http://www.rescuemissioncn.org/Home.aspx

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6: 9-10

Sometimes I plant my face in my pillow at night thinking “I could sleep for a week.” Only to have by eyes open the next morning just as early as they did the day before. Weariness can take its toll on our souls, I wish I could give you those magic remedies that would take away weariness, get more sleep, eat better, think happy thoughts …. But I still hit the pillow with the same resolve “Sleep for a week!”

I do take comfort in knowing “I did the best, to do the best I could”. I don’t always get it right, but I tried too. Taking the opportunity to do good is “Doing the best to do the best you can”. It’s just a moment, it might just be a smile, a “Hi” or it might be some hard work, all depends on your ability to see an opportunity.

The first time I met Jim Palmer, the president of Orange County Rescue Mission was on email. His signature quotes Thomas Edison "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work". Don’t miss an opportunity to do good because it looks like work.

Onsite.
The facility is looking bigger as Rowdy Williamson, Keith Fisher and Jon King came on-site with back hoes, chainsaws and dump trucks and removed the vegetation around the property… Looks great, wonderful job guys.

Opportunity
It all started with the “Twelve Days of Christmas” That is a quote from Bill Riemer. Instead of doing a single Christmas event, there is a list of events happening at the shelter through Christmas Day. The outpouring from the community has been remarkable. There are a few needs …

Contact Steffanie @ steffanie.jarrell@rescuemission.org

From Steffanie:

First and foremost, we have the Toys for Tots, Toys “R” Us event on Monday – it is early – 4am – but our bus has fallen through – if anyone has a connection with a bus we desperately need it – we have 32 people going! We actually have a driver, we just need the vehicle (unless they feel uncomfortable with that and are willing to provide their own). At the last resort we need volunteers to drive kids and a few parents… Please Email me if you can help

Secondly, The only opportunities for volunteer ( 6 – 10 at most) is to help us set up our Family Christmas event 12/23 6pm to 8pm at CNRM, also if people who would like to perform that night. We are also looking for desserts as well as soft drinks – and then to serve refreshments – so lots of people can drop off desserts etc… but we don’t have a lot of space, so only a few will be needed to help serve (and again if a few others want to do a skit or sing a song or read a story/poem I am open to that as well).

Lastly, I can also use a few volunteers to come and help me organize the toys – but that is going to be the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd – You can come any of those days. We also need donations of large gift bags that we can put some of the toys in and all of the items for the adults. If you want to donate wrapping paper and come by and wrap gifts that would be great!(we will not have most of our gifts till the 20th or 21st) Blankets are greatly needed – these are things we can give to the schools and outside people as well! Please contact Steffanie by email.

There is more!
Mark Chow has been an amazing resource for us and other non-profits with his “A Foundation for Kids”. If you are looking for a way to help out this Holiday season, please contact Mark.: 909-923-0415 mvchow12455@hotmail.com

Dear Friend of AFFK -

Please consider helping us for Christmas by volunteering some time picking and packing gifts at our Donation Center in Ontario for a few hours!

We are trying to process about gifts for 15k - 20k children by Dec. 24th!

Dec. (Today) Dec 17th: 9 am - 7 pm

Dec. 19th: 9 am - 5 pm

Dec. 20th - 21st - 9 am - 7 pm


A Foundation for Kids
2021 South Archibald Avenue (60 fwy & Archibald Avenue)
Ontario, CA 91761 909-923-0415 mvchow12455@hotmail.com

Gifts for Kids - we can use more gifts for kids; sports balls, skate boards, games, dolls, EVERY DONATION WILL COUNT, etc.
Thank you & God Bless! ...Mark Chow.


Make this holiday special by helping someone in need!

“He who gives to the poor will never want,
But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.”

Proverbs 28:27

It’s a game we have all played with our children when they were little; a game of “Hide and Seek”. We pretend that they are invisible when they cover their own eyes. We exclaim “Where did Jimmy go?” as the little one sits with his eyes covered, giggling, thinking that no one can see them. Child psychologists will tell you that a small child sees things from their own point of view and have difficulty thinking about other people’s experiences.

It’s been said more than once “I don’t want to know”. Knowledge would require me to do something rather than just sit in my own ignorance. Sometimes I have not matured any farther than my own childhood when I choose to sit with my eyes shut and ignore the problem.

God calls us to maturity, and maturity is defined as thinking beyond ourselves. So with poverty we are asked to act and there is a reward for those who do. We think that it would be a physical reward, but actually it is maturity that we will discover and having maturity we will lack for nothing.

