Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission

u e A Ministry of
may
2009

s c Rescue & Discipleship

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a publication of the

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Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission • Anchorage, Alaska

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Thank God For Godly Mothers

May YOU have a Blessed Day!
MAY is Mother’s day. Everyday should be Mother’s Day.
Godly mothers make Godly wives who provide Godly
Larry Aldrich
Operations Manager

David Williams
Program Director
10 homes that produce Godly children. Someone has said,
“That it is the mothers hand that rocks the cradle of the
babes that will one day run the country.” If this is true,
perhaps one day, we will have a Godly country.
Randy Hess
Maintenance Supervisor We honor you this day for who you are and we express our appreciation to you for what
you mean to all of us. You deserve a day of your own and more for all of the work, worry,
Larry O’Connor responsibility and love that you give in raising and nurturing your children in the Lord. It is
Greg Mann Christian mothers that take the initiative and aggressive roll in teaching the children about
Roger Klein our Savior Jesus and God by taking them to Sunday School and Church, helping them with
Guest Supervisors their lessons and telling them the wonderful stories from the Bible. All of these things help
lead them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Savior. And, as you may already
David McKnight
Van Driver know, many mothers have the privilege of personally leading their children to know Jesus
as their Savior. Aside from the spiritual, who is it that the kids go to when they have a
Solomona Talivaa skinned knee, burn a finger, have a fight or a number of other things including getting into
Maintenance
trouble. It is you MOM that they come too for comforting, assurance, sympathizing and
Darlene Whaley making all things better by a simple kiss; this is what they are looking for when they come
Kitchen Manager to you.
I believe that it is you, Mom that creates the environment of love and caring in the home
that puts a longing in our heart to return home in hope of finding some of the feelings that
we remember from our childhood. For me personally, I like to remember how it was at
home and I like to be at home where love abounds and each one cares for the other with a
Godly concern.
Proverbs 31 describes a Godly and capable wife and mother. It also tells how she defends,
protects and provides for her family and home. The response from her family is in verse
28, “Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.”

Godly Mothers—What A Blessing!

We owe you a lot, Keep up the good work.

es
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s continued drinking all the time and making a fool of
te
love
Love! What is love! I would have to say it is a little
word with a gigantic meaning, wouldn’t you?
Hi. My name is Brice Byrd and I am a free participant
of the “NewLife” Discipleship Training Program and I
must start off by thanking all of you who are lead by the
spirit to donate to the wonderful cause that is going on
inside of this Mission. God’s movement in these walls
is so miraculous that I tend to lose my breath at just the
thought of what I have seen in the last ten months. I
am extremely grateful and my gratitude goes out, first
to God and then to all who participate in the miracles.
Bless you all.
When I was asked to write a testimony, I wasn’t quite
sure what I should say, so I will just brief you on who I
am and where I come from.
I am twenty-six years old and I will have to say, I never
thought I would be who I am today in just a short ten
month period. I was born in Tracy, California. I also
lived in Lathrop, Stockton, Hayward, and San Jose.
I have four brothers and three sisters but I was only
raised with three of my brothers and two of my sisters.
Let’s go back in time a little bit to 1988 and its St.
Patrick’s Day weekend (I know this because my parents
got married on St. Patrick’s day) and my parents went
on a short vacation for the weekend to celebrate their
anniversary. All I remember is that I’ve seen my Dad
drunk quite often and it looked exciting, you know,
being the boy that was bored all the time. So with
the help of two of my brothers, I got my
parents wine from the cabinet and went
2
to town. I was almost six years old. All I remember is
that I was chasing around this girl that I had a crush on
in my kindergarten class. That is my earliest memory
of my life.
From that time on, I started to develop terrible behaviors
with emphasis on lying and stealing. My Father
himself. My mother on the other hand was trying to
get us all back into religion, and we would go, off and
on, to what they call the Kingdom Hall, (my parents are
Jehovah’s Witnesses). For the longest time, my two
main vices was stealing money from my mom’s wallet
and girls.
We moved to Lathrop when I was thirteen and that
is when my life just collapsed. Drugs and Alcohol
became a part of my everyday living and as I got older
I found new ways to steal money from my parents, for
example, I knew my parents pin number for their ATM.
I stole the card out of my mom’s wallet and I would
sneak out almost every night, get money out of the
ATM and go get high. I got kicked out of school for
selling drugs and I went to juvenile hall for burglarizing
my neighbors’ house and that is when my life of crime
began.
My dad started cleaning up his act, quit drinking and
then starting going back to the Kingdom Hall. Before
I went to Juvenile Detention, I also began attending
Kingdom Hall. I even thought I had given my life to
Christ, but as soon as I got baptized, I started being a
soldier for the devil. I was getting girls from church
and turning them into people that were like me. I would
always curse God and tell Him that I am God. I didn’t
care about anybody or anything, not even myself. I
hated who I was and the family I was born into. All I
wanted to do was sit around and do nothing but get high
continued on page 4
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 Living Memorials Nostalgia Time
….touch lives as they honor the memory I had a lot of response to last month’s hymn of
of loved ones and friends. remembrance, “Until Then”. Thank you for the
In Memory of response. Now, see if you remember this one.
Elise Carmichael
by Residential Mortgage, LLC IT’S REAL
O how well do I remember How I doubted day by day,
In Memory of
for I did not know for certain that my sins were washed
Charles Hobbs
away; when the Spirit tried to tell me, I would not the truth
by Wayne and Sandra Johnson
receive, I endeavored to be happy, and to make myself
In Memory of believe.
Mike Howerton
When the truth came close and searching, all my
by Carol Howerton joy would disappear, for I did not have the witness of the
In Memory of Spirit bright and clear; if at times
Terry Klingel the coming judgment would appear before my mind, O, it
made me so uneasy for God’s smile I could not find.
by Delores Hyer
But at last I tired of living such a life of fear and doubt,
In Memory of
For I wanted God to give me something I would know
John D. Schandelmeier
about; So the truth would make me happy, and the light
by Etta M. Schandelmeier
would clearly shine, and the Spirit gave assurance that I’m
In Honor of His and He is mine.
Gerald “Guy” Turner
So I prayed to God in earnest, and not caring what folks
by Connie Walker said; I would hungry for the blessing; my poor soul it must
be fed; When at last by faith I touched Him, and like sparks
* * * * * * from smitten steel, Jus so quick salvation reached me; O
A Child‛s Prayer bless God, I know it’s real.
On Mother‛s Day Chorus: repeat after each verse.

