Thoughts from the Upper Room...

2008-04-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Guests Cleaning

So recently we decided to do something a bit radical, shake things up a bit...

We decided to end our contract with our professional cleaners and give our guests the opportunity to handle the cleaning duties.

Yes, cost cutting was a factor, but in the larger sense we hoped it would give some of our people the initiative to take more ownership of the Mission.

Plus, for those on disabilities, they had the opportunity to make an extra $100 for volunteering.

A win win as far as we could see it, and thus far -I'm happy to report -it is going great!

Come 4:30pm, the clean team springs to action – tables and chairs are stacked and put away, floor swept and mopped, bathrooms sanitized, garbage thrown out. It’s encouraging to see how it’s giving some of our guests a real satisfaction to be a part of it all and some are even moving on to find employment elsewhere! Seems simple enough huh? Give people a chance and they can surprise you.

Prayer Request

One of our guy's who is behind bars has been calling us quite regularly this week. I'm happy to report that he's encouraged to turn his life around, he spoke of trying to read his Bible every night and getting a job/place to live when he gets out. Please keep him in your prayers, he is someone who has so much potential to do amazing things in his life!

2008-04-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

Back from Holidays

It's nice to be back... Exciting times around the Mission.
Special announcements to come soon!

The Living Word

It' s amazing how the words just jump off the page sometimes... have been in the book of Romans:

Romans 4:1-5 from the Message
Trusting God

So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things? If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we're given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own."
If you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God.
Sheer gift.

2008-03-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts

Caught an interesting special on TV the other night:
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/devilplayshardball/

The Plot: If you could get one person off the street, would you? Could you? Devil Plays Hardball is a radical interventionist documentary by Paperny Films that seeks to answer this question. Four well-established Vancouver residents have 10-months to mentor homeless individuals from various Vancouver neighborhoods who have the desire – but not necessarily the means – to re-enter mainstream society. What ensues is a complicated journey that provides an up-close and intimate look at the people most of choose to ignore – Canada's homeless.

It's a beautiful and sunny 8 degrees here in Vernon today... Beautiful Country indeed.

We've been looking for a weekend (Fri-Sun) cook and Assistant Manager/Chaplain for a number of weeks, if you could please pray that God will bring us the right candidates -that would be so appreciated! If you are the right candidate, please contact us! 250-549-1231 or urm@shaw.ca

Congratulations to all our friends who are expecting... It is a joy that cannot be put into words!

2008-03-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

A Letter from a Friend...

Feb 17, 2008

Friends,

Hello to the good people of Vernon, how are you all doing? Do you miss me yet? Did Andrew show all my old 'friends' the video of my baptism? I understand from Lois and Olgie that Kevin McNeil and Carl wish to join me here... smart move as you are well aware! From the mouth of Grizzly "with Jesus on your side, anything is possible!"

On other news, just so you know, Sundays we go to the Market Garden Church just blocks from you folks, I always want to stop in, or stop and see all my old friends figuring if they saw me dressed in a suit, hanging with 20 other 'bible boys' they would surely throw out their crack pipes -after all if Grizzly can do it, so could they if they want to!

Anyways, God Bless you all, keep showing my video and this letter (more to come) to the old gang. I want to help those I once helped destroy!

God Bless, Darin Eggen

2008-02-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

Public Rallies to Keep Mission Open
By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - February 17, 2008

Vernon’s tradition of compassion and giving will allow marginalized citizens to access a critical service.
Through a $20,000 infusion from the community, the Upper Room Mission will resume weekend programs Feb. 23 and 24 after being closed for three weekends in a row because financial resources were limited.
“The support is overwhelming,” said Andrew Yeo, manager.
The mission provides meals and other services weekdays, but Yeo says a lack of activities on Saturdays and Sundays was having a substantial impact on his clients.
“There isn’t a place for the homeless to go on the weekends,” he said.
“There is the Saturday lunch at the Anglican church but nothing else.”
The United Way has contributed $10,000, while about another $10,000 has been pledged by area churches.
Linda Yule, United Way executive director, expedited the grant process once she became aware of the situation.
“It’s needed and a basic service required in the community,” she said.
Also providing assistance was Sean Wong, Salvation Army pastor, who contacted churches in the area.
It takes about $1,000 to keep the mission open for a weekend, so the donations will cover the costs for about five months.
Besides meals, the mission offers counselling and helps clients find homes and jobs. There is is also a range of programs such as life skills and computer literacy.
“If anyone wants to get into drug or alcohol detox, we have a counsellor that we keep in contact with,” said Yeo.
By being open seven days a week, the mission also helps keep many of its clients from just hanging around downtown, a situation that creates concern for some residents.
“On any given weekend, you could walk down main street and see our people. This gives them something productive to do,” said Yeo.

2008-02-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

Farewell Missionaries!

Three members of our Mission family are off to Nicaragua today for a 3-week Missions Trip. Please keep them in your prayers!

