In this episode, we visit with our good friend, Adrian Revels, Production Associate for Goodyear and 2023 graduate of Leadership Greater Topeka. Hear how he first learned more about TRM through La Manda coming to speak to his LGT class, to how he has now become a strong advocate for our unsheltered neighbors.
Also, learn about his story of coming alongside a neighbor who was able to get housing, and how Adrian helped him continue along his path to sustained success!
To learn more about TRM Ministries: Click Here!
To support TRM, Click Here!
In this episode, we visit with our good friend, Adrian Revels, Production Associate for Goodyear and 2023 graduate of Leadership Greater Topeka. Hear how he first learned more about TRM through La Manda coming to speak to his LGT class, to how he has now become a strong advocate for our unsheltered neighbors.
Also, learn about his story of coming alongside a neighbor who was able to get housing, and how Adrian helped him continue along his path to sustained success!
To learn more about TRM Ministries: Click Here!
To support TRM, Click Here!
Heavenly Father, we thank you, lord, for this day and your blessings. God in your provisions, Lord, thank you for this time to record this podcast and for our special guest today. Lord, pray that you'd bless this conversation and, lord, we just invite your Holy Spirit to rest upon this conversation and, lord, our listeners right now. Lord, whoever's listening to it, may those people hear your, feel your peace in your presence today. Lord, in your holy name we pray, amen.
Speaker 2:Hello everybody, you're listening to our community, our mission of podcast of the Topeka rescue mission here on Wednesday, november 8th 2023. Podcast 197 good afternoon. Amanda Brauels and Meryl Crabble hello, hello. Normally we do these in the morning. I know, and so stay away.
Speaker 3:We're gonna do our best.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we're gonna have an update here. We have a special guest here today and I'm gonna have Amanda introduce him, but before that, we will really want to Get into what's really special about today. And Amanda does not have her cheat sheet in front of her. She is the executive director and we know that they know all things At least they used to pretend that they did and so anyway, amanda, this is this is something that maybe, if you looked at Josh right now, it would give you a hint.
Speaker 2:Right now, josh is our control guy down here and it's national. What day drink coffee? It's close. National special kind of coffee day.
Speaker 1:What's funny is I've got tea too.
Speaker 2:Is that a tea or a coffee?
Speaker 1:this is a tea. Oh, that's a tea, okay, all right, all right.
Speaker 2:So for those of you who cannot see what we are doing, which is everybody, it's national cappuccino day.
Speaker 3:Okay, you probably. You were very close and I heard that Barry has promised that since it's that day, he's gonna bring us some later.
Speaker 4:Oh.
Speaker 3:I'm so glad we agreed to that.
Speaker 2:I will do that Next Saturday afternoon. I'll be here and bring it to you, and I know you guys probably won't be. So it's one more very special day and this is one of those days that I don't know why they created it. It's very unnecessary, but it's. It's national eat something day, donuts no, national eat something day. It's one of those things that it's no fun.
Speaker 4:Is it something you like or you don't like?
Speaker 2:no, never like it. It's one of those, yeah, one of those things that obviously I don't do very well.
Speaker 4:It's something a salad, you don't.
Speaker 3:Well, that's along the right track. Yeah, well, that hurt.
Speaker 4:I kind of know your diet a little bit.
Speaker 2:Barry.
Speaker 3:Only if there's nothing else in the room or the county Only that when it's on top of the hamburger, in between two buns.
Speaker 2:It's something you don't do On Christmas Day, you don't do on Thanksgiving, you don't do on your birthday. It is national.
Speaker 3:Eat Healthy healthy Came from the nurse.
Speaker 4:Hey, that was a close enough thing, because I said salad work out that one too.
Speaker 3:You weren't, you weren't too far off, but the first one was a total cheat.
Speaker 2:I know, I got some salads that aren't very healthy. I'll tell you, they sure are pretty good though.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they are.
Speaker 2:So, anyway, I'm aren't you all glad you tuned into our community, our mission, for those two very important pieces of our day. Maryam, we have one update before we get to our guests, and it's about Christmas, which we are here November the 8th, which is we're rolling fast now towards Christmas. We have something in between. They're called Thanksgiving, so we do. We do.
Speaker 3:But it's good to know about Christmas and helping, whether it would be Christmas bureau, united Way or the Topeka rescue mission because the day after Thanksgiving Is that day when you can shop and hopefully get really good deals, our new gifts that would be for the folks that we're adopting from the Christmas bureau, or if people are adopting families from the Christmas bureau. I believe intake ended last Saturday and from what I heard, they were way ahead in terms of the numbers that had registered compared to last year. So I and I haven't heard a final number, but it's just that time of year when we get to really focus on helping other people, whether it's helping with food or helping with gifts for children and the whole family. It's just an opportunity to really get involved. So to donate to TRM would be wonderful if people want to volunteer. There's lots of volunteer opportunities as well. Sometimes it's even to go and deliver gifts to people that we've adopted, so people get to play Santa Claus in all different kinds of ways pretty fun.