God in heaven, I thank Thee But it’s real, it’s real, O I know it’s real;
This day on bended knee Praise God, the doubts are settled, for I
For the wonderful mother know, I know it’s real.
Thou hast given me!

Her heart is kind and gentle.... Family

Flowing with love and care; A family is a wondrous thing,
Her touch is warm and loving, Bringing joy to hearts;
Her life is a constant prayer. In trials it can comfort bring
As love it does impart.
How she often draws me
Into her arms to read, A family means belonging
God‛s Holy Word, the Bible—
And standing by always,
Words my heart should heed.
We know we never are alone
How often too, I hear her And together we can pray.
Whisper my name in prayer!
Never a childish problem Our earthly family is a gift
But she is always there! To be treasured with your love;
‘Tis a vision of the family
God in heaven, I ask thee, We’ll share in Heaven above.
Now while I bow to pray— Used with permission.
In Thy great loving kindness
Bless my mother today!

3
 continued from page 2
and drunk. I thought I was having fun; yeah right! My
existence was such a waste.
I continued stealing from my parents so that I could get
high until they couldn’t take it anymore. I knew they
were going to kick me out for good so I decided to steal
my Dad’s truck and go to San Francisco, so that is what
I did. When I finally decided to come back I left the
truck at McDonalds and told my Dad where he could
find it.
I had no place to live so I slept in a friends back yard
until we one day came across a witch who liked to do
spells and tarot cards and as usual I thought it would be
a good idea to steal from her. So I had my two friends
distract her one night and I snuck into her room and
stole a whole bunch of money that was in some cups
in her closet (witches keep money in different cups for
some kind of ritual that they do). We left and walked
from Lathrop to Manteca to go get some drugs but for
some weird reason the cops came up to us and decided
to ID me and my friends. Well, it was around midnight,
I am under age, my parents don’t want anything else to
do with me, and I have no where to go, so they took me
back to Juvenile Hall and I had to stay there until I was
eighteen years old.
I don’t want to spend too much time on this so I will
speed through the next years rather quickly.
I got out, moved to Hayward with my sister, went to Job
Corps in San Jose, got kicked out of Job Corps, but after
I got my G.E.D., thank God, and I went back to Lathrop
where my parents still didn’t want anything to do with
me. I decided to rob a couple of houses and got caught
for them both. I ended up getting a year and a strike for
each one. When I got out, drugs and alcohol continued
and elevated terribly. I am six foot tall and I weighed
only about 135-140 pounds. I looked disgusting and all
you saw where bones with a little skin on them.
At this time, my mom and I were good and she tried to
help me out as much as possible, but my dad and I never
talked. I thought the girl I was with got pregnant so we
started to think about giving up the whole lifestyle we
were living. Her Mom stayed in Anchorage,
Alaska and when I told my mom what I
wanted to do, she thought it was a good
4
idea. My mom, she is so loving. Since I was broke
with no way to get up here, my mom paid for our plane
tickets up here and as you all know that was quite
expensive.
As it turned out my girlfriend wasn’t pregnant and
our relationship didn’t work out and guess what, my
drinking and drug usage continued right were it left
off. Actually, I never really stopped because during
the whole time I would get so drunk and act just like
my dad did. When she and I broke up, I got back into
heavy drugs like I never have before. I was getting into
trouble over and over again until finally I did another
burglary and once again got caught. I was supposed to
get three to five years and I was so upset with myself.
I kept telling myself over and over, “How could I be so
stupid to continue this behavior?”
During all of this, every time I would get in trouble