Bookmark it:
The website has been redone and soon you will be able to see more ways to serve at Corona Norco Rescue Mission. http://www.rescuemissioncn.org/Home.aspx

On Site:
Thanks to Rowdy for setting up Regan Paving to slurry the back alley so we could place storage containers.
Lucas Oil donated two Seatainers that were placed on-site for storage . Thanks, Tom & Brian for your generous donation.

Thanksgiving Day Event:
The Thanksgiving event was a big hit. Thanks to everyone who dedicated time during your holiday to make it happen. We had teamed with Mark Chow from “A Foundation for Kids” to put together a great day for those less fortunate, to give them something to be joyous about on Thanksgiving Day. You made an impact, you thought beyond yourself to bring a gift of celebration to others. We were overwhelmed with the response of volunteers … Thanks

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

I Peter 2:9-10”

It’s a very simple need that exists within all of us; it’s the need to belong to something. I have a daughter who is disabled, so that propels my wife and I into advocating for the disabled many times. I have a simple statement that seems to open up the eyes of many people who ask questions about the handicapped: “They just want to be like you.” They want to be included and considered as an important part of our society. They want to belong.

The Holy Spirit does the same thing through Peter in the above verse; He makes us special because we belong to him, not disabled from our sin, but Holy from His Mercy; not just “A people”, but a “People of God”. We belong to God.

This Thanksgiving Day many will take time to include serving the homeless and needy in the Thanksgiving Day event planned at the shelter. You might be someone that has invited a family to join you in your home. Remember, many do not choose homelessness in the same way many don’t choose to have a disability. They just want to be like you.

Bookmark it: The website has been redone and soon you will be able to see more ways to serve at Corona Norco Rescue Mission. http://www.rescuemissioncn.org/Home.aspx

Thanks to everyone who helped with the sandblasting project. It was finished on time.

Thanksgiving Day Event:
The response has been amazing and it sounds like it will be an amazing event. We received a great response of volunteers; if you have any questions direct them to Volunteers@rescuemission.org

We have teamed with Mark Chow from “A Foundation for Kids” to put together a great day for those less fortunate, to give them something to be joyous about on Thanksgiving Day. Over 300 families in the community were invited, so it sounds like it will be great fun. Thanks Mark!

9:00am – 12:00
Set up time


12:00 – 3:00pm
Game booths,
Prize booth
Snack bar - popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, snack bars, beverages
Face painting
Arts & crafts
Family gift basket distribution (gift bag for every family)
Meal Box Distribution
Inflatable’s

3pm – 4pm
Breakdown/Cleanup.

Contact: Christina Wollin at Volunteers@rescuemission.org and put CNRM Thanksgiving Volunteer in the subject line.

The subject line is important, so that your email will be seen in a timely manner! Thanks for your heart to help the less fortunate in Corona!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” Colossians 3:23-24

As I mentioned last week you are going to be hearing about more opportunities and less philosophy, so here goes…

Bookmark it:
The website has been redone and soon you will be able to see more ways to serve at Corona Norco Rescue Mission. http://www.rescuemissioncn.org/Home.aspx

Current:
Sandblasting the exterior is continuing, Dave should be finished the first half of Friday. Dave has been relentless with his crew. Jon King and Edwin Hernandez have been a great help. If you can make it to help cleanup, contact Dave Armas Cell # (909)367-5800.

This Friday, November 19th. 10am @ CNRM.
Dave and his crew have worked hard all week sandblasting the facility and now we need to clean up the mess in preparation for Thanksgiving Day.

Lead Person: Jon King broncos29x@yahoo.com (714)381-0499

The Need: 10 people onsite.

Expertise: Labor, cleaning up debris, cleaning pavement areas.

Tools: Push brooms and shovels are optional. We will have some on-site, but if you are fond of using your own, you can bring them.

Personal Safety Equipment: Gloves, eye protection, dust masks. closed toe shoes (no open toed shoes on site)

Thanksgiving Day Event:

Here is a chance to do something good in Corona this year! There will be a Thanksgiving Day event at the Corona Norco Rescue Mission on Thanksgiving Day! Need to get out of the house for a few hours with the kids? Looking for something good to do on Thanksgiving? Need to burn off some of those Turkey Day calories? Here is a chance for you to make a difference.

We have teamed with Mark Chow from “A Foundation for Kids” to put together a great day for those less fortunate, to give them something to be joyous about on Thanksgiving Day.

