I truly am a miracle - Faith Mission of Elkhart

Faith Mission
Faith Action
O F E L K H A R T, I N C .
IN
A Newsletter from Faith Mission of Elkhart
FALL
2014
801 Benham Avenue, Elkhart, IN 46516
“I truly am a miracle”
J
acqueline’s addiction to alcohol
cost her dearly. Jobs, a home,
and the people she loved.
It didn’t start out that way. She
began drinking in college to “fit
in.” “That nice, warm, mellow,
smooth feeling took away all my
worries.” Jacqueline “hardly drank
at all” once she was married and
had children – her husband was an
alcoholic and “somebody had to be
the responsible person.”
But seven years ago, Jacqueline
and her husband divorced and
she began working full time – and
drinking. “I’m a registered nurse,
and I couldn’t work and drink at
the same time. I was on my way to
a job interview when I was arrested
for DUI.”
Don’t miss…
“I think I’ll be homeless
today”............................2
31 Tons of Food!..............2
“I’m not going to
fall apart!”......................3
The arrest didn’t keep
Jacqueline from drinking, nor did it
keep her from becoming homeless
or involved with a man who beat
her. “My family tried, but they
couldn’t help me,” Jacqueline says
sadly.
Jacqueline’s drinking got so
bad that she was hospitalized, then
sent to a detox program, and from
there, she came to Faith Mission.
“Every single step along the
way, God has placed people in
my life who are supposed to
be there! When I was drinking,
I thought I had no use for Him.
Today, that’s totally different!”
Today, Jacqueline is using her
God-given talents to care for others
in a local nursing home. She’s
living in an apartment near the
Mission, has a car that was given to
her by a local pastor, is attending
a local church and is reunited with
her daughter.
Jacqueline is grateful for the
opportunities—and the people—
God has put back into her life. “I
lost these connections, and now
they have been restored. That takes
a power that’s bigger than me!”
“I didn’t want to live the
way I was living. I wanted to
be happy. And I can say today
I’m really happy. I’m happy to
have my life pretty much restored,
my daughter living with me, and
the opportunity to still have a
relationship with all three of my
children. I truly am a miracle.”
A Message from
Ross Swihart
A special gift to thank
you for your support.
Thank you for feeding people
who are hungry.
Thank you for making sure
homeless people have safe shelter.
Thank you for your prayers on
behalf of those in need.
Thank you for offering hope and
new life!
I don’t think anyone
has ever gotten out of
bed in the morning and
said, “Gee, I think I’ll be
homeless today.”
People are here for a
reason.
Some are simply seeking a
hot meal or a night of shelter.
Many more are looking
for help and a refuge – a
shelter in God that can save
and restore lives ruined by
alcohol, addiction, abuse and
abandonment.
Matthew 7:7 clearly
describes the refuge and
shelter found here at the
Mission: “Ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you
will find; knock and the door
will be opened to you.”
All in need are welcome
here, just as they have been
since our doors were opened
nearly 60 years ago.
But it is only with your
prayers and your support
that we can continue to be a
refuge for those who knock.
Thank you, and God bless
you for all you do.
As a tangible way of showing our
gratitude, I’d like to send you a very
special 2015 calendar.
Please check the box on your reply
slip. Your calendar will be mailed at
the end of November.
Hungry for
Change?
W
National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, Nov. 16-22.
e all want to end hunger
and homelessness.
Here’s your chance to bring
together your family, friends, neighbors,
coworkers, people from your church,
school or civic group to lessen the
hardships hungry, homeless men,
women and children face each day.
» Serve a meal here at the Mission
» Organize a drive
° Canned food
° Clothing, especially coats and
jackets for cold weather
° Hygiene items
° Socks and underwear
° Sheets & blankets
» Skip lunch and donate the money
to the Mission
For more information, contact Vera
at (574) 293-3406, ext. 103 or e-mail
vera@thefaithmission.org.
31 tons of food!
52,000 meals. That’s 62,400
pounds of food – over 31 tons!
That’s how much food Faith
Mission will serve to hungry
men, women and children this
Thanksgiving season.
Wow! That seems
impossible. But with your
help, it will happen.
It costs just $1.79 to feed
Ross Swihart
one
hungry person. Just $1.79
Executive Director
to provide an entire meal of
wholesome, home-cooked
food…a meal that could not
only help that person end a life of
homelessness, but a meal that could
2
be the start of a new and better life.
Your gift today to our 2014
Annual Thanksgiving Campaign
will go a long way toward filling
the Mission’s pantry and providing
the care hungry, homeless men,
women and children will need
this Thanksgiving season and
beyond.
Just a reminder:
The Mission receives NO
government funding. So we
really do need your help
to cook and serve more
than 52,000 meals. Please,
give generously. Thank you!
“I’m not going to fall apart!”
R
egina’s battle with addiction
began when she was only
a child. “My uncle and my
granddaddy used to give me
liquor,” she says. “I’ve struggled
with alcohol and drugs for 38 years.”
