"Better Living through Chemistry!" and a New Daily Record!

My former roommate, Patrick, and I used to joke about mind-altering drugs by dropping into our best radio voices and saying, "Better living through chemistry". 

Odd, isn't it, how things we used to think were funny are no longer so?

It's been said that drugs are not the problem on the Downtown East Side, they're the solution. Whether it's prescription anti-psychotic meds, methadone or the illicit drugs dealt in back alleys, they're seen as the solution for the myriad problems plaguing our friends and neighbors here.

The Saturday before last, Lorraine walked into The Lord's Rain. "Can I talk to you when you have a minute?" she asked. "Sure," I said. A moment later, Barbara, a woman who's had numerous bits of bad news lately -- the loss of two brothers and problems with her liver (she's supposed to go for surgery on Thursday) -- came in. She went straight to the point. "I'm really upset," she said. "You know M. (name deleted), the fat woman who sits outside the Rainier [Hotel, a couple of doors away]?"

I nodded.

"She started saying some terrible things about you," Barb went on. "She started swearing and cursing you. It really hurt."

Lorraine came over. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. We're really mad, 'cause you're one of us -- you're family -- she can't talk about you like that."

Well, she was; and I've come to realize that M's behavior is tied inextricably to the type and dosage of prescription medication she takes. She's bright and beaming at some times; foul-mouthed and paranoid at others. I went to great lengths one morning to tell her that, no, people weren't talking about her behind her back and no, they weren't conspiring to ruin her or giving her "lethal injections" (as she called it) every two weeks. It evidently had little effect.

So I told them that M. was obviously off her meds and they shouldn't hold that against her. And in the meantime, we needed to pray for her - which is what we did, calling forgiveness, love and grace into the situation.

One of the greatest rewards of this Ministry is to be regarded as "family" and "one of us". When I started at Rainbow Mission 10 years ago, I couldn't help wondering if people looked at me as some guy trying to ease his own guilt by Doing Good For The Poor. It didn't take long for that feeling to be replaced by the sense that there are people around here who have your back, but it's still refreshing to be reminded time to time.

As for M., Lorraine told me a couple of days later that she had been taken to hospital for more treatment. Then, this past Friday, I saw M. sitting in a restaurant next door to the Rainier, eating lunch with an aunt. Now, M. was bright and smiling. Later that afternoon, I was standing outside the Mission when she pulled up in a taxi. "Who needs TransLink? My doctor paid for this! [She often makes reference to my former job.]  I just got another shot," she added as she got out, pointing to the small band-aid on her arm. 

The next morning, as I was heading upstairs to prepare the sandwiches, I overheard one of our new volunteers, Ken, say to her, "watch your language, M." I came back down a couple of minutes later to see M. leaving. Apparently, the new meds had already worn off.

M's case is another of those that leave one wondering about the way we treat the mentally ill. There's a distaste for "warehousing" people with "issues", conjuring up images of abuse and neglect at insane asylums from a century ago, or of people being committed against their will because it's "convenient" for society to push them away. Or is it any better to put them into open society and leave them to their own devices -- with some philosophy that they should have the right to decide for themselves whether they need treatment or intervention?

Some might say that de-institutionalizing them reminds us of a part of reality we might prefer to ignore; others say it turns these people into side-show exhibits. After a while, they become just one more thing to ignore on the streets.

(An interesting statistic turned up in today's Province that says that 20% of police calls in Vancouver and 25% of police time is taken up with calls involving the mentally ill. A case in point: the incident I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, in which a fellow was found in Pigeon Park, picking through a pile of sewage, garbage and needles, trying to find ... who knows? Two cops arrived on the scene and assessed his mental state, let him go, then stood watch over the pile until city workers could arrive to clean it up.)

And are the meds really the solution, or a convenience? 

I merely ask. All I could see from M's case, was that they got her home from the doctor's office and through the next night; but that was about it.

The fact is, the mentally ill -- like M. -- are one of those great assignments from God: to love the unlovely. You look at pretty much any problem in somebody's life, it's because someone didn't love them. Maybe it was because of physical appearance, maybe their way of thinking went against the grain, maybe their brain just didn't function as well as others'. Lack of love breeds more lack of love, and Jesus' commandment to us is simple: love your neighbor as you, yourself, are loved by God. I may not be a mental health professional, but it doesn't take a university degree to love someone. So if M. is talking hatefully about me, let my response be Love. And if she's bright and beaming and cheerful towards me, let my response be Love. 

