Working for the Mission has been an advantage and a great reward. The staff and the men in the recovery program have made a great impact in my life in ways I didn't know were possible. I count it a true joy to come to work every day and when I am not here I think about being here. For a long time I had been asking the Lord to use me for His glory and to be His hand extended. I want people to know Jesus. Not in a religious way that most people know and see Him as but to have a true relationship with Him and know the very essence of who Christ really is. Well, I have to say the Lord comes through every time. The time spent ministering to the men and women here at the Mission and them ministering to me has made my walk stronger with the Lord. I have been able to be God's hand extended.

One of the very first verses I learned as a child was Matthew 25:40. This verse has been one that I have leaned upon in my walk with Christ. It states that "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' " This verse really didn't hit home until I started working here at the Mission. The Lord has really been transforming my heart to save the least, the last and the lost of this community. I have to remember on a daily basis that every person I talk to, every person that comes in is JESUS... to remember that Jesus will be walking through the doors today and to be a blessing to the men, women and children that we serve on a daily basis.

This past year of working here has been a year of stripping away of the old and putting on the new. A year of sorrow and a year of joy, a year of getting me prepared for the next glory the Lord has in store for me. I thank God for the good and the bad because it has made me who I am today. I wouldn't change this last year for the world.

It wasn't until one earth shattering conversation when God changed my heart completely. I was working as an intern in the Jr. High School department at my home church, when I met a little girl whose name I never knew but whose face I will never forget. The children from the Craycroft Youth Center would regularly attend the Wednesday night service and generally sit in the back row. I always made it a point to visit with the youth from the Craycroft Center and try to make them feel as welcome as they could in the brief time we had together every week. I tried my best to remember names and faces but because of the constant turnover it was difficult at best.

She was probably about twelve or thirteen, freckles, red hair, missing some teeth, and a little overweight. I was trying my best to engage her in conversation but to no avail. Her tone was distant and troubled and I could never illicit more than a two or three word response. As she began to slowly warm up I asked her a question that would change my life forever. Trying to establish a relationship I began to ask her about other children in the program. I remembered a child's name from the previous week. I asked how he was doing, her face lit up and she and she told me that he was going home; someone had come to get him. We rejoiced together briefly and I followed with the next question, "When are you going to get picked up?" She looked up briefly and then down to her worn-out shoes. This little girl at twelve years of age knew more about the cold brutalities of life than I could ever imagine. Her response was simply, "Me? No, nobody's coming for me."

God moved out my heart of stone that night and planted a heart of flesh. He revealed to me the necessity for his people to rescue the people of this world who are so lost and need God to come for them. If we don't who else would?

This is why I work in the ministry of Rescue, this is why I know it is so important, and this is why Christ commands us to have compassion on those less fortunate. It's not the pay, the accolades, the pat on the backs, the hope of making headlines, or even the hope of recouping the cost. It is that God might see fit to use me to help rescue one more. That is why I work in the ministry of Rescue.

My name is DeWayne Stewart and I now own and operate a small detail business temporarily sheltered in the north parking lot of the Fresno Rescue Mission. How that happened is a miracle in itself and I'm loving every minute of it.

I thank God for the opportunity to be an example of someone who has successfully finished the program and continues to actively serve God. I often get a chance to minister to the men who are presently in the program; they come with different burdens and concerns and we can pray about those things and see God work.

One thing the FRM's Academy program taught me is to use the difficult things of life as a stepping stone to get to the next level and how serving others is the most important part of being a Christian. My goal is to continue to work hard and build a good business so that I can provide work for myself and for others, and to be a part of building God's kingdom.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity." —Jeremiah 29:11-14

I was saved on May 24, 2001 in prison, lonely and broken. This was one of the first scriptures I came across. It really hit home; God really spoke to me because I did cry out to the Lord. I had no one else to turn to. I had burned all my bridges, my girl left me, my family was mad at me. I had nobody else. I was at real peace when Jesus entered my heart. I stayed in God's Word and surrounded myself with the things of God, and when I got out I started getting involved with my new home church. I got involved with the various ministries, but then problems arose and like it says in Matt 13:19-23, they choked out the Word. I fell and went back into the world, drinking and using drugs again. Funny thing, though. It wasn't the same. It wasn't fun anymore and I was sad all the time. I knew I had to do something. I had to get back on the path that God had first put me on and regain that peace that I had with Him.

I was given the opportunity to go into the Fresno Rescue Mission Men's Discipleship Program. I didn't want to at first. But after thinking about it, I knew that I needed to be there. In mhy my time there, God has taught me so many things about myself and how to put structure and order in my life. I've developed good, strong friendships with the other men in the program and with staff members. They've shown me true friendship, brotherhood and sisterhood when I really needed it.