Speaker 3:It absolutely is. It's it's a really special, special time Around the mission, and so we just hope that people want to get involved and help us out.
Speaker 2:You know I had a conversation with somebody earlier today about Kind of the science of being generous.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:And there is something that really happens chemically to us. When we are generous with folks, if we kind of hold on to everything, there's something that happens chemically that's not very positive to our health, right. But if we are kind and generous and want to help people, whether it's volunteering or giving financially or giving a gift or whatever Uh, it releases a chemical reaction Absolutely and it's almost a little bit kind of gotten getting high. I mean it's really cool and of course, the more you give, the higher you get. I don't know, but it is. It is something you know, in this, in our conversation, went on to Involve.
Speaker 2:You know, today people are feeling kind of powerless about a lot of things About the country, about the economy, about the world, about so many things, and and the lord has really given us some some just great direction about Helping our brothers and sisters and helping those who are in need and taking care of those who are, who are broken, and, and we get an opportunity to do that. So if you're kind of wondering, man, am I making any difference? Yeah, you can make a difference. Uh, it could be right next door where you live.
Speaker 2:Yeah could be helping out to pick a rescue mission.
Speaker 3:And and you know I think I helped with the Christmas Beryl intake again, and I'll tell you what, barry. That is just such an amazing experience and humbling, how the gifts that people are requesting are not Super Fancy anything you know, from underclothes to socks, to just things that people need for daily living. It isn't, you know, it isn't those things that I thought about as a kid. Even you know of wanting underwear and socks. No, I may have gotten those anyway, but, um, it's not what I thought about.
Speaker 3:But people are just so Um humble when they're coming to us and they're just asking for things that they really, really need and um, it's, it's an amazing experience and, uh, brought me to tears more than once again, as I was talking with people and you get to hear their story, you know, and it's, it's not that they've been irresponsible, you know, some of them have just fallen on hard times, or they're elderly, um, or they just you know they, they all seemed so, so I don't know Um, almost like they were embarrassed to be there. You know, and you just want to encourage people that this is okay. You know, this is why people are here and we're just so grateful that, um, they were willing to come and share their story and all those things. It's just, it's just an amazing, amazing experience.
Speaker 2:We've seen that speaker rescue mission, especially in the food lines. Um, there are people that used to help and now they're needing help. Yes and uh. Oftentimes those who have received help turn around and help, and so it's a often. Yeah, oftentimes they really do so.
Speaker 3:Even when they're getting help, they're still giving help. That's right.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's right, you know, no, it doesn't always take till.
Speaker 3:They're back on their feet. A hundred percent, that's correct. They, they want to give back all the time. Um and so. So if you're just learning more, about helping and giving.
Speaker 2:You can go to trm online or g that's trm onlineorg and there you can find out how you can volunteer. You can find there's a Christmas needs list there and you can learn how to give that way, and also you can give financially To help really bless some people in our community which is every day and uh, topeka and through the topeka rescue mission, and Especially at christmas time, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, lamanda, you uh um have a gentleman here I'm gonna have you introduce here Um, who, um, you met through a speaking engagement. Yes and uh, you've gotten to know him, um, in regards to some of the things that he's doing in his life. We just want to bring him on board today. This is my first time I've ever meeting him and uh, just uh really excited. So I'm gonna have you introduce our guest today and we're gonna talk about the power of connection.
Speaker 4:Yes, would love to. Um. Sitting next to me is my good friend, adrian revels, and I met adrian a couple of months ago is about april or may. Um, I, alongside of the mayor and former city manager, steve wade, gave a presentation Of how we were trying to come together as far as the city goes, the rescue mission and just basically this all hands-on deck um approach to homelessness and, uh, I felt like we were very transparent on um, the gains we were trying to make, uh very transparent on challenges that are faced anytime government crosses with um, nonprofits or the faith-based, and just how we were really trying to overcome a lot of challenges, uh, so that we could work together and really make a difference, and a difference that our community needed. And um, that was to um the leadership grader, to peak a class, and um, they were just incredible, incredible listeners.
Speaker 4:The engagement was there, questions were great, communication was great. I loved there were a couple of people in the group that even admitted, you know, they raised their hand and they said I looked at homelessness totally different now after hearing you than what I did before and I just appreciated people's vulnerability. And I had some hard questions asked in that session too and afterwards which I always welcome because that's how we can really begin to have authentic dialogue is when we're really looking at understanding what is our community facing or not facing and what are the real challenges, understanding people's stigmas, understanding underlying fears, just things like that. So I thought it was a great session. But you know, I speak so often that sometimes you don't know. And anyways, adrian, I'll leave it up to him. But he was able to kind of calm in a couple of times, ask questions, but what stuck out to me was later. That was first thing in the morning and later that afternoon I was already hearing from him. And you know there are just amazing generous people in our community that I don't discount at all. I know they pray for us, I know they financially support us, they care for us, but a lot of times I do the speaking events and I feel like it's more planting the seed and you trust the Lord to grow it. There's just not a lot in my role that you get to do that you immediately see, okay, this is gonna happen and this is gonna come from this. And it was different with him because by the end of that day his group decided to do some things which he might share about. And so that afternoon they were here.
