Latest / Our Community, Our Mission / Ep #295 – The Power of Transformation: Meet Mark Valdivia

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Ep #295 – The Power of Transformation: Meet Mark Valdivia · Our Community, Our Mission

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Father, we just come to you right now so grateful for so many things and so many things that sometimes um seem small, but they really are just big blessings in this world.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I think this morning we're especially thankful for laughter and fellowship and just being called for such a purpose as to serve at the Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: God, thank you for our special guest today.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, thank you for the team that's around this table doing this podcast and all of the team members who um are doing such important work um throughout the buildings and throughout the city.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for all of the uh hard work that the staff puts in extra when we have inclement weather and um especially when all of the other operations that we need to do don't stop.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we just ask for your guidance um as we go through this Christmas season.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we ask for you to provide, and we just thank you for everybody who lends um their time, uh, their resources, and their prayers to the work of the Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: In your name we pray.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_03: Amen.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_02: Hello, everybody.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for joining us for our community, our mission, a podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission here on December 2nd, 2025.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: This is uh episode number two hundred and ninety-five.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_02: I'm your host, Barry Feeker, and I'm here today on a very, very cold December 2nd here in Kansas uh with Lamanda Cunningham, who's CEO, Mary Crable, who is Deputy Director of Supportive Services, Marcus Molinar, who is Director of Security and Facilities here, and our special guest, which we'll introduce in a minute.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: So we got a lot to talk about.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_02: This is the last month of 2025.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: I think we just had the first month last week.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_02: I think we did.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's been a lot happening this year.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: On one hand, I feel like we blinked in the year past, and then on the other hand, I feel like we packed five years into the past twelve months.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: And both are true.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_04: Well, didn't it sort of look the same a year ago?
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_04: As it does outside right now.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, basically in January kind of goes with the turf, doesn't it?
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: So for those of you who uh are not from Kansas or listening, we had quite a snow yesterday, and there's quite a bit of it left here yet today.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: So we're getting an early start to the season.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: And uh but a lot of other things are happening, and this is um what's called Giving Tuesday or Transformation Tuesday here at Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: Miriam, uh what does that mean and what do people need to do and what can they do?
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_04: You know, Giving Tuesday started I can't remember now how many years ago, but really started kind of as a complement to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, where people were very focused on kind of the things that they're buying for people that they love, uh getting great deals at the stores, all of that kind of thing.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_04: So Giving Tuesday was really brought about to help people focus on others, right?
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_04: And people that might be in need, um, and the nonprofit sector and how uh we can support them.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_04: So that's what today is.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_04: It's all about um giving to organizations that you really care about, um, that you know are doing great work.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and we sort of decided this year that it really is Transformation Tuesday for us because all of the things that come in for us, all the gifts that we receive, whether it's financial or whether it's things like food and clothes or gifts for Christmas, all of those kinds of things really help so that we can transform the lives of other people.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_04: You know, the folks that stay with us, the folks that we reach out to on the streets, um, everything like that.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_04: So this is just a really special day um where folks can support the work that TRM is doing on a regular basis.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_02: And so if people are interested in saying, hey, I want to be a part of this day in giving, what do they do?
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_04: So they can mail us a check, they can go online uh to trm.org uh and then be able to trm online.org.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_04: I'm like, wait, what is our website?
