The Showers Saga - 15: So close ... (orig. posted Mar. 21/08)

Hard to believe I haven't entered anything here since Feb 29 ... I don't know if we were actually behind schedule -- partly since there really wasn't a schedule to begin with -- but things are on the move again. Brodie and Barry have been installing the cast iron pipes themselves, with Hillcrest Plumbing doing the finishing touches and pressure-testing. Barry has called the City for inspection, so Lord willing, we'll be ready to finish the stalls by the end of the coming week.

That's still a bit iffy, so we've asked The Oasis Church to set April 5 as the date for their next invasion -- pardon me: work blitz. That's where they'll push the showers into place and wall in the area. In the mean time, next Saturday -- March 29 -- will be our cleaning and paint-priming day. After the showers are set in place (Apr. 5), there'll be one more day to finish off the decorating (chairs, tables, coffee station, etc.) and then we should be ready to open -- looks like Opening Day will be April 15: two months later than I thought we'd open when I so gushingly announced the project on Wilf Ray's show back in December, but the key here is, it's been all in God's timing, which is never behind schedule.

I had a chance to make a presentation on the project to the Annual General Meeting of the Gospel Mission Society, which runs Carrall Street Church. Only two of the people at the meeting -- secretary Stan Powers and treasurer Erwin Paetkau -- were not "regulars" at the church to begin with, but it was a good chance to review and celebrate how the project has come to pass. Kind of like Moses, singing his song on the banks of the Red Sea after the Israelites had crossed over from Egypt.

Something Amelia pointed out, though, which I'd neglected to mention, bears repeating here. That this project has long since shown itself to be about more than just building showers for street people. In truth, that's become a sidebar in many ways to the other things this project has meant to various individuals taking part. Without naming names, we've seen:

• a woman, going through a tough time with loneliness and -- with her children grown up -- questioning her "usefulness", plunging into the project in ways she can
• another woman, also going through some tough times, getting connected with others with the project as a sort-of catalyst
• a man finally connecting with a church and finding some meaning
• a young man finding his "place" in a project God handed to him, bringing a positive spirit and can-do attitude right at a time when we really needed it -- even though he turned out not to do what we thought he was supposed to do, he still fulfilled his role in this
  others, too numerous to mention, finding a sense of purpose in this
• at least half a dozen reporters and broadcasters, getting a chance to report on the manifestation of God's glory
• the businessman who stepped forward after the theft, sowing seed into a Ministry at a time when his own business had an unexpected problem (we said at the time, that he could well have told God that the money he handed us would be better spent fixing the problem in his own business -- once again, quoting Leroy Thompson, "if you have a need, sow a seed")
• The Oasis has been looking at a new home for its church: Brandon Wall says the deal started coming through the Monday following their first work party in late January
  and the people who come to Carrall Street Church -- and those out on the streets, who still don't set foot inside any church -- are aware of the project and see that it's a tangible, caring act: seeing the love of Christ at work
• So much more ... so little time, space, or memory ...

When we started fundraising for the project, we contacted one wealthy businessman -- known as a Christian -- for support. We were turned down. Looking back now, that was exactly what God intended -- and I believe that businessman knew it. If he'd underwritten the whole thing, no one else would have had the opportunity to be blessed; if he'd underwritten even part of it, it would have seemed like lukewarm support, and that might have had a negative effect, too.

Truly, if the Lord of hosts hath purposed it, who shall disannul it?

Urban Ministry - going beyond "subsistence"

2009 may or may not be the 80th anniversary of Gospel Mission.

The early history of GM has been largely oral tradition, but we do know that we were established some time in the 1920s. I remember seeing some printed reference to 1929, but do you think I can find it now? Of course not. So, lest the decade run out without actually acknowledging the 80 (plus) years of serving Vancouver, let's say some quiet huzzahs for the oldest existing rescue mission in Vancouver (and possibly Western Canada - again, oral tradition).

In 2008, Gospel Mission started taking some steps towards bringing ministry in the Downtown East Side (you can insert the name of any other similarly afflicted urban area) to a different level. Of course, we didn't know it at the time (how could we, really?), but as we look at things a year later, we can see that God has some definite plans for His people in this area that require something more than what I've come to call "subsistence" ministry. As you read this, you may find yourself considering new ways that you, too, can help.

