Felipe first came to the Mission for lunch and dinner. At RMA VC, serving a meal is the important first step in creating meaningful relationships for long-term life change.

This is the first story in a series chronicling this year's theme of "Rescue." This month, we look into Felipe's story, recounting his journey to a new life.

What does it mean to rescue someone? With some variation, dictionaries define rescue as to save someone from a dangerous or difficult situation. This implies a one-time occurrence, as in being rescued from a burning building by the fire department or saved from drowning by a lifeguard. Instead, what happens at RMA VC (the "rescue" in Rescue Mission) is closer to the second definition: keep from being lost or abandoned. In other words, an ongoing process that begins with providing for basic needs, which progresses to recovery, then offers counseling, spiritual growth, and vocational training-all leading to employment, transitional living, and beyond.

Rescue for Felipe began with a hot meal. Having lost his home due to drug and alcohol abuse he was living in Plaza Park in Oxnard, finding food where he could, and sleeping only a few hours here and there when he felt safe enough to close his eyes. After three months of this, and with his father's encouragement, he began coming to the Mission to eat. "My dad kept telling me to go to the Rescue Mission. He had known someone whose life was saved because of staying there so I thought I should at least go there for food."

We have said many times that the road to a new life often begins with a hot meal, and for Felipe, like many others, this was the case. "I probably would never have ended up staying if I hadn't got to know the place while eating there," he explained. Knowing that mealtimes might be our only opportunity to reach someone in need, someone who might otherwise not come to us, we take these times to get to know those we serve, offering the first step of rescue.

Having started coming to us for meals, Felipe's rescue continued when he decided to start staying in our shelter. The time in our shelter is often a turning point for those looking to change their circumstances. Getting a hot shower and a meal, having a safe place to sleep, and then a filling breakfast in the morning can make a huge difference in someone's outlook and hope for a better future. For Felipe, feeling safe at night was especially impactful. "It's really hard to focus on getting better when you are always lacking sleep," he explained. "The first few times I was able to close my eyes and really sleep felt amazing."

Felipe stayed in our shelter for two months before making the commitment to join the program. "I was definitely in a better place once I started staying in the shelter," he said, "but for some reason I just couldn't take that next step. It was the gentle coaxing and encouragement that I got almost every day that helped me decide."

This highlights the ongoing process that defines the rescue we do. Not everyone who stays in our shelter needs our recovery program, however. This might be because they have jobs and just need someplace to stay at night; others are looking for employment or perhaps waiting for permanent housing to come through. For some, though, their circumstances are more serious and struggles with drug and alcohol addiction or chronic homelessness make the recovery program the best option to turn their lives around. Since we never know if or when someone might move from the shelter into the program, our efforts are continuous. "We provide food, shelter, clothing, hygiene, and a genuine welcome to those we serve because as followers of Christ it's what we are supposed to do," said our Intake and Outreach Coordinator Conrad Fimbres, "and if God leads them to the next step, we are ready to walk with them."

For Felipe, the program was where things really began to change. "Once I had settled in, I started to feel a deep sense of peace. The first thing that happened was I began to develop friendships with other men in the program. Being around others who have the same struggles and are trying to change helped me tremendously."

Having that sense of community and family helps those we serve to feel a part of something that is personal and yet at the same time bigger than any one individual. From this came a deepening sense of Faith in God and a growing sense of gratitude for Felipe. "I was developing trust in both God and the program. It's funny looking back to think that I had any doubts at all about coming here. I don't know what I was waiting for, but God's timing was perfect as always."

Rescue continues in our Life Recovery Program with counseling, classes, and program curriculum. Our men learn to open themselves up in order to grow, exploring past relationships, behaviors, habits and patterns that led them here. There is also a strong emphasis on relapse prevention, focusing on recognizing triggers and warning signs, all within a safe and supportive environment. "It wasn't until I began to look at my past that I started to understand the behaviors that caused me so much trouble," said Felipe. "I really appreciate the approach that emphasizes personal responsibility along with learning about why I made some really bad choices."

Personal responsibility is further developed in the Vocational Training part of the program. Our men learn the value of labor, the importance of accountability, and perhaps most importantly, how to work together to achieve success. All this happens while learning real-life skills in Culinary Arts, Construction, Retail Production, or Guest Services and Outreach. It is here that our rescue efforts prepare our men to move out into the world as productive and self-supporting members of society. Felipe's training in the Culinary Arts program along with his time in the kitchen as a Vocational Resident was crucial to his current success.

"I learned so much working with Chef Richard. There was, of course, all the cooking skills that I got. I had never really spent any time in a kitchen before, so it was all new to me. But by the time I was done, I felt confident in what I could do," he explained. "I also gained a great sense of purpose along with leaderships skills." For Felipe, this all led to his current job as a cook at BJ's restaurant in Oxnard.

Our Transitional Living Apartments are where men like Felipe, who have completed the requirements of the Life Recovery Program and found employment, can move for the next phase of rescue. Before making the move, however, the men have found a local home church, gotten a mentor, spiritual counselor, and perhaps a sponsor from a Celebrate Recovery Group, made up a budget, and established goals for when their time at the Mission is over. All of this is to help ensure continued spiritual, emotional, and financial well-being.

"I feel that I've really been set up to have a great future," said Felipe, "I am able to work and be somewhat independent while living at La Paz but at the same time I am still accountable. This is a great way to ease back into life knowing that I have the skills to thrive and a support system in place to keep me on track."

With that initial contact through outreach or a hot meal our rescue efforts begin. For Felipe this was followed by safe nights in our shelter, time in the Life Recovery program, employment, and now transitional living-each a step in the ongoing process. None of the steps are final, though each is valuable, each part of how we do rescue here.