I've come to realize that it's not the program or the facility, but it's what you get out of being there and the people who help you see God's love. Now, God has blessed me with a good job, the restoration and respect of my family, and the tools to maintain those things that matter the most!

I got a motel room through welfare for me and my three boys. When that ran out we still needed more time to find a place to stay. So we called the Rescue Mission Family Shelter and got a room. Thank God! We were at the Family Shelter for a little over a month and were blessed by the love there. We didn't want to leave, but our time was up.

During my time at the Family Shelter I really wasn't looking for work because I knew it was hard to come by, plus it was a hassle looking for work. But, my older daughter Lisa called me and said she ran across this job in the newspaper. She did not know where it was. I asked the Shelter Manager to help me find out the location, and guess where it was… the Fresno Rescue Mission Craycroft Youth Center (right behind the Family Shelter)! Now by the grace of God, I have a job. I have reunited with my husband and even though life is not always easy, God is always with me!

I have spent a lifetime filling my head with false and inadequate visions of God, narrowing the truth of His sovereignty, His mercy and His vision with my limited understanding of love and forgiveness. In Scripture, Isaiah mocks the fact that man thinks God's greatness can be captured in a carved image simply because the craftsman is deemed to be skilled or creative. When I reflect upon the daily choices I make and the results I produce, it's clear to me that Isaiah would liken my images of God, even of myself, to that of a dime-store Bobble-Head.

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." — Isaiah 40:31

Scripture promises that our ability to endure the circumstances of our lives depends upon our willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, to train us in faith and to be Lord over ALL aspects of our lives. However, God's timing is not our timing.

Pride and fear still hinder the process in me. I recently suffered the effects of a concussion resulting from a fall and bump on the head. I collapsed out of sheer exhaustion. I wanted to cling to what was familiar comforting in my life to the point that my health was affected. The bump on my head may not have cured the stubborn child within, but the Lord managed to grab my attention nicely with the challenges that since follow. I am learning with great speed that I either give over the reins or they will be stripped from my hands completely. It's a painful and arduous process that has yet to reveal its conclusion. I simply tell people that my Christian walk is one story "to be continued."

I trust that I am a work in progress. The Lord has given me a home and a safe haven in the company of fellow believers at the Fresno Rescue Mission. We find laughter and warmth in the presence of Jesus each and every day as we are called to serve in His Holy and Most Precious Name. Together we are family, bound by His blood, magnificently molded in His vision and mercifully forgiven through His sacrifice on the cross.

He is the Skilled Craftsman of ALL. I know he has begun a good work in me, but unfortunately, I still feel like a Bobble-Head.

In 1993 I was arrested and eventually sent to prison. That's where my addiction got worse, and I picked up some new habits... HATE AND ANGER! I joined a prison gang called the Peckerwood White Boys and eventually moved up to being an N.L.R. (Nazi Low Rider).

By the time I was 30 I had been in and out of prison, got strung out on heroin, quit heroin and started slamming crank and doing whatever it took to get my fix.

I lost my wife, and my family turned their back on me. I've got two sons, one with my ex-wife and one with the love of my life, Darla. I finally realized something was wrong with me when Darla left me and took my son. My addiction got a lot worse for a long, long time. Then, by the grace of God, I was saved (arrested). That's when I gave up and gave in!

Now I am at the Fresno Rescue Mission. I no longer crave drugs, just Jesus! My family has been given back to me. I have both my sons and my Darla in my life, and I owe it all to my Lord and Savior, Jesus. He took away my hate and anger, and gave me back love and peace.

Thank you Jesus!

I never expected this place to make such an impact in my own life. I thought it would be the other way around. I had accepted the Lord two years prior to coming here, but I was stagnant in my own faith. Either I was going to grow in it, or I was going to fall from it. And I knew I did not want to fall because I did not like myself before I found the Lord. I know people around me probably did not like me either.

I was very bitter and angry, and an insecure person. I made lots of mistakes and poor decisions to feel better about myself, but never did because I was spiritually dead. I am ashamed about my past and who I was, but now understand that my past gives glory to God because He has brought me far away from my dirty sin and shows me a great path I truly want to follow. Being here daily at the Mission encourages me to grow. There are so many gentle hands here at the Mission that often reach out to help guide me in my walk and the unspoken accountability that encourages me never to stray away. I can't imagine leaving this place. Where else can someone work and openly share the love of our Savior? I have been blessed with the opportunity to work here and I look forward to coming back each day. I never think of it as a job. I guess the Lord knew what He was doing when He led me here... I needed it more than I thought.

