Dear Friends,
The theme for this month’s Changing Lives newsletter is: Where Are They Now? We are always interested in hearing about how our graduates are doing, and we thought you would be too. This also caused me to ask, “Where are we now? Where is Denver Rescue Mission after all these months of the pandemic?”
On my desk is an index card that has a sentence on it that I have kept for nearly a year. I received it in March at our monthly Mission leadership team meeting right before the pandemic really hit—right before we knew what was happening. I had asked our team to anonymously write down a prayer request and place it in a basket. When the meeting ended, we all reached in and took out a card with the idea that we would pray for that request. It read:
Fearful of not being effective or prepared for
upcoming demands, challenges and changes.
Wow, were those words fortuitous! I cannot tell you the number of times I have looked at that card, picked it up, and asked myself, “How could we have ever been prepared for this?” Not knowing what would happen or how we might have to flex to help people experiencing homelessness could have made us all fearful. But we have managed—somehow, by the grace of God—to not only persevere through this pandemic, but to find a way to do more. Often, the way was not clear. We had to be ready to adapt to a changing environment while placing our staff and volunteers on the front lines—at risk of the coronavirus—to serve people in need.
This card has been my prayer, not only for the person who wrote it in less stressful times, but for the Mission as a whole. I have prayed that we would not be fearful and that we would trust in God to guide us. I have prayed that we would be courageous and have what it takes to meet all the demands, challenges and changes asked of us. And I have prayed that God would stop this horrible disease that has impacted so many people.
We want to see graduates of our STAR Transitional Program, like the Houston family featured in this newsletter, flourish as they meet the demands of these last few months. It takes great courage to do what they have done. Thank you for your financial gifts, which allow us to share what God has provided. We march on courageously.
Brad Meuli has been President/CEO at the Mission since 2001. Brad joined the Mission after a 17-year career in banking. Previous to his staff position he served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Read his full bio.
This post is part of February’s Changing Lives Newsletter. In this edition, Where Are They Now?, you’ll catch up with the Houstons, a family of nine, to see how they’re doing over a year after graduating from the STAR program.
