AUGUST 2016 | Vol. 20 No. 4

PO Box 7668 Olympia WA 98507 | Donate at OUGM.org | 360.709.9725 |

Within the population the Olympia Union Gospel Mission (OUGM) serves,

the following are the top three reasons for homelessness...

The number one reason for people to become homeless is rooted in the chron-ic and persistent abuse they received as children. The statistics are alarming. From ages 0-18, 1 in 8 men and 1 in 4 women is sexually abused by a family member. Many suppress their memories and get along in life, but many succumb to the physical and emotional abuse and try to escape their lives by using drugs and alcohol to numb the emotional impact. They themselves then become the abusers; the cycle repeats itself and is growing exponentially with the population.

The second common reason we see people homeless is untreated mental illness. As progressive as Washington State is, it ranks one of the lowest per capita spending in treating mental health issues. The resourc-es are not available even though people have insurance to get treatment. This then leads to self-medication with drugs and alcohol, especially meth for people who are depressed.

Finally, accumulation of traumatic events like PTSD, fears, insecurity, iso-lation, and depression in people lead to homelessness. Women and women with children are a smaller percentage of the homeless population, but it’s the fastest growing percentage because of domestic violence and the breakdown of the family.

What is the Mission doing to help?

The Mission is here to meet basic hu-man needs for food, shelter, clothing, and emotional and spiritual support. As God has allowed, the Mission has also been blessed with health services, including dental and vision for those who fall through the cracks and are not covered by Apple Healthcare.

Through the support of committed donors, the Mission permanently moves people from homelessness and addic-tion to being productive citizens through the residential addiction recovery program. Currently, 20 men and women are in various stages of recovery, with a 77% success rate. As for the future, we would like to make more of an impact with the growing population of individu-als suffering mental health issues.

This article is an abstract from a conversation with the Executive Director Loren “Skip” Steffen.

From ages 0-18, 1 in 8 men

and 1 in 4 women

is sexually abused by a family member.

OUGM has a 77% success rate

helping those that want to

change their life.

NOVEMBER

DECEMBEROlympia Union Gospel Mission Restoring hope...Transforming lives since 1995

GreetingsI hope summer is going well for everyone!

The construction project creating the new Day Center is moving forward, not as fast as I would like, but moving forward. Walls are being readied for paint, the

commercial washer and dryer are soon to be installed, etc. Stay tuned for the open house. The new Dental and Vision clinics are a true blessing for staff and patients alike, so thank you for your support.

On the front page is a high level overview of the causes of homelessness that we see in the population the Mission serves. Impacting their lives is only possible because of your gifts of time, finances and very importantly prayer and well wishes.

Hundreds of people come to the Mission every day. Our goal is to meet them at their point of need and “stabilize” them if we can. For some, over weeks, months and years a relationship builds that gives staff hope that they are ready for change. We then offer them shelter, mentoring and ultimately recovery services when they are ready to change their lives. It’s not a fast process and there is no “magical formula.” Each person is a unique individual and both their needs and how they will allow us into their lives differs greatly from one person to another. Later in the

Newsletter Jerry Gatton, Director of Life Transformation Services, discusses the approach we take to work along-side the Holy Spirit to transform lives. I encourage you to read his column.

An interesting but saddening factoid is that in many cas-es if a man or woman does not exit from the drug culture before their early twenties, ten years or more may pass

before they are once again open to change. The majority of our clients are in their early thirties or older and so much of their lives has been lost to the streets and drugs.

I wish everyone reading this could have been at the June graduation. You would have

learned firsthand the impact you are having in the lives of the men and

women who one day come to the realization that they do desire to change their lives after 10,

20 or more years of addiction. They are living proof of God’s mercy to broken humanity. It is such a joy to see how their lives are transformed and the human potential

locked up inside of them is freed. Their enthusiasm is contagious. Lives changed and your support and prayer is

what this Mission is built on, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“It is such a joy to see how

their lives (Life Transfor-

mation graduates) are

transformed and the

human potential locked up

inside of them is freed.”

A Shout Out to our middle school friends from South Sound and Grandview (Eastern Washing-ton) Church of the Nazarene for helping to prepare and serve dinner. The youth, pastors, and chaperones from both churches teamed up in Olympia to spend time togeth-er ministering to children and taking care of the widows in the South Sound Church of the Nazarene. During the evening they came to help out at the Olympia Union Gospel Mission. Josh Carpenter, Youth Pastor of the local church, is excited about their first time partner-ing with the Mission and was really proud of the middle school kids as they served and interacted with the folks during dinner.

Want to get in on the action? Volunteers are signing up to serve in the kitchen during the holiday weeks in November and Decem-ber. Call 360-709-9725 and ask for Cody.