I would pick up the bible and tell myself I am going
to live a godly life from here on out. It would never
happen though. So I was in jail for about three months
and I found out about the Salvation Army. I joined and
completed the six month program at SAARP While at
the Salvation Army Program I believe that was the time
I truly gave my life to Christ to rule as my Lord and
Savior, even though, as you will see, I still had to take
one more trip out into the world.
I got a job on the slope, which in my life was the first
time I have ever had a real job, I thought that it was a
blessing from God and it very well may have been but
it was nothing I was prepared to take on. I’ve realized
that some times God gives me exactly what I want to
show me that it’s not really what I need and this was one
of those times. I made about fifteen thousand dollars,
came back and spent it all in about a week.
I needed to get back into God’s perfect will and for me
that meant committing to a long term spiritual program.
I found out about the “NewLife” Discipleship Training
Program at the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission. I
applied and was accepted. For me this turned out to
be the greatest decision of my life. For the last ten
months I have worked exclusively on my relationship
with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As a result my
relationships with my family and friends have taken a
dramatic turn for the better.
I am only twenty six years old and I have been shot
at, stabbed and I have been beaten with an inch of my rejoices with the truth, love that protects, always trusts,
life. I have two strikes in California, I have been in jail always hopes, always perseveres, love that NEVER
about eleven times in Anchorage and I am still alive FAILS! (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
and well to see the goodness of our Gracious Heavenly
Father. To close I wrote this short little poem that explains
it all in a nut shell. Thank you for making this place
I have come to realized that ever since I gave my life possible. I love you all and God bless!!!
to God, time is not of an essence anymore. As long as
I am in the will of God, I don’t need to worry about
the minute that hasn’t came yet because there are some I was made from dirt
things that God wants me to do in the minute that I am And like dirt I acted
currently in. If I focus on what’s to come, I am going Trying to add life
to miss what is going on now. I’ve learned to dissect All I did was subtract it
situations rather than react to situations. Things are But one thing I’ve learned
never as bad as I make them out to be. I’ve learned to We all need dirt to grow
focus on that positive then the Fruit of the Spirit is be Just like a plant
prevalent in my life and the joy of the Lord will be my With a steady water flow
strength. My branches develop
My leaves turn green
The irony is not lost on me at how much I hated and There’s no looking back
despised my life before I became a new creation in I’m finally in spring
Christ and how much I now love my surrendered life Next comes the fruit
walking hand in hand with my precious Lord. To bless whomever
To serve you Lord
What it love? Love is the fact that I have been stealing Is my constant endeavor
from people my whole life and now God has put me in
a position where I’m blessed to give and give to those
in need.

What is Love? Love is God sending down His only

begotten son to take the most excruciating beating ever
in history so that all I have done is like it never happen
and has been erased completely.

What is Love? Love is God keeping me in the palm of

His hands so that even when my flesh is defiantly going Before
to go against the Spirit, the Spirit rises up and my flesh
dies again.

What is Love? Love is being accepted by all my family

at Rahab house, Faith Christian Community, Fountain
of Christian Love, and the Anchorage Gospel Rescue
Mission. I do not possess the verbal skills necessary to
express how much I love them and how much love I
feel from them.

