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The Mission Newsletter – September 2013

Union Rescue Mission’s Chef Delilah knows that Thanksgiving is about more than great food – it’s about family.

All my life, I wanted to be a chef. I spent my childhood watching chefs like Paula Deen and Rachael Ray on TV, and I dreamed of one day hosting my own cooking show. I never dreamed of cooking meals on Skid Row.

So after high school, I pursued my dream and studied at the Cordon Bleu cooking school. Later, I catered food for the Twilight films, TV shows like True Blood and Desperate Housewives, and even for the Oscars and the Grammys! I was on my way!

But God had other plans. In April 2011, Union Rescue Mission invited me to cook full-time for men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. Tiring of the instability of catering work, I thought, Sure. Why not?

Skid Row didn’t intimidate me – but suddenly having to prepare meals for 2,000 people per day sure did! At first, it was hard to keep up. I’d never worked so hard. But that was nothing compared to Thanksgiving – and the prospect of serving 4,000 people at one time!

I’d never spent Thanksgiving with people experiencing homelessness.

I didn’t know what to expect. Thanksgiving was always one of the best days of the year in my family – the food, the laughter, the hugs, and the family bonding. What would it be like on Skid Row?

There was so much food to prepare, we had to start a week before. We baked pasta, prepared yams, mixed gravy, and made stuffing. I cooked almost 100 turkeys in five hours – it was crazy! The final two days leading up to our Thanksgiving event, I never went to bed. As guests showed up to eat, I worked in the kitchen. My back hurt, my feet ached, I was covered in sweat. But I still had no idea how the event was going.

Finally, about 3:00 p.m., my boss said, “Let’s go look.” It was unbelievable. The decorations, the music and happiness – thousands of people who may have been struggling in their personal lives, but today they were family. And I thought, Yeah, this is what it’s all about.

Now, Thanksgiving is already around the corner again, and I’m already looking forward to it – even the exhaustion, pain, and adrenaline. But more important, I’m looking forward to family. Yes, the men, women, and children at Union Rescue Mission are my family now.

This Thanksgiving, you ask me what I’m grateful for? Serving here. There was a time I worked in the midst of all the glitter and glamour of Hollywood. Now I can’t see myself working anywhere but Skid Row.

 

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Help make this year’s Thanksgiving our best one ever with your generous gift today!

Click here to Donate now!

Chef Delilah is not only a first-class cook, her personality lights up the room. She helped make last year’s Thanksgiving our best celebration ever!

Every year at Thanksgiving, we invite more than 4,000 men, women, and children experiencing homelessness into our “home” for a special party, complete with all the hugs, love, and laughter that make this a true “family” event.

I think it’s this “family” spirit that makes our Thanksgiving celebrations so remarkable. Time and time again, I hear hurting men and women tell me that was the day that convinced them to give life another try.

But our Thanksgiving isn’t possible without caring people like you. So as we approach the season, thank you for being part of this big, extraordinary family!

Blessings,

“Monday at the Mission” Celebrates its 3rd Anniversary!

MATM

“You are special now,”

“Not a year from now, not when you are older, not yesterday, you are special— now.”

Christopher Kai opened up the 3rd anniversary of URM’s Teen Life Skills class with an encouragement that every teen struggling with homelessness needs to hear; in fact, it is what we ALL need to hear. Our identity should not be wrapped around our titles, our salaries, or our successes—but who are intrinsically. And that’s what makes us special.

We went around introducing every single student and volunteer and applauded them. The exercise was clear—even if it was for a brief moment each teen gets to be recognized as one with worth, and that small realization can go a long way living in the merciless streets of Skid Row.

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Christopher then took us through the history of URM and the Life Skills class with an array of numbers.

122 — The number of years URM has been around

127 — The number of Teen Life Skills classes

107 — The number of unique speakers at the class

59 — The number of careers that have been represented

16 — The number of the different states the volunteers are from

13 — The number of countries represented from the volunteers

1 — The reason why the volunteers all come is to help, to guide, to inspire.

And what’s a celebration without food?

One of the volunteers had donated a delicious catered dinner for all the teens and volunteers! Included in the meal were salads, potstickers, chicken wings, and what one teen would describe as a “fancy” cookie.

One of the other highlights of the night came in the words of a former student. She got up in front of the class and began to tell us about her journey since her first life skills class three years ago. She shared that just because you were homeless in middle school doesn’t mean your life is over. Her life has had its ups and downs, but Christopher Kai and the other volunteers had changed her—she now had a vision for her future.

She ended with this poem she wrote.

“Knock Knock,

who’s there?

It’s Christopher Kai, I’m here to save your life.”