Speaker 4:I rearranged, kim helped me rearrange my schedule so that I could go and meet the group, because I was just so blown away that within five hours he had already led this group to make such an impact and I just thought that was incredible, and so that really blessed my heart. And then within 24, 48 hours he had connected me with Lady Frazier, his pastor's wife, so that we could get the ball rolling. Next thing I know I had, oh my goodness, the true, genuine privilege of being able to just go to his church, and I remember the first thing I said when I got up there was I may have to tell Kim that I'm not doing any other speaking events, because this might be the church that I just wanna come back to week after week. There was just this sense of love and respect and dignity, and everybody in that building was just cherished Like.
Speaker 4:You saw the men respecting the women, you saw the women respecting the men.
Speaker 4:You saw the adults taking time to love on everyone's kids. It was like you didn't even know whose family was who, because everybody was just raising them all. And you saw the kids be eager to see the different adults and I, literally in the first five minutes of being there, was emotional because I was like this just feels, I think, a little bit of probably what heaven feels like, and anyways, it was incredible. And then from that they blessed us again on Mother's Day, which he might talk about, and so it has just been what I see as just this snowball effect, and it all started with just his questions and him wondering, and then the time that it took for him to then make a connection with me and people in his church, a connection between me and community members, and so he's just someone who stands out to me. His wife, dana's incredible. She was so welcoming of me when I came to the church, saw me when I walked in, hugged me like I knew her, and just huge supporters of not just TRM but just loving people the right way.
Speaker 2:Wow, Adrian Rebels, welcome to our community, our mission. That's quite an introduction. You know, Amanda, in her role as executive director, speaks to thousands of people and tag you're it.
Speaker 1:You know that.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you were leadership to Pica and you heard Amanda give a presentation and yes, sir. Yes, sir, something happened there.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so thank you for this opportunity to come in and speak on this podcast. I think it's a great platform to be able to get the mission of the Pre-Corensic mission out and for people to better understand the work that you guys do, which is led by God. So I just thanks for the opportunity. Yes, so it was our last class with the leadership, Greta Topeka, and she was speaking, and it just.
Speaker 5:I had never looked at the homeless situation in the way that they were speaking of it and the things that they were trying to do and attempting to do.
Speaker 5:And one of the stories they told was about going to Colorado and how you, the mayor, and then the city manager, were trying to look at different options to bring to this city to try to help. And when I heard the story, I think, about the grandmother who had got dropped off after raising her kids kids I was just like that's horrible right, and to think that that might be going on here was even more impactful. So it just led me to want to learn more about people being homeless in a place that they're in. So, with that, and then it just it led me to want to get involved with the mission, with things going on. The key thing that she said was being an advocate, right, and it's not hard to do that right, and one of my ways for me is when I get on Facebook and the people get to doing the talking and I'm just like they do, don't they All?
Speaker 5:you gotta do is just call the mission and ask them how I can help. So then you can. These ideas that you have in your head can be put to rest if you just take an hour just to go see. Right, that's the way I kind of try to be the voice to our neighbors, which is another term that I kind of picked up which is true right.
Speaker 5:They are our neighbors right. They may not live in a home, but they are our neighbors right. So that really was impactful to me when listening to her speak on the mission.
Speaker 2:Adrien, how did you, as you recall, back now, how did you view the people who are our neighbors, who are labeled homeless, before you were in this presentation? What were your thoughts? And you shared a little bit of how you see them now, but what were they like before?
Speaker 5:Well, you know, I wasn't one of the negative mindset, I just was more of they're there, I don't see them, right. And the more and more God worked on me then my inner man, the more it changed my view. On top of being more involved in the community, right, seeing that there's many different areas that the community needs help, and then just having this session kind of drove home like oh okay, yeah, there's enough time in a day that you can still help this segment of people, right. So that's really where I was at. I really didn't have a negative view, right. I just kind of had my blinders on like yep.
Speaker 2:They're not there, right? Yeah, so it sounds like your church, which is a River of Life Family Worship Center, which you remember of, is a very loving church, sounds like you're really walking the gospel out there. Has there been any because of what you experienced at the leadership grade at Topeka and how it really touched your heart? Has it transformed over into the church? Has it got there? Have you been influenced? There Are people seeing things differently in the church.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I would say so. I tried to take some of the things that I learned in that journey and share it with our congregation and the people within our congregation. I think part of being in the leadership gratitude to Pika and then God touching me led me to make my call to the ministry, which about two months ago I went to my pastor and said I'm ready to be a minister. Is that right? Yes, sir.