And to respond to my question about the meds, I hear the coda from the late Larry Norman's song, "Don't ask me for answers; I only have one:/That a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son."

***

Ken, whom I mentioned above, is another new volunteer who went from being served to serving. He looks to be in his 60s, and has been part of a team of Hastings Central residents, hired by Yes We Can! (aka The Bottle Depot) to keep the streets and alleys clean. He has a background in serving: he and his former wife -- who was one of the prison guards when he was doing time some years ago -- owned a lodge and cafe in the Cariboo for a few years. He has brought with him a new clientele: other middle-aged-to-older men, who have already started calling him "Pastor Ken". 

I'm not laughing when I write that: people who have done time for far worse (Murph the Surf, Chuck Colson*, e.g.) have found the Lord while inside and gone on to inspire many people, so who knows what God has in store for Ken? It's great to have him on the team. Ken has agreed to share his story for my "In His image, too ..." video project, so stay tuned. 

*(One may not agree with Mr Colson's politics, but if that's all you know of him, then you don't know the half of what he did for people. I found his radio messages both Grace-filled and challenging: I didn't agree with everything, but he got me thinking and re-assessing my Christian view.)

***

It's a new record!
When I think of the phrase "new record", I hear the Electric Light Orchestra's "Living Thing" in my mind -- which was on their album "A New World Record" -- so I shall now have those sforzato strings chops playing in my brain for the next 24 hours as I tell you that The Lord's Rain hosted 21 showers yesterday -- a new record for a single day (old one was 13, I believe). Considering they came in a 2-1/2-hour time period and we have four shower stalls, as Gary, our volunteer, pointed out that's one crazy-busy morning! 

When people know ...

In the six years that we've been working on The Lord's Rain, there's a phenomenon I've seen repeatedly: when people know about it, they want to support it. People want to help out with the situation on the Downtown East Side, but in tight economic times, they want to make sure their money has an impact. When they see a facility dedicated to helping the urban poor and that is demonstrably helping to bring change to people's lives, they want to get on board.

In 2013, we nearly had to close The Lord's Rain due to lack of funding, but all it took was a little bit of media exposure, and people rallied round. Less than a week after stories broke in Metro and on CityTV, we had enough to keep going for over another year. Other items on Radio-Canada and in The Province helped a lot, too.

Now, a new financial blessing will provide another opportunity for people to contribute, knowing that their dollars will be doubled. The R. Howard Webster Foundation is providing a grant of $10,000.00, and is offering to match funds raised between now and March 31, 2014, up to an additional $10,000.00. In other words, this could generate as much as $30,000.00 -- enough to keep The Lord's Rain alive until almost the end of 2015. 

What I really like about this, is that it helps us meet short-term financial needs (the arrangement takes effect in June, when another grant is due to run out) while maintaining what I believe has been the key to the success of The Lord's Rain: "collaborative caring". The Lord's Rain has been built and sustained by many people and organizations, bringing what they can, as they can, motivated by a desire to provide hope to people in an area where hope is the most precious commodity.

I intend to start visiting churches and other organizations with the presentation I gave at Westpointe last summer, and if you are led to make a donation, you can do so online at www.gospelmission.net or by mail. Donations specifically marked for "The Lord's Rain" will go towards the fund-matching program. Please make your cheque or money order payable to Gospel Mission Society, and we have a new mailing address:

Gospel Mission Society,

PO Box 98802

The W PO*

Vancouver, BC V6B 0G0

The name of the game is instilling hope in people: Hope in Christ -- the recognition that their situations are not as good as it gets. Without Hope, why would anyone try to get off drugs, seek treatment for their issues, move forward in their lives? The Downtown East Side is too full of hope-destroying things -- reminders of the past, temptations of the present and deniers of the future -- and people need something else to grasp onto. The Lord's Rain helps people find that "something else".

