle;

the more you exercise it, the larger it grows. Do you

remember that commercial that says Try It, Youll

Like It? Well in Malachi 3:10, the Bible tells me thatGod says the same thing. If you give Me a tenth of

your earnings I will pour out a blessing on you thats

so great that youll be amazed. Try It! Put Me tothe

test! Well, as you know, the Bible doesnt lie. I can

safely say that what Hes done for me Hell do it for

you. God doesnt need our wealth to run His world. Our

tithes are our acknowledgement of our gratitude. After

all, its His money anyway, we are just the caretakers

of it, and He wants us to use it properly. Gods Word is

the only firm foundation that we have. The Bible tells

us that our LORD will be there for us no matter whatsituation were in, Jesus tells us not to be afraid. We are

to be courageous and trust Him.

This is what makes me feel like Im on the right track

to becoming a winner. I know my race isnt over until

I reach Heaven, but until then, Ill continue to imitate

Jesus Christ and the apostles. I enjoy giving my

testimony and spreading the Word of God, telling the

people of the world that God desires that our life be like

the fruitful branches of a grapevine. The only way to be

fruitful is to remain connected to Jesus, the vine, andallow God, the gardener, to prune our life to stimulate

growth and fruitfulness. It is Gods cultivating, weeding,

and pruning in our life that brings forth spiritual fruit,

character development, and progress in recovery. We

need to stay close to Jesus, the source of power and

practical help for recovery. We can make a difference in

other peoples lives if we stick to the program that God

has designed for us. Did any body say it was going to

be easy? Can you accept the challenge to be a winner?

Cado SpatesClient Supervisor

INNERS?


6/8

6

Attitude is a ChoiceI saw my life flash before my eyes this weekend,

TWICE! What can I say, Im a slow learner.

The weekend fishing trip began like most with a fair

amount of planning. A dear friend of mine, Glenn andI sat down to plan our second annual Copper River

Salmon Dip Netting Alaskan Adventure. Last years

trip was a success because we both netted our limit,

twenty nine Copper River Reds and one King Salmon,

each. The best part was that our lives only flashed

before our eyes once. Well thats not quite accurate

Glenn was asleep therefore our life flashed before

my eyes. Now that I think about it thats not accurate

either because although I was driving I was asleep also

therefore, technically our lives didnt actually flash

before our eyes. When hitting the ditch woke us upthis idea of our life flashing across our eyes probably

at some point crossed our minds. Dont stress it Im

just as confused as you are. Anyway you can imagine

how excited we were at the prospect of another trip.

Authors Note: Great Alaska Adventures are scheduled

only once a year because it usually takes that long

to forget the near death experience of the previous

trip. Being a fisherman in Alaska gives one the

opportunity to take full advantage of the dim-witted

gene men have been blessed with. Females would

never contemplate let alone sit down and plan a second

attempt to die on the Copper River. Your reluctance

is duly noted and our condolences are extended.

Like every well planned trip this one went awry early

on. A third person was added to the roster which was

OK but for two important details. The first being I

didnt know this person, (I have this thing about dying

with a stranger), and the second was that our new

partner was never filled in on the itinerary. However,

Glenn informed me he had known this person for years

and had, on numerous occasions, almost died. That

was good enough to overcome my initial reluctance.

There will be some naysayers out there who will

believe I gave in so quickly because Glenns boat was

destroyed in a house fire and our new partner had a

boat. I protest! I will be filling a formal complaint with

the National Organization of the Naysayers

of America to clear my good name.

We hit the river early the next morning, considering it a

good sign when the back of Glenns truck submerged in

the river while launching the boat. This is good because

now that the impending catastrophe was out of the way

we could relax and enjoy a peaceful day on the river.The second catastrophe, to our delight, was also taken

care of relatively quickly. The moment we pushed off

from shore the boat motor died. Although the new guy

seemed a little concerned, (rookie), Glenn and I took

it all in stride. Even crashing into the bridge piling

didnt dampen our enthusiasm. We were FISHING!

The new guy was able to get the motor running although

Im a little confused as to how this was possible with

the arm waving and shouting. He was able to ignore

it all with a calmness reminiscent of MacGyver. Wereturned to our original launch site, which I could tell

aggravated Glenn because, like me, he would have

pointed the boat down river rather than going back

where we had just come from. As it turns out the new

guy is an airline pilot and they tend to be cautious

when it comes to operating malfunctioning equipment.

We worked on the engine until it was running like a top

and then re-boarded the boat and pushed off from shore

for the second time that day. We quickly discovered

tops dont make good outboard motors, because the

engine died, and we found ourselves yet again hurling

down the Copper River without power. The best part

about your life flashing before your eyes in quick

succession is that your heart doesnt have to work too

hard to get back up to speed because it never really

slowed down from the last life threatening situation.

Im sure the Lord was sitting in heaven belly

laughing at this episode of the Three Stooges, but

despite the distraction of tear filled eyes, He was

able to save us by lodging us onto a gravel bar

before we hit the main channel and ended up in the

Gulf of Alaska. That is, if we had survived the trip

through the canyon gorges of the Copper River.

