Giovanna knows nothing glitters as bright as her future

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IX
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August 2012
LIFTING YOUR SPIRITS THROUGH STORIES OF HOPE
Giovanna knows nothing glitters
as bright as her future
A
year ago, a 24-year-old Giovanna walked down the Las Vegas strip paying little attention to the glittering lights
and video screens that surrounded her. Her mind was in a fog, trying to ignore the harsh realities of her new job;
a job that would finally get her the money she desperately needed.
It had been almost a year since she left her one-year-old daughter in Phoenix hoping to find a way to support her.
What she found however, was a series of setbacks that had left her
virtually broke and with very few options. She had already done
things to get by in this town that she wasn’t proud of. But
tonight, desperation would take her somewhere she never
wanted to be.
It was her first night as a prostitute.
With each step down the boulevard, the thought of
what she was about to do weighed heavier and heavier on
her heart. Stopping for a moment, she looked up at her
destination, a hotel that was still a few blocks away. She
reminded herself again why she needed this job so badly,
but all the reasons she came up with seemed trivial when
compared to what was about to happen. All of them
except one.
In her mind, she conjured up that sweet little face, the original reason she had come to Vegas. Steeling herself against
the fear, she thought “This is for my daughter” as she resumed walking towards her
“Walking down that
first assignment.
But fortunately for Giovanna, God had a better plan for her life.
God steps in
sidewalk… all of a sudden
everything just hit me
and all I could think of
is ‘What are you doing
Giovanna?’”
“Walking down that sidewalk… all of a sudden everything just hit me and all
I could think of is ‘What are you doing Giovanna?’ I finally snapped out of it and
realized for the first time what this lifestyle would do to my daughter. How could I expose her to this and not expect her to
follow my footsteps?”
continued on page 4
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keeping the main thing,
MAINthing
the
a message from Jay Cory, President and CEO
I’m proud to announce that this month marks the first year
anniversary of our Changing Lives Center for Women and Children!
Currently we have 36 women and children residing on our three acre
campus; all of them experiencing the healing and restoration that is
only possible because of your love and support!
I can tell you, it’s been an exciting year. If you read Giovanna’s
story on page 1, you know the hand of God is hard at work in the lives of each of these women. They’ve all made great
strides in their recovery. In fact, five of them have earned back the custody of their children through our collaborative
relationship with Child Protective Services!
There is still room to grow. This year we’ve rolled out a few new programs designed to meet the unique recovery needs
of women and their children. Our Mother’s Mentor program is designed to strengthen the bond between mother and
child by setting aside time for crafting activities with other parents and their children. Our career development program
assists women with finding stable career opportunities here in the Valley. We’ve even cultivated partnerships with other
organizations that allow our women to benefit from nutrition and cooking classes, gardening workshops and online college
education.
Through God’s grace, this has been a great first year and the future is looking bright for our women. I want to say
thank you to friends like you who made this wonderful place possible and continue to support these women through their
recovery. Please keep praying for our success and the success of each woman in our program. God bless!
P.S. I’ve got something really exciting coming up for you in the next issue. I can’t say much right now but we’re
planning on implementing something big in October, something we’ve been working on for the past year! Make sure you
check out the next newsletter for the unveiling of the 4 R’s! Until then, have a great rest of your summer!
Thank YOU!
DHL Express, Tempe
McDowell Mountain Community
Vangent Inc.
La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church
Mark Kia and 98 KUPD “Holmberg’s Morning
Sickness”
Assa Abloy Phoenix
Desert Springs Community Church
Phoenix Christian Reformed Church
Price Kong & Co
Rowe Family Charitable Foundation
Lerner & Rowe Gives Back
Diversified Human Resources Inc.
Christ Church Anglican
Stone Creek Church
MCSO Lower Buckeye Jail
West Greenway Bible Church
The Mission would like to thank the following organizations who have generously
donated much needed bottles of water this summer. You’ve saved LIVES!
HMShost
Mountain View Lutheran Church
Burns & McDonnell
Free Masons Lodge
Veterans Of Foreign Wars # 6310
Apollo Baptist Church
Girl Scouts - Arizona Cactus - Pine Council
Church at South Mountain
Light & Life Church
Aeropostale
Mercury Mine Elementary School
Walgreens, Chandler
White Tanks Southern Baptist Church
Mountain Valley Church
Maricopa Environmental Sevices
Sunrise Mountain Baptist Church
Two Rivers Church
2
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Neonology Associates Ltd.
