The Rest of the Story....

After several months of not having time to share and being just a little to busy for my own good, I thought it would be a good idea to pick up on the blog that I posted on February 21, 2009. In that particular blog I shared how Scott and I ended up running a rescue mission. How God used what I believed was a simple invitation to visit ladies in jail to a full time change in direction for both our lives.


After several years of housing women in our home Scott and I felt as if God was pushing us out of our comfort zone into a full time rescue mission work. We had no idea what we were doing, but knew that in time and after much faith, prayer, study and research (both in the Word of God and about rescue missions) we felt we were ready to go for it. Let me just say, I learned more about addiction and the needs of abused and neglected women and children during the time that I opened my home up than I could have ever learned sitting in any class room or reading any book. There were times I felt as if I had been there with many of the women. Yes, I know I was not, but yet making my home their home enabled us to share a union or bond that tore down all the walls of indifference and prejudice.

Many people ask, Why do you call yourself a rescue mission? We feel we have been called by God to help rescue a particular group of people that is so often overlooked. First of all, in the United States of America drug addiction is becoming a cancer among all people. We used to think of drug addiction as only affecting a certain sect or group of people. We have found after several years of this ministry that drug addiction is affecting all people. It does not matter the color of their skin,whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, addiction knows no boundaries and is not prejudice in who it takes down. Our work as a rescue mision does not involve what most normal rescue missions find themselves doing. We feel, as if our rescue work intales helping people not only with daily housing and food, but with deep underlying issues that have affected them in such a way that they feel being addicted to something is the only way they can make it through a day. for us, this means that we must spend time with those individuals, lots of time! We must be willing each day to help these women to somehow cope with the simple tasks of the day. Tasks that include getting up, eating, and taking care of yourself. Learning how to keep a daily schedule. Learning job skills and finishing your education. Connecting and coping with feelings that you haven't experienced in so long you forgot what it was like to feel. Around the mission we have a saying that many of the women can relate too, "the normal has become abnormal and the abnormal has become normal"! What we may feel are very normal everyday tasks for someone in addiction is soooooo far away from normal that the normal feels abnormal. Let me just say right here, if God were not in this, it would sooooooo impossible to do! When you are asking someone who has lived their life doing whatever it takes to get their high( and survive doing it) and ask them to stop and basically "smell the roses", boy, is that abnormal to the them, YES, and normal to me, YES! The two worlds collide and how does it work? Again, God! He is the only way it can work. I have to admit there are days that I feel as if I cannot go on and yet, The Word of God refreshes and the Holy spirit renews and sometimes I get a good old fashion "Whoopin" as a reminder that God is in control and not me! So hence, once again Scott and I have to stop and "smell the roses", slow down and listen to God and allow Him to do the work that only He can do. If not, it is all in vain and we miss the beautiful glory and power of God being seen not only in our lives, but in the lives of those around us..

Ephesians 3: 14-21, Paul expresses a prayer that basically is coming out of what he is experiencing and seeing happen in the lives of the believers. The key "gifts" are power and love. I feel this is a great expression of what we are seeing God do in our lives and in the lives of those we minister to daily.

For this reason I kneel before the father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through the spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullnes of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen.