StreetHope

Here’s a short story from one of our friends that didn’t make it into our Christmas newsletter.

Modeling donated toques and mitts

Christmas Past at StreetHope

As the frigid bitter winds blew just before Christmas and all the big expectations and hopes seem to be crushed by the stinging pain of rejection culminating with the pangs of Winter, I was walking by a quaint old house on Mason Street (Henrietta Fleming’s old house) all lit up in Christmas Splendour. I was just thinking how cozy and warm it looked when a familiar gentleman I had noticed before invited me to come inside where it was warm. This man exuded an officious friendly manner and I immediately felt welcome.

Rick was his name and he informed me that there was a young woman going through a rough time inside the house and to be patient. Also in the house was Barbara, Rick’s partner in God’s work. She had immediately attended me with a delicious cup of soup and neat little treats.

The Spirit of Jesus and Christmas was alive and well at StreetHope that certain Christmas five years ago and stil is, even though we congregate in a souped up (no pun intended) 1980′s R.V. The company of Rick, Barbara, and the young lady was welcoming and nurturing, leaving me with a warm inviting spirit that I felt was “Totally priceless” and myself feeling not really worthy of God’s infinite Love. The precious gift of Jesus is really just like that invitation from StreetHope and is offered to everyone who accepts him.

by Mark Idczak, a man who loves the old gospel songs and also the music of Caruso, Connie Francis, Elvis and Jeannette Macdonald and loves Jesus Big Time!!

The Victoria 300 is your chance to help bring the Gospel to the street.

For a donation of $10 per month or more you can become a member of the 300 who keep StreetHope seeking the lost and downtrodden.

We’ve been passionately sharing the Bread of Life with the hurt, the hungry and the homeless since 1986, but we urgently need new partners who burn with the same desire to see the lost restored. “Many are called but few are chosen.”

Will you join our “300” who remember and seek the few lost sheep?

Click here to sign up online! You will be taken to Threshold Ministries’ page so please be sure to designate your contribution for StreetHope – Victoria after clicking the “Donate Now” button.

To contribute by cheque or money order please see our Donation information by clicking here.

Still not sure? Please look around our website to see what we’ve been up to lately and see what keeps us going.

If you have suggestions, questions or want more information please contact Rick Sandberg at 250-885-3178 or rick@streethope.org.

Dear Friend of Street Hope,

Whenever I have an opportunity to visit friends and family in my hometown of Victoria, it usually includes valued time with Rick Sandberg and ‘Street Hope’.

It may seem hard to believe, but Rick’s work has now been operating for a quarter of a century! The work has been nothing short of amazing. Lives have been rescued, literally, through this patient work of compassion. Rick has shown me letters of families being reunited. People have found freedom from destructive lifestyles, including release from the dangerous life of prostitution and drug addiction. Many have encountered Christ. With you, we give all praise to God.

The last few months have been financially challenging for Street Hope. As of the end of January, Street Hope was shy $7,418.88. As of the end of February, that amount increased to $12,162.43. In the meantime, Threshold Ministries provided an initial grant of $5,000.00. Otherwise, the deficit would be at -$17,162.43.
As it stands, with 7 months ahead in this fiscal year (including March), the finances will need a considerable boost if this work is to continue.
Please take a moment to consider what you might be able to do to help keep Rick on the streets. You may have friends who would be delighted to contribute to this significant Christian outreach on the streets. Perhaps your church would be keen on partnering with Street Hope as a mission project. If you belong to a club or group that has a heart for the community, Rick may be just the one to make a ‘good news ‘ presentation concerning positive change.
Please, help us keep Rick on the streets in Victoria, where the needs are the greatest.
Yours, sincerely in Christ,
Bruce Smith
(National Director, Threshold Ministries)

I was a stranger and you invited Me in.

By David Kilshaw

Streethope invites the stranger in.  Without exception Streethope welcomes the homeless, the prostitute, the drug addict, the drug dealer, the criminal, the lonely, the hungry, the unemployed, the working poor, the mentally ill, the young and the old…  Streethope welcomes them all.  Hungry, wet, cold and lonely they come to the motor home.  We work to be attentive when a person is so high on drugs that they make no sense.  We listen to their stories and try to feel their pain.

• “My psychiatrist doesn’t believe me when I tell him I was abducted by aliens.  He calls my experience a drug induced psychosis.”
• “I know I’m going to jail.  What I did was wrong.  But they keep postponing my court date.”
• “My family gave up on me.”
• “I was just let out of jail and I have no identification, no money, and nowhere to live.  Without ID, I can’t apply for a job.  I can’t apply for welfare.  I don’t exist.”
• “A drug dealer lives across the hall.  Addicts shoot up right in the hallway.  I wish I could afford to live someplace else.”
• “I’m going to sleep tonight in the Sobering Centre.  I need to lie about drinking today to get in.”

We listen. We can’t take their pain away, but for a moment they are not alone.

• “How does that make you feel?”
• “It sounds like you want to make things right.”
• “That must make you feel very insignificant and alone.”
• “Let me go with you tomorrow to the government offices and help you get started.”
• “Do you think being near those people is dangerous?”
• “You don’t like having to tell lies.”
• “Jesus hears you.  He knows your pain.  He is with you always.  He cares about you.  Jesus forgives you for what you’ve done.”

Last week two women happened across our Tuesday supper and Bible study at the Mustard Seed. They were cold, hungry and grateful for the soup and sandwiches we share with guests. As they became comfortable, they spoke of their problems and how they lacked of much hope for positive change.

As one anguished about how her home was quickly destroyed by her fall into crack addiction, our hearts cried for them. They reminded me of two much younger girls who years ago were in similar condition, one destroyed by the guilt and shame she bore from losing her children because of cocaine addiction. She only found relief in getting high, which increased her shame when she was straight. I couldn’t let these ladies leave without pointing them to the One who cleanses us from all sin and shame.

Both nodded their heads in agreement when I mentioned the vicious cycle of shame and addiction. And they agreed even more heartily when we read the Apostle Paul’s description of himself struggling with sin in the flesh. “…I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.” Rom. 7:15

They listened to God’s remedy in Jesus Christ. They accepted New Testaments Peter brought out for them, and took note of the recovery program at the Seed. There were tears as they prayed with us. “I do trust Jesus,” one woman stated.

We pray for encounters like this, when we can meaningfully share the hope we have in Jesus with people who desire to be restored but don’t know The Way. God has frequently answered our prayer, giving us such opportunities. And then, as happened last week, we point them to a church, and we invited them to visit us again. Some do keep touch, some we never see again, but we continue to pray that the Word of salvation sown in love will produce its fruit in their lives.

Please join with us in praying for all of our friends.

It’s been a year since we started using the StreetHope RV to reach out to people in the North Park area and we are grateful that our hopes and prayers have been answered.

Moving from a building to a vehicle was a bit daunting as we looked at our 1980 Corsair, wondering how comfortable visitors would be in such a small space. We made some alterations to create a conversation pit in the front half of the RV and the results have been spectacular!

We get 20 to 40 or more visitors an evening, all grateful for hot soup, sandwiches and a drink. Many of them sit to eat or just to visit and we have wonderful times connecting at heart level, often conversing about spiritual matters and praying with our friends.

Each night we thank God for another evening filled with significant encounters. Any doubts about the usefulness of the RV have been replaced with countless experiences of people opening themselves to us and to Christ. Our only concern now is to find the means to continue and to increase our gospel ministry.