2008-02-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

New facility to fill treatment gap for mentally ill: Abbott
Frances Bula, Vancouver SunPublished: Sunday, February 03, 2008

BRITISH COLUMBIA - The province will create a new type of facility by summer for its most difficult and violent mentally ill people, Health Minister George Abbott said today.
Abbott said such a facility would fill the existing gap for the mentally ill, many of whom are also drug-addicted, and help reduce the load on police.
Vancouver police have produced a startling report, to be officially released Monday, that says officers spend a third to half of their time dealing with the mentally ill.

Abbott said that can be reduced by creating a new kind of secure treatment facility, which might be a permanent home for some, and may be located at Riverview hospital in Port Coquitlam.
Abbott said he'll be officially announcing the facility in two weeks, and would not release any more details until then.
"We need a unit that can provide a period of stabilization, which can run from days to weeks, where the clients can be assessed and stabilized and observed," Abbott said. "For some, it may be a permanent thing."
He said there are about 100 to 150 people in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside who are chronic challenges, "who offend regularly, who are in and out of jail, who are in and out of hospital and are on an hourly or daily basis getting into trouble."
Abbott said the new unit, which will operate in conjunction with the new community court that is to open this summer as well, will provide a service that doesn't exist now in the spectrum of mental-health services. It will be different from Riverview, in that the aim will be to get people stabilized and back out into non-institutional housing.
At the moment, the province has supportive housing, where people with mental illnesses can function with the help of drop-in or in-site health and support workers, or it has the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Port Coquitlam, which is for people with very serious conditions who are constantly in conflict with the law, but nothing in between.
He confirmed that Riverview, B.C.'s former major institution for the mentally ill, is still one of the sites being considered for the new facility.
Abbott was adamant that dealing with the 150 or so chronic offenders would make a dramatic difference. He did not have information on what kind of support staff will be offered for the many residential hotels the province is taking over in the Downtown Eastside or the social housing it has committed to building in Vancouver for people with mental illness, drug addiction or both.
That "both" group is large and growing. About 40 to 60 per cent of mentally ill people are also drug-addicted, a phenomenon that has been hard for the separate health and addictions systems to cope with. Many of those people are living in social housing run by non-profits who get only enough money to have one staff person in the building at any given time.
Abbott also said that, while his ministry is always looking at whether there should be changes to the Mental Health Act, he's not prepared to make any immediate or unilateral changes.
"This is a remarkably difficult area," he said.
B.C. families that have struggled with a mentally ill relative have often demanded they be given more legal power to put their sick family members into institutions or treatment.
"But the mentally ill have rights as well," said Abbott.
Abbott's comments were part of a flurry of responses from politicians over the weekend to the Vancouver police report, the findings of which were published in The Sun Saturday.
Abbott and the city's majority Non-Partisan Association council members focused on what is being done to improve the system, while the NDP and opposition city councillors blamed the provincial government and Mayor Sam Sullivan for having done so little.
NDP health critic Adrian Dix said the police were put into the position of having to become advocates for the mentally ill because the province has systematically gotten rid of advocates, from the NDP-appointed provincial mental-health advocate to people in small non-profits.
Vision Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson said the police report, which he called "more than a wake-up call," was something police were pushed into because the mayor has refused to acknowledge the kind of workload they're dealing with and to provide more officers.
And, he said, Sullivan has also failed to be a champion for change. "These are Vancouver citizens. I would expect emergency meetings by the mayor. He should be trying to get on top of this situation."
But Sullivan said his council has done a lot already, together with the provincial government. He admits the report's numbers came as a surprise. "I was shocked by how large the numbers were, up to 50 per cent."
And he praised police for doing the report. "By shining the light on weaknesses in the system, it focuses on the investments we need."
But he said the provincial government is already moving on that, by planning for the new facility Abbott talked about and by investing in social housing.
NPA Coun. Kim Capri was more critical of the provincial and federal governments, saying city police are bearing the brunt of their decreased funding for health care over the years.
"Our police are now becoming your street-level mental-health workers and advocates," said Capri. "This raises the issue of downloading to local government."
She acknowledged it's a problem many people have been familiar with for years. Capri said that when she worked with the John Howard Society, a group that helps former prisoners adapt to life outside jail, it talked about the fact that the jail system was really turning into housing for the mentally ill.

2008-02-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

Onward Christian Soldiers

Anytime we receive some negative media attention, I start feeling like that kid at the back of the classroom, hands-a-waving, pleading with the teacher that we're actually doing a good job.
"But teacher you don't realize what's happening (in between these four walls)! We're feeding the hungry, we're clothing the poor, we're providing hope and a social community to the lost.
We're helping people get off the streets, into places to live, detox or treatment... we are making a difference!"

So when I received a call last week from one of our guests, (to come see him get baptized) it pains me to admit this -that while part of me was truly over the moon -giddy and ecstatic; the other part -that annoying indignant voice was shouting - I told you so! We are helping people... we'll show you (naysayers)!!!

So with camera in hand and my family in tow, we made our way to the Evangel Church in Kelowna (massive!) to witness one of our guys get baptized.

Needless to say, I was humbled. 8 people were baptized this day, each story filled with it's own share of pain and misery, loneliness and despair. The one thing in common? God.
God filling that empty place inside of us all -filling the emptiness with something new.
Hope. Joy. Peace.
I left the church with a renewed sense of hope -a hope that I want to share with those that know this man. This man who they may have bought drugs from or perhaps even took a beating from -that no one is beyond hope. That nobody is worthless in God's eyes.