Speaker 2:So this was all part and parcel of you feeling called into the ministry. Yeah, yeah, so it's pretty powerful.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so you know. So it just so with that, you know, I try to take what I've learned from you know leadership gratitude to Pika and then share that with my congregation, right? So, like we came and did Mother's Day, I just thought that was a perfect opportunity for us to get outside the four walls and do something for other people, right? I even you know Christmas is coming and I made a mention to, you know, our pastor. I'm like we should adopt a few families. I'm like, you know, I got the email from United Way about there being a shortage and I was like, well, you know, we can adopt at least two families, right? So that's on our list of things to do this year, and just trying to get more outside the four walls, because that's what ministry is about.
Speaker 2:That's pretty powerful. That's very powerful. So you talked about advocating Amanda with the city manager, and the mayor was advocating for the homeless. You then started advocating and you're still doing that today and it became very transformative for you, absolutely, yeah. Yeah, not just how you view people who are experiencing homelessness, but also sounds like even your purpose for life before the Lord.
Speaker 5:Yes, absolutely, and I try to I don't know I try to share that message with other people that I get around who get to talking about the homeless. Like you know, you got to look at it from a different approach, right? They're people, just like we are and they just need somebody to walk beside them, and just like God walks beside us every day, right? So that's what we have to do, you know. So I try to share that with people to try to get their minds to kind of think differently about the homeless.
Speaker 2:Oh man, how's it feel to be a part of somebody's spiritual journey, even.
Speaker 4:Oh my gosh yeah.
Speaker 2:Going up to a leadership group and speaking to them, and God used you to be a part of this man's journey.
Speaker 4:You know, I think that is just so humbling and it just shows how magnificent our Lord is that he just organizes everything in such a way to just do good for those who love him.
Speaker 4:And so when I look at being able to be there and there's even backstory on that, because I wasn't even supposed to be there, I hadn't originally been asked to speak at that one but was invited by someone else and so just seeing how all of that comes together, and then knowing that you know Adrian was there to hear that message and then God was gonna use that, but then also God has used Adrian to really bless me and my heart and there's some of just the challenges that we've had, with so many differences happening. So it just reminds me of just how incredible our God is and that he can use it all, he is using it all and just his deep love for us. That you know I'm out here doing this part of the mission but Adrian's on his own journey, and then outside the mission I'm on my own journey and just to see how God just weaves that in such a loving way. It just shows his magnitude.
Speaker 2:Sounds like you were really loved on when you went to church that morning.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 2:By just seeing how they love each other. Yes, and we all need that more and more and more. And it's just, maryam, it's God's economy, you know, it's just. God has an economy. We have an economy in the United. States and we have our own economies wherever we are. But God's got an economy and it's incredible.
Speaker 3:Yes, and I think I'm so struck by the story that Adrian and Amanda are sharing here, because it's like it's just this you never know part of it, right? You just never know, and if we can just be faithful and listen, even when we kind of maybe don't want to or maybe we weren't even really asked, and how you could have gone into that situation, amanda, with a different kind of attitude, and yet the Lord just allows for the reaping of great harvest, just because we're faithful and we listen, which isn't always necessarily what we want to do.
Speaker 2:Right, we think we're just going through the motions. We're doing the thing that we were always doing, or whatever we have an opportunity to do a thing, but we don't understand what's behind the scenes, what is happening in the spiritual realm that God may be using. When it seems like a normal thing to us, it's a super natural thing to God.
Speaker 3:And how far ahead of us he is. I mean truly how far ahead of us he is.
Speaker 4:Yes, well, and I you know to be vulnerable for a minute. I went to their church and spoke on Mother's Day or right around there, because we left straight from there to go bless people at the Hope Center for Mother's Day. And you know, I think sometimes people forget that I'm human too and that I'm a person. I have a life. I have struggles, I have joys. I have you know that being the executive director is what I do, but it's not all of my identity. And so the day that I was at their church it had just been a rough week, it had been a rough weekend and, quite frankly, that morning had been rough. And so when I walked in there, I'm praying, I got there kind of early, prayed in my car. Then I get some of the pamphlets and stuff out that Kim had ready for me to bring, and I just had this piece and I could just feel it as I was just parked out in front of the building. So then I go and I take a picture of the sign so that we could post to social media and thank them for letting me come out. And then when I go in and I'm greeted by all of these people that just seriously, we're so excited.