I hope to see this class celebrating its 5th year anniversary soon.

Taking Steps Toward Your Dreams

 

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“Hey, this guy is on Facebook!”
“That’s his job, Deshay”

And that’s how my first experience at the teen LifeSkills class began. I had tried to blend into the background, to be an invisible observer, but that just wasn’t an option. On Monday nights, everyone participates—everyone is part of the group.

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These Life Skills Classes have been going on for almost three years—this particular one was class #126. Christopher Kai (an entrepreneur among many other things) is the lead volunteer, and has devoted every Monday night (sans holidays) to enrich the lives of the teens at the Mission. Each lesson encourages, inspires, and teaches the students how to work toward their dreams. He also has an awesome and diverse group of volunteer mentors: a former marine, an preschool teacher, a wealth manager, a model/photographer, and a ballerina.

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From the moment the door opened up you could feel the excitement emanating from the teens. As they entered the room, their faces would light up—one right after the next. You could definitely tell this class was one of the highlights of their week, a place of retreat from the monotony of Mission life. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Chris approach all of the first timers and make an effort to memorize all of their names. Impressive indeed.

Today’s meeting revolved around the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech”.

“We are each made exactly 99.6% the same,” Chris explained as he pointed to individuals in the group. He continued on how MLK fought for civil rights and how it’s significance in history affected not only those in America, but to all people worldwide.

We were then broken up into three groups in a little exercise to the roof.

Each group was given a mentor and instructions on how to tackle the flights of stairs before us. The first group would ascend to the top by skipping as many steps as possible, the second would skip every other step, and finally the third would take every step.

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When all of us finally reached the rooftop we regrouped under the cityscape of downtown LA. The exercise was designed to show that whether we are skipping steps or taking our time with each individual stair, we are all on our individual journey. All we needed to focus on is our dreams and the goals we needed to set to get there.

If anyone is interested in volunteering, please visit: www.fb.com/mondaysatthemission or email Christopher Kai directly at Chris@christopherkai.com

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How Will We Ever End (Slow) Homelessness?

Andy's Blog

A few years ago URM came up with a 10 step plan to end homelessness that we really believed in. Our goal was to get all people off the streets of Skid Row by 2016. You can view the well thought out plan at You Are The Mission.

Our Federal government, local Chamber of Commerce, United Way, and others also came up with a plan called Home For Good LA—they believed this would end chronic and veteran’s homelessness in Los Angeles by 2016.

Despite the well intended plans of many, homelessness has increased by 16% in the Los Angeles area in the last two years. Though veterans’ homelessness has decreased with the increased attention, single male and female homelessness has increased in spite of the increased Home for Good focus on these two groups of individuals experiencing homelessness.

Prior to 2012, there were several years where the number of people residing on Skid Row in Los Angeles was decreasing. This year, the numbers of people on the streets have jumped dramatically. In fact, I have never seen so many people on the streets of Skid Row in my nearly 14 years of volunteering or working here. It is frustrating to admit that whatever we are all doing; including the Federal Government, local government, local Chamber, United Way, Home For Good LA, and others — we are not ending homelessness.

The theory of focusing on the “anchor” people (who have been chronically homeless for years) and getting them off of the streets, so that homelessness would end, is simply not valid.

By shifting most of the resources on the few (10% to 20% of those experiencing homelessness – the Chronic and Veterans), most of the resources have shifted away from the other 80% to 90% experiencing homelessness; families, children, those on the edge and falling in and out of homelessness—and left them out in the cold.

Studies of adults experiencing chronic homelessness suggest that they were once chronically impoverished or homeless children, which may very well mean today’s chronically impoverished & homeless children will be tomorrow’s chronically homeless adults. This leads me to predict that efforts put forth by all of those focused only on the few right now will actually lead to increased homelessness — not only in the now and near future, but in the long run. In fact, I would declare right now we have an epidemic of homelessness that will only increase.

One of my respected and trusted peers, Larry Adamson, CEO and President of The Midnight Mission, says our Federal Government’s plan calls for people receiving housing and depending on the government in perpetuity. Neither Larry nor I believe this is a sustainable plan now or in the future as homelessness continues to increase.

Another knowledgeable trusted colleague has a more cynical view toward our Federal Government’s plan. He and others believe the plan is to make people experiencing homelessness obscure and out of sight, stuck away in very small quarters without the services they so desperately need to turn their lives around. Union Rescue Mission believes in ending homelessness, one life at a time, through Life Transformation. We believe our role in this challenge of homelessness is life transformation, followed by a job, followed by a home.

