Dear Friends,
As you read this, I am closing in on six months with Denver Rescue Mission. It has been a blessing! I have been asked a lot what has impressed me the most—my answer is seeing how God is working in and through this ministry.
God is working in and through you, our donors, our prayer warriors, our volunteers, and our staff to do great things in the lives of the people we serve. Recently some in the media have questioned whether our results are good enough. The numbers they report do not take many factors into account, but that is a story for another day. Today I want to share with you one story that is representative of stories that happen every day through the Mission.
Recently, a man graduated from our New Life Program at The Crossing. During his time here, he reconnected with his daughter and obtained visitation rights due to showing a recovery-focused attitude. Additionally, he maintains employment as an electrician and moved into a market-rate apartment with the help of our Pathway Home program.
Praise God for this story and for the Mission. Throughout my career working in this space I have often wondered, ‘What if we were not here?’ That is not to say that we are the only ministry or organization doing great work—there are so many others! But what is it about the Mission?
Last year we helped 539 households obtain housing and are on track to help even more this year! Countless people voluntarily found faith or grew in their faith. Dozens graduated from our rehabilitation program, clean and sober. We served almost 11,000 unique individuals, many who suffer from mental illness, in emergency shelter, offering dignity and a path to stability.
Simply put, the work of this ministry could not be done without you, your prayers and your financial support. I am grateful that the Mission is here, and that God has called us to carry out this work together to make a difference one life at a time!
Grace and Peace,
Dennis Van Kampen
President/CEO
This post is part of July’s Changing Lives Newsletter. This month, we’re sharing Ron’s story of learning to trust again through his experience at Harvest Farm in: Growing Trust
