Wheeler Mission's Blog

Winter is coming

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 23:30:00 +0000

On my way home today, I noticed people setting up their sleeping arrangements under a railroad trestle. They were getting organized to “hunker down” for a cool and rainy night. Outreach workers will most likely come and offer to drive them to Wheeler or another mission in town so they can spend the night indoors. Many will hold out and stay in their make shift home.

But winter is coming. Any many of the chronic homeless will find their way to our Shelter for Men or our Center for Women & Children. Soon, every one of our beds will be full and we will give hundreds of people a blue mat and offer them a place to sleep on the floor. While they are safely indoors, this situation just adds to the dehumanizing aspect of homelessness. Sleeping shoulder to shoulder with strangers next to you is not always viewed as the next step out of their homeless situation.

Please pray for the homeless, and for the staff of Wheeler Mission. We are in the process of enhancing our facilities so that we will have more beds to offer those who come through our doors. When a person has a good night’s rest and a nutritious meal, they are more likely to want to take that next step to end their homelessness. This might mean setting up a meeting with a Wheeler Case Manager, entering our long term residential program to address their addiction, connecting with mental health care professionals, or addressing a significant health concern at our onsite medical clinic.

Real change this winter may begin by having the opportunity to sleep in a bed. Would you pray about helping us enhance our programs to those who are homeless?

Rick

Mighty to Save

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Do you have a list of favorite Christian songs? Mighty to Save by Laura Story is on the top of my list. It speaks deeply to my heart because it describes the life experience of many of our guests. They could have written the lyrics themselves.

Here’s a few of the lines:

Everyone needs compassion

Everyone needs forgiveness…the kindness of a Savior

Savior – He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save!

Many of our guests have mountains to climb as they face addiction, long term unemployment, lack of education, and have only a fragile thread of hope for a better life. But our God can move the mountains for He is mighty to save.

What a blessing to stand in our Chapel and hear many of the men in our programs sing this song at the top of their lungs. They have experienced God’s saving grace. His compassion. His forgiveness. His kindness. Now they are seeing the mountains moved as they follow God’s plan for their lives.

I urge you to listen to the song and sing it at the top of your lungs too!

Rick

Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:12:00 +0000

“For the first time in my life, I have joy.” That’s what a 55 year old guest told me recently. She said it is because she is free from drugs controlling her life from the time she awoke until she fell into her disordered sleeping patterns.

Now, her day is ordered as she attends classes, and transitions into a job. Her children have remarked to her that they have never seen her so content and her pastor is encouraged by her faithful attendance and service at church. She has been clean and sober for almost two years now and her future holds promise.

This guest has told me more than once that she never realized there was more to life until she came to Wheeler Mission and heard about God’s love for her. She says she lived her entire life thinking that the addicted lifestyle was her only option. Now – peace and joy mark of her life because the “joy of the Lord is her strength.”

Rick

Reconciliation

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:06:00 +0000

Have you ever thought about reconciliation?

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Theology states that “reconciliation involves a change in the relationship between God and man or man and man. It assumes there has been a breakdown in the relationship, but now there has been a change from a state of enmity and fragmentation to one of harmony and fellowship.”

Have you ever experienced a “state of enmity and fragmentation” with the very people to whom you should be most connected? Has there been a breakdown in any of your relationships? We often see this in the lives of those who come through our doors here at Wheeler. It is a sad, disheartening situation.

Yet, 2 Corinthians 5:18 tells us that “Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” – and this reconciliation comes as we experience life in Christ, where the old is left behind and “all things become new.” It’s true. It happens. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

More than thirty years ago, when he was in his late teens, one of the men in our Addiction Recovery Program went to visit his dad shortly after his parents had divorced. He went to get some questions answered, but instead the conversation turned into a significant fist fight, with the son fleeing because he thought the police would shortly be pursuing him. They didn’t, but the young man kept running. He ran to drugs and a life filled with the turmoil of addiction.

A few decades later, he ended up in Wheeler’s Addiction Recovery Program where one of his assignments was to “make right” the “wrongs” he had done to others in his past. He wrote a letter to his father, asking for forgiveness in starting the fist fight so many years ago. He hadn’t had contact with his dad since that fateful day and wasn’t sure if the address he had for his father was the correct one.

As it turns out, his father did receive the letter, and responded to his son with a letter of his own. Both father and son longed for reconciliation.

After not seeing or speaking for 30 years, the father came to Indiana to visit his son. They have cried and talked and cried some more as God allowed confession and forgiveness to flow freely. Reconciliation has come.

What about you? Do you have a letter you need to write? It could be the first step in experiencing reconciliation in that relationship that has been broken. I encourage you – be the person who takes the first step and see what the Lord might do.
Rick

A Job Well Done

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 01:27:00 +0000

It’s always a great feeling when someone acknowledges your hard work and offers you a “well done!” You want your efforts to be noticed and appreciated, and that pat on the back propels you to continue offering your very best work. Knowing the power of these words, I encourage you to notice the hard work of someone in your sphere of influence. Who can you encourage today?

Rick

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:26:00 +0000

John C. Maxwell said, “Every worthwhile accomplishment has a price tag attached to it. The question is always whether you are willing to pay the price to attain it – in hard work, sacrifice, patience, faith, and endurance.”

I am so inspired by the endurance of one of the ladies at our Center for Women and Children (CWC). I’ll call her Pat. In her mid-50’s, she decided it was time to earn her GED. She spent a lot of time in our Computer Center, working through the GED preparation materials with our Education Coordinator. Pat also attended classes with an outside agency that provided tutoring as well as volunteer tutors who came to the CWC. Other CWC guests were also preparing to take the GED test, so Pat led the charge for study groups and GED discussions.

The day came when it was time for her to go to the site where the GED testing would be administered. She hadn’t been in school for more than 40 years, so it was a little intimidating. She completed the test, but failed.

She would not be discouraged, as she said she felt this is something the Lord wanted her to do, so she set herself to study again. After a few months, she returned to take the GED test a second time. She fell short by two points!

Hard work, sacrifice, patience, faith, and endurance were the marks of her efforts. After more diligent study and practice tests, she went a third time to tackle this test. With her third attempt, SHE PASSED!

Pat serves as a great example of determination. Our CWC guests often question whether or not they can overcome that next obstacle – and then they look at what Pat accomplished.

What are you determined to overcome?

Rick

Alumni Picnic

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Thu, 31 May 2012 13:37:00 +0000

Memorial Day weekend is a fun time for people here in the Midwest. We've been bundled in our homes all winter, avoiding the cold, and now we can enjoy the beauty of summer with our families. In this Facebook age, we can see pictures with smiles, pools, and sun posted from those we know all over the country. Around here at Wheeler Mission, things are a little different. Our current guests won't be posting any smiling pictures with their families and friends. They weren't hanging out at picnics and pools. And the beginning of summer means only that hot, dangerous temperatures are on the way, and shelter is vital for survival. With many of our clients being Veterans, Memorial Day brings additional somber emotions into their already stressful circumstances. This is why what happened this weekend was so incredible. 30-40 graduates of our longest and toughest addiction recovery program spent Memorial Day weekend together at a picnic in a local park. These individuals set it up to fellowship together, along with their spouses and children, celebrating what God has done in their lives. The families at this picnic were once torn apart by addiction, homelessness, and hopelessness, only to experience the true joy of a life resurrected. Scenes of laughter, sober enjoyment, love, and friendship causes a reaction similar to those who were near the man healed by the pool of Bethesda in Mark 2:12. "All were amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this.' " Fruit such as this makes what we do worth it. - Rick

Our annual Camp Out

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:21:00 +0000

Now that winter’s over, we’re gearing up for our annual homelessness awareness event, the Camp Out to Stamp Out Homelessness & Music Fest on June 15 and 16. This is our third year hosting this event downtown at the American Legion Mall and, each year, God has brought an interesting twist. The first year we did this, we were having a great time. The first band, made up of graduates of our addiction recovery program, went on-stage to play. They played about three songs, and a storm opened up and didn’t stop until 3AM. We originally were upset that the other bands weren’t able to play, but after the event, I saw a video of some testimonies of participants who were saying how much the event impacted them. One said, “When the skies open up, the homeless on the streets don’t have tents in which take cover, so it made perfect sense for us to stay.” Year one was wet and messy, but it brought an incredible experience. Last year, we had an awesome turnout and everyone had a ton of fun, listening to the band lineup, hearing testimonies of people who were once homeless, and eating great food off the grill. However, for us who help plan the event, we kept a careful eye on a large storm cell that was closing in, only to have it stay just to the north of the park. Now, we aren’t in any way trying to simulate homelessness at this event. I mean, sleeping in a Eureka tent isn’t exactly what you call being “down and out”, but having the stress of wondering if you’ll be able to sleep at night because a big storm might come in and wreck your shelter is something that we don’t normally have to think of. It makes you appreciate what you have that much more. This year, with the Hunter Smith Band and artists provided by Shine.FM, I’m really looking forward to seeing the community come together for this Christian music festival in downtown Indianapolis. I’m also looking forward to seeing people get plugged in, taking action to help the homeless of our great community. But, as before, I know that this year will bring excitement and provide stories for us all to tell those who couldn’t come, about how we slept under the city lights, and God provided His own forms of entertainment and lessons. Please join me on June 15 and 16. Go to www.campoutindy.org for more information and to register. Rick

I Didn't Know How To Live

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:13:00 +0000

I attended the graduation of a lady who completed Wheeler’s Higher Ground Addiction Recovery Program, then stayed on an extra year to participate in our internship program called Servant Leadership Training. Her story is compelling. Addiction had a tight grip on her. She lived in constant chaos. So when she came to the Wheeler Mission Center for Women and Children – she brought that chaos with her. She stirred things up everywhere she went. In her late 30’s, she had never learned how to sit still, converse with people politely, or know the difference between being a friend and being a con. Drugs and chaos were in control of her life. As she relates her journey over the past few years, she says when she first arrived, she “didn’t know how to live.” She tells the story of how people cared for her and taught her about the God who created her, and whose desire it was for her to honor Him with her life. This was a foreign concept to her. But the Lord broke through all the chaos, and now, she has a brand new life of peace and purpose. She has learned how to live. Thanks for praying for the women in our Higher Ground Program. If you would be so inclined, please feel free to write a note of encouragement to them. Simply address it to: Wheeler Mission Higher Ground Addiction Recovery Program 205 East New York St. Indianapolis, IN 46204 Thanks so much! Rick

What are you chasing?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:39:00 +0000

“I’ve spent too many years chasing something.” That’s what a man told me who was graduating from Wheeler’s Addiction Recovery Program for men. He said he walked out on his wife and young daughter many years ago due to his addiction. He spent decades in the grip of alcohol, all the while trying to find peace that seemed to elude him. He was looking for peace of mind and heart. Now, he says, he finds peace in being obedient to God. He encourages others who are just beginning the journey to sobriety to also follow the path of obedience. Are you chasing something? Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Yes, if you are chasing peace – you need to be running to Him. Rick

Trauma

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Have you ever had a traumatic experience? Perhaps even thinking about that question brought back some bad memories.
Undergoing homelessness is a traumatic experience that often displays itself in depression, emotional numbing, difficulty concentrating or remembering, feeling helpless, shame, and turning to substance abuse to deal with life. A person who is experiencing homelessness over time will develop fear, hopelessness, loss of health, loss of dignity, and loss of identity.
Over and over again, as we minister to those who have come through our doors, we find these normal reactions to this trauma. Please pray for those who have come to Wheeler for assistance. These precious people are broken and need to hear about a God who loves them. Knowing there are people who want will listen and show genuine love and concern will begin to restore hope.
Pray for our staff as they “put on a heart of compassion” in their daily ministry to our guests.
Thanks so much for your interest in the homeless and in Wheeler.

Rick

What does this week mean to you?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:22:00 +0000

It’s Holy Week. It’s the week between Palm Sunday and Easter when Christians think about the final week of Jesus’ life. It’s a great opportunity for us to reflect on the basics of our faith.

On Palm Sunday, my Pastor reminded us of this very thing. He said the surpassing worth in life is knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.

How well do you know Him? Spend some time this Holy Week making a concerted effort to spend some time getting to know Christ more deeply. Here are some Scripture passages to help you in your reflection:

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Romans 8:34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Revelation 5:13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

May you be blessed as you focus on Christ this week.
Rick

Core Values

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:01:00 +0000

How do you stay focused on the things that are most important in life? That’s a question that was posed to the ladies in the final phase of our Higher Ground Addiction Recovery Program.
One of the ladies, whose life was ruled by her alcoholism for more than two decades, came up with five Core Values to help her “keep the main thing the main thing.” Sober now for more than two years, she has asked that her friends and family keep her accountable to these Core Values:
• I will fully trust God
• I will be truthful
• I will teach my children and grandchild about God
• I will love others with all my heart
• I will study God’s Word
She tells me that while deep in her years of alcoholism, dishonesty and selfishness were the marks of her life. Now, she has shown over and over again that she is a new person in Christ – the old has passed away and the new has come.
Her work is not over. In many ways, it’s just beginning. Coming up with these Core Values will be a great reminder to her to “keep the main thing the main thing.”

Thanks for praying for our guests who are working hard in our Addiction Recovery Programs!
Rick

Nisi Dominus Frustra

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:33:00 +0000

Yes, you read that correctly – Nisi Dominus Frustra. It’s a Latin phrase taken from a translation of Psalm 127 which states, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” or “without the Lord, frustration.”

Frustration. I’ve seen it so many times when the safety net of a stable family life is removed and a young mom and her children must enter Wheeler’s Center for Women and Children. Yes, unless the Lord builds the house….frustration.”

Frustration. I’ve seen it in the face of a mom and dad who are bringing their son to Wheeler due to his downward spiral into the depths of addiction, and his rejection of “a house” that the Lord wanted to build.

Frustration. When a man or woman has had 18 job interviews but no job offers.

But…we are not without an answer to frustration. God changes things. We serve the God of all hope, the God of all comfort, the Sovereign God who has numbered the hairs on our heads. Yes, in place of frustration, we can have hope. As we make concerted efforts through case management meetings, counseling sessions, and relationship building with our guests we see frustration turn into hope.

Thanks for your interest in Wheeler Mission. I encourage you to pray that those who enter our doors will leave with hope in the Lord!

Rick

A New Sheet of Paper

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:49:00 +0000

By now, I’m sure you have heard the phrase “Happy New Year!” pass over the lips of many people. Was that a phrase you received well, or in your mind did you revert back to your favorite phrase from Christmas – “Bah! Humbug!”?

I, too, wish you a Happy New Year and encourage you to think of 2012 as “a new sheet of paper for you to write on.” Consider the following verses from Scripture as you think about the new year with which you have been blessed:

“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.” Jeremiah 29:11

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

May you indeed have a Happy New Year, blessed by the God who holds you in His hand. What will you write on the new sheet a paper before you?

Rick

We Didn't Know if He was Dead or Alive

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:13:00 +0000

Addicts often prefer isolation. If they do choose to be around people – most likely it’s people who also use.
Many, many of the people who come through our doors have abandoned their families because addiction is ruling their life.
That was the story of one of the men in our addiction recovery program who grew up in the South. At his graduation several months ago, his sister testified that for many years, the family didn’t know if he was dead or alive. Imagine the heartbreak of not knowing where your brother might be – is he safe? Is he sober? Is he on the streets? Who does he spend his day with?
Then one day, after he had been clean and sober for several months, he called his sister to tell her he was in a recovery program at Wheeler Mission in Indiana. When it was time for him to graduate from the program, he invited his family to come see first-hand what had happened to him. It was more than a reunion – it was a celebration of the lost brother who had now been found. He wept over the grief he had caused them, asking their forgiveness and confessing to them that while in his addiction, “I was destroying lives.”
The family has reconciled, and they continue to deepen their restored relationships. The young man has been clean and sober now for more than two years , is employed, active in his church, and living on his own.
I thank God for new life that is found in and through Christ!

Rick

The Complexity of Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:51:00 +0000

Addiction weighs a person down with manifold hard realities.
That was the case of a middle aged woman I will call Sue. Her multiple-year drug addiction brought several complex situations to her life: debt, unemployment, strained family relationships, poor health, and homelessness. At the end of her rope, Sue came to Wheeler’s Center for Women and Children and entered the Higher Ground Addiction Recovery Program in 2001.
The difficult issue of personal debt is approached at the Center in a Financial Management Class called Credit when Credit it Due. Through this multi-week class, taught by a retired banking professional, Sue was able to secure her credit report. She learned that several thousand dollars in medical bills had been reported as unpaid. These were fraudulent charges which Sue was able to have erased. Sue used the information she learned in class to get her financial situation rectified. She continued to pursue her recovery and graduate from the Higher Ground Program, moved on to find employment, pay off her outstanding debt, and open a checking account. Sue says that working through the financial issues “was the beginning of some wonderful things happening for me.”
Five years ago, due to her disciplined financial management, Sue was able to buy a house. She lives within her budget, pays her bills on time, is a valued employee, has reconciled with her family, and is active in her church. She has been sober for more than ten years.
The Credit when Credit is Due class has proved to be an instrument of change in the lives of many women who are facing the consequences of their addiction. Please keep these ladies in your prayers as they work toward sobriety.

Rick

Well Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:41:00 +0000

After 21 years of faithful service to homeless and addicted men, Fran Gall is retiring. Fran served as a Chaplain at Wheeler Mission Ministries Shelter for Men, offering counsel and hope to those who were beaten down by life.

Fran was honored recently at a reception where several of the men he mentored, discipled, and counseled gave testimony to the great impact he had on their lives. These are men who came through the doors of the mission more than 10 years ago, with an addiction ruling their lives – who are now living a life of sobriety. Along with this new life, these men are enjoying restored family relationships, involvement in their church, full time employment, and renewed purpose as they continue to serve God.

Thanks, Fran, for all your efforts over the last 21 years. You have made a difference in the lives of hundreds of men. Well done.

Rick

Keep Prayin'

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:40:00 +0000

I had the privilege of preaching a Sunday morning sermon recently on the role of prayer in the work of missions. A graduate of Wheeler’s addiction recovery program came along with me to share his testimony. He has been clean for more than six years now, and as he looked back on life, he shared how the prayers of his mom, friends, teachers, - even people he didn’t know - played a huge part in his recovery.
Are you praying for someone who is addicted? Have hope. God can redeem. God can change a life. Listen to what God can do in a person’s life from Psalm 40: “I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.”
Keep prayin’. God hears.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, please call for help. You may call 317-636-2720 for information on men’s programming.
For women’s programming, please call 317-687-3630. Ask to speak with a manager of our addiction recovery programs.

Rick

Pray for their families

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:22:00 +0000

Watching a loved one destroy their lives through addiction is heart-wrenching. Many times an addict will go into isolation – abandoning those who love and care for them. They will simply “disappear” and spiral deeper and deeper into their addiction as they lose touch with their families.
I have heard many a mother say, “I didn’t know if he was alive or dead.”
Pray, not just for the addict, but for families who agonize over a family member in the grip of addiction. It’s a hard and difficult road they walk. If you know someone who is grieving over the pain of a loved one’s addiction, I encourage you to reach out to them, offer them grace, let them tell their story, and then hold them up in prayer.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
Rick

Move Your Feet So Others Can Eat!

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:29:00 +0000

Have you made plans yet for Thanksgiving Day? Why not make an effort to participate in Wheeler’s annual run/walk through Broad Ripple, called the Drumstick Dash®, held every Thanksgiving morning.
You can run, walk, or volunteer – all of which will help make this event a success! Visit www.drumstickdash.org to register as a runner/walker or to volunteer. Rain or shine, it’s a really great way to start your Thanksgiving Day.
Hope to see many of your there!

Rick

The Hoosiers Fighting Hunger Food Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:35:00 +0000

Every day in September, the Traders Point Marsh Store at 5830 West 86th Street, will be holding a food drive for Wheeler Mission Ministries. This event is organized by our friends at Hope Covenant Church and it helps the homeless in practical ways for months to come.

If you are in the area, I encourage you to come by Marsh, purchase a sack of pre-bagged groceries and drop them off at the collection bin. Take a moment to chat with our staff, or with Janet, our great volunteer who has done much of the organizing for this food drive.

Hundreds and hundreds of needy people will be helped through this event. Wheeler serves an average of 800 meals a day, and we are just now coming upon our busiest time of year. Will you help us fill our pantry?

Our staff and volunteers will be at the Wheeler table 4-8pm on week days and 11am – 8pm on weekends. Hope to see many of you!

Rick

“I needed to get away from the craziness. “

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:57:00 +0000

That’s how one woman described her life when it was bound up in addiction. When she thinks about how she used to spend her days – always being drunk, spending all her money on her addiction, never talking to anyone, and rarely leaving her apartment. She said she would sit there in the dark and feel the darkness of her life.
But one day she chose to walk away from the craziness. She came to the Center for Women and Children and began reclaiming her sanity as she entered the Addiction Recovery Program called Higher Ground.
She is beginning to learn what it means to walk in sobriety, and has been clean for about 4 months. With her head clear, she often tells the staff “thank you” for this program. Her hope for a new life is becoming a reality day by day.
Thanks for supporting Wheeler so we can offer programs for people who are struggling with life. We truly appreciate it.

Rick

New Wheeler Staff

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:56:00 +0000

A couple times a year, we arrange a luncheon for those who have recently joined Wheeler’s staff. This week, my wife, Julie, and I joined 17 new staff members who each shared a little about themselves and their position at Wheeler. It was an encouraging time together and it reminded me why I enjoy my ministry here so much! There are so many gifted, compassionate, dedicated folks who have a desire to serve the Lord in this place.

Please pray for the Lord to grant wisdom to our staff as they reach out daily to those who have come through our doors. Even during the summer months, there are hundreds of men, women, and children residing with us. It is our goal to provide more than a meal and a place to sleep. Our desire is clearly explained in our vision statement: To see every man, woman, and child we serve equipped to be productive citizens who enjoy lasting success in Christ.

And now, we have 17 new staff members working to see that happen!

Rick

I am as lost as I can be

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Alvis) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:50:00 +0000

Did you ever have one of those moments when you just “woke up” – when you had epiphany? It can happen anywhere really, but for one man I know, it happened in the Wheeler Mission Dining Hall.
After spending some time in the hospital due to an injury he received while living on the streets, the hospital staff paid his cab fare to take him to Wheeler Mission. He had nowhere else to turn, as he had burned all his bridges with this family due to his alcoholism.
A few days later, as he sat having his dinner, he looked around and concluded, “I am as lost as I can be.” He spoke with a Case Manager, who referred him to Wheeler’s Hebron Addiction Recovery Program, where, in his words, he “took a good hard look” at himself.
After more than 25 years of alcoholism, he has been sober for more than a year, is a graduate of the program, has a job, keeps in touch with his accountability partners, and is active in his church. He now is earning his own way and giving back to the others instead of just taking. He says he found his way through a relationship with Christ.
In Luke 15, Jesus speaks about lost sheep, lost coins, and lost sons being found. That’s just what happened in the Wheeler Mission Dining Hall!

Thanks for reading!
Rick