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_04: And cli it didn't sound right.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_04: Um again, let me try again help.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_04: TRM Online.org and click the donate now button.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, and be able to give that way.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_04: And I would really encourage people, if they are on social media, to watch our Facebook page as well, because there'll be a lot of different posts that will share stories, that will hear from donors or volunteers that are assisting us and give people a really great idea of what's going on.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_02: I like the uh the term that uh TRM is using is transformation Tuesday because every dollar, every penny, every volunteer moment, um clothes, whatever's donated, helps trap for transformation in people's lives.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_02: If you think about somebody who's hungry, you get to eat, you're transformed.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_02: Not for the rest of your life.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_02: You're transformed at the moment, but a number of those opportunities are transforming for people.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: So the financial giving that can occur on this day and uh tomorrow and the next day and is used not to just uh keep the lights on, but it's used to transform lives.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_02: Which is awesome.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: Merriam, while we're talking to you, let's talk about Christmas, because uh this is the month.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um and there is uh not only Christmas opportunity and needs.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um we've talked a little bit about that before, which we do every year, but we talk about a lot this time.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_02: And then also talk about year-end giving, if you would.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_04: Sure, absolutely.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_04: So Christmas.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_04: Christmas is a big deal around this part of our work.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um we adopt about 650 people from the United Way.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_04: We serve the 250 plus people that will be staying with us during this month, um, including a number of children, um, as well as then our unsheltered neighbors, uh, to really make sure that everyone gets to experience Christmas in a special way.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_04: So we need uh gifts, brand new gifts.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_04: Um, at this time we give people brand new items uh from things that they've asked for.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_04: And there's uh some particular things that we need right now.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um we're really looking for underwear of all sizes, and I know that doesn't sound really Christmassy, but it really is important.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_04: Uh branded kids' toys like Bluey and Minecraft.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_04: I have to tell you, I read these names and I'm like, I don't even know what those things are.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_04: So just look for the brand.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_04: I know it's telling my age.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, I've got a book that somebody gave to me last year.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um two kids about uh 12 and 13 years old.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_05: Uh-huh.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_02: It's called Minecraft for Dummies.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: And they wanted me to play it with them.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh one's my grandson, another's a friend of mine.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and we I was doing a Bible study with them online.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: They wanted to do Minecraft together.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_05: Uh-huh.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: I had one sit down and try to teach it to me.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_05: Uh-huh.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_02: I read the book.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: I still don't have a clue what it means how to do it.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_02: As a matter of fact, I try to change subject every time they say you want to play Minecraft.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, see, and and Barry, I think it when you're our age, we should probably just not even try.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_04: We should just say isn't that sweet.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Barry, and these we do know about because we had these when we were kids.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_04: Sports balls.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, sports balls.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_04: So footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, now we're talking about some rumors.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_04: Headphones, bedding sets, queen and twin um in particular.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_04: Actually, everything, but those are some really particular needs that we right ha have right now.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_04: Um so if people can just find it in their hearts to potentially shop and bring some things to us, it will help a lot.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_02: And they bring them to where?
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh at 401 Northwest Norris to our distribution center where Friday.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_04: We've yes, Monday through Friday from eight to four.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um and you'll see all kinds of things set up in there already where we're putting things together so our volunteers can come through and then put packages together uh for the people that we're serving.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_02: Some people don't know who you're serving, it's it's the folks staying at the rescue mission.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's also the unsheltered through uh the mobile access partnership.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_02: It used to be called that.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_02: Now it's called the Moving Ahead Partnership.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_02: Uh which is twice a week.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_02: And then also throughout the community um with people who have been um uh gone to the Christmas Bureau and asked for help, and then the United Way contacts the program.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_04: So all in all, we'll probably serve a thousand people, pretty close to a thousand people.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_04: So it's it's a wonderful time um and it is a busy time.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_02: So Transformational Tuesday, Transformation Tuesday, Transformation Month.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: And so let's talk about transformation 2026.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: How can people then help TRM to get ready now for next year?
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_04: Sure, and even to to meet our budget this year, right?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_04: So we have goals every year that we're really trying to be able to cover all of our expenses.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_04: And so now is a very important time for us uh to raise the money we need to finish out this year strong and also then to carry us into um the next couple of months of 2026 because donations are always a little bit less in those months.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_04: So it's really important that we kind of build things up a little bit so that we're able to make it through those two months.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_04: You know, TRM is very conscientious about being good stewards with the dollars that we have.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_04: And so we live very close.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_04: And right now the needs are great, uh, whether it's needs for food, whether it's um so many people needing shelter, um, all of those things require funding.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_04: And so we're looking to raise at least a million dollars during December alone.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and when we were kind of starting this real push in November, we really needed to raise about 2.4 million to be able to carry us through and have a secure start to 2026.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_02: And we've seen God and people do this before and uh come through, and that's part of transforming all of us.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it's amazing.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_04: Um we had and I'll give you just one small example.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_04: So we, you know, the need for food is great.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um people are hungry, costs are going up, people are trying to figure out how they're gonna make ends meet, and we had lost some grant funding just because there's a lot of people asking grantors for money, and so we received less.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_04: When we put the call out, here's how the Lord works.