Marriott International - West Southwest Sales
University Of Phoenix
Crosspoint Baptist Church
Grace Lutheran Church
Happy Valley Baptist Church
Ameribank
Valley Community Church Of Peoria
Sun Lakes Community Church
Mountain Park Community Church
United Postal Service
Salt & Light Christian Church
Cox Communications
Abundant Grace Ministries
Calvary Chapel of Scottsdale
Glendale Fire Department
Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new
creation; old things have
passed away; behold, all
things have become new.
– 2 Corinthians 5:17
B
aptism is a special occasion for the men and women in our
recovery program. It’s a very public declaration to their friends,
family and God that they have put an end to their past life. It also
serves as a line in the sand, a mark they can point to when old
temptations arise. They can look back and say “This was the day I
divorced myself from old habits and failures; the day I began a new
life with Jesus Christ as my guide.”
Recently, Rev. Jay Cory, PRM President and CEO, was proud to
perform this sacred ceremony for the first time at our chapel inside
the Changing Lives Center. Four women and nine men testified
through baptism that they had become new creations.
Jay tells us, “Water baptism is an outward
expression on an internal transformation. Their
lives are changing and it is because their hearts
have accepted Christ.”
Thank you for supporting these men and
women. Your partnership gives each soul that
walks through our doors a chance not only for a
new life, but discovering the greatest treasure this
life has to offer – a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Thank you again and God bless!
Rev. Jay Cory recently baptized 13 men and women
from the Mission and Changing Lives Center. To view
more photos of the event, log on to www.flickr.com/
phoenixrescuemission
P
hoenix Rescue Mission has a great new way to help
out our homeless brothers and sisters this summer!
Inspired by Walt Disney Pictures new film, “The Odd Life
of Timothy Green,” PRM is holding a sock drive to ease
the suffering of our homeless and at the same time
draw national attention to the lifesaving work of
Rescue Missions.
Homeless men and women spend a lot of time
on their feet, often walking long distances every day
for food, shelter and work. Many of the disabilities and diseases we
find when they visit our centers stem from an overuse of worn out
footwear. With your help we can provide them with brand new socks
that will protect their feet from unnecessary and sometimes irreversible
damage. The best part is, Hanes has agreed to match every package
3
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Date:
Aug. 20, 2012
ks
ible
e
Nothing glitters as bright as her future
continued from page 1
Giovanna didn’t show up to the hotel room that night. In fact, that was her last night in Las Vegas. She turned
around right there and took the very next Greyhound bus back to Phoenix. But now what? It had been a year and she
had nothing to show for it. How could she care for her daughter now without a home or a job?
God’s provision
This is where you come in. Thanks to your support and prayers, Giovanna had a place to turn when she came back
to Phoenix – the Changing Lives Center. On August 26, 2011, Giovanna and her daughter became one of our first
residents here at the Center. In fact, as soon as she learned about us from a
relative, she called every week so she wouldn’t miss her chance – two and a
half months before we opened!
“I was so relieved when I made it in! I would have done anything to get
in here! While I was in Vegas, I used to pray that God would take my life.
Now, I know that He was only waiting for me to allow Him to save it!”
Today, as Giovanna comes up on her one year anniversary here, she’s
made wonderful progress. She’s one year clean and sober. She’s looking
forward to graduating soon and she’s even enrolled in Servant Leadership
classes to learn how to give back to the Phoenix Rescue Mission and her
community. She and her daughter are closer than ever and benefitting from the parenting classes offered at the Center.
“I want to give a special thanks to all of you who have donated and contributed to the Phoenix Rescue Mission’s
Changing Lives Center! Without your efforts, I wouldn’t have the chance to change my life and to become a better person
for my child, for myself and my family. I thank you so much for all that you’ve done!”
Well said Giovanna! We pray that God continues to watch over the last leg of your recovery and the bright future He
has in store for you.
of socks we collect with another brand new pair! This means that each package we collect provides twice as much
comfort and protection for our men, women and children!
Here are two ways you can get involved:
• Order your own Sock Drive box by contacting Nicole Pena at 602-346-3342. Then use it to start collecting socks at
your local business or church between now and September 7th. Phoenix Rescue Mission will pick up your collected
socks at the end of the drive to distribute to the men, women and children we serve.
• Donate your packages of new socks at any of the stores in the Outlets at Anthem. Boxes will be available through
September 7th. The Outlets at Anthem are located at 4250 West Anthem Way,
Phoenix, 85086.
We only have a short time to gather as many socks as possible. So please tell your
friends and neighbors about this unique opportunity to eliminate another source of
suffering in our world. Thank you so much for your support! Now let’s get collecting!