It reminded me of the parable of the Sheppard, in search of the one lost sheep. That even when there are days when we may feel frustrated that not enough life change is taking place. We can take solace and encouragement that on this day - God affirmed to us again, that yes -we are making a difference. That we should not give up -that would be the worst thing we could possibly do. God is working a mighty work -march on Christian soldiers!

Here is the link: http://www.evangelbc.org/index-5.html (Feb 3 Baptism service)

2007-10-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

Get Well Soon

Prayer requests for our cook Shirley Trilsbeck. Two nights ago, Shirley and her son Jeremy slid off the highway and their vehicle rolled a couple times. Shirley suffered two fractured vertebrae, while Jeremy is ok. We pray for a quick recovery and rehabilitation for you Shirley, get well soon.

2007-10-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah!

PROVINCE HELPS FUND TWO VERNON EMERGENCY SHELTERS
October 25th, 2007
CAUCUS RELEASE

VERNON - The Province has approved $249,433 in one-time funding for two temporary emergency shelters for men and women in Vernon, Okanagan-Vernon MLA Tom Christensen announced today. "The Province continues to work with the local community to develop a permanent emergency shelter in Vernon," said Christensen. "This funding helps us address the immediate need for safe, secure shelter for individuals living on our streets while a long-term solution is being finalized." Community partners, in conjunction with the Province, have developed an interim plan to provide emergency shelter at two temporary sites during the winter months while work continues on establishing a permanent low-barrier emergency shelter in Vernon. The John Howard Society - North Okanagan / Kootenay Region will receive a one-time grant of $59,180 to operate a temporary 12-bed shelter for men. The Vernon and District Women's Centre Society will receive a one-time grant of $190,253 to operate a temporary 15-bed shelter for women. "This funding enables us to help men living on our streets by providing them with much needed access to safe, secure shelter," said Barbara Levesque, executive director, John Howard Society - North Okanagan / Kootenay Region. "This brings us one step closer to a permanent shelter for homeless women in Vernon," said Ann Forrest, executive director, Vernon and District Women's Centre Society. "With this funding, we will continue reaching out to women living on the streets and build on the work that started last winter." "We are working hard to ensure that the permanent shelter meets the needs of our community," says Annette Sharkey, executive director, Social Planning Council. "This funding provides financing for interim, temporary shelters while we finalize arrangements for a long term solution." As of November 5, 2007, the men's shelter will operate at the John Howard Society's current location, 2307 43rd Street. The operating times will be confirmed at a future date. The women's shelter will open on October 27th and operate out of the Salvation Army at 3303- 32nd Ave. Clients will be able to enter the women's shelter every night at 8:00 p.m. The Women's Centre will also provide drop-in services for women from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

We pray that our people will never again need to seek refuge in places like this...

2007-10-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

Foodshare Conference

I had the privelege to attend a conference last Thursday and Friday about Food Rescue / Recovery or as it's called in Kamloops, Foodshare. It's a brilliant concept, that is a win-win and overwhelming benefit for all partners involved. In a nutshell, excess food is collected from local restaurants, grocery stores, and from individuals (farmers and growers) by the Kamloops Foodbank and then it is distributed to Food Share partners each and every day (minus Christmas). Over 4 million nutrious servings of food was collected from Jan - Nov 2006! Food that would have been tossed out and end up in the landfill. Food Share partners include social agencies that feed the homeless, schools (breakfast and afterschool meal programs) and churches. If all goes according to plans, perhaps Vernon will be the next community to adopt the Foodshare model. Here's a cool story that the E.D. of the Kamloops Food Bank 'shared' with us, and I thought i'd share it with you all!

---------------------------------------------------------------
Homeless lottery winner pays it forward by Lori Jenks
Article printed in Newsbreak on Saturday, April 01, 2006

FOOD BANK volunteer Kelsey Kashuluba looks on as Marg Spina and Julie Bennett prepare fresh produce for the hungry
“Angels come in all shapes and sizes,” said Marg Spina, director of the Kamloops Food Bank.
The angel in this case was a 34-year-old, homeless ex-con who gave the food bank $1,000 after he won $10,000 on a scratch-and-win lottery ticket before paying off his debts.
“I always said that, if I ever won anything, I was going to donate 10 per cent to the food bank,” said the man, who wishes to remain anonymous.

The man won the money in February and it was gone within a month. “I just went around and paid off all of my debts and now I’m free,” he said. “I figured the money was a gift from God and wasn’t for me to keep. What do I need money for anyway? I’m living on the street carrying around 3,000 bucks in my pocket. That’d be pretty stupid. I didn’t want it, so I got rid of it.”
He wants to remain anonymous because he said his friends would give him a hard time for giving the money away. Also, it would be dangerous for him living on the street if people thought he was carrying around a large amount of money. “No one needs to know who I am anyway,” he said. “I just wanted to help the kids. If you went there and saw people trying to feed their kids, you’d have done it too. You know that, if you need food stamps to survive, you don’t have anything.”