A couple of things happened recently at Gospel Mission / The Lord's Rain, which may seem unrelated, but in fact have a connection worth contemplating. Just before Christmas, two new friends came into the Mission bearing a welcome and timely financial contribution. As we were chatting, they asked, "what do you need?" I was a little stumped, believe it or not. What do we need?

We talked about supplies of food, and the way the Lord has made sure the Mission has not gone hungry over its 80-plus years. We talked about the need for things like building materials to finish the back wall of The Lord's Rain. We talked about the fact that many people have shown up, seemingly from nowhere, with ideas that we had never thought of ourselves, and that they've proven to be exactly what we needed - exactly when we needed them.

The other event, which (as I say) may seem unconnected at first, came at our monthly prayer meeting at Gospel Mission -- which happened to coincide with New Year's Eve. A young man I'd never seen before looked up timidly when Barry asked if anyone had any special prayer needs. I went over and asked what he'd like. "A job," he said, in a Spanish accent. He told me his name was Jose, so I beckoned to Teresa, whose native language is Spanish, and to Barry, to come over. Teresa prayed intently over Jose in Spanish, then told us that Jose had accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour. We prayed over him some more -- and I prayed that the Lord would provide Jose with exactly the people, direction and source of income to supply his needs. Jose sat down, with a look of hope on his face that he believed all would be well.

I know as well as anyone what can happen after the first flush of "accepting Jesus". When I did, at a convention in California 10 years ago this summer, I was convinced that answering the Call and saying The Sinner's Prayer would bring an instantaneous change, and I had nothing more to worry about. When it didn't and my old ways started re-emerging (within about two days, actually), I sank lower, feeling disillusioned and a failure. The main reason for the backsliding was that I had no one to assist with ministry, counsel and guidance in my new Walk. This was partly my fault: I was not connected to a church at the time, and while the people at the convention had someone talk with me and give me phone numbers of people to contact when I got back to the Vancouver area, I never did follow up.

Accepting the Lord is only the beginning of the walk with Christ: the whole thing is a process. Just as in a marriage, where passion and romance eventually give way to the necessity of dealing with the world and one another's faults within the context of the covenant you've made with your spouse, the newcomer to Christ still faces the cares of the world, and has to adapt their thinking and actions to the Covenant they've made with God.

[What Covenant have we made with God? Jesus says, "if you love Me, keep My commandments". Abraham, one of the first to have a Covenant with God, "believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness".]

For Jose, or anyone else on the DTES, once they come up off their knees and step back out onto Carrall and Hastings, they are immediately surrounded by constant reminders of their past mistakes and wrong choices. The demands of the natural world may drag them back. In Jose's case, his immigration status or lack of English language skills may prevent him from getting a job legally, and unless his faith is strong enough to keep looking to God as his Provider, he could well wind up obtaining money illegally, feeling he has "no choice". That strength of faith is developed over time ("Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God," the Apostle Paul wrote).

Considering that I know quite a few faith-filled, spirit-filled, Bible-believing Christians who themselves don't have that kind of faith, you couldn't expect that from a newcomer. The physical manifestation of spiritual change does not come as a cataclysmic, fairy-godmother transformation. God's promise requires patience: He delivers the goods as we can handle them, "by little and little ... lest the beasts of the field increase ...." (Deut. 7:22).

What's the solution for someone like Jose? "Discipleship" - the personal relationship between a person who has just received Christ and someone more mature in the faith, helping to guide the newcomer, keep them from falling back into their old life and encourage them in the steps forward they take, however small they may be. It wasn't until I had proper discipleship in my life that I started moving forward. I have been blessed to have had Ivor Lewis, Gerry and Marci Wall, Dan and Susan McLean and Cathy Koshman at critical points in my life; even now, Barry, Jon Boyd and Cal Weber are there. Now, others turn to me for discipleship. It's a walk we're not supposed to walk alone.

So if one asks, "what do we need?" ... We need disciples.

We need people who are willing to connect with street people on a more personal level. We need people who can Be There, seeking out people who need prayer and counsel, acting as a sounding board, not to validate their past behaviour, but to nudge them in the right direction; and most importantly, encourage them in their new walk and support them when they make the right decisions.

We come back to the foundational Scripture for The Lord's Rain -- and indeed, for Gospel Mission as a whole:
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

-- James 2:14-17

"Daily food" can mean actual food; it can also mean the necessities of human life, such as providing a place where for people to get cleaned up. But we can also take it to mean the practical application of being "in peace ... warmed and filled". That is what discipleship provides: it helps show a person what the spiritual condition of being Saved actually looks like.

Maybe you haven't even thought that this might be something you're called to do. Maybe you don't think you're capable. Maybe you know of others who have been looking for a way to serve in new ways.

In any event, I encourage you to consider it: you may find gifts you didn't know you had. If people are going to make an effort to break themselves free from the drugs and poverty, they need a reason. Many of the people on the DTES cannot see a tangible reason to change; so we need to show them an intangible reason. Christ provides that reason. It's called Hope. It doesn't take a Biblical scholar to do it: just someone who Believes, and has a good ear and a heart to match; someone whose friendship and guidance can drown out the noise of the "cares of the world" that Jesus warns us will try to snatch away the joy of receiving the Word. It takes someone who can encourage people in their walk, without either judging or validating when they slip up -- which they inevitably will.

When you save someone at sea, you don't push them out of the boat again. When someone is Saved in Christ, other people need to be nearby to steady them as they find their legs in the boat. Otherwise, they not only fall overboard, this time they have a millstone of guilt, remorse and uselessness around their neck.

***

So what is this "next level"? "Subsistence ministry" -- or "maintenance ministry", to borrow the term from some forms of drug treatment -- has been much of the focus for the past century: feeding, clothing and sheltering people; sadly, that has also come to mean enabling them in their drug habits.

It's apparent, though, that we need to press deeper and actually get people's lives turned around so they move on, move up and move out -- if only to make room for the new arrivals who will inevitably come with the current world financial situation.

When Lee Grady, the editor of Charisma, spoke one of the prophecies that eventually led to The Lord's Rain, he used the image of axe blades. He prophesied that the axe blades I had been using were just bouncing off the tree trunks, but that God would start providing blades that were sharper and stronger and would start cutting through the bark. The Lord's Rain is one of those blades: it is definitely having an impact on the people in the DTES. Now, we need more of these sharper, stronger axe blades.

We also need more mainstream churches from other parts of the region to get involved, with a view towards salvation, discipleship and restoration. One of the reasons why this is important is because the mainstream churches have the expertise and the resources, human and otherwise, to take on some of the things I've outlined above.

If you drill deep enough into the collective psyche on the DTES, you'll find a key factor is a sense of abandonment. The people can't help but think they've been abandoned by society, their own families, and especially God. (Even "progressive" ideas like the "safe" injection site simply reinforce the lie that an addict is basically non-salvageable.) Is it not up to churches, as ambassadors of Christ, to rid them of that sense? As Christians, are we not called to "visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction" (James 1:27)?

The Lord's Rain is a clear sign of God's desire to move beyond "subsistence ministry": He ordained it, He brought all the necessary pieces together for it, and He has provided what it's needed, when it's needed it, all down the line. It also stands as an example to encourage others who get a similar vision or assignment from God, that, if He puts a project on their hearts, He will bring together the necessary resources.

In Exodus, the Lord gives Moses instructions for the building of the tabernacle. He is directed to use gold, silver and brass, fine linen of all manner of colours, and specific types of wood. Then the Bible tells us they made the things required out of the materials specified. I can't find any verse in which Moses says, "and exactly how we are supposed to get these things?" Even in the wilderness, the materials they needed were provided.

Put another way, when God tells you to do something, He doesn't tell you to afford it.

If He puts an idea on your heart -- as He did with us for The Lord's Rain -- you can be sure He will make it happen as soon as you say, "Yes, Lord".

What I've written here is grist for discussion and action as the Lord leads. The issue of poverty and crime in so many areas of our region and others around North America has been dumbed-down to "homelessness", but we need to consider that a typo. The real problem is "hopelessness", and hope is not always found in a shelter bed or a meal line or any number of social experiments. It's also not bought and sold for money, which means that anyone can contribute. Don't get me wrong: there is nothing wrong with providing meals and emergency shelters; but the message I'm hearing is that it's time to go further.

Please think on these things. Take them up with your pastors, home groups, friends, co-workers; see where you're led. Some people may be called to support projects financially, but others may be called to something different, and I'm suggesting it's time to find that "something different". It may not just be "something different" for the people receiving it: it will likely be something different for you, too.

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.