I’m not here to put the blame on anyone in particular. The truth is no one can keep up with the increasing numbers of people experiencing homelessness our American Culture is producing.

One of the most common denominators for homelessness is isolation. Too often we hear “I have no ties to family” as the first of many issues that led to a guest becoming homeless. Families were disintegrated or bridges were burned, young people have ended up in foster care and then left foster care only to end up homeless or in prison and on their own. The reality is that broken relationships result in broken lives. Broken people lose touch with their humanity, their dignity, and their value as a person created by God. They are truly lost.

Many of the people who come to us are lost and don’t know it. Some are lost and have ceased to care. At Union Rescue Mission we believe our job is to reach out to them one life at a time with the most potent alternative, a relationship with Christ. It is our job to present the Gospel in words, actions, and commitment. Then and only then can the cycle of isolation, lack of family, lack of community that can lead to addiction, mental illness and yes, even homelessness be broken.

Until we address our families and culture of isolation, and develop a heart that will not allow even one person to be on their own living on the streets, we will not end homelessness.

Blessings,

andysig

 


Rev. Andy Bales

Written with assistance from URM teammates: Chaplain Steve Borja, Jacqui Groseth, and  Kitty Davis-Walker.

The Mission Newsletter – August 2013

 

 

Thelma

Thelma grew up in a family of 12. Her father was a very strict pastor, especially when it came to church. “He made us go to church two or three days a week, and we didn’t have a choice,” she recalls. “But I never really understood God. All I knew was that I hated going to church because I was made to go.”

Thelma says her father was controlling, angry, mean, and even physically abusive. “It reached a point where I had taken enough abuse, so I ran away.”

She was 13.

On the streets, Thelma says she initially felt free, “because I was able to do what I wanted to do. But I made a lot of bad choices.”

Those choices included alcohol, cigarettes, barbiturates, and, later, harder drugs, such as PCP and crack cocaine — and she had three children along the way. When Thelma became addicted to crack, she lost custody of her kids.

“I couldn’t hold on to a job or an apartment,” she says. “I started living out of abandoned houses. Men beat and abused me. I started hustling and stealing — even from my own family. I got high to live, and lived to get high. It was a sad, hard life. Next thing I know, 25 years of my life went by.”

Through it all, she blamed God, believing He was punishing her, and that He didn’t care. But when she was busted for drug possession in 1998, Thelma hit rock bottom while sitting in a jail cell. Tired and scared, she cried out to God.

“God heard me,” she recalls. “In jail, I got saved. God filled me with peace and turned my life around. That’s when I found out that with God, all things are possible.”

Soon Thelma reconciled with her entire family, including her children. But God had even more for her. Part of her transformation also took place at Union Rescue Mission. When Thelma applied for a job at URM in 2001, she found a home. She has been working with men, women, and children experiencing homelessness ever since. Today she is URM’s Supervisor of Hospitality and Guest Services.

“I feel so blessed,” she says. “This is right where I need to be, helping people. God has shown me so much love, kindness, and compassion. That’s what I want to show our guests here at the Mission. I want them to know someone cares.”

Summer Heat Alert!

When temperatures rise on Skid Row, the harshness of these streets turns even crueler for people experiencing homelessness. Right now, people are suffering from life-threatening, heat-related illnesses on the sidewalks outside our doors. And we desperately need your help.

Every summer, donations drop way off. Worse, right now we’re facing a serious and dramatic financial shortfall that’s threatening our ability to meet the needs of precious souls who need our help this summer.

Your Gift Offers Hope to Hot, Thirsty People on Skid Row

Your kindness will make a huge difference. Your gift today will provide not just water, but also cool shelter, nutritious meals, and another day of hope — in Jesus’ name — to these precious people who need your help the most this summer. So please send the most generous gift you can today. Thank you!

 

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Grit and Grace

I hope you read Thelma’s story in this issue of The Mission. She’s one special lady. After spending so many years struggling with drugs and homelessness herself, she offers extraordinary understanding and compassion to our guests. She has a big heart and refuses to give up on anyone. At the same time, she’s also wise and tough as nails, when she has to be. But in Thelma, it’s all love, all the time.

And when you’re working with people who are coming in off these streets of Skid Row, that combination of compassion and tough love is essential. These streets make people tough or they die. And we have to match their toughness with equal amounts of grit and grace.

But we do it because we truly believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ can transform lives, no matter how damaged they are. The power of that gospel transformed Thelma’s life. And it’s transforming the lives of countless numbers of people at URM.

With your caring support, we live out that gospel whenever we offer hurting people food, shelter, counseling, medical and dental care, and more. That’s what makes Thelma special. And thanks to you, it’s what makes Union Rescue Mission special.