Spina’s eyes welled up with tears when she talked about the man who has been a food bank regular for five years. “This is by far the most powerful thing that’s happened in the year I’ve worked here. It’s one of those things that happen that really strengthens your resolve to want to help. “Whatever you choose to do in your life leaves a footprint and I think about that idea when I think of him,” said Spina. “What he did has affected so many people and will continue to affect so many more. That’s what the food bank is all about: paying it forward.
“The most important thing to remember,” said Spina, “is that he made sure he came here first to give us the money because he knew he wasn’t going to hang on to it. I think it really goes to show the real essence of who he is. Whatever has happened to him in his life, he has such a strong desire to want to protect children.”

The man grew up in Alberta and moved to Kamloops five years ago after getting out of prison. “I came to Kamloops 15 years ago and thought I’d like to live here,” he said. “It’s a good place to live outside. It’s warmer than Alberta.” He’s been in and out of prison since he was 18.
He said he’s hoping to be pardoned this month and looks forward to being able to work.In Canada, a person is eligible for a pardon three to five years after serving a sentence.
Winning the money seems to have given the homeless man a new outlook on life. He spends much of his time at the Indian Friendship Society and is learning social skills he didn’t learn in prison.
“When I got out of prison I didn’t know how to relate to people,” he said. “All they do is warehouse people there. They don’t teach you any of the skills you need to survive in the world.”

2007-10-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

A Night to Remember

I mustn't forget to mention (in my old age) last Saturday night's Volunteer Appreciation Party!

We celebrated with about 120 (and it could have been double that number!) of our closest friends a night of great food, music and speeches. I appreciate each and every one of you who have stuck with us in the toughest of times (and there have been a few) and revelled with us, in the best of times. (Many of which are still to come!) In an age, where statistics say that volunteerism is down, the market ripe with paying jobs, increased wages -it is so refreshing and rewarding that so many of you -our amazing volunteers are sticking with us! And it's so encouraging that so many more new volunteers are coming aboard. We are truly blessed by each and every one of you. A big thank you goes out to Mo and Bill for preparing such an delicious dinner spread! Steak and Lobster for next year? :)

2007-10-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

One of Our Own

Life on the Streets by Jon Mercier
-Reprinted from Visions: BC's Mental Health and Addictions Journal, 2007, Vol. 4, No. 1, p. 15.

I've been on the streets a lot in my life. In my early teens I ran away from home. Now, at the age of 23, I find myself back on the streets for something I never thought would happen to me. I was fired from a job because I lost my temper with a customer. I didn't find a new job in time to pay my rent and was evicted.

On March 11, I went to a men's shelter in Vernon called Howard House. They helped me get on welfare and I started paying rent of $450 a month. The Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance (MEIA) only gave me hardship coverage, which means I only got three months of assistance. Come April, Howard House raised the rent to $500. I was only able to give them the $375 income assistance shelter allowance. I gave them that, but was kicked out on April 4 anyway. The money went back to welfare and I was without a place.

I heard there was another shelter that was free to stay at. But when I got there, I found it had closed due to lack of funding. I was left with no place to stay. I kept my hopes up, though, because I still had a place to eat called the Upper Room Mission. The staff there really care about the people who go there.

With the free shelter closed and a bylaw against homeless people sleeping in parks or on city streets, there was no place to sleep at night. The staff at the Upper Room Mission, however, said we could sleep in their parking lot. This is what I, along with about 20 other people, have been doing. We face many hardships, like people driving by and yelling at us. Once someone even drove into the lot while we were asleep and screeched around, doing a smoke show. Yet, ever since the newspaper wrote an article about what is happening to the homeless, many people have come to bring us food, blankets and clothing.

Since being back on the streets, my hope of getting back on my feet is falling into the dark. Before becoming homeless again, I'd been drug-free for six years. But because of depression and the stress of being homeless, I've gotten back into using ecstasy and smoking weed.

When you live on the streets with no money, crime becomes a big temptation. So far, I've been able to ignore the temptation, but for how long I don't know. Between the ages of 13 and 19, I was in and out of jail for breaking and entering, auto theft, drug charges and assault. I've been out of jail for three years now. I still have a warrant for my arrest, though, from Thunder Bay, Ontario. I can't be arrested on that warrant here unless I commit another crime and was told the warrant will be dropped if I can evade it for seven years. With three years behind me, I'm hoping I can get through the next four.

I fear that if I don't get a job and a home soon, I may find myself back in jail. Some people look at being in jail as "at least I am off the streets." As true as that is, besides having a bed and food every day, jail is much like the streets: you still have to deal with drug use, other people's tempers, and even cop-like people. This is why I would much rather find a job, get back into the working world and have a house of my own.

I want to work. I've done odd jobs for people to make money so I could eat and buy smokes. I did six days of labour on a farm for $480, and then I did one day's work putting siding on a house for $60. It's more like no one wants to hire me because I'm homeless. But I'm homeless because I don't have money to pay rent, and I don't have money because no one wants to hire me until I have a place. So it's a Catch-22.1

I've also been prescribed medication for attention deficit, split personality and bipolar disorders. The medication I was first given when I was working was not covered by any Canadian medical plan. Since being homeless, getting the medication I desperately need has been very difficult. My doctor just recently found a medicine that my BC medical plan will cover. So now I am back on medication, but it took from March 11 until May 24 for that to happen.