PO Box 7668 Olympia WA 98507 | Donate at OUGM.org | 360.709.9725 |

In June, 250 of the Mission’s supporters gathered to celebrate the graduation of

four members of its Residental Life Transfor-mation Program. There are now a number of new folks in the program that will, by God’s grace, also follow in their footsteps a year from now. The program is a rigorous one, and isn’t for the half-hearted. Jerry Gatton (Director and Men’s Program Manager) and Jodi Yarbrough (Women’s Program Manag-er) were asked just what a weekly schedule looked like for a client, and this is what they shared:Women & Women with children:• Classes include: Co-Dependent Parent-ing, Conflict Resolution, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE overcomers), Nutrition, Emotional Purity • Bible Study one time a week • One on one counseling each week• Volunteer activities usually at the Mission• Recovery meetings two times a week• Church one time a week• Shopping and chores

Men:• Classes include: Counseling, Addiction Recovery, Life Skills• Bible studies four days a week in the Mis-sion’s Day Room• Devotionals five days a week at home• Work – 30 hours a week in the Mission’s kitchen• One on one counseling each week• Recovery meetings two times a week• Church two times a week• Group activity – movie night (sober fun)

The program focuses on the Genesis Process, a 230 page workbook that takes clients over six months to complete. The 10 chapters address specific areas that have been broken since childhood: false beliefs, identity, life skills, etc. The final result is a personalized relapse prevention plan.

“Our goal is more than sobriety. If all we wanted to do is get people clean and sober - send them to a secular program, but we want so much more. We want to see the men and women in the program trans-formed with the light of Jesus Christ shining from them.” ~ Jerry Gatton, Program Dir.

Wandering through the Day Room at the Mission, you will notice people

reading, napping , in quiet conversation, munching on a donut, or any number of things. This day in particular, though, there was a man sitting in the corner with a sketch pad doing some drawings.

His pictures, all done in pencil, were detailed and mostly of animal figures. William, called “William the Artist” by those at the Mission, had been drawing since a young age. Be-sides wildlife drawings, he had done a num-ber of sketches of those he had befriended at the Mission.

A transplant from Missoula, Montana, William felt that God was calling him to be closer to his daughter. Through prayer and the urging of his pastor, he finally made the move to Olympia; giving up a job and friends, for a new chapter in his life.

It was a difficult move, but his first confir-mation that it was the right thing to do, was a blanket! After traveling by bus he met a woman not far from the station that asked if he had a blanket. He didn’t and continued to walk a bit further only to stop and return to the woman, handing her his sleeping bag. Now, hungry, short of cash and without a sleeping bag, he found his way to the Mis-sion. He was treated to a scrumptious meal, and before leaving was given a brand new donated Swiss sleeping bag.

There was also another reason for William’s urgency to be near his daughter, he had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lym-phoma and knew his time was short. Facing reality was difficult, but he believed God had given him more fight as he was facing his third round of chemo.

William shared about his relationship with Jesus and how he had read the Bible at least three times straight through from beginning to end. As he says, “You wouldn’t watch a movie just half way through.” William talked about the verse that God would not give him more than he could handle, but he was quick to add, “The unwritten part of that verse is that sometimes God will put you right up to the edge, and I’ve been there.”

Deeply indebted for the help the Mission has given him, William now has a place to call home and has gotten work. “This is a com-munity that provides services that help folks like me get back on their feet - thank you.”

The Artist

It's Not For The Half-Hearted

PO Box 7668 Olympia WA 98507 | Donate at OUGM.org | 360.709.9725 |

Dinner Is Served!Devotional and prayer at each meal

There is not a meal that goes by at the Mission where God’s Word

isn’t shared. Guests are seated in the dining hall and 10 minutes before the meal is served, a staff member or a volunteer shares from the Scriptures the hope we have in Jesus. A final prayer of thanks is offered to God, as well as a blessing to Mission donors for helping to provide the meal.

Volunteers come early to prepare the food and help to serve the guests. There are only enough seats for 60 people, so they promptly finish so the next person in line can be served. Soon we will have our new dining hall, which will double our current capacity.

Visit our website at ougm.org and watch the 60 second video of a din-ner being served.

If you are interested in volunteer-ing, please contact Mindy Owens at 360.709.9725 to inquire about opportunities.

Michael was aware of the Olympia Union Gospel

Mission because his younger brother had received help there. Now with mounting health issues, Michael too, needed their services and decided to visit one day. “It was amazing,” he said, “some of the staff just took me in and even invited me to church, which was where I asked Christ into my life.” He used a num-ber of the Mission’s resources including doing his laundry, taking showers, and even getting clothing and blankets. He realized he didn’t have to go without; the Mission was there to help.

Michael embraced the Mis-sion and told of meeting a lot of different people in the Day Room. “There are folks from all walks of life,” he said, “and they taught me that we need each other.” Michael found friendship at a time he most needed it. He didn’t have to be alone as he was going through this difficult time in life - it was like he was given a family to comfort him.

What was most important to Michael now that he had become a Christian was the meal time. It was not only the good food, but he really looked forward to the spiritual food served beforehand. He remarked about the pastors and staff that would share how God was working in their lives, which Michael said was “mind-blowing.” His appetite for increasing his faith grew and he learned to ac-cept God’s grace in his life. “I know I’m not perfect, but someday I get to go to His Mansion when all this is over.”

Michael’s life looks radically different than what it did a few years ago. The Mission was there for him. “I want to thank the donors for their support of the Mission services and those who give of their time, their love, and share their expe-riences so we know we are not going through this alone. Without them, most of us would not be here and I praise God for them.”

Finding Friendships

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