Deuteronomy and The Lord's Rain

Deuteronomy is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It should be required reading for anyone who's going through a tough time, wondering how he or she is ever going to pull through; it inspires one to think back over past crises and remember how God has come through in the past, and declare that He's not going to let them down now.

Deuteronomy (the word means "the second telling") is the last of the five "books of Moses", and consists of a recap of the previous 40 years. Moses, standing at the brink of the Promised Land (which he knows he'll only be allowed to see and not set foot in), reviews for the Israelites all the hardships and trials they'd gone through, all the victories God had given them, all the bad choices they'd made, and all the ways God had pulled them through. He also reminds them of the promise -- the land God had sworn He would give to their forefathers. Fired up with that reminder of His faithfulness in the past, the Israelites are prepared to cross the Jordan into that land.

I was prompted to pull out Deuteronomy early this morning (Sat. 13 Dec) and start reading it, and it was even more impressive, as it goes over the battles in which the enemy seriously outnumbered them ... or seemed more powerful ... or had cities that had enormous walls that no one thought could be scaled ... and yet with God in command, the Israelites moved forward.

And why would I be "prompted" to get up at 3 am and read Deuteronomy? It had a lot to do with the headline in yesterday''s 24 Hours, the daily fishwrap handed out free at SkyTrain stations, which itself was arresting: "Gospel Mission in dire straits". Having recovered from the near whiplash caused by the double-take (my comedy tends to make Kramer look understated), I realized the headline was referring to Union Gospel Mission -- not us. Regardless, the story was about the decline in donations at UGM, and the underlying theme is that donations are down all over.

So, indeed, are they with us at Gospel Mission, which is why a sort-of Deuteronomy is in order at this stage, and since you all have a stake in this, allow me to do my Moses impression, so we can all be fired-up with faith again.

The best records Barry can find show that Gospel Mission was founded "sometime in the 1920s" (I've seen a reference to the Mission being founded in 1929, but can't find it now). Now, in those days, the Downtown East Side was not the Skid Row cauldron of despair it is today: it was the business and entertainment heart of Vancouver. The Pantages Theatre was still running vaudeville shows; there were restaurants, clubs, law offices, a couple of consulates. Why would God have the Apostolic Church of Pentecost (ACOP) plant a Mission right bang in the middle of such unbridled prosperity?

Because He knew what was coming. Late that year, we ran smack into the Great Depression, which, coupled with the Dust Bowl days, landed a lot of guys on skid row -- and the Mission was sorely needed. God provided for the Mission through the Depression, followed by World War 2, and through the decades, including at least three major recessions, and now the current financial uncertainty. Through that time, the Mission has stayed alive and kicking, ministering the Word and preaching Hope -- the wonderful, intangible hope that comes in Christ.

Just as in 1929, people on the Downtown East Side today have been failed by the world's "systems" -- not just the economic system but the various social experiments that have moved in, trying to undo the damage done by choices that "seemed like a good idea at the time."

Truly, the only source of hope is in the knowledge that God is able to do what He's said He will do. Hey: we've not only stayed alive and kicking, but expanded this year, totally under the direction, leading and provision of God. He engineered the whole building of The Lord's Rain, providing the vision, the prophecy, the space and -- most importantly -- the people, doing what they can, as much as they can, to make it happen. (That would be you, by the way ...) The construction has been nothing short of a miracle, and the expansion -- including the new daytime openings on Mondays and Fridays with our newfound sister Teresa -- has come exactly in His time. The Ministry has developed "by little and little", with God meting out the responsibility -- and the blessing -- as He knows we can handle it (that's also in Deuteronomy -- Ch. 7, v. 22).

As I say, God knew what was coming back in 1929 when He ordained Gospel Mission on the brink of the Depression: looks like He sees something else coming, that will make the work of Gospel Mission even more crucial. Perhaps the idea is to step up efforts to turn lives around and get the currently poor moving up and moving on so that the soon-to-be-poor will have someplace to come to have their hope and faith restored.

As an aside -- speaking of Hope and so forth -- Christmas can be a depressing time of year for many people. How many times have you seen a newspaper awash in adverts telling us how to have a happy unspecified holiday (good morning, Stuart Shepard!), and stuffed in amongst the with a feature-length piece on some psychology boffin talking about how depressed people get at Christmastime?