I've met many different people while living on the streets and not all of them are homeless. I've met a very kind and warm-hearted married couple, who are a great support in keeping my hopes of getting a job high. I'm thankful for meeting them. I also met my now girlfriend on the streets. She is not homeless, but has slept with me on the street a few nights. It makes me very happy that she understands me, and I know she's there for me no matter what I'm facing. A few other people I've met are not the best people to know, and I wish I'd never met them.

My biggest wish is that the public would realize we homeless people are just like everyone else; we're just having a rough time in our lives. Many of us have good hearts and are trying to find a home and a better life. We just have some mighty big obstacles to face.

Jon is 23 and lives in Vernon. He has two beautiful sons and, although he is homeless, he is working toward a better future.

2007-10-02T17:27:00.001-07:00

City in desperate need of more addiction services
By Natalie Bank
Reprinted from the September 30th edition of the Daily Courier

The Vernon man who was killed in a cardboard bin was only looking for a place to hang his hat for a few hours. Days after his death, social service providers are wondering what would have happened if there had been other doors for him to knock on long before the night that became his last. Barbara Levesque and her staff at the John Howard House have been talking about the incident. She said for them, his death had a clear message: There‘s a growing need for addictions services at the street level. “The people who work in addictions services in Vernon are overloaded and we‘re also not reaching everyone who needs services and this is just a good example of that.” Levesque said there‘s a lot of people looking for addictions help in Vernon, but there‘s not always someone available to help.

The city has good addictions services, she said, just not enough addictions services. When an addict also has a serious mental health problem, it‘s even harder for them to get access to care and counselling, said Levesque. Things like a street-level outreach worker and a future downtown health clinic will help alleviate that, but it‘s almost too little, too late. “Those things are coming into play behind the wave, so we‘re playing catch up right now,” said Levesque.

Police said the 53-year-old man, who was found by recycling staff at the Vernon landfill Thursday morning, was not homeless. He did, however, have a “lifestyle” that led him to look for shelter in a dumpster on occasion, according to officers. The man, whose family requested police withhold his name, was somewhere in central Vernon, when he likely decided to lift the lid on a recycling bin and climb in. Although police haven‘t ruled out foul play, they say he may have simply been cold, a little too far from home or he‘d had enough and wanted to rest for a while. Levesque said she often hears of people sleeping in downtown dumpsters and alleys, which can be as dangerous as the parks and places they are fleeing from. Sometimes they are people with addictions, sometimes they have mental illness and, often, both. Often, too, if you heard their story, Levesque said, you‘d be surprised about where they‘re from. “I want people to remember that many people that are struggling right now with these addictions or mental health problems are not from generations of people on welfare or people who have been poor all their lives. It‘s not.” “It‘s people who are our neighbours, from the middle class, who have owned homes. People have to set aside those stereotypes now.”

2007-09-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Place
(submitted by our new Ministry Outreach Worker -Brett Ziemer)

Everybody moving in different directions, everyone trying to get to the same place…
Traffic lights, telling you when to go and when to stop...
Some of us drive slowly to enjoy the view, some of us drive fast to be on time for work.
We check our pockets hoping for change, but all we find is a bank receipt telling us we’re broke. We’re all trying to find out the fastest and most efficient way to get to “the place.”
What place, you may ask? “You know the place”.

We all have struggles in life; health, stress, bad decision after bad decision…
So much noise, distractions and everywhere you look there’s advertising telling you they have the answers. Maybe it’s as expensive as a brand new truck or as simple as a Sean John hoodie… that next purchase will get you closer to ‘the place.’ And it’s in this pursuit, that we find emptiness, desperation… but still, we push back the blankets (for some, a singular blanket) and start the day all over again.

I just started this position at the Upper Room Mission, as a Ministry Outreach Worker and to say the least it has been “interesting!” As I reflect back on my first week, all I can think is that ‘the God we serve is an almighty God and I am thankful for the work he is doing all around us at every moment of the day.’ I pray that this building will not be just another ‘soup kitchen’ but a bright light for Christ in this dark world we live in. I hope we can continue putting action to our words. We delight in our daily chapel and the Christian music that plays softly in the dining room; it’s a gentle, but essential reminder of why we are here and what God has planned for us. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”(Isaiah 6:8)

There will always still be temptations and conflict within us because there is an Enemy that is looking to stir up dissention and disharmony, his goal to seek and destroy. Spiritual warfare can be especially thick and without strong discipline to grow in Gods wisdom we can fall short on his return. Tempers rage and a simple couple dollars owed can quickly become a black eye or worse. Again, there’s ‘the place.’

