Dear Friends,

By now, I was hoping to have better news for you. Perhaps that the economy was recovering. Or that Southern California’s housing crisis had stabilized. Or that moms and dads were going back to work so fewer people needed the Mission’s help. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. In fact, it’s just the opposite! As the recession’s aftereffects continue to drag on, even MORE people are asking for our help — more than I can ever remember seeing in my 18 years with the Orange County Rescue Mission. That has put us in a terrible bind.

Our fiscal year ends September 30. Although our shortfall is beginning to decrease, it’s still more than $326,917! This is our last chance to close the gap.

The fall is our busiest time of year, when any financial shortage — even a small one — could hinder our efforts to reach hundreds of men, women and children in desperate need. That’s why I’m asking you to support Operation Lighthouse, and help us keep the light on for those in need.

Remember: We still need to raise $326,917 by September 30 to erase this shortfall so that we’re ready to serve our Orange County neighbors in dire need this fall. Will you prayerfully consider sending a gift today?

God bless you!

God’s grace and your generosity helped lead Charles from street gangs to higher education.

When Charles got out of prison two years ago, he wanted it to be the start of a new life. But it soon started looking a lot like his old life. “I had been homeless for eight years before I went to prison,” he explains. “Now I was back on the streets again. I had to decide,” he continues. “I could get myself another number” (by committing a crime and returning to prison), “or try to make it on the outside.”

As he considered his options, Charles made a stop at the Orange County Rescue Mission. “I just came in for a meal,” he remembers. “I saw a friend and we sat and talked.” He ended up speaking with Mission counselors, too.

Charles grew up in rough Santa Ana gangs, heavily involved in drugs, crime ... even devil worship. But God’s grace reached Charles in prison and began transforming his life. Charles drew closer to God and started focusing on his education, ultimately earning his GED.

We were able to offer Charles a place at the Village of Hope. With time to devote to his studies, Charles is proving to be a star student: Out of more than 4,000 applicants, he was one of fewer than 300 to earn a scholarship to a local college. His goal is to earn an associate degree, then apply to the Cal State University system.

“I’m proof that anyone can change,” Charles says. “My goal is to help others who are like I was. I know that if I’ve made it this far, God will take me the rest of the way.”

Helen had wonderful kids, a fabulous house, a successful career ... “an ideal life,” she says. She even volunteered at the Orange County Rescue Mission. But when her marriage ended, Helen fell into a seven-year spiral of depression.

More than “the blues,” depression is a serious mental illness. “I lost confidence, my identity, even daily living skills,” she recalls. When she began missing work, she lost her job, too. “I went from running milliondollar projects to not being sure I could get a job pushing shopping carts,” she continues. “It was frightening to know I could change that much.”

As her savings ran dry, Helen and her kids hopped from apartment to apartment and finally to a friend’s hotel. There, someone encouraged her to get back in contact with the Mission. Today, Helen is finding grace and new life at the Mission.

“This isn’t just about shelter,” she says. “This is a place of deep, deep healing. I’m dealing with some serious wounds,” she continues. “It was a very dark time for me. I became isolated and lived in constant fear. But I don’t fear anything now. I no longer live just for survival. I’m grateful for what I have every day. “Even when I was a volunteer, I never realized how many angels are at the Mission.”

“There were so many times I could have died.”

Jackie always seemed destined for big things — even if only in the shadowy world of Orange County drug gangs. With her father and brothers already gang lords, it was natural for her to join the “family business.”

“It’s not easy as a female to deal with the big drug dealers and distributors,” Jackie says. “My father gave me a lot of power in that world. I was always running on the streets,” she continues, “never out of money, always with places to stay. All those people are dead or in prison now,” she sighs.

In fact, the realization that she, too, was likely to end up behind bars shocked Jackie into making a change. A counselor at a transitional-living center gave her a number to call — a call that connected her to the Village of Hope. Jackie and her three sons joined us in January 2009.

“God has a plan for me,” she says. “There were so many times I could have died. I was always in that shadow. One day soon, I hope to earn my license as a counselor,” she says. “I am responsible for a lot of broken lives. The best way to help is to be a counselor.

“Having three sons now scares me,” she continues. “They’ve seen one world. They need to see a better one and learn from my mistakes. I spent years making a name for myself on the streets. Now I want to make a name for myself with God.”

Rebecah Bouck found out about the work of the Orange County Rescue Mission two years ago when she made a donation towards a Thanksgiving Dinner. Shortly after being laid off over a year ago, after 19 years as an accountant, she decided to use her spare time to make a more tangible contribution through volunteering at OCRM.

It wasn't long before Rebecah found herself involved in an office-related project. She considered this a natural fit for her skills after working for over 25 years in an office environment. But the plans of man are often confounded by the will of God. What at first was a “natural fit” began to give way to a desire to transfer to meal preparation work. Rebecah has always enjoyed cooking, but had no prior exposure to the hustle of a professional kitchen. She need not have concerned herself about that.

