February 2008
"Amazing love how can it be that you my king would die for me." The words of a song that we sing frequently were brought to mind recently as I was reminded of how much Jesus loves those that are so broken as we daily minister to them in The Shepherd's House.
Following chapel one night last week one of the men who has been so touched by God since he came to stay asked if he could talk to me. We sat in the chapel and he began telling me about his life. As he was sharing his story, he began to cry. I put my arms around him and he laid his head on my shoulder and repeated over and over two words that I hear often, "thank you." He told me that he had never been able to stay sober this long, and that he knew Jesus was in his life now.
I have become very aware as I walk through the mission of one wonderful thing, and that is that some day I will be sitting at a banquet table too beautiful to imagine, with many of these men because of Jesus' amazing love! I tell them that I am looking forward to sitting at that table with them someday.
The last few weeks have been a struggle. We have been hit with so many things, that at times the burden felt much too heavy to carry anymore. At those times, I have felt an outpouring of love and support from so many of you, and I know that God is supplying exactly what we need to go forward. Press in, and press on. I arrive at the mission in the morning, and many times there will be a note on my desk from one of our residents telling me how much The Shepherd's House means to him. The words always include "thank you," and many times they are followed by, "has saved my life."
As you probably know by now, we have had another appeal filed against us. It was filed by the same man, with a new set of attorneys. So once again we prepare for battle. We are not concerned with winning, for we know that it is not our battle, and that the battle is already won. But, it was disheartening because we are so busy doing the work we have been called to do, that we feel like we do not have the time to go through this again.
Thank God, we do have new staff in place now which will make the burden lighter. We met with city officials last week regarding this new appeal, and they are working with us to enable us to keep going. We explained to them that we do not have the finances to fight this right now, and are seeking help in that area. They have been wonderful to us, and I believe that God will bless them in their effort to help us.
The timing of this new appeal could not have been worse. We have just moved into our new group home, where we have two staff living with five staff trainees. We are finishing the work on the new thrift store, and will start moving into that next week. We hope to be open by March 1st, and are very excited about what God is doing there. All of the work has been done by residents of the mission, and they have done an exceptional job. What amazing, talented, kind men God has sent our way! Please plan on stopping by the new store, and if you see the men working there, tell them thank you.
We will be sending out a notice with the opening date, and the address, very soon. We are clearing out the building which had housed the store, and will be moving our offices there. This will give us a place to counsel and have our staff meetings in privacy. It will also allow Becky, our administrator, to have a place to work in a quiet atmosphere, which is much needed for bookwork.
We have had a lot of illness sweep through the mission, and a few of our men were hospitalized with pneumonia. Things are looking better now, and I believe we have come through that. We had five staff out sick, all within the same two week period. I am so proud of our staff, they came together, worked extra hours, and held each other up in prayer. We have a staff meeting every Thursday afternoon, and each time we meet, I realize how blessed I am to serve with such committed and Godly people.
We have talked a lot about the fact that those who serve at The Shepherd's House, serve there for one reason, that being that it is their passion to do this work. It is a calling to do this kind of work, and it takes a very special kind of person. It takes a person who knows what sacrifice of self means. Thank you, Lord, for your faithful sons and daughters.
We are averaging about fifty men a night, and are trying to save the extra ten beds for emergencies. We are feeding over 100 meals a day, and are extremely busy throughout the day with counseling, mentoring, and all of the other areas of need. We are seeking volunteers, and need to increase our volunteer base. There are so many ways you could help if you choose to volunteer. Some of the areas we need help with are as simple as driving a man to the DMV to get his ID card, running someone to the store to pick up his prescriptions, or just sitting down in the chapel with someone with your Bible and sharing with him.
Let us know if you feel like getting involved. We can always find a spot for you. Volunteering not only blesses the people, but I know it will bless you!
This has been a long and harsh winter for us, and even more so for those who are homeless. I am thankful for the sun that we have had for the past week. This winter has cost at least two men their lives, cost legs, toes, and the health of many others. There have been at least twelve cases of frostbite that the hospital has treated. I am so thankful that we were able to open before this rough winter hit. Thank you. It is because of you that we were able to provide a safe and warm home for so many men, and services for many women and children also.
As we proceed ahead in 2008, please keep us in your prayers. We continue to seek financial support as we expand with more services, so please keep us in mind for this ongoing need. We will be having another appreciation luncheon this spring, so plan on attending. If you missed the last one, you missed a very special time. If you haven't been in for a visit lately, please drop in and say hi, and meet the new Assistant Director and the rest of our new staff. We love visits!
God Bless You Abundantly,
Lynda Johnson
Executive Director