Blessings,

 

Laker Jordan Farmar Sponsors URM Kids for Basketball Camp

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“Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump…”

The sound of bouncing basketballs fill the stadium. If you closed your eyes for just a few seconds, it sounded like rain pattering on the rooftops. A hundred kids were dribbling their basketballs in unison—performing an unorthodox orchestral piece. This was the final day of Jordan Farmar’s 6th annual Hoop Farm, and I was ready to soak it all in. 

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Hoop Farm 2013 was held from July 29 through August 1 at UCLA’s brand new Pauley Pavilion. Children within the range of 7-16 are able to attend the camp, and Union Rescue Mission was blessed to be able to send a group fully sponsored by Jordan Farmar’s Foundation. Each student sent received an official Hoop Farm t-shirt, reversible jersey, and yoga mat!

To start the day off, the participants rolled out their yoga mats and began their stretching. I took some personal notes as my own flexibility leaves something to be desired. Then the “real” basketball training began, where the basketball court transformed something akin to a rotating organic clock—each timed station would teach an important basketball fundamental. Pushups, dribbling, defense, plyometrics; all combined would give the individual the tools to become a well-rounded player. Most importantly, the whole camp emphasized teamwork and cooperation—and it showed in the scrimmages to come.

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One of the highlights of the day was the camp “Knockout” game. The interesting part about this game was the long line of participants (20+), and included Jordan Farmar and all of the coaches.

But the finale was what everyone was waiting in anticipation for. The camp held a final scrimmage—teams combined of coaches and children. Amazingly enough, the kids were able to hold their own versus the much more physically dominant counselors; many of them members of the UCLA basketball team. I was in awe at the level of play exhibited towards the end, and with each passing photograph wondered if I had just taken the picture of the next NBA star. Who knows?

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It’s Time for Fun in the Sun!

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Summer.

Water squirters, hoses, slip-n-slides, community pools. Freedom.

Growing up, summer was the time school books were thrown aside as my neighborhood went out in force to wreck liquid mayhem. Clothes were drenched, lawns unintentionally watered, friendships/alliances were solidified on the Janna St. battlefield. Though memories of the other aspects of my childhood have faded over time, the ones I’ve had of summer are vibrant.

That’s why I was so excited for Union Rescue Mission’s annual Splash Zone event. Other than the fact that it takes place on our roof.

 

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You could tangibly feel the anticipation build up in the kids. Their eyes quickly darted back and forth as our staff was laying down the ground rules for the event. I don’t think anyone was really listening; everyone’s focus was on the huge water slides and the nearing fun to be had. I know I wasn’t hearing a thing.

The kids got more and more excited; each declaring his or her near-future aquatic heroics as they were handed their water squirters. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Perfect LA weather.

And then the beautiful pandemonium began.

No one was safe. Dodging the streams of water was futile, and many of the adults jumped right in. For much of the day it felt like it was raining; a downpour of joy.

Children who know far too well the pains of homelessness were soaked completely through; with water, laughter, and a whole lot of love.

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We would like to thank Calvary Chapel of Pacific Palisades for sponsoring this event. Even more, they came out to volunteer and spend time interacting and playing with the kids. Without their help we wouldn’t be able to give these children the summer many of us were lucky enough to experience.

 

Christmas… in July!

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Last Wednesday, Union Rescue Mission had over 20 tons of snow blanket our San Julian parking lot for our annual Christmas in July event. Children from URM and our Hope Gardens Family Center got to experience a winter wonderland set up by our friends at Subway. Many of our staff channelled their inner child to jump on in. Even our CEO, Andy Bales, got to join in on the fun, walking boot and all!

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For many of the children, this would be the first time they would be able to see actual snow. The joy of being able to reach down and carefully palm the icy coldness into a ball and then watch it soar through the air is something you could never really explain in words or in pictures. It is meant to be experienced.

As is the feeling of getting one thrown right at you.

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Rounding out the festivities were carnival games—basketball hoops, dunk tank, ball throw, and cotton candy and kettle corn booths operated by our awesome volunteers. Finally, we raffled off some great prizes with “Summer Santa” making an appearance!

We’d like to thank Subway for sponsoring this event and suppling all of the guests with a catered Subway Sandwich lunch!

The Mission Newsletter – July 2013

Brian

All my life, I felt alone, isolated, like I never really fit anywhere. Even in my own family. Instead of connecting with friends, I retreated into a world of art and fantasy. From the age of 3 or 4, I would spend hours, or even days, drawing characters, making up stories, living in a world that existed only in my head and in my art.

