I had the opportunity to speak at the San Antonio Rescue Mission last night. My friend Bill who has volunteered at the mission for 17 years and is on the Board of Directors invited me. The mission has been providing shelter, food, and assistance to homeless men in San Antonio since 1975. And while the service went well, the best part was arriving early enough to spend time visiting with the men prior to the service. One man spoke of the decision he was wrestling with in regard to a potential job change – they both paid the same, but which one would last through the winter and into the spring? One had no prayer requests but wanted to be sure that we “gave thanks for a safe place to sleep.”
Another man was excited to see my friend Bill who he had not seen in a while and proudly reported that he had been sober for 3 years 2 months and 7 days. He said he had to take a time-out from where he was staying because it was getting too stressful with the people he was around and he didn’t want to break his streak. He knew the mission was a better option.
I heard similar stories from others as well. One was in from Arizona for a few weeks and knew the rescue mission would be a safe place to be because he was familiar with rescue missions from his past. The Mission does good work; it does godly work. On their website the San Antonio Rescue Mission declares, “The primary purpose of the Mission is to acquaint the homeless and the wanderer with the priceless knowledge of the love and forgiveness of God in and through Jesus Christ. Our secondary purpose is to offer a bath, clean clothes, food and a place of shelter for the night.”
Please keep the Mission and the men they serve in your prayers.