Thank you Jesus for showing me and giving me

love that is patient, kind, love that doesn’t boast or After
be envious, love that is not self-seeking or rude, not
easily angered, love that doesn’t delight in evilness but

5
Re-Investing Heavenly Treasures
an Act of Love!
1
”Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to
be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your
Father in heaven.
2
”So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with
trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets,
to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their
reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left
hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may
be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret,
will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)
19
”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not
destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
(NIV)
This is one of those concepts that have taken me
longer to grasp the importance of than most. Like some, I’ve
not always given with a glad heart and I’m not as diligent
as I should be. However I’ve learned not to discuss tithing
unless it is with a trusted spiritual mentor and only if it is in
the context of stewardship. I rely heavily on the treasures
I’m able to accumulate in heaven because frankly there are
none and most likely will be none here on earth especially
any that truly matter. Like most things in my life I seem to
have the ability to take it too far. I say this because the life
skill of tithing without boasting is no longer about obedience
but more about selfish intent. I’m not boasting because I’ve
been told not to by God; I’m not boasting because these are
my treasures and I don’t want to lose them. The tragedy is I
was not even aware of this shift in motive until God blessed
me with a wonderful example of what the spirit of His word
was all about.
Like most people who become associated with the
Mission, particularly the men in the “NewLife” Discipleship
Training Program, Mr. and Mrs. Maiden’s relationship began
simply. Mr. Maiden agreed to be a Mentor to one of our
Disciples. Through that relationship the Maidens recognized
this particular Disciple had serious dental issues that needed
to be resolved. All believers know there are no coincidences
only GODcidences and in this case Mrs. Maiden worked for
the Anchorage Chapter of the American Dental Association.
She began to contact Dentist in Anchorage explaining the
need and asking for help. The response has been impressive!
Mrs. Maiden has been able to assemble a group of Dentist
who are willing to donate their time to this worthy cause.
They didn’t stop there. The Maidens recognized the dental
needs were prevalent throughout the Mission community
and they have not turned their backs on this need.
6 Program Director
Although the Dentists have donated their time there
is an enormous amount of material cost involved in each
procedure. The Maidens have been shouldering this financial
burden without complaint and at great personal sacrifice.
We at the Mission would like to help these fine people by
sharing in some of the financial burden. This is easier said
than done. We are stewards of your money therefore we
cannot just spend the money on dentistry services. A special
dental fund will be set up for this purpose. We ask you, your
family, and friends to pray concerning this need. If the Lord
puts it on your heart to donate money to the Dental fund or
to organize your bible study, quilt club, book club, women’s
group, or Men’s group to raise money for this cause it will
be put to good use. We all know having a sick mouth makes
your whole body sick.
When I called Mrs. Maiden to ask permission to
write this article I felt it was important to include their names.
At the same time I did not want to rob them of their joy
at giving anonymously. I do take the scripture in Matthew
6 seriously as do they. The response was to sacrifice their
heavenly treasures if the result would be more people in
crises would get the help they so desperately needed. In
turn they have also helped my understanding of the spirit of
God’s word in Matthew 6. The Maiden’s know it’s not about
them or any reward they might receive it’s about helping
someone in need.
Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by
what we get; we make a life by what we give.” When I read
this I see the Maiden’s faces. Like most things associated
with the Mission the need always outweighs the resources.
That unfortunately is the nature of the beast.
Know this; no matter what the response to this
appeal is the Maidens will continue to do what they can for
us here at the Mission. That is who they are! As they reinvest
in those less fortunate than themselves God continues to
shower them with his blessings. The “NewLife” men who
they have helped, this includes me, would do anything for
these wonderful people. I have an extra kidney they can have
right now, today, if they need it. I assure you I’m not alone
in this sentiment! Yet my kidney or anything else other’s
would be willing to do for them is NOTHING compared to
the reward God has in store. Help them help us and in return
watch what God will do in your life.
Make your donation to the Anchorage Gospel
Rescue Mission’s Dental Fund. Together we can make a
difference in the lives of those who need it the most.
The Mission would like to express our heartfelt
appreciation to the dedicated professionals in the Dental field
for their giving spirits as well as their continued kindness.
The Anchorage Chapter of the American Dental Association
will forever hold a special place in the hearts of all the men
and women who work tirelessly in the field of homelessness.
God Bless You All!
David M. Williams
 is To Mothers Everywhere
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This newsletter is dedicated to Mothers everywhere. I think Mothers should be held in highest
esteem everyday, but especially on this day that is set aside to honor them. I believe that it is
important to recognize and give our respect to our Mothers, just for who they are, and to show them
we love them and appreciate all of the things they have done for us. In fact, I wonder how many of
us would be where we are today without the guidance, prayers and tender loving care of a concerned
Mother.
We are not given much information about the relationship between Jesus and His mother. If we
use our imagination we can see her after she received the message that she would be the mother of
our Lord. I am sure her concern was greatly increased as the time of His birth was drawing near.
Idle talk and gossip was silenced because Joseph was at here side when the child was born. Can
you mothers, even in your wildest dreams, think about what it would be like to have a junior boy
that never gets into any mischief or never does anything wrong? But growing up and maturing into
manhood, I am sure she prayed for Him, cared for Him and was concerned for His future. In Luke
2:19 we read, “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart”. And, Jesus was also
concerned for His Mother—as He was dying on the cross He gave instructions to John, to take care
of His mother.
Regardless of what others do, if your relationship is not what it should be with your Mother, will you
consider this day, to do whatever it takes to make that relationship right? Mothers, be receptive with
open arms and heart to receive the message of love sent to you this day.

