07-01-10

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Dear brothers and sisters, God bless you. Rather than recite as usual the particulars pertaining to all the meals, over 30,000 last month (I couldn’t help it J), and social service helps for thousands of poor families and homeless men, women, and little children that our Rescue Mission, with your help, was instrumental in providing last month, let us focus upon just one person, a man (we shall call him David) who joined our staff as a Ministerial Volunteer In Training on April 4^th of 2010, only a few months ago, and has since grown into an excellent example of the gracious rehabilitation through Jesus Christ that is ongoing daily at our Rescue Mission. The following is the testimony of “David,” an ordinary man of the world who owned his own home, was an electrician specializing in refrigeration, had a good job, a car, a family, and a son and a daughter, and has nothing except God now:

I was thirteen the first time I had a drink. It was to a blackout! Little did I know I was on the road of a 27 year drunk. Of course there were sober points to my life, just never very long and most of them were not voluntary. I will save you from the long war stories other than the drinking and drugging through those years was a horror story in real life. Always searching for something I could never attain. Living with an empty feeling and wanting to fill it with anything.

After many trips to jail and two trips to prison [for battery on police officers], I was sure I was over the insanity; but, I went through a very bad loss and ran back to the one that was always there – the bottle. At least that’s what I thought, aside from my self-pity party, this time I was done! I managed to drink myself out of another good job, my home [through foreclosure], my license to drive [DUI], my son and daughter [loss custody when she was one year old] and desire to ever live. I always knew there was a God but to this point He had never done anything for me; at least, that’s what I believed!

Looking back now, of course he kept me alive! I was homeless “wow” and ended up at [XXX]. There I could drink all I wanted and no one seemed to care. I did look for work for a few months, but I really didn’t want to live, so who cared if I did look for work for a few months? On Tuesday in March, 2010 I was in a state of desperation. I remember screaming at God, “If you don’t get me real help, I will drink myself to death!”

Without wanting to or even thinking about it, I ended up at a place called the Crosspointe Church that same night. I was drunk, of course, who gets into Church drunk? At any rate, something happened there. The people didn’t judge me. They welcomed me and cared. But, I was more interested in getting back to drinking myself to death. For a few days, the Chaplain from the church kept calling me [on my cell phone] and I really didn’t want to be a rude drunk so I answered most of the time. He prayed over the phone with me the last time he called and the next day I went to the Suncoast Haven of Rest for lunch. I decided to leave my phone and all that I owned behind to go back to the street.

Before I went to the Haven, I had been having horrible nightmares and my head ached for two or three days. When I arrived at the Haven, a lady kept staring at me and soon she walked up to me and said “God sent you here.” I thought she was crazy! She asked if she could pray for me and I was too dead inside to say no. We sat in the corner and she placed her hands on my back and asked God to remove my headache of three days and save me. At the time I was drunk, all of a sudden I was sober! My headache was gone and, for whatever reason, I found hope inside me! I found myself in Pastor Lionel’s office being put on staff! That was exactly 7 days after I was at Crosspointe!

The Suncoast Haven of Rest has become more than a place for me to work. I had done everything else you can think of except serve God. I am learning that Christ can save anyone…he saved me! I am learning how to love God and others. I am learning how to serve God and serve others. All I’ve ever done was serve myself! I am learning how to submit to Christ and be used by Him. I have been blessed to be a part of [leading] six people coming to Christ! Wow! The Lord will even use me. I am learning the Word of God and the truth is what has set me free!

I had no reason to live, now I have every reason to live and live abundantly! I have had a business and a home, cars, money, women and everything the world can offer; still, I hated life and never knew happiness. Today, I own nothing, have turned from the world and have nothing but joy and peace! Most important, I have Christ and he has me. Thank you, Lord!

Dear brothers and sisters, I must remark with some surprise that the more often I re-read David’s brief testimony, the deeper the personal impact it has upon me. It is as if my mind is unable to assimilate all the meanings and nuances at once, but, like gentle puddles of resting rain, they slowly sink downward into the soft soil of my embracing consciousness. The more I read his testimony, the more wonderful it appears. J God bless “David.” Thank you Lord.

HOW ONE MAN’S BURDEN CAN BECOME

ANOTHER MAN’S BLESSING

Every faithful reader of this newsletter is a partner and willing participant with us, sharing in the works and also sharing in the joyful rewards of God’s wonderful eternal work being accomplished daily at this Rescue Mission. Therefore please allow me to further enlighten you regarding the financial circumstances of our Rescue Mission. Strangely enough, on the supply side, our Rescue Mission continues to gradually increase in loving donors offering sacrificial financial gifts, but the monthly accumulated total of those dollar donations continues to numerically decease, i.e., more donors, less donations. And on the demand side, we are saving and serving and feeding more men, women, and little children living in poor domiciled families, and needy homeless persons than ever before. Since Christmas, we have been experiencing a monetary deficit of two to three thousand dollars per month, which is, conservatively speaking, twenty to thirty percent of our need, and more often thirty percent. That adds up rather quickly. Actually, I lately consider it a good month when we wind up with only a two thousand dollar deficit. What were we to do?

Well, after several months of earnest prayer, heated discussions, consternation, alarm, anxiety, and eventual resigned dismay, our Board of Directors applied for and received a mortgage (burden) on the Rescue Mission property payable at $725 per month over the next 15 years. We reasoned that in order to remain open to win lost souls to Christ and to feed His sheep, we are obliged to pay our bills, and the current donations forthcoming, although we are exceedingly grateful and thankful for them and for each of you, are not sufficient to keep the doors open. Therefore, in lieu of closing, we have accepted an additional burden of $725 per month, and we are asking you to help us support this additional burden in whatever way the Lord our God leads you. Please pray about this burden which is very heavy for us now, but may quickly become light with the help of many bearers; ask God what He would have you do in these Last Days, be they your last days or the world’s Last Days, both soon upon us, and let us do good for God while we are still able. Thank you dear brothers and sisters. God bless you.

Sincerely,

Rev. Lionel

(Prov 11:30) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

(Dan 12:2,3) And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.