The Place is the moment we know we are walking on holy ground. The place of joy, thankfulness, peace, encouragement, love and finally hope; the place where God faithfully meets us; if only we ask. A recent example of this was in the midst of all the frustration and pain of some guests arguing in the dining room, I thought that I couldn’t take much more. I looked across the room and then everything stopped… There sat one of my new friends; sitting in the far corner with no one around him; concentrated on nothing else but the small red Bible he just received while asking Jesus into his heart. The noise from the street goes silent. People yelling at each other two feet away becomes muted. Everyone moving and going in different directions are united as one. The worship of Christian music rises off the radio waves just above your head and you are mentally ready to appreciate the scenery on the way home. You realize that you are at ‘the place,’ where everything makes sense and you understand why we do -what we do. I am blessed because I get to be apart of that everyday here at the Upper Room Mission -where God comes to meet us where we are at, at that very moment. It’s ‘the place’ where God has his People helping People.

2007-09-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

Farewell Judy

We said goodbye to Judy Trouiller last Friday. Judy was one of our two Ministry Outreach Workers and in her six months with us, she made an immeasurable difference in the lives of many of our guests. Her presence will be missed, but we are excited to know that she will still be leading up our Mentorship Program that starts in January. We wish her well in her new role for Interior Health. Good luck Judy, youll be missed by everybody at the Mission!

2007-08-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

We Are ONLINE!!!

Many months of blood, sweat and tears... mostly that of our awesome and talented webmaster Rob Vat and assistant manager, Randel Erbacker. Thank you both for all your hard work, long hours and tireless efforts into making a few scribbles on a pad of paper into a reality.

Check it out, much hard work into creating the best website we could offer.
http://www.vernonurm.org/

2007-08-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

With a Little Help from Our Friends...

I must make a special note of thanks to the Eagle Bay Camp L.I.T's & Greendale First Mennonite Youth Group for blessing us with a day of volunteering! (Greendale a day and a half)

The Eagle Bay group gave our upstairs office, a much needed face lift, and for a group that had minimal painting experience -they did an amazing job! They also cleaned up our storage upstairs, helped out in the kitchen and led a great chapel session.

Thank you so much John and Claire for leading this awesome group: Zach, Erin, Katherine, Rebecca, Nicolas, Fretz, Nikki, Curtis and Elina -thank you!

Greendale First Mennonite also did a wonderful job giving our old Mission a good cleaning. Upstairs, downstairs, vacuuming, dusting, wiping the walls, cleaning out our cooler, etc...

On day 2, this group of 14 filled one of these trailers full of bags of clothing and boxes of toys (to be shipped to Surrey, and then overseas to those in need) They did it all with a great attitude and in record time no less -(under an hour!)

Thank you Darren, Rob and Kathy for leading this great group of youths (Karl, Derek, Connor, Jordan, Josh, Matt, Lucas, Danica, Amy, Tara and Dayna -thank you so much!)

2007-08-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

It's Nice to Meet Your Neighbours

It's human nature to get a bit tunnel visioned sometimes... To be so focused on what's going on between your four walls (of work) that it can feel a bit... claustrophobic, lonely even.

Lately, I've been feeling the need to meet our neighbours (more specifically, our fellow service providers). And not just across the table at some meeting, but really taking the time -to tour their place of work, meet their staff and to educate ourselves about what's out there in our community (for the people we serve)

We've just finished day two of our 'meet and greet tour 2007' and it's been time well spent.
I encourage you to take the time too! In the very least, it's a nice visual reminder that we're not alone in the work we do. I know that sounds obvious, but it's important to remind ourselves of that sometimes...

2007-07-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

Drug Dealers in Heaven, What???

Since last Monday's breakthrough, it feels like the floodgates have opened and we're starting to see real tangible signs that life change is happening! More and more people are starting to seek help: finding work, finding a place to live, getting connected to social assistance and other services, and most encouraging -seeking treatment from the addictions that have held them down so long.

It's really quite remarkable... though it should come as no surprise, since we believe in a supernatural God capable of unimaginable miracles, right?

It seems a miracle has happened in the life of one of our most 'lost' drug addicts/dealer. Tommy (*not his real name) truly fit the stereotype of a street gangsta. Chains around his neck, over sized football jersey, baggy pants... he walked with an unmistakable strut that carried an air of 'untouchable' arrogance. The staff weren't sure what to make of him, he was a bizarre paradox to say the least... Here you had this kid, that was perhaps the most despicable (in the Mission life-change sense) -a drug dealer, but at the same time he was charming, funny and still really likable, despite the obvious.

Tommy reached an impasse in his life here in Vernon, too many people knocking down his door it seems... So, unannounced to anyone he skipped town to Vancouver.

So when he came back strutting through our front doors last week, (after a few months away) I could only imagine the kind of trouble he got into while on the West Coast.

I quickly discovered that one shouldn't jump to such conclusions so easily. It seems, an angel (of sorts) plucked him right off the streets and convinced him that detox was the way to go... From there, he started up in their work service... first, as a worker who'd pick up used rigs on the streets and alleyways. Then he started helping make lunches and serving them. Then he picked up a third job (!) handing out blankets at the overnight shelter.

He started sensing a change in his own heart, (remembering as we told him repeatedly that Jesus had a plan for his life, that he would be used as a vessel to do HIS amazing works) that by sharing his own experiences, that he could reach those that in the same place he was.