9:00am – 12:00

Set up time (6 volunteers)

12:00 – 3:00pm

Game booths – (5 volunteers)

Prize booth – (2 volunteers)

Snack bar - popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, snack bars, beverages – (3 volunteers)

Face painting – (2 volunteers)

Arts & crafts – (2 volunteers)

Family gift basket distribution – (4 volunteers) (gift bag for every family)

Meal Box Distribution – (4 volunteers)

Inflatable’s – (2 volunteers)

Security – (4 volunteers) will be issued a SECURITY vest and radio

3pm – 4pm

Breakdown/Cleanup – (6 volunteers)

There are over 600 people on this list. You can serve all day or part of the day. If 120 people can give 2 hours, then everyone can serve and enjoy the holiday with their family. Start a tradition of service with your family.

Contact:
Christina Wollin at Volunteers@rescuemission.org and put CNRM Thanksgiving Volunteer in the subject line.


The subject line is important, so that your email will be seen in a timely manner! Thanks for your heart to help the less fortunate in Corona!



It is going to be great to see everyone come together and make this happen!

Doug Husen asked some of us to write letters for his son Keanu's passage ceremony. I thought it might deserve repeating, so here it is .. enjoy ..

Dear Keanu,


When we as a society try to understand at what point a boy becomes a man. I would put forth that a man is a man from birth; a boy is just an age. Uninterrupted by Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection (see www.darwinawards.com) every boy will become a man by simply reaching the age of majority, saying that at some time before the age of 30 he has not accidently removed himself from the gene pool, he will probably be considered a man. Unfortunately most of these individuals have reproduced before our societies DNA has been cleansed , if for no other purpose than to provide entertainment to future generations with films such as “Jack Ass 15”.

What really becomes the sign of a man is our ability to use the frontal lobe of the brain; I like to call it our “Man Brain”. It doesn’t mean that you are a “Big Brain”, smarter than everyone else, it means you have chosen to utilize the part of your brain that God gave us making us different than the animals.

“The frontal lobe is an area in the brain of humans, located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere and positioned anterior to (in front of) the parietal lobes and above and anterior to the temporal lobes (i.e. directly behind the forehead or "temple"). It is separated from the parietal lobe by the post-central gyrus primary motor cortex, which controls voluntary movements of specific body parts associated with the precentral gyrus posteriorly, inferiorly by lateral sulcus [slyvian] which separates it from the temporal lobe, superiorly by the superior margin of the hemisphere and anteriorly by the frontal pole.


The frontal lobe contains most of the dopamine-sensitive neurons in the cerebral cortex. The dopamine system is associated with reward, attention, long-term memory, planning, and drive. Dopamine tends to limit and select sensory information arriving from the thalamus to the fore-brain. A report from the National Institute of Mental Health says a gene variant that reduces dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex is related to poorer performance and inefficient functioning of that brain region during working memory tasks, and to slightly increased risk for schizophrenia."




The schizophrenia episodes that most males experience are followed by a person of authority saying “What were you thinking?”. This is generally spoken following a near death experience. The truth is you weren’t thinking, your Man Brain malfunctioned. That is generally a normal part of development, but shouldn’t be considered a point of achievement, rather a minor setback in development. If your Man Brain was functioning properly you would have kept your mouth shut, taken your foot off the gas pedal or said “I don’t think this is a good idea”.

To put it simpler, it’s your frontal lobe that makes you different than a simple ape. The frontal lobe is the part of our brain that works as a “Filter”. Let’s say that you are hanging with some friends, when one of them decides to hit on your girlfriend. The fact is that this idiot has the inability to see that you are actually superior to him in every way, except physically, he proceeds to encroach on your man territory. The fact that he outweighs you with 50lbs of muscle and bench presses 350lbs on a bad day should be enough to deter you from showing him you Wii karate moves. It is your highly developed frontal lobe (Man Brain) that keeps you from telling that ape what you really think of him. Notice I use the term “Ape” a clear sign of an underdeveloped Man Brain. Don’t confuse the ape reference to later years of your life when you develop back hair that resembles “The Great Silver-Backed Ape”. This should be recognized as a sign of prestige admired by all females of the species, this is why it is reserved for “Chronologically gifted males”.

It is also the Man Brain that generally keeps us swinging from trees, throwing our poop, and answering the question “Does this dress make me look fat?” You will find in the years to come that the size of your Man Brain does matter “Use it or lose it”. The use of your Man Brain will serve you well in every avenue of your life. Be careful showing your “Man Brain” to your friends as to seem arrogant, even though the female of the species will be appreciative of your talents.