Don't think there isn't a connection. The more our society tries to excise Jesus from talk of Christmas, the more we're left with some bizarre near-winter ritual that involves buying stuff and eating fancy food and having parties but no apparent reason - and certainly no expression of Hope. We're left with stupid songs about "the man with the bag" and forced fun that has all the sincerity of a Tom Vu seminar. No wonder people get depressed, no matter what their income bracket. That's a truth Charlie Brown uncovered 43 years ago, and somehow it's fallen further away from us, no matter how many times we watch that show and mouth along with Linus, "Lights, please".* (If you haven't already, Google "Merry Tossmas" and check out Stuart Shepard's video -- which he's updated this year. And be advised that Central City in Surrey is actually using the word "Christmas" and the expression "Merry Christmas" in its ad campaign. I know where I'll be doing my Christmas shopping -- worth the SkyTrain ride!)

But I digress. This letter is our own "Deuteronomy" for Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain: a testimony to God's faithfulness and provision over nine decades in a city that's only in its 13th decade -- and a reminder to you that the stake you have in this work continues to pay off and continues to move forward. Thank you for all you do: truly, we will probably never know how many lives are changed by it!

Michael

We lost a good friend recently at Gospel Mission. Michael Thompson is referred to as the "oldest member" at Gospel Mission -- had been coming, if I heard Barry right -- for over 30 years. Considering he was barely into his 50s, that means he'd been on the Downtown East Side since he was a teenager. That is, sadly, par for the course with a lot of people there: there may be a few transients in the area, but many of them have spent the better part of their lives surrounded by the drugs and the violence.

Michael was just there. I believe he loved the Lord, although as I write this, I hear the echo of a Pentecostal minister who, when I wanted to share with him about Rusty Campbell, who was murdered in spring of 2007, and referred to him as "drunk as a skunk most of the time,", declared, "then he couldn't have loved the Lord!" You really can't debate that one. But as for Michael, the poems he wrote and are shared on the Gospel Mission website leave no doubt.

When I knew him, he was going through serious issues as the drugs continued to ring up their toll on his life. Many others were closer to Michael -- Amelia, for instance, refers to him as "a gentle soul" -- and gave freely of their time and love and encouragement. Michael wanted to be free of the demons, and for sure, there was one Wednesday evening earlier this year, after Bible study, when Barry started casting the demons out and Michael wound up flat on his back, mumbling in tongues.

But the physical toll continued to build. He wound up spending many weeks in hospital, unable to recognize anyone, and with his clothes hidden away, lest he decide to "check himself out". Barry and Janet went up to visit him often, praying over him mostly; God moved on Michael's life, by getting him into an assisted-living facility, and in September, Michael was well enough to come to Bible study a couple of times. His voice was reduced to a mumble and he needed a walker and physical help to get up and down the stairs, but he was lucid and able to recognize most of us.

Last week, we learned that he was dead. In fact, he'd been dead for a month, but the facility apparently didn't have contact information for any of us. His family on Vancouver Island, which had lost track of him over the years, didn't know, either, until they contacted Barry and Barry directed them to the facility. Michael had had a seizure at the end of October, and died a few days later.

It's like that on the Downtown East Side. For whatever reason, people lose track of their lives, and life loses track of them. It's no one's fault -- and God knows everyone of us has reason to beat themselves up for not Being There at the end. But we do know Who was there at the end, and even now, I'm hearing Him telling me that it was the prayer and the ministry that people gave Michael over the years that kept reinforcing the message that Jesus came for him, just as He came for others; ensuring that Michael kept his eyes on the Lord, even as he struggled for his footing in the endless battle with the enemy.

Michael's niece sent the following letter to Barry:

Hello Pastor Barry
Once again let me express my gratitude for being there for my Uncle when we could not. I remember him on many occasions talking about the Mission and look forward to meeting with you.
The poems are wonderful and do indeed allow me to look inside that part of him. I will pass this web site on to the family so they too can see these and download them.
Do you have the originals or were they on the computer?
Anything you can share with us is very much appreciated. You did mention that you had some pictures as well so maybe we can arrange to have copies of those. When Uncle Mike comes to us and we have a celebration for him I will let you know so maybe you will want to write something about him that I can share with the family. I was unsure of what I would do with my father's ashes and I will now wait for Uncle Mike and spread them together. Maybe this is what was to be.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Truly
Sheila Thompson

Sheila has asked for some recollections of Michael, and I'll share them here on the blog as they come in.