She’d been in and out of rehab,
but kept relapsing. “I would get
myself better and then I would go
back to drinking,” she says. “I kept
spiraling down.”
Finally, Regina hit bottom, and
was ready to end her life, but God
had other plans. “I was going to kill
myself and, one day in my room, I
got out these gospel tapes,” she says.
“Something told me, ‘Call the
Mission.’”
Regina did call, and entered
the Mission’s Training Faithful
Women Recovery Program. “This
time, I made a decision that I had
to change. My way didn’t work,”
Regina says. “I dedicated my life
back to Christ. I surrendered.”
Now, when Regina hits a rough
patch, she seeks counsel from
Mission staff. “I’m surrounded by
people that love and care for me,”
she says. “They say, ‘Hold on to
God and to His Word and apply
it to your life.’ I try to do that on a
daily basis. No matter what happens
in my life, I’m not going to fall
apart.”
Regina’s greatest blessing since
coming to the Mission has been
regaining custody of her son after
nine years. “It was rough at first, but
now we’re bonding,” she says. “He’s
not afraid to talk to me about the
abandonment, and that’s helping
both of us to heal. I wouldn’t trade
it for the world.”
Regina currently lives with her
son in the Mission’s transitional
housing and works at a job the
Mission helped her find, which
allows her to spend time with her
son. She will soon graduate from
the program and plans, eventually,
to get a better job and relocate, but
she’s not in a hurry. “In the past, I
was always in a rush. I made rash
decisions, and I don’t want that to
happen,” Regina says. “I want my
goals to be accomplished so when I
do get out there, I won’t fall.”
Regina believes the Mission is
responsible for saving her life. “This
is a place where you can start
all over and you don’t have to
do it alone,” she says. “There are
people here that really care about
you and your salvation.”
5th Annual Turkey Stampede: Nov. 27
Move your feet so others can eat!
T
he numbers are growing and so
is the fun. Last year, more than
2,300 men, women and children of
all ages turned out for the Mission’s
5th Annual Turkey Stampede.
This year, why not gather up
your family and
friends and be part
of this exciting
event? You can take
part in a 10K run,
a 5K walk/run or a
1 mile walk through the streets of
Elkhart. Or, sponsor a runner and
then come and cheer them on from
the sidelines!
We’ll also be holding our
Turkey Stampede at a new
location: Elkhart Youth and
Community Center at 200 East
Jackson Blvd., Elkhart, IN 46516.
Entry fee is $10 per person.
Optional chip timing is available for
serious runners, and everyone can
purchase a Turkey Stampede shirt
for just $13. All proceeds benefit the
men, women and children served by
Faith Mission.
In addition to runners and
walkers, we need volunteers
for the Turkey Stampede…lots
of them. Interested? Call Cris
at 293-3406, ext. 115.
For more information,
visit www.theFaithMission.org,
or call Mike at (574) 293-3406,
ext. 105.
See you at the starting line!
2014 Annual
Thanksgiving
Campaign
52,000 meals
27,000 nights of shelter
Our guests may not know
you, but your presence is felt
each and every day!
3
Thanksgiving
Shopping List
Latest
News
W
ant to keep up with
all the great work and
community activities here
at Faith Mission? Visit our
Facebook page, click on
the “Like” button and then
click on “Get Notifications.”
You’ll get all the latest news
as it happens, and you can
post your comments or
inspirational messages too!
off at
Donations can be dropped
am Ave., Elkhart.
the Mission at 801 N. Benh
06, ext. 112
Call Kerry at (574) 293-34
for more infor mation.
Make it a happier Thanksgiving for
people in need – gather your fa mily,
friends or group and volunteer at the
Mission! We’ ll need extra hands during
the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving as
we prepare more than 575 meals each day.
For more information or to volunteer today,
please call Vera at (574) 293-3406, ext.
103. Or visit theFaithMission.org and click
on “How to Help.”
Mission Moment
on Pulse FM, 96.9
F
eel the need for a bit of inspiration?
Listen for Mission Director Ross
Swihart’s Mission Moment on Pulse FM,
96.9.
Here’s my 2014
Annual Thanksgiving Campaign gift:
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m
m
m
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$16.11 to feed and care for 9 people
$26.85 to feed and care for 15 people
$51.91 to feed and care for 29 people
$_______ to help as much as possible
Send me my FREE 2015 Mission Calendar.
m
Or, listen to previous segments of
Mission Moment by visiting our website
at theFaithMission.org and clicking
on the Mission Moment banner on our
homepage.
Check enclosed
m
m
Bill my credit card
m
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CREDIT CARD #
EXP. DATE
m
CIV/SEC #
PHONE #
Donate online at www.theFaithMission.org,
or call (574) 293-3406.
_________________________________________________________________
NAME
_________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS
_________________________________________________________________
Faith Mission of Elkhart
P.O. Box 1728
Elkhart, IN 46515-1728
CITY / STATE/ ZIP
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E-MAIL
FALL14
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