---

*Yes, that's "The W PO". Sounds like a plumbing fixture, but it's a post office (PO) located in a complex called "The W", which was built out of the ruins of the Woodward's Department Store, a block away from the Mission. Part of the complex is the iconic neon "W", perched on an Eiffel Tower-like structure on the roof. Hence, "The W", rather than "The Woodwards Complex". It's likely that, as Vancouverites get more familiar and less talkative, it will become known as "The Dub" ... and eventually, simply "The".

Farewell to a friend

2014 starts off with some sad news.

I've mentioned before that one of the ignition points for The Lord's Rain was the day -- two days before the deadline to have funding lined up to take over the ground floor space in our building -- that two phone calls came in. The day before, we had all of $60 set aside for the project to build showers. It was the fall of 2007 and the idea was still incubating. Barry and I had put out a "fleece", à la Gideon -- asking God for a confirming sign -- that, so long as the money was there, we had a "go" project.

And we were prepared to walk away from the idea if the money hadn't come in by mid-December.

Two days before the deadline, there were two phone calls, with pledges totaling $4,000.00. 

One of those calls came from Don Low. Barry and I looked Heavenward and said, "Right then -- we'll take that as a 'yes'."

I didn't know Don and his wife, Joyce, very well. They had been members of Westpointe when I first started going there in 2006, but they were distinctive: certainly the oldest couple there -- Don was in his late 80s at the time -- and they always wore "Sunday best" to church. Don was also distinctive for his puckish sense of humor: he told Amelia and me one time about singing in a Gospel quartet with three Baptist mates in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WW2. They never missed a chance to take the mickey out of him for being Pentecostal, and he, apparently, gave as good as he got. That sense of humor stood him in good stead through these doctrinal differences, since that group still got together to sing long after the war.

Don passed away just before New Year's at the age of 90 or 91. He was a true gentleman, and he and Joyce continued to support The Lord's Rain over the years, with prayer, quiet encouragement and timely contributions. I'm sure Don's legacy takes many forms in many different areas, but The Lord's Rain is part of it, and will stand the Downtown East Side has benefited -- and will continue to do so -- from his and Joyce's kindness, generosity and prayers.

"Thank you," somehow, doesn't begin to say it.

Volunteer at The Lord's Rain

The Lord's Rain -- the street-level outreach at Gospel Mission, which provides showers for people on the Downtown East Side -- has a number of opportunities for volunteers. These provide a unique chance to interact with people who have been essentially "written-off" by society and truly need hope and a hand-up, rather than a hand-out.

The volunteer positions are in early mornings -- between 7 and 8:30 am -- on Mondays (women only), Thursdays and Fridays. Duties involve:

• making and serving coffee
• handing out towels, soap, etc.
• finding clothing or shoes when asked
• cleaning up

But most importantly, these volunteer positions involve interacting: listening to people and encouraging them. Just knowing that someone from "the outside" cares about them can give someone hope to carry on, and hope is probably the most precious commodity on the DTES.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Janet Klassen, Assistant Pastor (and responsible for The Lord's Rain) at janet@gospelmission.net. 

Another volunteer position involves driving: we need someone to pick up the end-of-day product donation every Monday at 7pm from Cobs Bread in Caulfeild Village in West Vancouver. It requires a car -- a small hatchback will do -- and the ability to lift and load the bags. Once the product has been picked up, it needs to be delivered to The Lord's Rain -- either that same night or the following morning. 

If you are interested in this volunteer position, please contact me at drewdsnider@gmail.com.

You can find out more about the story of The Lord's Rain in this video presentation.

The Lord's Rain: Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight!

Once again, a prompt from the Lord pans out! Did I ever doubt it?

Last week, I told you about the front-page story in Metro last week about The Lord's Rain's financial concerns. That was followed with a piece done by Breakfast Television on CityTV, which aired on Thursday.

I didn't see the TV story (and they don't post their stories online), but as for the newspaper item, I do believe the Lord had His hand on Kate Webb's shoulder as she wrote it, because it's brilliant and uses that 200-words-or-fewer format effectively to convey both the financial and the social need.

(Heck, I can't even say "good morning!" in fewer than 200 words!)