The Showers Saga - 13: Don't Take Your Eyes Off The Pillar (original post: Feb. 25/08)

I had to listen to the voice mail from Barry four times before I finally understood what he'd said.

He was calling on his cell phone from SkyTrain, which is two strikes against any phone call, and I could have sworn he'd said "the shower ministry got broken into". Four times of listening to it didn't change it. That's exactly what he said.

Truth to tell ... it wasn't broken into. Someone walked in through the door that I thought I'd locked, after showing an out of town guest around the project on Sunday afternoon. They walked out with a bunch of tools, a bag of brass fittings and two sets of shower fixtures. Evidently, I didn't lock the door when I thought I had.

So now we have to replace the tools that got ripped off and buy more fittings. Not the end of the world, no one got hurt. This would happen the day after I'd preached a sermon on getting to know one's place in the Lord, and went off on a tangent about Mayor Sam and the fact that, by his words, he's "written off" the people on the Downtown East Side, but God has not written them off. Now, I find myself in the midst of a test of how much I believe that, because on the one hand, yes, I'm angry with myself for not locking that blasted door, but I am REALLY DISAPPOINTED in whoever ripped us off! Doesn't he (or she) realize the showers are for him (or her)? Doesn't he (or she) realize this is an expression of the love of Christ for him (or her)?

Of course not, Drew: they're too strung out on drugs to know right from wrong. That's why you and the others are doing this. The change in people will come from within and will take time. If the change had already happened, the showers project wouldn't be necessary.

The Lord never said it would be easy. But He did say He'd be with us, every step of the way.

It is all the more reason for us to press ahead with the showers project: a graphic reminder of whom we are called to serve and the battle we're fighting; a reminder of the importance of showing these people the love of Christ in the face of an "official" society that's written them off.

They need to see that God has not written them off, even though a significant sector of those in authority has bought into the insane theory that giving them a "safe place to shoot up" is the best solution. "Go ahead and kill yourselves! We don't care! (Just don't die at InSite!)"

So we begin by forgiving. The Lord has been showing me whom to forgive: the thief, of course; the people who got him on drugs to begin with; those who buy into the insane philosophy behind InSite; and our society, which has, little by little, grown to condone drug use as it's turned away from those silly absolutes called Right And Wrong.

(One could take a timeline and plot the general out-of-control spiral of our society and pinpoint that the spot where it was kick-started was the spot where the Lord's Prayer was banned from public schools. Of course, that's pure coincidence, right?) Now, it's time to remember how God has brought us through it so far. It's like the Israelites in the wilderness, being reminded (Deuteronomy) how God got them out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, provided manna and quails and water from a rock.

So here goes:

• God placed the project on Barry's and my hearts separately and independently
• the project is connected to not one, but two prophecies: Gerry's over Barry, that Gospel Mission/Carrall St Church would expand and reach out to more people; Lee Grady's over me, that God would provide more effective tools to reach the people on the DTES
• Greg the landlord gave us every break imaginable so we could put the project together
• crucial funding that we needed -- and which confirmed the hand of the Lord is on this project for blessing -- came in exactly when we needed it
• the showers have been donated (by Andrew Sheret)
• The Oasis (Gerry's church) sent the work crew to do the job -- brilliant work by carpenters
• two plumbers have stepped up to the plate, both enthusiastic and with "can do" attitudes that pulled us through the early part, when we needed to hear the project could be done
• people with diverse gifts have emerged to contribute in whatever ways they can: Murray and Tim with their building and planning skills; Kathleen with the towels; Diane with a contribution through her company, IKEA; Gord supplying the soap
• God even protected Barry and Brodie when the mob hit happened across the street
• the media have grasped the vision
• the police are onside
• there's a positive buzz on the street among the people

And we give Him the glory for bringing us this far, and for taking us all the way -- wherever that road leads. We just have to keep our eyes on that pillar of fire, leading us through this wilderness.

We need to remember the miracles -- the ways in which God is touching the people at the Mission: people who are hearing from Him, praying for others, giving words of wisdom and/or knowledge ... even just moving closer to the front ... one man came up after the Sunday service, and showed me his Bible, that he's had people at the churches he goes to sign for him ... so proud of it! I'd seen him before, but he'd never come up to talk before ...