“For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1Corintians 3 9-11

It’s a big brown box on the corner of Harrison and Sheridan. We know it now as the Corona Norco Rescue Mission. I’ve heard it affectionately called the “Pig”. While walking through looking at plans, someone walked by and simply said “Have you thought of tearing it down?” I smiled and said “Yes, that’s been suggested”. Its past is a bit sketchy, we know by design it was possibly a packing house for fruit and a warehouse at various times. It was once owned by the Salvation Army as a detox center. Since 1986 it’s been functioning as an emergency shelter for the homeless.

In the months to come it will go to a new level, not just in looks, but in what it will offer. A holistic approach to homelessness providing food, shelter, medical, dental, vision, job training, peer counseling, child care, but most of all a foundation laid in Christ. I would love to tell you that we have all been sitting back on our laurels waiting for Santa to bring us a new building, but that hasn’t happened. In the months to come, you are probably going to hear more of the structural things that are happening rather that the spiritual or philosophical, but I think that is what I am here to do.

• Kirk Bennett is still working on the design plans. Kirk has done a great job of creating something from nothing. There were no plans for this building when we started. Structural Engineering is required for the exterior façade. Title 24 engineering for the lighting changes and engineering for the changes in plumbing. This should be done in the next few weeks and presented to the city for permits. Lead and asbestos samples were taken and came back negative. The Decorating Team is going over paint and tile specifications.

• The modular was moved from the site thanks to Rowdy Williamson, Dave Armas and their crew. This will give us an accessible area for the children’s play area. With the reorganization of space on the interior, we have several areas that we can use for learning centers. McDonalds Restaurant has donated a large self-contained playground structure to place in the outside area.

• Baxter Miller Landscaping has given us plans to submit to the City for landscaping. This includes sprinkler layouts, plant choices and hardscape features.

• Rowdy also was instrumental in installing a steam table in the serving window of God’s Kitchen. Larry Berryman stepped up and did the electrical for the installation. Both were rewarded with a kiss from Bettie.

• Before construction starts we will remove the palm trees and set the foundation for the façade. You will be hearing more about that in the weeks to come.

You should be hearing some random “Shout-outs” for certain labor needs in the weeks to come. I will also keep you posted on holiday events that will involve the mission.

Knowing “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” We continue to pray and look for guidance on the things we do, knowing that the building is secondary compared to what God will do in the lives of those that touch it.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

Titus 2:11-13

The grass is neatly cut and manicured along the parkway, trees line the walkway. As you approach you notice a tent with someone sleeping on the ground outside. The closer you get you notice people just standing around holding cardboard signs saying “Will work for food” or “God Bless you”. There are children just sitting, not playing, not listening to IPods, just sitting with their parents.

The closer you walk; you begin to notice the car that apparently hasn’t run for a while is filled with someone’s belongings. The shopping cart holding blankets and recyclables is next to a shabbily dressed man carrying one of the cardboard signs. He looks directly at you, but you don’t make eye contact. Now you recognize that you have wandered into a homeless encampment, but that was not where you were headed, you were going to church.

This was the first thing you saw last Sunday morning as you walked toward the main Sanctuary at Crossroads. Once people passed our “Encampment” they were exposed to other areas of the world in which poverty exists. There were shanties erected, live animals, and outdoor cooking with food to sample. You could witness the physical relief in many people as they began to understand that we were only part of the display and that the church grounds had not been taken over by the homeless.

Patrice Maturkanich did a great job organizing our encampment, from the car and tent, to the actors playing the part of the homeless. Everyone did a great job. The most interesting thing was the response of many before they realized that these “Homeless” were members of our church. No one was rude, many people actually tried to give money; some actually insisted that we take their donation.

For many we noticed that we had intruded into their life, an unexpected interruption. We watched as one woman, kids in tow, stopped and walked around our display, toward the offices and down the stairs to avoid contact.

I would not put forth that anyone is indifferent or adverse toward the homeless; for the most part we just don’t know how to effectively help a stranger without jeopardizing our own well-being. This is a natural response for anyone.

How do we overcome these feelings? By increasing awareness of the problem, training on how to resolve the problem and resources to overcome the problem. The fix doesn’t come from one person becoming involved; it comes from all of us doing what each has the ability to accomplish.

From a Spiritual standpoint it looks like this, though each of these attributes applies to each of us, not just the homeless.

Awareness: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men”.

Training: ”Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age”

  Resource: ”Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

From a physical standpoint we are becoming more aware of the homeless problem that exists in our community. We are putting things in motion to train those interested in helping and we are organizing resources to make sure that the needs are being met. So we are on the right track.

Photo's by Dianna Lopez. MakeUp: Joanne Stevens and Malory Giboney