I yearn to be a better person, wife, mother, friend and, more importantly, a better Christian. I think back on how I used to act, and dress, and the type of people I called friends... and how easily I could be consumed by earthly things. I could hear the Lord calling me and telling me to take a look at my life. I was tired of who I was and how selfish I could be. He knocked on my heart and I finally answered.

I believe that my life experiences have helped me to relate to others who are searching for an identity, answers and peace that only God can provide. If you knew who I was, you can see I now stand in spirit... unbroken and strong!

After being in the Mission's recovery program for a few months, I found that the most important thing I could do for myself was to get my life right with God. I found many of my questions were answered and many of my doubts were gone.

The Mission has taught me how to turn my life over to Christ. I can finally look back and see all the changes, knowing that God has blessed my life. God has helped me to be clean and sober for 17 months. He has given me not only a job here at the Mission, but a beautiful spiritual family as well. Most importantly He has blessed me with a beautiful and loving wife whom I met at the Mission. My wife Shirley also works for the Mission at the Craycroft Youth Center. She is such a loving person and it shows in the way she cares for the children here. We both feel so very blessed to be a part of the Fresno Rescue Mission, and have dedicated our lives to this ministry and to God!

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." 1 Peter 2:2-3

Shortly thereafter, Gary re-injured his back and couldn't work. We lost our business and because I couldn't find work, we began losing everything else as well. We found some day labor and ended up living in motels but were able to keep the kids in school. We weren't even thinking about our spiritual life… we were just trying to survive. Eventually, we ended up camping at Lost Lake.

We found out about the Fresno Rescue Mission Emergency Family Shelter and were able to get a room. Our car literally died at the front door of the shelter.

After 2 weeks, we couldn't find another place to stay, but God had a plan for us. We were offered a position as Assistant Managers of the Shelter, eventually becoming the Managers, a position we've held for almost 4 years.

Prior to being homeless, we had volunteered at the Salvation Army and the woman in charge told us that someday we would be managing a family shelter… how did she know? When we arrived at the Mission, the pastors who volunteered to do the chapel services one night told us that God had a plan for us and that we would be running the Mission Family Shelter… how did they know?

Being one of God's servants has strengthened our family, including 17-year old Melissa and 19-year old Mark, who both work with us at the Shelter.

Our family is so happy and blessed and we can't thank God enough for what He put us through to get us back to Him. He never left us, even when we put Him on hold. He gave us compassion for others by allowing us to be homeless ourselves.
Our family loves being here and we love working with the families, seeing their lives changed as they accept what Jesus Christ has to offer them. There's no place else we'd rather be! God Bless You!

When I first came to the Fresno Rescue Mission. I had no idea what to expect but I knew I needed help. I needed to clean up. I needed to get my life back on course. Most of all I needed my Lord and Savior in my life. I gave my heart to Christ on May 17, 2003. Since that time my mind, body and spirit have completely changed. My craving for drugs and smoking are gone. I'm into the Bible, prayer, preaching to others who need help, and believe it or not, I open chapel services every other night, passing on the Word and giving testimonies about what God has done for me during my stay here.

I have completed eight months at the Mission and my time here is almost over. During my stay I've been given leadership responsibilities - squad leader for the Chapel with a crew of four and occasionally serving as House Manager. Currently I am a representative of the Fresno Rescue Mission Academy, helping others in the recovery program with any issues they may have during their stay and assisting men when they first come into the program.

God has been a true blessing in my life and He has done more for me in eight months than I've done for myself in ten years. Now my family is asking when I can come home. My children are well behaved and I share the Word every time I visit. As a matter of fact they're using four important letters to help them with their daily lives (W.W.J.D.) - "What Would Jesus Do?" It's amazing how God can make your life complete when you give your heart to Him.

I couldn't have done it without a little help, or should I say a guiding light. That's what the Fresno Rescue Mission is… "a beacon of light" that got my attention and lead me to safety. I can't say enough about the people who gave their time to help me grow and have given me the tools to use on my journey back home. Most of all I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for everything he has done for me during my stay at the Fresno Rescue Mission.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Every day I see little miracles, human suffering, life change, and people supporting each other through tough situations. At times I fear I don't have what it takes to make it at the Mission, but God always sends the resources to do what needs to be done, whether it be an idea, a person with just the right gifts, funding, or a life-impacting event. So, as I go forward, I have to remember that I have everything I need… for such a time as this. If you, too, have a dream, or God is nudging you, go for it! Have faith! God will give you what you need to make it come true!