Bro. Don
Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission P.O. Box 230510 Anchorage, Alaska 99523-0510
Here is my support gift: For Credit Card Donations:
Food and Shelter: $_____ I would like to charge my total donation of $__________________
Check One: Visa  M/C  Am/Ex  Discover 
Facilities Maintenance: $_____
$46.25 For 25 Meals ______
$74.00 For 40 Meals ______ Card Number __________________________________________
$132.20 For 72 Meals ______
Exp. Date: ______/______ Signature _______________________
$277.50 For 150 Meals ______
______Other: All credit card information is kept in strict confidence
______ I Will Pray for this Ministry. Make checks payable to the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission
You will receive a receipt.

Name:________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________
Please send this coupon with your donations. 7
 Our Ministry of
Chapel Services for May
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
u e
es c 1
First
2
Calvary
r is to
Presbyterian
Church
Baptist
Church
the least 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
God’s Abbott Loop Anchorage Anchorage Anchorage Calvary Wasilla
the last Place Community Pilgrim Gospel Vineyard Church Assembly
the lost Church Nazarene Singers Fellowship of God
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
God’s Church First Anchorage Christ Sherbahn Lighthouse
Place of God of Assembly of Church Community Evangelistic Christian
Prophecy God of Christ Church Team Fellowship
“urgent” 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Our supplies of these Grace Sherbahn Anchorage Christian Sherbahn In His Name Glenn
items is constantly in Victory Evangelistic Native Evangelical Evangelistic Sandy Hermann
Fellowship Team Assembly Church Team McCollum
need of replenishing
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
† Prayer New Light Calvary Attorney Calvary Evangelical Shiloh Shiloh
† Paper Towels Community Baptist Greg Grebe Baptist Covenant Baptist Baptist
† 45 Gallon Trash Bags Church Church Church Church
† Fresh Meat 31
† Coffee God’s
Nightly Services
† Bathroom Tissue
Place 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM L
O
† Laundry Soap
† Disposable Shavers STATEMENT OF FAITH D
† Cleaning Supplies The Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission is a Non-Profit, Non-Denominational Pr
† Liquid Dish Detergent organization. We receive NO municipal, state or federal funds. We are not a United
† Dinner Napkins
Way Agency. Your financial support and In-Kind donations makes it possible for us to R
† Shampoo M
provide for the poor, needy and homeless people in our community. Also, your donations
“urgent”
allow us to provide a Drug and Alcohol Recovery program. All Donations are fully tax
deductible. We will give you a receipt for your donation.
L
Anchorage Gospel G
Rescue Mission R
Board of Trustees G

Ed Shelton Anchorage
age Non-Profit Org.
D
ue
U.S. Postal
(President) Gospel PAID Va
c
Bob Collins
( Vice President/treasure) es
r Mission
Anchorage, AK
Permit # 290 S
Enoch Adams
Mission GOD BLESS AMERICA
M

(Secretary) A Ministry
Ministry of
Mark Soquet Rescue & Recovery D
info@anchoragerescue.org K
Ralph Nobrega www.anchoragerescue.org
ue
Bob Sloan
Emeritus:
Cliff Hodgins
Rev. Willard Leisy
r es
news
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P.O. Box 230510•Anchorage, AK•99523-0510•(907) 563-5603

Advisory Board: return service requested
Paul Kelly

Rev. Don Bettis, Exec. Dir.

Charlotte Bettis, Asst. Dir.
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