Speaker 4:I was there, it was so kind, but then then and this has been the only time this has ever happened but they, if you are a visitor, they sing. I came to talk about it and that day Just so happened to be I was the only visitor and I'm sitting on the front row and so the woman who has a beautiful voice sings like an angel. Look straight at me and she says we're gonna sing to you today. And and the entire church starts singing this we see you song, we welcome you, we're glad you're here. And I did good for maybe the first five seconds. And then the next thing I know it's starting to come down. It's starting to come down and the lady behind me is handing me a thing of tissues but not that I need that often, right, and and God gives us the strength and the endurance to not grow weary.
Speaker 4:But it was like I was so close that day to just being Weary with everything that had happened. And then you have all of these brothers and sisters in Christ who not only are Singing to you, they're all looking at you, people in the back, they're pointing at you, they're giving you thumbs up, they're smiling. I'm like I Think I just need this every like Monday morning or something, I don't know, um, but anyways, I it took me a minute to get myself together, and then that's why I addressed the whole congregation like I did when I got up there, um, and what I wanted to be able to say is you guys, I've had a horrible week. Thank you for loving on me. That's really what I wanted to say, but I didn't. I said it in a different way, but there was just something incredible about that and I will never forget that.
Speaker 2:So Adrienne, you need to let your pastor know that there may be additional seats needed for. River of Family worship center this Sunday? Yeah, that's powerful.
Speaker 5:Yeah, we have a way of loving on people with a small church, but, uh, we make everybody feel like they family, apparently so, apparently.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, adrienne, what to what do you? Uh, I didn't know that you uh were uh here recently Feeling called into the ministry and and, uh, you've gone to your pastor now. This started from a leadership grader to pica, hearing something on the homeless. It's been very transformational in your life and and I didn't know we were going to be talking about this today, but what do you think the lord has in mind for you in this ministry journey? Um, had you been thinking about this ever since you were a little kid, or is this brand new to you? Or?
Speaker 5:this is. This is kind of brand new to me. Um, I just feel like the lord is Looking for Um leaders, mm-hmm, um, different leaders for this time. Um, we have a lot of, I want to say, traditional ways of, of, um, giving god to people. That, I think, requires Different type of leadership to bring more people to christ. And just through I think through again my journey with uh leadership grader to pica, then some of the things that I've done, you know, in the community and then at work, it's kind of positioned me to be, um, a better disciple, a better leader for christ, and that's kind of what I want him to use me for. Right, I'm a willing vessel for him. So I mean, if I can do that, then that's what I want to do.
Speaker 2:Talk a little bit about, as you understand it right now, what these times that we're in. You mentioned that for these times, different kind of leaders. What does that look like or sound like to you?
Speaker 5:for me that looks like somebody that can can speak to this generation and the generation coming um and be able to relate right and then understand that. So what may have been traditional um Then it's not what we need now.
Speaker 2:What do we need now?
Speaker 5:I think we need to have more an open ear, to listen to people and meet people where they're at right and walk alongside them, right, um, because it's it's god's word that does the work, right, right, so there's no need for you to do anything extra, as long as you just feed the word Right. I think we just got into a place where we try to force it on people, and if you just let god's word work, it will work, along with prayer and fasting right, so it it will definitely bring people um.
Speaker 2:You, you, you said a word, two words. Walk alongside, um, not just go to church on sunday morning. Uh, walk alongside. What does that look like to the, to the generation today that Wants to be heard? What does it mean to walk alongside?
Speaker 5:to me, for for me to walk alongside is, um, you know when, when people are having challenges, or or when people are at they worse, being right there for not being judgmental, um, in hearing their needs right. Um, and praying for them, whether it be with them or when you're not with them, um, I, I think that's, that's what's needed, and then showing them the love of christ. Right, you also got a. You have to walk and be an example, right, so that they can see what the example looks like.
Speaker 2:Walk alongside people in their challenges Right take some time sometimes and it does, and it's not always comfortable and it takes Uh sacrifice and that's where that's where I'm hearing maybe the different kind of leader Person who's going to yield their lives.
Speaker 5:Yes, absolutely, you know, and I so. There was a young man and I've been knowing for a while. His, his father was, uh, his father was friends with my pastor and then They've been tied into our church for a very long time and his father passed and then and he ends he ends up being here in tipega after his father passed and his father's from Manhattan, and I took him in and and he came to work for me I own a law and a landscape company and, um, you know he had been in trouble with the law, he had been on drugs, I'm homeless and I took him in and not out of just saying, hey, i'ma make you my project. It just happened the way the lord just kind of set it up right. So I kind of stuck beside him on the journey of trying to get him in a different place right, and From 2018 to probably here in the last year, it's been not only a challenge, you know, in this journey with him, but I've also learned Alongside him of being patient with people and being able to help people when they're in their mess Right, and not turning my back on them.