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_04: We were short about 20,000-ish from what we had received in the past.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_04: We have now exceeded that because we put the word out there and said, you know, we need to make up this difference because we have a lot of people we need to feed.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_04: And the Lord has just provided that through the generosity of folks that um give to us financially.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_04: And that doesn't even count the amount of things that people have done in terms of bringing food, actual food, um, to the distribution center as well.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_04: So the Lord provides, and we know he does that through his children, um, through their willingness to give and to consider our neighbors who have sometimes nothing and definitely a whole lot less.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: Some people don't understand why you would even think need a million dollars, let alone several of those, to do what's done here, because they don't understand everything that TRM does.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_02: But also there's another factor here.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um when we look at a million dollars just five years ago, that million dollars bought more than it does today.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: Oh goodness, yes.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: You need to raise about another quarter of a million right now to equal what it was simply five years ago.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_02: If we take back and look at when the Hope Center was built, um today a million dollars back then would require$1.8 million, nearly two million dollars for the same buying power.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_02: In other words, years ago, a million dollars bought a lot more than it does today.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: It's almost double what it was in the year 2000.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_02: And so um here we're 25 years later, the needs are still great, maybe even greater.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so it takes even more of those dollars to be able to equal the opportunities for transformation in people's lives.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, Barry, and we live in a very generous community, and we are so grateful for everything that people have already done, giving that they've already already um made, uh donations that they've already made to us.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_04: But we would just really ask that they pray to see if there's anything in addition that they could do that would help us um be able to move forward in a strong and um ready position to help all the people that need it.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you for that.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_02: Now we want to get into not that this wasn't a serious subject, Miriam, uh, that you just talked to us about.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_02: But we're gonna get into the cold weather and then we want to talk about uh our special guest here today.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_02: For that, we have to honor our research and development department who works tirelessly to be able to come up with what we would consider what's special about December the second.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: Every single year, December the second.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_02: And so they come up with these very important days, um, very important moments uh on a certain day.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_02: So if you didn't know this, this is National Mutt Day.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: Mutt Day.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: What's a mutt?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_02: What's a mutt?
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: We're mutts.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: We're mutts.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_02: We are.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um versus purebred.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: So we want to, you know, we talk about these purebred dogs, you know, show dogs of that kind of I I've had dogs all my life.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_02: I love dogs.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_02: I really do.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like Simon Cow.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_02: I love dogs.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_02: People are okay.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: Dogs are really great.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_02: I've had so many dogs, I can't even count them all.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: But um I've had two purebreds.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_02: Dumbest dogs in the world.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: I knew not what was wrong.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_02: You know, they must have inbred, inbred, inbred.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_02: So I love muts.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: Uh-huh.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: I do, mutts.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_04: But maybe it is the kind of dogs you got, too.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_04: But not saying no.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_04: What?
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_04: No, nothing, nothing.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_04: What?
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_04: I I agree, Mary.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_04: I agree.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_04: I've had everything.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: I've had little tiny things, I've had really big things, and the big things could eat the little tiny things.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you've had it all.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: My first pet ever was a mutt, and his name was Bart because he didn't bark.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: His bark sounded like he was yelling, Bart, Bart, Bart, Bart.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I thought he would say something else.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: And no.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's what we did.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: But I taught him how to and I have no idea what all he was mixed with, but I taught him how to climb up the little ladder staircase thing to my playset um and play fire dog.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: So he thought he was a fire dog.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: Of course.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: But my dad was a police officer, so my dad didn't appreciate me playing fireman versus police officer.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_02: Well, my first dog was a little dachshund, and his name was Fritz.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_02: Fritz.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_02: Uh-huh.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Aww.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: When Fritz went away, I got another dog named him Fritz.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_02: And then that dog went away, and I had a third dog.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_02: Guess what I named him?
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_02: Fritz.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: That does not surprise me, actually.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: You um you are definitely someone who um has interesting ways once you're comfortable and patterns.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: Predictable.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: Like the same kind of clothes, you know, hats.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: So my fourth dog, guess what my fourth dog's name was?
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Was it really?
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, why?
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: Sunny.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: Sunny.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: You branched out a little bit.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_02: I branched out, yeah.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_02: I thought, yeah, I know which first was which.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, so National Mutt Day, National Play Basketball Day.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know about that right now, but you better do it indoors.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: But how fun is this?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm wearing my daughter's button today.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_04: I had no idea.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_04: That's right.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_04: Yep, it's basketball day for my daughter.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_04: Yep.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_04: And you know what?
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_04: Considering who our research and development department is and who is hosting, I think it's really pretty amazing that they brought up Naismith.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_04: I know he invented basketball, but I'm pretty confident that it might be for a different team.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: What does that mean?