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Phil 4:13

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus:

Desperate Circumstances
I know what God can and will do in the most desperate of circumstances. I remember leaving the Mission one night and going to the hair dressers. I remember leaving and driving home. That is all I remember.

When my car was seen still in the driveway the next morning, Paula Scribner at the Salvation Army was called. I was "awake" and talking, but I do not remember any of it. Nothing I said made any sense. She made me get dressed and she took me to her office. Paula called my doctor and took me to him later that afternoon. She tells me that I sat in her office and talked with people. When I finally got to the doctor, he told Paula to get me to the ER immediately.

Paula called my daughters in Atlanta, Ga. and Winter Park, Fl. Jenny (daughter) told me that while she was sitting in the airport in Phoenix, the doctor called her on her cell phone and told her she had better get my family to Fresno because I was going to die! Jenny said they were trying to decide where they were going to bury me. More than likely, in Kingsburg, near my parents.

No Memory Of Two Weeks
Many from the Mission came to see me and pray for me. I know that Jan LeGrand came to pray for me. My son was called home on emergency leave from Kosovo. I have some memory of the 3rd week, but it is faint. I know that my dear Lori (daughter) and her sweet husband, Kent flew me back here to Florida. I was in a Nursing care facility that had rehabilitation services.

My right side was paralyzed. When I tried to talk, I would think in my mind what I wanted to say, but when I opened my mouth it either came out totally backward or nothing came out. I could only say a single word and that word was nothing like what I wanted to say. I was in diapers. It was not a fun situation. I had days when I would cry because I could not express my feelings to anyone, not my family, not the nurses or the doctors.

Recovery & God's Grace
Thank God for family. Thank God for my daughter Lori. She is an RN at Orlando Regional Medical Center. She realized something was wrong and got help for me. She had me moved to her hospital and got the specialist to check me out. She stayed with me in the middle of the night when I had to have an MRI on my head. I had wonderful care. One of the specialists found that I had a blood clot in my right groin.

I was transferred to the Regents in Winter Park, Fla. The Regents is known for its rehabilitation department. I have to admit that I was a little blue, but I kept praising God for working everything out. I received such wonderful care and the rehabilitation department both physical and occupational was wonderful. I got a good look at myself in a mirror and I could not believe how bad I looked!

But with God's encouragement through the rehabilitation staff and the nursing staff I moved forward everyday. The doctors had told my daughters that I would be in the hospital for at least one year and more than likely two years. And they should not expect a rapid recovery!

God's Restoration
Well, glory to God! I am sitting here at my computer looking out on the lake that my apartment faces and writing this. I was discharged from the hospital on August 15th last year. I was in the hospital for 6 MONTHS! It was a step at a time, but my recovery was fantastic. Thanks be to God. Not one year or two, but 6 months! I get around wonderfully. I have the use of my right side. The only effects I have on my right side is that I can not make a full fist with my hand. I do use my walker sometimes.

I found a lovely apartment in Winter Park. My daughter Lori and her family live nearby. I use the bus to go wherever I want to go. I've found a wonderful church. My pastor, Deborah, is a spirit filled Christian and a wonderful pastor. The church is within walking distance of where I live. I now lead Praise and Worship every other month.

There is so much share of how God has raised me up. But the bottom line is this... God is in control. I could have gone on home last year. But He had something for me to do here in Florida.

Do I miss all of you? You bet I do. But I also know that God has me here for purpose and I am loving it here in Florida.

God Bless all of you. My e-mail address is onfiregrannyabcdefg12345@juno.com. My physical address is 1550 Gay Road, Apt.#526, Winter Park, FL 32789.

"Before I cam to the FRM I was involved in drugs for about 3 years. I tried several times to quit... but just couldn't do it. During those three years I lost my car, job and everything else that I had.

"Coming from a different faith and religion, I didn't think that a Christian program could help me. I decided to give it a chance and after listening to the testimonies of the other disciples of how Jesus had helped them overcome their addictions, I decided to ask Jesus to come into my life and help me with my problems.

"My life began to change for the better. I no longer felt the desire to do drugs. The more I was praying, the easier it became. My parents began to notice a change in me and it made them very happy that the addiction I had for three years was no longer with me.

"Actually, I had a hard time believing it myself — that all I had to do was to ask Jesus to come into my life and my addiction would be gone!

"Today, I'm a walking miracle, all thanks to God! I now have a family that can now trust me. I also have a job and car waiting for me when I finish the Academy program. Today I believe and know there is a God; He is Jesus and He can help you will all your problems. All you have to do is ask Him to come into your life."