He shared with them, another path to take. A happier place of truth and a freedom from drugs and the streets... what a miracle!

That said, Tommy is no saint (and he recognizes that). There is a reason that he was brought back to Vernon, some unresolved issues to face. But when all is said and done, I believe that Tommy is going to do wonderful things in the name of Jesus, bringing addicts back from the point of no return, and telling them, that this place doesn't exist! That by the power of God all can be saved and have eternal life and real PURPOSE in life! How cool is that?

Ephesians 2:8 -For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

Romans 10:12-13 -For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

2007-07-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Creatures of Habit

Resources lacking -Jul 06 2007

On June 17, you published a letter regarding local homeless drug users in which A.N. Brown wrote: "Those that really need the help should be in some monitored group home where they can receive the medical help they need and are safe from the dregs that prey on them." Bravo. I wish to agree wholeheartedly. That is exactly where many of these people should be, in treatment centers.

The unfortunate truth is that B.C. has desperately insufficient resources for dealing with this problem. For starters no one gets to treatment without going to detox first. Detox takes a matter of days whereas comprehensive treatment takes weeks just to make a good start.
There are 1,038 drug and alcohol rehab beds in all of B.C. of which about 600 are detox beds and 400 are treatment beds.

Assuming an average of two weeks of detox and six weeks of treatment, our system is capable of detoxing four times more people than it's capable of treating.
That means out of four people who make a decision to get help and get straight, only one will find a treatment bed available after detox. The other three will walk out of detox with no support to stay straight and no tools to support their own sobriety. They typically end up right back where they started. The net result is often a complete waste of resources.

In 2003 the Vancouver Coastal Health authority estimated that there were 20-25,000 injection drug users residing in B.C. I want to be very clear that this figure does not include countless others who use highly addictive drugs without using needles. I've had a hard time finding a more comprehensive figure but we know the situation has not improved since 2003. It's getting worse, so these figures will serve to illustrate my point.

The 400 available treatment beds can start the rehabilitation process for about 4000 users annually. It would take more than five years just to treat B.C.'s injection drug users alone. Who knows how long to deal with the remaining addicts who smoke, eat, snort and drink their substance of choice.

I understand that many people feel resentment that our tax dollars should have to be applied to cleaning up the mess of addiction. The truth is that, regardless of who made the mess, we are all living with it. Many more of us than some are willing to admit are vulnerable to addiction. No one wants to be addicted to meth or heroin. No one believed it would take them down when they started. Those were errors in judgement made long ago, decisions that were supported by the predators who make their living peddling poison. There are 600 known organized crime groups operating in Canada, with 128 in B.C. alone.

We need more treatment beds and more qualified treatment professionals. We need to be effectively prosecuting the sellers and stop persecuting the users.
Every dollar spent on the incarceration of drug users is a waste of resources that could be redirected to treatment. There is no rehabilitation in our prison system, just a higher price to pay for staying high.

So to A.N. Brown, and other like-minded individuals, it's all well and good to suggest that those who are down and out ought to get help. We just have to be willing to dole out our tax money to ensure sufficient, appropriate help is available.
Sam Zaharia

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I could have wept after reading this... I especially loved the line hi-lighted in red.

I shared this letter to the editor with you to give you a better idea of what we're up against.

It's extremely difficult when you get somebody at their lowest point -who is sincere and ready to make that change to sobriety, to get 'clean' from the drugs, life on the streets -only to make the calls and get the same disappointing answer time after time... 'sorry, we don't have any beds available, but do keep calling us back.'

It is not uncommon for the wait time to be months in some treatment centres, which to a homeless person can seem like an eternity. With the streets awash in drugs and temptation, the chances of recapturing this desire for change is nearly impossible.

That's why today, was one of the best days we've had in a long time! One of our guys Wayne Ladoceur (*not his real name) was accepted today into Teen Challenge! (http://bcteenchallenge.com/ok/frameset.html)

To say we're proud of Wayne, is an understatement. And the fact this is a Christian based treatment centre, with an 86% success rate and a one year residential program -we are beyond ecstatic!!!!!!!!!!! And to know Wayne, his potential for coming out of this program and taking the gospel to the world -there really is no limits. He went in knowing the love of Christ at work in his life and we can only imagine, what he'll do when he gets out.

On the drive out (I was the fortunate one to get to drive Wayne out to Winfield) we got to see this beautiful sight...

He wondered how anyone could take in the beauty of the Okanagan and deny the existence of God. (I shared the sentiment) Amongst other things, we talked about God's plan for his life, the spiritual gifting that he's been blessed with and the fears that came with making this choice.

As I gave him a manly hug goodbye, I felt something I haven't felt in a long time.

Giddy.

Wayne, you're in our prayers, we know that God is going to work a wonder in you. We can't wait to hear of your progress and see you again someday soon!

2007-07-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

It Is The Best of Times and the Worst of Times...