My parents didn’t understand and tried many different ways to change me. So as a teenager, I rebelled — dabbling with LSD, mescaline, mushrooms, whatever I could get my hands on. Hallucinogens brought my art to life. And I loved it. Before long, I was eating 50 to 100 hits a day.

Then I found crystal meth. And that was it. Meth enabled me to focus on my art at a whole new level. Not only that, I could draw for three days straight, until my body would collapse from exhaustion. But I craved it.

Somehow, in all that insanity, I got married in my early 20s. My wife even gave birth to two sons. But both were born with serious health problems. My first son was born with DiGeorge Syndrome, kind of a cross between autism and Down Syndrome. My second son was born with an incurable heart condition and I had to make the heart-breaking decision to take him off life support. When he died, so did my marriage.

The Loneliness of Homelessness

After that, everything fell apart. My wife fell into prostitution and heroin addiction. My surviving son ended up with my wife’s aunt. And I ended up living on the streets for the next seven years, isolated and alone, disconnected from everyone but my drug dealers.

But as I grew lonelier and more exhausted, I wanted to change. That’s when I came to Union Rescue Mission. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, but when I walked inside the building, the compassion and love I felt brought me to tears. I felt known, like everyone here could see me — the real me. I wasn’t alone anymore. And something about that made me want to be the best man I could be.

The Real Me

I gave my life to Jesus that first day and I have never craved drugs since. I took advantage of every service the Mission offered, from health and dental care, to counseling and spiritual care. They met every need I had. And I have never felt so alive physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I’ve rebuilt relationships with my family, and even my son. And, I returned to school, and I’m now working full-time as a graphic artist.

I never knew this kind of life was possible, and I never would have experienced it apart from Union Rescue Mission. Because the people here were willing to show me compassion and love me, I am a real person now. URM didn’t give me my life back. The truth is, I never had a life. What I can say is, thanks to URM, I now have a life.

 

13URM07NL URM July 13 NL_Pkg.inddMen and women trapped in homelessness often have significant barriers to overcome before they can return to a productive life. Agencies like Union Rescue Mission offer structured, long-term recovery programs that have helped thousands of individuals and families address and overcome their obstacles and return to the community as productive citizens.

To learn more about our 10-Step plan please click here

 

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Notes from Andy

Healing the Past — Building for the Future

Brian, who tells his story in this issue of The Mission, is one of those guys who’s so sharp and “with it,” it’s hard to imagine why he lived the life he did. But in many ways, he reminds me of my son Isaac.

Like Brian, Isaac struggled through adolescence. It wasn’t easy for him to be my son, and for many years he walked a different path than I would have. Honestly, I spent those years parenting from my knees — praying. But like Brian, Isaac found his way. And today, Brian and Isaac are both fine young men.

Transforming lives like Brian’s is what Union Rescue Mission is all about. We embrace people experiencing homelessness with the compassion of Christ, offering them hope and healing, and helping them find their way home. We help them heal the physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds that led them here in the first place, through counseling, legal aid, medical and dental care, and spiritual nurturing. But then we also offer them building blocks, like education and job training, to help them construct brand new lives.

Body. Mind. Soul. Spirit. It’s what our Mission is all about. But it’s not just our Mission. It’s yours, too. You are the Mission. And nothing happens here apart from you. Thank you.

Blessings,

andysig

Rev. Andy Bales

Congratulations To Our Graduates!

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Yesterday, Union Rescue Mission had the honor of recognizing 14 brave men who graduated from our  Christian Life Discipleship Program (CLDP). CLDP is an intensive year long program that affects the entire life – physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social. Each of these men have had to face personal demons, mend broken relationships, and most of all—discover their true self as created in the image of God.

Graduates of the CLDP complete:

  • 156 Hours of Bible/recovery classes
  • 50 hours of Biblical 12 steps
  • 200 hours of Physical Fitness
  • 49 weeks of Sunday church attendance
  • 104 hours of devotions in URM Family devotions
  • 200 hours of participation in the Bank of America Learning Center
  • 1200 hours of work therapy in one of URM’s departments
  • 30 hours of individual counseling with a URM chaplain

Needless to say, we are very proud of each and every one of these men, and are excited to see how their future in Christ unfolds.

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We also want to thank Keynote speaker, Dr. Paul Flores, from Church of the Redeemer for his rousing words on how this world is not our home. And for our musical guest, Lavonne Seetal, wife of our very own Reverend Walter Seetal, for sharing her stirring musical talent.

As all you courageous graduates move forward in your recovery, be reminded of what your fellow-graduate, Tramon, said in his speech,

“When the devil reminds you of your past, remind the devil of his future”