Speaker 5:So then, you know, a year ago I had ran into somebody that had got some assistance through um, the rescue mission on housing. So then I got all the contact information and I was like, hey, he was homeless at the time, kind of couch surfing, right. I was like, hey, I got this information, make these calls, we'll see if we can get you into a place. Now I'm, you know, I'm keeping him busy, I'm paying him enough to To eat and sustain, right, um, so then he makes the call, he makes the connections to get him into a place off the 13th and western, and so I'm working with him. You know, here we are Six months in and it was the program where they slowly, gradually Stopped paying a portion of the rent, right.
Speaker 5:So in my mind I got this plan. I'm like, even though I don't want to lose him as my employee, there's greater for him, right. So I'm like, okay, we got you here. The next step is to get you into a real job, benefit, so and so forth, right. So I'm like, okay, all right. So we got six months to do this and I'm on how we gonna do this.
Speaker 5:So then Lgt comes along. So then I take a trip to ptmw and then I'm like, hmm, I knew somebody there. They're always hiring. I'm like, okay, I can get him there. So I'm Trying to time this out, right. I'm like I'm gonna make a call see if I can get you you there on there. So I make the call, say, hey, I got a guy. You know he's down on his luck. He has been. I've been working with him. You know I've got him in this place. You know he's on the road of recovery and he goes there, he applies, he gets the job Right. So now, um, he's been employed there a whole month. I've been kind of trying to assist him in transportation and getting him there and that's been working out. But you know that changes his whole life, right he's, he's made the most money he's ever made in his life. He's sustaining right, and you know he's just uh, uh, a testament of what you can do if you just be patient and walk alongside people, right?
Speaker 5:Yeah that's, that's it. You know, now I'm mainly working with him on managing his money Right, so I'm his accountability partner. When he gets paid, we sit down, we go what are you going to pay this week? How much money do you have? Where are you going to go from there? And getting him on track of understanding, because you know a lot of people who haven't had money, don't know how to manage money, and even people who have money don't know how to manage it right.
Speaker 5:So I've been kind of working with him with that. But I really credit the rescue mission of really giving him the housing, which ultimately not only forced me to help him more because I didn't want him to lose his housing, and it forced him to kind of I need to grow up and do something different, Like I've got to have housing.
Speaker 2:So I think this is just absolutely a perfect example of how it's supposed to work Right, exactly, place I, through a rescue mission, intervenes in people's crisis, right, but they can't take it for the long distance right, like you are doing with this with this young man, and to me it's what the body of crisis supposed to be doing, absolutely.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, and just the worth that this young man has to be feeling because of how you've poured into him right Right. Because you don't have to do that. He knows you don't have to do that and I. We just cannot underestimate what that walking alongside somebody can do.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:You know the housing was great, but if, Adrian, had you not been there for him 10 to one he wouldn't still be in housing.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 3:You know it takes that kind of intervention and that kind of support from mentors, case managers, all of the above kind of thing to really help people understand what it means to stay in housing, to be able to be successful in housing. You know, and and the selflessness, adrian, too, that you talked about, you don't want to lose him as an employee, but you knew that in order for him to be able to be successful, he needed to have that next step. And that's beautiful, you know, I think. I think the lessons here are really revolve around what it takes to walk alongside and how you really have to set yourself aside and see what is best for the person that you are walking with, and that's incredible Lord said no greater love has a man than the lay down in his life for his friends.
Speaker 2:And and you're not taking a bullet for him, but you're taking as much as a bullet might do is just costing you a lot to cost you an employee, cost you your time, cost you your, probably, leisure I don't know what you do for leisure play golf or whatever but you're not doing that as much or whatever. It's costing you for the sake of someone else, absolutely. And I think one thing that you may want to consider is God calls you into this ministry is train other people how to do what you're doing.
Speaker 5:Well, you know, and people I think people need to understand that it doesn't. It does take a lot, but then it does it right, because I feel like you can spend an hour with a person each day and get them a step further and they go where they need to be Right. They really just people need somebody to be able to listen and then try to be able to strategize a plan with them, their next steps and then maybe through the conversation, then you can point them in the right directions that they need to go. You know, one thing I learned out of LGT is collaboration right.
Speaker 5:So, then, understanding the resources and who you can connect with. It might take me connecting with this person, this person and that person to get everything in place for them to take the next step.
Speaker 2:So early on in this podcast we were talking about generosity and the effects that it has on our body and everything. So you've been giving to this guy. What have you received?
Speaker 5:For me. It just makes me feel good as a human, as a human being. I know the Lord will bless me. So I don't you know, I don't really look for nothing monetary from him or anybody else, right? I just I want the Lord to look down on me and smile at what I'm doing, say job well done, right. Have you already experienced that? Oh yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 5:When I, when I when I see him happy and him enjoy about. You know, because I have to sometime go hey, you remember six months ago where you were? Because he, he forgets, but I want to remind him. Like you've come a long way, I'm like, and in that we both rejoice, right, we both have joy, and, like you were here six months ago and look where you are now and it might be the smallest things, right, it might be the smallest things of where you couldn't buy a steak, right, but now you can. Right One thing I started with him I take him to North Star on his birthday and I buy him steak.