Saving my life was not all God did for me that day.

In fact, that was the easy part: teaching me a lesson

usually turns out to be the challenge.

Continued on page 7


7/8

Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission P.O. Box 230510 Anchorage, Alaska 99523-0510

Here is my support gift: For Credit Card Donations:Food and Shelter: $_____Facilities Maintenance: $_____$46.25 For 25 Meals ______

$74.00 For 40 Meals ______$132.20 For 72 Meals ______$277.50 For 150 Meals ______

______Other:______ I Will Pray for this Ministry.

I would like to charge my total donation of $__________________

Check One: Visa M/C Am/Ex Discover

Card Number __________________________________________Exp. Date: ______/______ Signature _______________________

Name:________________________________________________Address: ______________________________________________

Please send this coupon with your donations.

All credit card information is kept in strict confidenceMake checks payable to the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission

You will receive a receipt.

7

www.anch

orag

erescue.org

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eu.

org

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horagerescu

e.or

g

w.an

ceu.

We invite you to visit

us on the web or drop

us an e-mail with

your comments and

suggestions

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orag

erescue.org

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You can also

make your donations

on our secure

On-Line donation

page

about your will

Have you included the

Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission

in your Will or Estate?

If not will you please consider

including us. It would, indeed, be a

blessing to this ministry and it could

have eternal rewards for you.

god bless you!

Continued from page 6

The Lord began preparing me for this trip a month

in advance by directing me onto a bible study about

attitude. Ive learned my attitude is my choice and I

could have been depressed at not being able to fish that

day. Rather than wallow in my sorrow I chose to look

around me and marvel at Gods handy work. There I

was sitting in the Copper River Basin with beautiful

majestic mountain vistas to enjoy while Bald Eagles

soared above my head. What a blessed man I am!

The three of us left the river that day: a joyous group,

counting our blessings by praising the Lord and

thanking him for His love and kindness. Not only did

I leave the river with a new appreciation of God and

His glory but I was rewarded with a new friend, Vince,

who I can now proudly recommend to all those Great

Alaskan Adventures out there as a person who can risk

his life with the best of them.


8/8

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postal

PAIDAnchorage, AKPermit # 290

Anchorage

Gospel

MissionA Ministry of

Rescue & Recovery

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[email protected]

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P.O. Box 230510Anchorage, AK99523-0510(907) 563-5603

return service requested

STATEMENT OF FAITH

The Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission is a Non-Profit, Non-Denominationalorganization. We receive NO municipal, state or federal funds. We are not a UnitedWay Agency. Your financial support and In-Kind donations makes it possible for us to

provide for the poor, needy and homeless people in our community. Also, your donationsallow us to provide a Drug and Alcohol Recovery program. All Donations are fully taxdeductible. We will give you a receipt for your donation.

Associa

tion ofGo

sp

el

Missio

nsMember

resc

ue

urgent

Our supplies of theseitems is constantly in

need of replenishing

Prayer

Paper Towels

45 Gallon Trash Bags

Fresh Meat

Coffee

Bathroom Tissue

Laundry Soap

Disposable Shavers Cleaning Supplies

Liquid Dish Detergent

Dinner Napkins

Shampoo

urgent

Anchorage Gospel

Rescue Mission

Board of Trustees

Ed Shelton

(President)

Bob Collins( Vice President/treasure)

Enoch Adams

(Secretary)

Mark Soquet

Ralph Nobrega

Rev. Bob Sloan

Emeritus:

Cliff Hodgins

Rev. Willard Leisy

Advisory Board:

Paul Kelly

Rev. Don Bettis, Exec. Dir.

Charlotte Bettis, Asst. Dir.

resc

ue

recu

Our Ministry of

is to

the least

the last

the lost

Chapel Services for JulySunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1Anchorage

GospelSingers

2AnchorageVineyardFellowship

3First

PresbyterianChurch

4CalvaryBaptistChurch

5GodsPlace

6Abbott LoopCommunity

Church

7Anchorage

PilgrimNazarene

8Anchorage

Churchof Christ

9Christ

CommunityChurch

10CalvaryChurch

11Wasilla

Assemblyof God

12

GodsPlace

13

Churchof God ofProphecy

14

FirstAssembly ofGod

15

ChristianEvangelicalChurch

16

SherbahnEvangelisticTeam

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SherbahnEvangelisticTeam

18

LighthouseChristianFellowship

19GraceVictory

Fellowship

20Sherbahn

EvangelisticTeam

21Anchorage

NativeAssembly

22CalvaryBaptist

23EvangelicalCovenantChurch

24In His Name

SandyMcCollum

25Glenn

Hermann

26New Light

CommunityChurch

27CalvaryBaptist

28Attorney

Greg Grebe

29Change

Point

30Shiloh Baptist

Church

31Sherbahn

EvangelisticTeam

Nightly Services7:30 PM to 8:30 PM

July 2009 Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Newsletter

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Transcript of July 2009 Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Newsletter