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_04: Who's Naismith?
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_04: Uh-huh.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_04: Uh-huh.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_04: So I I'm impressed with our research and development department.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_02: Uh-huh.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_02: They always there's a few of them around here that know stuff.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um but anyway, yeah.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_02: I can't.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_02: I can't.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, who's going to bowl game again this year in football?
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_04: What are we what is this title?
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_04: Play basketball.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_02: So yes, for all you KU fans, yes, play basketball day.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_02: UK State fans, try to play basketball.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, play basketball day.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, this is uh really getting into basketball season here.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: And uh Lamanda, you got uh your oldest on the team.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: First day or first game of the season is today.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: So that's awesome.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, one more thing before we get into some more serious stuff here.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_02: It's uh this day is the business of popping corn day.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_02: The business of popping corn day.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: I've never heard it said that.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_02: I haven't either.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: I'm never I'm not sure that it was it written right, but it is.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_02: It's the business of popping corn day as a festive occasion celebrating popcorn's transformation from a simple snack, which I think it still is, to a commercial sensation.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_04: There's stores now that are just popcorn.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_02: They are, aren't they?
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_02: They really are.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_02: So anyway.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: Do you know who invented the microwave?
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: As we're talking about popcorn?
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was sunny.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: Percy L.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Spencer.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: I did that for a history date one time, and I carried around a bag of popcorn.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: It just brought me back to fifth grade.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: It was.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_02: It didn't microwave.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: It didn't help me.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: The judges, I guess, didn't like popcorn because they didn't win.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: Miriam, taking you back here, and we got to get on to some serious stuff here.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_02: But Miriam, before microwaves.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_02: Remember those days?
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: Before microwaves?
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_02: I do.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_02: Remember the stuff that we uh jiffy pop that you put on the stove and you moved it around on the burning?
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: But they still have that today?
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, they still do.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_02: Why?
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_04: I never you do you know that I have never ever done jiffy pop?
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_04: Because you grow up on a farm.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_04: No, no.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_04: You like shake the pan yourself, kind of thing.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we should.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_04: No, no, no.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_02: And there's a aluminum foil.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: And then your mom says take it off now, take it off now.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: It blew up all over the kitchen.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_04: See, I never had that privilege of doing that.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, wow.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_02: So anyway, National Munt Day, play basketball day, and popcorn business day.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_02: So anyway, let's get back to it.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_02: Lamanda, um, and thank you for research and development department, Alec, for really working um all through the holidays on this.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_02: And Thanksgiving to get us today.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_02: Lamanda, we we're cold today.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um there's um uh warming center um operations that have been uh happening uh historically um uh all all throughout the history of TRM in one way or another, but especially in the last few years since you've been here working with other organizations beyond TRM.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_02: So what are we doing?
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_02: What are we thinking about this year?
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: So TRM for decades, and you may even be able to speak on this better than me, but uh we have always tried to have um outreaches to the streets in some capacity as kind of a safety net for people who, for whatever reason, uh couldn't be inside the shelter.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes uh that's because of safety protocols that we have in place internally to protect the guests that we have that include children as well in our buildings.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um and sometimes it is uh a person's choice that they don't want to enter.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes the person has struggles and it's really hard to come inside and be in a dorm, you know, as a fully registered guest and staying, because you know, there's just people that have different struggles, and sometimes being around that many other people and stuff can pose other issues for them.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: So all of that being said, uh TRM has historically had what we call cold weather exceptions, meaning um if someone has restrictions in place or maybe someone can't truly function by coming in and having the like lights out time and staying and and all of those kind of policies that we have to have in place to efficiently run shelters of our magnitude, uh then we have these exceptions and we try to have um varying levels of ways that unsheltered neighbors can still access warmth and safety.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but uh regardless if it's them or or things that we have in place, for them to not be a fully registered guest, we have these other options.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so um that's been in place since you've done it, not me.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: That has been for decades.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: And what that looks like is at the rescue mission, uh, in addition to the normal 250, 260 plus guests we have every night, when temperatures drop below 40, um, and it's whatever's worse, the the wind chills or the temperatures, um, if it's 40, then an individual can come in and they can stay in one of our overflow areas that we have a variance for, um, and they can come in at 11 p.m.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: and then they need to be exiting our building by 645.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: This allows them to come in overnight when sometimes it's the coldest and temperatures may drop some more.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so that is kind of this exception.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: If they can't come in and register for whatever reason, we at least, when the temperature of the windshield drops below 40, they can come in and stay overnight from that 11 p.m.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: to 645.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, in addition to that exception, we also then have one that is in place if the temperatures or windshields drop below 32.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: And if that happens, then we allow individuals even throughout the day to come in.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they can come in and warm up for 15 minutes in our lobby uh every hour.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: And um when we do that, we also try to pass out hand warmers, we try to ensure that there's gloves, we try to um we've served hot coffee, just different things to allow people to warm up during those times.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: So we have the 40-degree threshold um exception that goes into place, and then we have the 32-degree threshold that goes into place, and then we have the 20-degree um temperatures or wind chills that go into place, and that is if it drops below 20, wind chilled or temperature, then we allow people to stay inside even throughout the day.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's not just warming up on the hour.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they always have the opportunity if they want to work the program to be a registered guest.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um and you know, spaces are limited, and I know some people ask me, well, how many people can you take?