Speaker 2:That's not cheap steak. You got to go on the birthday so you but, it's still not a cheap steak right, but I did that.
Speaker 5:So you know, hey, reward yourself when you you you've gone a whole year in your life, right, and you've jumped through this hurdle, that hurdle and been up against this, reward yourself. And that was my way of doing it. So now he's kind of he that's on the top of his mind on his birthday. So this is where I'm going.
Speaker 2:You helped him to know how valuable he is Right, exactly, yeah, yeah. Yeah, amanda, as you work to lead a ministry to develop programs such as the housing program that then tries to raise the funds to be able to do those graduating rent payments and working with a team and you know, cast that vision, cast that vision, cast that vision so we can have more housing and work with landlords and they get a guy like Adrian that comes along. It's taken it to the next place. Yeah, what's it has to make you feel?
Speaker 4:You know, I think on one hand it just is humbling because you realize what we are doing. Despite the many different opinions that are out there, it is fruitful. And so on one hand, that's just such a good reminder because sometimes we see all of the need that outside, of looking at it through the lens of the Lord, it can be overwhelming and it can very easily and quickly feel like, oh, am I doing anything? But when we do this and we see statistic after statistic but the importance of that is person after person they are more than a number, they're a name, they've got a story, they've got a history and, even more importantly, they have a future and we have the power to positively impact that future, or negatively. And so then when you see something that we're doing every day, every day, every day, and we know it's working, but then it also sometimes seems like it's still not enough, to then see how somebody like Adrienne knew, oh, we can depend on this, we can connect them to the rescue mission, to go back and to help the next person, to me that is humbling. But then it's also motivating, because there's just sometimes where, barry, it's tiring and it's hard and you feel tugged in so many different directions and it's just tough. And so to hear this and to hear true stories about people that are impacted not only by what the rescue mission's doing but it's partners Adrienne has looked at as a partner. Trm could do the service, but if we don't have people partnering with us and advocating, we're not sure we could have connected him to us. But Adrienne was that missing link.
Speaker 4:And, as we've said here, we've done two different surveys now, barry, of people that are on the streets. So it is all unsheltered neighbors, not anybody inside the shelters. But we've dug through that. The first survey, we had 78 or 75,. Survey two, we had 78 or 75. I can't remember which one is which. We had 24 people that we had do it twice because we're trying to keep up with who is staying here, who truly is transient, who isn't. But then when you look at unduplicated people, our team, just on two different operation launches to do these surveys, surveyed 129 people on the streets, unduplicated. So they only did one or the other, and so in my mind that seems like this huge mountain. Right, it's 129 people and we could probably double or triple that. But then I'm sitting here thinking surely, in a community of 158,000,. We've got more than one, adrienne. What if we had another 128?
Speaker 2:You need to go to another leadership. You could speak. I do, I do.
Speaker 4:And then I'm just thinking how incredible would that be if we had 128 Adriens that partnered with one of those people that are out here on the street survey, that are saying, for the next 12 months, you're mine and I'm yours, we're gonna walk through this and we're gonna use services of TRM, we're gonna use services of the community. We're going to tell the city when there's really disconnects and when there's needs and things like that. Really, right now, 128 more could potentially help the ones that we have surveyed.
Speaker 2:I think that's spot on.
Speaker 4:Yes, and they are saying so, of those numbers. The first survey, we didn't I don't believe we asked it, because we're making revisions each time. We do it too, just to make it better based on community and all of that. But the second time, out of 75, I believe we had like nine that said that they didn't want any option, so it was around 10 to 11%.
Speaker 4:And so the stigma that's out there that we have all of these people, quote unquote, choosing to live like this, it's not accurate. Many of them most of them that we've surveyed, are on the EAS wait list for housing to get in. They want to do exactly what Adrienne just described, but they don't know where to start and their start can't even start yet because they're on a wait list with the city. And so I'm just sitting here thinking, oh, what Adrienne did with one makes all the difference. And then if I had another 128 of him to go through with these people while they're on this wait list of 1300, or while they're, whatever the case may be, waiting for their birth certificates to get here, their IDs, if they had someone cheering them on like Adrienne has this gentleman, it makes all the difference.
Speaker 2:It really does. And then there are some more Adrienne's out there, but where are the rest? Who are out there and where are they needed? I had a chance last week to go to another community and speak to about a hundred frontline workers in the poverty arena and I heard many of them were discouraged and I was thinking what can I say? I understand discouragement, been there and this kind of visual came to me of a big football stadium with 60, 70, 80,000 people and I said you know, there's many in the stands but very few on the field. And but it's the ones on the field who really know what it's like down there and who are making the difference. And everybody up in the stands can give all the opinions that they want, but they're never gonna get down on the field because they're not that kind of person. But there are people listening to this podcast right now that are Adrienne's. There are people that maybe it's just that one thing that the Lord's been tugging on their hearts about, or maybe they've heard something. Maybe they heard a man to speak the other day and they just didn't want to do about it, or whatever. Maybe they're gonna listen to this podcast and to know that they don't have to be in the stands, they can be on the field.
