Kids Dig Helping Kids!

An amazing thing happened on Saturday January 14th! Children, teenagers, group leaders and some parents were at the mission to dig in and help. A group of kids from Caravan, (some what like girl and boy scouts) from Church of the Nazarene came to help. They picked up trash outside and helped fold some bed sheets.

The other group was a kids organized group that wanted to make a difference in the playground. The playground, a grass lot with a gabzebo, lacks some of the things that they think will spur kids imagination. As Colson, age 15, one of the group visionaries put it, "We wanted to help give them something to do...to play and interact with other kids and possibly make friends and enhance their imagination and creativity." Great thanks to all of you who came to make the world a better place!

THANKS FOR CHRISTMAS!

Wow! What a great Christmas. Thank you to all who gave their time and resources to make Christmas special for others! You are greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoy the movie and photos.

The Rest of the Interview with Bill Wheeler

The Rest of the Interview

with Bill Wheeler, Exec. Director

Las Cruces Gospel Rescue Mission, Inc.

Q: When did you become the director of the Gospel Rescue Mission, and what is it like to have a challenging job where so many people need help each day?

A: Since 1998 when the Board of Directors asked me to consider taking Sky Martinez's position, everyday has been a joy to come to work. Each day is a new challenge, and with the Lord's support, problems have been solved and lives impacted. This at the end of the day has glorified Christ.

Q: Who do you see when you see a person with a drug addiction?

A: I see a potential heart that the Lord can touch and turn their life around once they realize God’s love for them and understand the sacrifice that Christ went through to give them a perfect relationship with God. The recovery of drug addicts that committed themselves to our four month biblical recovery program have given me the greatest joy. The key to their recovery is the change in their heart that is made possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Q: What would you say to someone who is thinking of volunteering but may be a little nervous?
A: I ask all the volunteers to pray for God to make it clear to them that He will provide them with the words and the strength to work with the people group that we work with. God will protect them. They can’t expect that the change will be instantaneous. It takes repetitive faithfulness in reaching out to them.

Q: There have been some recent changes at the Rescue Mission in its ability to accommodate families. Can you tell me more about that?

A: I’m very pleased about our ability to restructure two of the families rooms in what used to be called the woman’s and children's’ area of the mission to accommodate husband and wives with children to be able to stay together. That’s a change in design from how the mission was designed. We have a secure, separate children’s playing area, and housing area from the men’s area. We are blessed with a local church that is improving our playground to include an underground sprinkler system.

Q: What would happen if the Gospel Rescue Mission was not in our community?

A: If the mission had not been here in 2008, there would have been 381 decisions to follow Christ that would not have been made. Plus, 105 people that made re dedications and impacted their lives through the nightly one hour chapel services. Those services are led by volunteers from numerous churches within the community. The other obvious thing is the number of meals and nights lodging would not have been available. I think the whole community should take great pride in what we offer in the interchange of two interstate highways.
All of those meals are served by cooks who have volunteered who themselves have been homeless.

Website Woes and Opportunites!

Recently, we have had some difficulties with our website.... as you can see.
There is a golden opportunity at the moment for help.
First of all, if you would like to finanically contribute to help keep the Rescue Mission running throughout the coming year, your help will be doubled!
Denver Mattresss Company helps the homeless each year. This year they are contributing dollar per dollar for anyone who donates through their landing page.
On our website homepage, there is a button that says, "Click". It is above the information about Denver Mattress. It is a purple color.
If you click there, it will take you to the page to donate. After you click the large DONATE button, you will need to select Las Cruces Gospel Rescue Mission from the dropdown list.
Thank you!

If you are interested in donating your talents to the mission to help with web-design or graphic design, please e-mail us and let us know! Thanks!
E-mail: lcgrm@qwestoffice.net
To Double Any Donation until December 9th, click on this link: http://www.denvermattresshelps.com/elpaso

After Thanksgiving!

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make Thanksgiving a blessed time. Because of your help, 203 delicious hot Thanksgiving dinners were delivered to people's door on Thanksgiving. For many of these individuals who are elderly or disabled, your greeting was the only one they had from someone else this Thanksgiving. One such person called and said, "It was absolutly delicious."! She was not only thankful for the meal, but for meeting somone who cared.

Thank you!

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving!

Have you wanted to volunteer and help with the Great Thanksgiving Feast? Each year the mission not only serves guests from the community who come to share a Thanksgiving banquet, they also deliver hot meals to people in our community who are elderly or disabled. Would you like to be a part of sharing the holidays with someone who will be very thankful you brought them dinner? Call the mission at 523-7727 and ask to volunteer. Thank you!

A Special Veteran's Day!

Today was special for veterans who are *overnight guests at the Rescue Mission. A few days ago, a special invitation was posted on the message board. It invited veterans to come to a special chapel service at Mesilla Valley Christian School to honor them on Veteran's Day. The Veteran's who went expressed how it brought tears to their eyes. The children lined the hallways and saluted the men as they walked through the hall. "They wanted us to do it again," said one man. "It was like being in training," smiled another. During the program, one boy played Taps on the trumpet. Thank you to all the students and staff at Mesilla Valley Christian School. Your thoughtfulness and all you did to honor those who have served our country will not be quickly forgotten.

*An estimated one out of three guests who sleeps overnight at the Rescue Mission has served our country in the armed forces.