When she realized just how much she enjoyed the work, Rebecah quickly added two dinner shifts to her one-lunch-a-week commitment. Unfortunately, volunteering has had to take second place to job-hunting for the time being, so one weekly five-hour afternoon shift a week will have to do for now. She plans to add more when she finds work.

Rebecah enjoys the fast-moving atmosphere of the kitchen, though she still finds the time to interact with the students. She says, “Initially, I thought I would just be a good listener and offer support and advice to the students. Then, as God would have it, it has been the students’ sharing, listening, and compassion that have helped ME in my new direction in life.” Rebecah is exhilarated by the challenge of learning new kitchen skills, and she is fascinated with the experience of working alongside professional chefs.

She adds thoughtfully, “I call several people my new friends now, and hope they feel the same way. I see what God has done in their lives through OCRM, and see how incredibly grateful they are at having almost nothing, and having been given a second chance. I guess the biggest lesson I've learned is that volunteering is not just something to fill the hours of my days, but rather a way of serving God through connecting to people.”

I spent most of my adult life doing drugs and having children. No college, no work, no skills. I grew up in Big Bear Lake. From age 15 to 18 were my worst years, but I never got caught, never arrested. It’s not just that I dodged a bullet — more like I was in a war and made it back alive.

I finally put myself in rehab last year. But rehab just gets you off drugs. It doesn’t do anything about your life after drugs. That’s why I came to the Mission. I’m working toward going back to school. My goal is to be selfsufficient within three years. I’m trying to provide the right kind of life for three little girls, and I finally feel like I’m on the right track.

“After Joe’s grandmother died, he found himself living in his car while working as a courier. But then a hernia limited his ability to work, while car problems ended his ability to get around. Soon, he was calling a storage unit “home.”

“I wasn’t ‘contemplating’ suicide,” Joe recalls. “I had it all planned out.”

Then, something convinced him to shelve his plan and call the Orange County Rescue Mission instead. We helped him get the operation he needed and found him a room at the Village of Hope. Now he’s training to be a long-haul truck driver.

“My life before wasn’t going to end well,” Joe says. “Now I am healed physically and mentally and am about to get a good job. I’m where I am today because of the Mission.”

If the articles in this newsletter look familiar, there’s a good reason. They have appeared in previous issues of this newsletter. But why retell the best stories from the past? Because, as God’s Word reminds us, there is much we can learn from those who came before us.

Recounting past “miracles” — the lives you’ve helped transform through your support of the Mission — reminds us of some vital truths:

1. God is amazing! Who else could reach into Helen’s dark depression, break through generations of the gang lifestyle to free Jackie, or grab Joe as he was about to kill himself? Who else could set them on the road to new and better lives?
2. Friends like you make the difference! Your support of the Mission is more than “a good deed.” You are the pipeline through which God’s grace flows into human lives.
3. This work is vital! The Mission is this community’s new safety net. Unemployment benefits are ending, state services are being cut, churches are stretched to the limit. If we can’t help people in need, many have no place left to go.

Any success we have had over the years has been due to God’s grace and your generosity. Thank you for being someone we can count on — in the past, and in the future!

In His service,

The Orange County Rescue Mission is committed to helping you assist the poor in the most cost-effective way possible. That’s why we take extra care to use every penny efficiently. As part of that effort, we are governed by an independent Board of Directors. We are also a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Upon your request, we will send you an audited financial statement prepared by an independent certified public accountant.

At the Orange County Rescue Mission, a full 81 cents of every dollar given goes directly to help the homeless. If gifts received are above a specific need, they will be used for Mission programs where the need is greatest. Your support is greatly appreciated. With your help, the Orange County Rescue Mission works to make our community a better place for everyone to live.

Ralphs Community Contributions Program!

It’s that time again!! Sign up for Ralphs Community Contributions Program and earn money for the Orange County Rescue Mission while you shop. Even if you are already a participant, you must re-register on or after September 1, 2010.

Just sign up here, designate the Orange County Rescue Mission as the beneficiary and use your Ralphs Rewards card at checkout when you shop. A percentage of all your purchases will be donated to assist us in bringing hope to the Least, the Last and the Lost of Orange County.

Participant registration for the new term begins on September 1, 2010. There is no pre-registration! This means that you cannot register for the new term until September 1, 2010 or after.

Congratulations to Ralphs for donating almost $3 million this past year through its Community Contributions Program.

TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE!! If just 60 people sign up and use their Ralphs Rewards card, and the average quarterly shopping percentage brings in a modest $3.15 each, then those 60 people could make $756.00 a year JUST BY DOING OUR OWN GROCERY SHOPPING! Of course, the more you purchase, the more you earn for OCRM. (We'll keep you updated on the quarterly progress!)

Click here to sign up.

Thank you!