Speaker 2:I call them the select. There are the select people on the field. The Lord said that the fields are wide under harvest but the laborers are few, but they're still laborers. There are still people that God has selected to call to walk alongside people, like you have, brother, that are making a huge difference.
Speaker 2:And so, yes, amanda, it's not like there's thousands of people on the streets of Topeka that need Adrienne's. There is a manageable number of 100 and well, however, many thousand people we have in this area 158 or whatever to be able to who are the select that will come on to the field. You know, adrienne, you're kind of like the coach in a way. At the end of the game, the coach is the one that does the press conference because he wasn't on the field, like the young man that you're taking care of is and helping him and encouraging him. He's in the game, but you're coaching him, you're helping him out and you get to enjoy your efforts poured into him and we just I'm excited to see how you're gonna coach other people do what you do.
Speaker 5:You know, I'm just wondering maybe this has been done before but is there, is there been, a program established where you can pair people who are willing to mentor in whatever way? Right Cause it might be even somebody who, like you said, needs identification but they ain't got an address right. So you're like well, hey, call me, I'm gonna walk you through how to get your ID. I might even give you a ride to the DMV or the ID place, and then you can have that sent to my house and then I'll bring it to you. I think there's room for everybody to play a part. You don't have to necessarily be fully invested per se, but there's little things that you can do to help somebody get over that next hurdle. So I don't know if there's like you gotta go out of program or something like that to try to pair people.
Speaker 2:We had something before COVID and COVID kind of put a dent in that. So there's been conversation, I believe, here. I mean, there's so many hot burner issues right now with unsheltered homeless and ordinances and where people gonna go and packed out shelter and the homeless explosion across the country. But yeah, people coming along and it takes systems to do that, to train people, to help them to know what to do. You just kind of run into it like real fast. It made it happen. Not everybody has maybe the confidence that you do, but you people that do what you do to be able to be on the field can help each other too.
Speaker 5:Well, I think everybody's capable. But some of this stuff is just life skills, right? Some of it's just life skills and being able to love somebody else or care enough for somebody else. So you don't really have to have no formal training, you just gotta be willing to be able to get your hands at the little dirty little bit right. And get involved in that way, like you don't need a college degree, you don't need to be a psychologist or a therapist, because you can refer them to those people.
Speaker 2:You gotta love your neighbor, though, right, absolutely, that's the thing, that's the thing, right, yeah, absolutely, that's the thing, yeah yeah. Well, that's powerful. Adrienne, thank you for being here today. This is a platform for you to say anything else you wanna say, encourage anybody. This is an opportunity for you, because you're not only an opinion, you're a doer, and so what would you like for other people to know?
Speaker 5:Well, I would encourage everybody to get involved in somebody's life. Somebody hold their hand, walk beside them, cause there's somebody out there that needs it, and I don't mean like your direct family member, like your cousin, but there's somebody who's outside of your circle that needs help, right, and you know them, or somebody knows them that can connect you with them, right. I would encourage people to do that. And I would also like to say and I said this in our LZT that if you, people who pay high taxes or are tired of seeing a homeless, then ask the city to take a portion of your taxes or your county and put towards the homeless. I think it's that me, I'd get one, two, three percent of my taxes to sell through somebody. That's just me, but I think you know that's a good way to address this problem. We all know money is the issue, right, but yeah, I think that would help out a whole lot.
Speaker 2:Well said, well said.
Speaker 5:I can say more, but I won't.
Speaker 2:I don't know. We'll have you back again okay, Part two.
Speaker 2:part two when you have mentored your 10th, when you've mentored your 10th, then we'll that'll probably be before the end of the year, the way you're going. So, but thank you for listening, thank you for asking the right questions here a few months ago when you heard Lamanda speak, and thank you for saying yes to the Lord. You definitely are a solution finder and this individual you're touching his life who knows who's he's gonna touch because of your investment in him. So thank you very much. Thank you for being on our community, our mission, and thank you for listening to Adrian and us talk about getting in the game, the power of connection, god's economy. He's got something for you that's really special to do because you're part of something very special, because he loves you very specially.
Speaker 2:If you'd like more information about the Topeka Rescue Mission, you can go to trmonlineorg. That's trmonlineorg. You can find ways to give, how to help out for Christmas, volunteer. If you'd like to help others know about our community, our mission, you can subscribe, rate or share. Thank you again for listening to our community, our mission. لي name 18者Linux pod band.