And now, the update. In the two days since those stories ran, we received enough donations to keep The Lord's Rain open for several more months! It proves that when more people know about The Lord's Rain and what it means to the people it serves, they will invest willingly. All it takes is a little publicity -- and now, we have an even stronger "hook" for that publicity: testimony from the people who use it. As I said in my last email, it's no longer just a "neat idea", but something that's actually showing positive results.

Give God the glory, working through the media and touching those who see the stories! It's certainly not the first time He has told me to "do what you do for a living: write a news release". The media have stepped up time and again to get the message out, and people have responded. In 2007 and 2008, as we were building the place, they caught the vision and came forward to make it happen; and now it's happening again.

We still have the issue of long-term continuous funding, and to that end, I'm working on a presentation to take to churches and organizations, describing then opportunity to be part of something operating in a mission field in their own back yard. It is a mission field, and a highly important one, at that.

The Lord's Rain celebrated its 5th anniversary on Tuesday (April 30), and support like this means there'll be a 6th anniversary ... and so forth.

Stones Big and Small (an appeal)

My good friend, Murray Scott, takes one of the turns as service leader at Westpointe Christian Centre. He has a gift for taking everyday experiences he's encountered -- often from coaching soccer or his business, which is a building contractor -- and relating them to Biblical truths. So in many ways, I'm following his example as I write this. You'll see what I mean.




In Genesis and Deuteronomy, the Lord commands His people that, if they build Him a stone altar, it's to be made of "whole stones" -- any stones that have been "cut to fit" are polluted. Now, the "polluted" part aside, that means that stones of all shapes and sizes are needed, as they all fit together. Small ones fill in the spaces between the big ones, and if those small ones aren't there, there are either gaps or the whole thing collapses.



It's also important to note that we're talking stones here -- in the plural. The altar was not meant to be a single, large stone. An altar is to be built, not found or appropriated. God doesn't want His people simply saying, "Hello: here's a rock! Let's worship here!" Rather, we're to take the definite, deliberate action of selecting the stones, and then joining them together so they will fit just right and stand for a very long time.



That's the way The Lord's Rain has been built. As I've said before, it's not been the work or gifting of one single person or entity that's made it happen, but the collective work of a whole lot of people bringing a whole lot of things of varying sizes to the project -- rather like Paul's description of the Body of Christ in Ephesians 4. That collective effort has imbued the facility with a spirit that many people care enough about the people in the Downtown East Side to develop it. That brings hope, and hope is the most precious commodity of all.



To keep the analogy going, we're in need of more stones, big and small, at The Lord's Rain. We have an ongoing financial need, and as you know, The Lord's Rain is totally run by volunteers, so funds that come in go directly to rent, utilities and upkeep. So would you please consider making a contribution of whatever amount you feel you can? Also, would you please consider making The Lord's Rain a regular part of your offerings?



Saturday will mark the third anniversary of the opening of The Lord's Rain, and there's no question it's been a success in terms of changes coming over the lives of the people who come in. In raw numbers, we've provided nearly 1800 showers. In the past year, we've managed to bring more consistency to the "Ladies Only" time and added another early-morning opening (now open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 6:30am) and it looks like we'll be adding Mondays to the list in the near future.



Perhaps more tellingly, the Lord has truly blessed the facility from Day One, providing for it and protecting it in often miraculous ways -- something I blogged about a couple of years ago -- so there's no question that this is on the right track. There's no question, too, that we're grateful for the way you-all have bought into the vision and supported it in the ways you have, to date.



I think it also says something that we only have to send a gentle (I hope) reminder like this about once a year.



To make a donation, you can send a cheque or money order to:

Gospel Mission Society

Box 1151, 2480 East Hastings

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5K 1Z1

... and please make sure the cheque is made out to Gospel Mission Society, and then mark "The Lord's Rain" or "Showers" on the memo line.

You can also donate by Visa or MasterCard via email to donation@gospelmission.net, including your name as it's on the card, card number, expiry date and your address for tax receipt purposes.

Thank you, as always, for the support you give us, however you give it.

A special appeal from The Lord's Rain

This was sent to the Friends Of The Lord's Rain this morning. A special appeal -- as if people don't have enough hands reaching out for "special donations to remember the ******** in this Festive Season". But it's something that just came up, so I'm putting this on the SkyTrain to see if it gets off at Metrotown.