4
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Date:
Aug. 20, 2012
Use your smart phone
to scan this QR code
for more information
and a sneak peak at
Disney’s The Odd Life
of Timothy Green!
Men’s Recovery Program offers new
hope, new life for Cory
C
ory Martin was a recovering alcoholic. He had gone several years
without a drink and felt he had finally conquered the addiction
that haunted his life once and for all. But when he lost his job to
the failing economy, he was surprised to find that the foundation
of his recovery was less solid than he imagined.
In August 2011, his wife of 20 years passed away and a few
months later, the bank foreclosed on his home. As the storms of
life continued to pound on Cory, the sandy foundation he clung
to finally washed away. Once again he turned to alcohol to ease his
pain.
Jesus tells us in Matthew that when a man is rid of a demon but
doesn’t fill the void left behind, the demon often returns seven times
more powerful than before. Cory can attest to this. Alcohol addiction
hindered him in the past, but this time it brought him to places he had
never wanted to see.
He knew he had hit bottom when Child Protective Services
An emotional Cory Martin, recently reunited with his daughter,
got involved and took his only daughter away from him. It was
shares his story at the Resident Promotion Ceremony in July.
the wakeup call Cory needed to finally see past his addiction and
recognize that he needed help. A few short days later he found himself outside the gates of the Phoenix Rescue Mission
ready to find true recovery.
“That day, Jesus Christ met me at the gate,” said Cory.
Today, we’re proud to say that Cory has just completed the “Inner Healing” phase of our new recovery program, and
he has only a short time to go before graduation. During his time here he’s
learned how to replace that sandy foundation with the rock that is Jesus
As the storms of life
Christ and is making great strides in his full recovery.
continued to pound
on Cory, the sandy
foundation he clung to
finally washed away.
But throughout it all, he’s never lost sight of his primary motivation –
to be reunited with his daughter. Recently, because of his hard work and
determination, CPS has approved her return! Through your support, God
has not only restored Cory, but his family as well!
Thank you so much for making this sort of life change possible. It’s hard to imagine where Cory and his daughter
would be today without the partnership of faithful friends like you.
“I like what I see in the mirror now, and I don’t have to worry about relapsing as long as I have Jesus right here in my
heart,” he said.
Amen to that Cory! May God continue to bless you as you work towards your goals!
5
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Date:
Aug. 20, 2012
Back to school event
blesses 300 kids
WishList
T
he Phoenix Rescue Mission held its annual Back to
School Event for the children of Capitol Elementary
School on July 28. Capitol Elementary is the school which the
children living at the Changing Lives Center attend.
• The Mission is in desperate need of hygiene supplies,
especially shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes,
razors and shaving cream.
• Washers and dryers in good working condition
More than 300 children received backpacks, school
supplies, new uniforms and other goodies. Everyone who
attended was treated to free shaved ice from Jacob’s Well and
treats from the Mission kitchen. The Hallelujah Blues band
entertained the families before and after the event which made
for a very festive atmosphere.
• Cleaning supplies (bleach, Pine-Sol, etc.)
Most importantly, families received a Gospel message
from Lighthouse Family Ministries. Volunteers from Papago
Buttes Church, Resurrection Lutheran Church, Grace Walk,
Girl Scouts
and many
individuals
helped the kids
shop for their
items and fit
their uniforms.
• New Women’s Underwear
• Towels (new/gently used)
• Laundry Soap/Detergent
• Men’s Deodorant
• Twin Sheets (new)
• Work Gloves
• Kitchen Spices
Please consider donating ONLY items listed, or call Larry at 602-346-3344 for other needs or more information.
We’re
thankful for
large donations of school supplies and backpacks from Pulte
Homes, RockTenn Packaging, and Bechtel Corp. Countless
individuals contributed their support as well, sponsoring
students with everything they needed to start the school year
off right.
An appreciative child took time to express her thanks.
Mission Mileposts
Phoenix Rescue Mission would like to thank you
for a tremendous year. As you can see, your
support really made a difference for men, women
and children in the Phoenix area:
(Figures from Jan. - July, 2012)
• Total Meals Provided
• Showers Taken
• Chapel Service Attendees
• Bed Nights of Shelter
• Permanent Job Placements
• Volunteer Service Hours
• Bottles of Water Distributed
To mail a gift: P.O. Box 63005 ~ Phoenix, AZ 85082-3005
For shelter & meal service: 1801 S. 35th Avenue ~ Phoenix, AZ 85009
602-233-3000 ~ www.phoenixrescuemission.org
6
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Date:
Aug. 20, 2012
158,327
24,443
20,349
32,164
122
12,941
82,272