Some people write better than they live; others live better than they write. Jeremiah, writing or living, was the same Jeremiah. This is important to know because Jeremiah is the prophet of choice for many when we find ourselves having to live through difficult times and want some trustworthy help in knowing what to think, how to pray, how to carry on. Jeremiah's troubled life spanned one of the most troublesome periods of in Hebrew History, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. And Jeremiah was in the middle of all of it, sticking it out, praying and preaching, suffering and striving, writing and believing.
-Eugene Peterson 'Intro to Jeremiah from The Message'

Desperation does strange things to people. All around us, it seems we are surrounded by utter desperation that manifests itself in so many different ways. Pain and suffering from hurts so deep, that only a quick snort, sniff or puff will bring a release from -if only for a short little while. Pretty heavy stuff, but when you've experienced abuse, death, murder, rape, assault -does it make sense? And why does it consume us the way it does, I'm not totally certain. You could ask, how could it not? I often wonder why I've been called to this work when so often I feel so ill-equipped to do anything about it. Why does such evil exist in this world?

Lately these days, I've been feeling less a loving compassionate person, than a police guard.
Yes, we need to be vigilant in the line of work we do, we can't just let those that would, do as they please -freely dealing and ingesting as much drugs as they please, on our watch no less?

Does this mean we are in the right place at the right time? That without these things, suffering, hopelessness and despair, that God could not show us his Glory -our faith, responsibility to love the unloved, to feed the needy and hungry, to show compassion and care to the orphans and widows -perhaps it shouldn't grieve us so to know that we are in the heart of a battle that we know we have victory in and that was never in doubt.

I used to be such a normal, easy going and light-hearted guy.
I think I still am :)

2007-07-02T23:20:00.001-07:00

Writing When I Have Nothing to Say...

So it's been about a month since my last post (sorry about that, I guess the rage needed some time to subside I think :)
Sadly, not much has really changed here in our quiet little town... We are still without a shelter, (and perhaps for quite some more time) our homeless have still be sleeping God knows where, having to do unimaginable things to get by, but hey we bought a new condo!
I know I shouldn't feel guilt about such things... Because God wants to bless those that are obedient to him and for us all to have life to the fullest right!?!

Having gone through the process, it really boggles my mind -the basic cost of owning your own place. Why it needs to cost so much to have something, that I guess we all just take for granted and yet most of us can't afford -without much pain involved. Surely anything worth having must cost us something right?
I know this isn't really making a lot of sense. Perhaps someday someone more intelligent can explain it to me, or maybe someone with a bigger bank account...

And the stupid thing is with all these important happenings happening, my thoughts are consumed by this little story I came across this weekend...
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/story.html?id=72750eb6-9e27-456d-b959-6d81912fa094&k=69539

I have to admit that I nearly fell over when I read this. I mean, what are the odds of this EVER happening in one's lifetime?

That said, there's no more deserving people than all of you at Hope to have a been blessed this way and I am happy for you (and want some pictures too :)

So we continue on fight the good fight, because it isn't the worst thing to admit that life isn't so bad some days... Somedays' it's pretty great...

2007-06-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

My Name is Andrew and I Have Become an Angry Person...

Everybody's nerves are on edge, the weather has been terrible and we still do not have an emergency shelter up and running (though we are close).

It's such a frustrating thing, the stupid politics that get in the way in times like these.

What other choice do we have though in these situations but to look to God for the answer. Because it's all too easy to sin, to be re-active and want to fight back and response angrily when you are being attacked, maligned, patronized and criticized. In the quiet, you just gotta pray for a measure of patience and self-control and realize that even we live in this world, we are not of the world. We cannot get caught up in the schemes of the Enemy that would see us tear each apart, rather than build each other up. Love your neighbour and those that would mean you harm and pray for those that do not know Jesus.
Easier said then done, especially in times like these. But it's a necessary thing, because really what choice do we have?

2007-05-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts...

Some days, work doesn't seem like work... relationships are great, attitudes are so positive
-despite the fact our people are living in our parking lot -and sometimes they can surprise you.

The other day, I was helping clean up in the morning and one of our guys made the comment 'You shouldn't have to do that.' Taken aback, I stammered 'Why's that now?' The response, 'It's not your mess, we made it, we should clean it up.' And he did.

I could reel off a number of other examples like that... but it's an amazing thing to think how, by allowing our guests to stay in our parking lot, relationship has grown so much. Respect, love, trust -it's at the level these days, that we've all wanted to exist in the Mission. It's truly the strangest irony of this whole situation.

It's also been a blessing to see how the community again has responded. Sure, there will always be those that will criticize (coming from a place of ignorance or fear), but to see the countless number of people come by in the evening with sandwiches, drinks (non-alcoholic of course), fruit, snacks, blankets, sleeping bags; financial donations have been coming in and amazingly, new volunteers are coming forward. It's really been an answer to prayer.

The flip side of that is sin is still all too prevalent. And when there are vulnerable souls in the balance, the enemy will come to steal, kill and destroy. Reports of drug dealers dropping off their product in the night, men in nice new trucks stopping by to pay for favours from our female guests -and the male guests -letting it happen.

This reality is unacceptable and sickening and makes us all the more fervent to pray for a new shelter space to be found and up and running as soon as possible. A safe place for our guests to rest their tired minds and bodies -away from the threat and temptations of the street. It's not too much to ask right?