Our clothes dryer, a valuable donation when we opened The Lord's Rain 2-1/2 years ago, has packed it in. As John Cleese might put it, it has dried its last towel, shed its final lint, shuffled off its heating coil and gone to join the Choir Invisibule: it is an ex-dryer.



In a street outreach for which the very raison d’être involves showers and therefore clean, dry towels, the dryer is a necessity. In the earliest days, we did attempt to hang the towels around the facility, but that was unreliable and did tend to leave the towels rather hard, reminding one of the dialogue from the old "Barney Miller" TV series:

BARNEY: What happened to the towel in the bathroom?
YEMANA: It broke.

Given our space and electrical constraints, the solution is a stacking washer-dryer unit that can fit into the space where the washer and dryer are currently located.

SO ... would any of you be willing to contribute towards the purchase of such a unit? Are you aware of any companies that could donate or offer a discount on one? We're grateful for any suggestions or leads you might have.
 
Any such donations or leads can be directed to Gospel Mission -- http://www.gospelmission.net/ -- 604-684-3097 ... or leave a comment on this blog.

The Showers Saga - 14: God's Grandstand Play (first posted Feb. 29/08)

It's not the first time He's done it in this project, and chances are, it won't be the last. It's another of God's "grandstand plays", showing anyone who doubted it that He is fully in control of this project, and that it's His perfect will for it to succeed.

Grandstand play? Oh, yes: this one is one for the highlight reels. It's Michael Jordan carrying the Bulls on his back. It's Bo Jackson crushing a homer to right field in the Kingdome (1990) that was still rising when it hit the back wall, leaving a buzz that continued into the next inning. It's Bobby Baun scoring in OT in Game 6 of the 1964 Stanley Cup while playing with a broken ankle, or Bobby Allison going horizontal to make a rally-killing catch in the '65 World Series. It's that guy on the Giants, catching the ball with his helmet to keep that 4th quarter drive going in the '08 Super Bowl.

Saga entry #13 described the theft from The Lord's Rain. At first, I didn't want to say anything, but the next morning, the Lord started giving me the words -- and the motivation. After all, we needed to be up-front with the people who've supported us so far. So I put together a release, making it clear that the project was going ahead. It went to the mailing list for "Friends of The Lord's Rain", a group list for the media, and the ACOP churches. Janet Dirks called from CTV -- well, she emailed, actually. Then she got called off the story, and Peter Grainger came in her place.

We did an extended interview, and the resulting story was more about the project itself and the need for it, with the mention about the theft tacked on almost as an afterthought. That's the way I wanted it, really -- Peter shows a remarkable sensitivity for the story, as does Janet -- I didn't want to be wringing my hands and wailing about what a terrible thing was being done to us ... but yes, we did have a theft and -- in answer to the question -- yes, it would be nice if we could get some help with that. Actually, Peter said it in his voice-over, and Pam Martin and Bill Good chatted about it, too. That was on Tuesday.

Wednesday morning, the phone rang as I was getting ready for work. It was a fellow who had seen the story, called CTV to get my contact info, and wanted to contribute towards the replacement of the tools. I met him at his place of business in North Vancouver. Turns out, he's a Born Again Christian, too, and as soon as he heard the story, the Lord tapped him on the shoulder. But he didn't want any publicity for himself or his business: he was doing it out of obedience. And with that -- accompanied by a well-deserved flourish -- he plunked a wad of bills on the desk that would choke a medium-sized horse. 100s and 50s. $8000.00.

There's no question this was obedience, too: his own business was doing remediation work after a burst water pipe caused a flood. He could very easily have argued with the Lord, saying that money would have been better spent fixing his own business. But if he did, the argument still went the Lord's way. By day's end, two plumbers had stepped up with offers to donate tools. So Kevin will get his tools replaced, and our costs will continue to be met. Apostle Kenny Black at Rivers of Living Water in Brooklyn summed it up when I told him: "God always has a ram in the bush".