That's what's important at times like this: to re-focus on God, how great He is, how much He wants us to succeed ... and blow off the enemy's feeble attempts to beat us.

We must be on the right track, or Satan wouldn't be throwing so many rocks under the wheels. If you're not taking flak, you're not over the target.

Pastor Barry said it best: "they may think they're killing our faith, but they never will".

Amen.

Back to work.

The Showers Saga - 12: more media coverage (original date: Feb. 22/08)

This entry is hereby turned over to my old mate, Al Siebring, who writes a column for NoApologies.ca, reads the newscasts on the NoApologies radio show, and penned (or processed, since I don't think anyone can read his handwriting) this one for the Cowichan Valley Citizen.

I have a .pdf of the article, but by the time it gets posted here, it would be illegible, so here's the text:

A Duncan church group is making a difference in one of Canada’s poorest neighbourhoods. The Oasis Church – the folks who meet out at the Cowichan River Bible Camp every Sunday – have been helping a mission in Vancouver “clean up” the neighbourhood. Quite literally. The story is an example of how networking works. Or maybe it’s about how God uses what some people would call “serendipity.” One of the key figures in this story is an old friend of mine, Drew Snider. Drew and I go back almost 25 years; we worked together at the old CKDA Radio in Victoria back in the 80’s, and then went to work for competing radio stations in Regina, Saskatchewan for a time. Our careers and personal lives have kept crossing paths.

When I moved back to the Valley almost 10 years ago, we reconnected. I found a changed man; someone who had “found God”, was very passionate about his faith, and was attending Pastor Gerry Wall’s Oasis Church. Today, Drew lives on the mainland. His day-job is as a spokesman for TransLink, but his passion is his work as an “evangelist”; he works with the street people on the downtown east side. Specifically, he’s with an organization called the Carrall Street Church – it’s also called the Gospel Mission (as opposed to the better-known “Union Mission”.) The church has been around since the 1920’s, and has operated out of the second floor of a two-storey walk-up on Carrall Street – next to Pigeon Park – since the end of WWII.

In the almost four years since Drew started volunteering there, he noticed that the street people who would show up for dinner were filthy. Not only that, but they were keenly aware of their filthiness. Often, he says, they would head to the laundry tubs in the back of the building, wash themselves with hand soap, and try to dry off with paper towels. That set him to thinking about meeting not just the spiritual, but also some more of the physical needs of that clientele. And then – late last year – one of the tenants on the ground floor of the building moved out. In an amazing confluence of events – I’m sure Drew would tell you this was “the hand of the Lord” – the vacancy happened at around the same time that he had planned to go to New York City to see an old friend.

While he was in the Big Apple, he stopped in to visit “the Bowery Mission”, the third-oldest downtown street mission in the USA. What he saw there inspired him – when he got back to Vancouver – to approach the landlord on Carrall Street about renting the soon-to-be-vacant space on the ground floor. He wanted the spot for a project that has since been labelled “the Lord’s Rain”. The Bowery Mission, you see, has a “showers” program for street people. A place where these folks can come in off the street and get cleaned up – if not in the sense of getting away from the drugs, at least “cleaned up” in a physical sense.

But there was the small matter of finding the money to rent the extra space. And finding the plumbing supplies. And tracking down the expertise to plumb a bunch of showers into the ground floor of a 70-year old building. Once again, enter the power of networking. Or was it “the hand of the Lord”?

About 15 years ago, when he was working at CFAX Radio, Drew emceed the 100th anniversary dinner for Andrew Sheret, the Island-based plumbing company. So he called them. CEO Brian Findlay remembered him, and when Drew explained “the Lord’s Rain” to him, he instantly agreed to donate all the plumbing supplies to the project, along with some of the expertise to get the installation done. And in a final bit of serendipity that’s just too coincidental to be “just coincidence”, Pastor Gerry Wall’s Oasis Church had decided at around the same time late last year – before Drew had even gone to New York – to make a major donation to the Carrall Street Church.

The money? Well, let’s just say the “extra rent” for the space to be occupied by the showers is looked after, at least for the short term. And Pastor Wall and a number of volunteers from the Oasis have been over to Vancouver a number of times on recent weekends, helping to get the shower stalls built.

This is truly an amazing project. And the way the various threads have come together brings to mind an old quote from Benjamin Franklin: “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of man.”

The “hand of the Lord”, indeed.