And God is also leaving absolutely no doubt that this is His project. Just like Gideon, facing the Midianites, when God made him reduce his numbers so much that he was forced to rely on Him. Just in case we get too proud and cocky about the showers project -- which is easy to do, with so many people saying, "That's such a wonderful thing you're doing!" -- He's reminding us that it's His project, we're just the ones He's called to make it happen, and ultimately He's the one who's providing what it needs. Leroy Thompson often says, "If you have a need, sow a seed". Oral Roberts has a habit, whenever he feels sickness coming on, of sending money to another ministry or sowing something, someplace, and his recovery either is hastened or the sickness goes away.

There's something to be said about that. Let's pray for our benefactors to have whatever difficulties they face resolved by Divine intervention -- especially our $8000 donor for his flood reparations. I prayed for that with him on the spot -- although he insists he's not doing it for that reason. But it's written that as we give, it's given back to us in full measure -- THEN shaken together, pressed down and running over -- whether that was our "intention" or not.

And in all the confusion, I almost forgot this angle: on Monday, heading home after hearing the news and talking with Brodie and the police, I stopped at Safeway to pick up a couple of things. There was an elderly man standing on the corner with his cap out. As I finished the shopping, the Lord said, "Give him that $20". So I did -- not in the cap, but right into his hand -- and he lit up: not because of the money, but because someone cared to stop and talk, and the spirit that comes with not just dumping "spare change" into his cap is a Godly spirit. (I keep reminding myself that Drew Snider the man has 1001 excuses not to help people -- but "Christ in me" is the X-factor that motivates such things. It's the same with anyone, really.) So he told how he still has faith in God and loves Jesus and loves to pray for people and bless others when he can ... and there was light behind those eyes. But I did pray over that seed before giving it to him -- that it would multiply to meet his needs, but also be blessed with a resolution to the situation at the showers project. And God heard ... and heard the prayers of all the people who read the release, read this blog, saw the news items ... responded.

=======

MORE MEDIA
The Lord's Rain brings showers to Vancouver poor Cowichan News Leader And Pictorial - Feb. 27
Most of us take for granted our daily baths and showers, but for the down-and-outers on Vancouver's notorious Downtown East Side, that can often be a tough thing to do. But it's about to get better thanks in part to the efforts of some Cowichan locals.

The Lord's Rain is a project launched by Carrall St. Church that will provide showers for Downtown East Side residents three mornings a week. A short while ago, a team of about 20 well-skilled trades people put on a one-day building blitz at the church to construct the platform and frames needed for four showers, three regular sized and one larger shower for people with mobility problems.

The group included about a dozen members of The Oasis Church in Duncan, led by Pastors Gerry and Brandon Wall, as well as other local volunteers. "This is a great way to impact a lot people," said Pastor Gerry. "One of the things we do as a church is to support others' visions when we sense it's a good thing and when we heard about the Lord's Rain it really registered with us."

Wall said one of the first thing many of the homeless who visit the Carrall St. Church in the heart of Canada's most notorious communities is to head for the basins to clean up as best they can. "Knowing a little bit of background on some of the guys I've met in my lifetime, I would suspect they would rather be clean," he said. While beauty may only be skin deep, cleanliness can have a deeper impact on those who call the streets home.

"It can give a rocket ride to someone's self-esteem," said Drew Snider, spokesman for the project. "You see the people who come around and, yeah, they're perpetually dirty, but you can tell they'd rather not be." Snider said it's sometimes easy to write off the homeless people on the East Side as a bunch of crack heads and prostitutes. "Harder hearts say these are people who brought this on themselves, but we all make mistakes, we all slip up," he said. And while the street people can usually find food and clothing, the simple act of bathing be tougher to do, but it's something that can stay with them through the day, said Snider. "That softens their hearts and they'll notice people around them haven't written them off all together," he said. "The people around them haven't found another reason to ignore them and someone does actually do want to see them lifted up to a higher level."

Pastor Gerry said he didn't have a whole lot of contact with the people he was helping build the showers for, but the ones he did talk to appreciated the effort. "The ones who did respond said they thought it was a great idea and they were looking forward to the showers," he said. "It's not a major investment, but maybe it will make someone's life a little better." The church is just waiting for building inspectors to give the construction a passing grade before the showers will officially be turned on, sometime in the next couple of weeks, said Snider.