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I can't give that number because it depends on how many registered guests we have.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it depends on how many people are already registered with us on that exception.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know, some people come in right at 11 and we might have 15 to 20 people come in at that time, or we might have no one accessing that 11 p.m.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: um time and someone comes in at 3 a.m.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: and they're able to come right in.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: So there's not like this magic number that I'm hiding in my pocket.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: I've I've heard that.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well well, she won't give you a number because she's hiding it.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_02: Well, part of the set's demographics too, when it's a family.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_02: Correct.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_02: You have a mom and a kid, and you could have a parent and five, six, seven, eight kids.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_02: Correct.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then sometimes, um depending on some of the um complexities that we could be juggling, we might have spaces for, let's say, ten extra people.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: But if we have someone who's in great need based on whatever that need is, we might not take the full 10.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: We might need to leave that person a couple of extra spaces around.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: So it's there's no there's no science to it, there's no formula to it.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's hard decisions.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: But what I can say is we try to let everybody in that we can, um, but there's always going to be some type of cap.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: There has to be, also just according to fire codes and everything else.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but those variances are completely separate from our normal shelter operations.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is totally what we do for people that are on the streets and these cold weather kind of inclement weather um things hit.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that's been in there for a long time.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: And that's been a blessing.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what happened a couple of years ago um in uh I believe 22, the end of 22, was we started getting word from the city is how it originated, um, in that we were gonna have a polar vortex, which I don't believe we had had since like 1989 or 88.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_02: 89, and then there was a very brief in 2018.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_02: But fortunately at that point, the state of Kansas, working with some others, got people temporarily housed before that happened.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_02: And so, but it was just a couple of days.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_02: This polar vortex situation that happened in 1989.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_02: I was here, it was terrible, was coming again.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: And what they meant by the polar vortex was life or death temperatures, life or death wind chills, and then um excessive, I believe is the word that the National Weather Service used, um, accumulated pre precipitation and it was prolonged.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: So we're not talking, you know, snow for four hours, we're talking snow or sleet for 10 to 12 plus hours.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that hits first, and then if people are wet and then we have negative wind chills or negative temperatures, it can die.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so that then, when the city approached actually me, you, and Bill Persinger at that time and said, Hey, what are we doing?
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Because other municipalities around Kansas were being warned of, hey, we can't have people on the streets, people are gonna lose their lives.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's where we had pivoted to starting and assisting anyone who wanted to join our efforts to the community-wide warming centers.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: This was never TRM is uh going to be responsible for every person in this region that is experiencing homelessness.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um there was still significant leadership on your part and TRM's part, but it wasn't something TRM said, we're doing doing it alone.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell Sure.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: And we had no desire to do it alone.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um we also our operations don't pause.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: So we're still doing food distributions and we're still doing sheltering and we're still doing community meals.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so um we definitely stepped up and said, hey, we'll open one.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we'll learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of them.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we'll be the uh pioneers to uh make mistakes and to fix them and to share what we know with others.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: But the heart behind it this entire time has been that other people would step up and operate warming centers.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um they can use any of our resources, they can use any of our knowledge, uh, but they can also run their warming centers how they see fit as well.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so it really is a unique collaboration um between churches, businesses, organizations, and the rescue mission.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so that leads us to the past 24 hours.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um and making the decision to open some of the community-wide warming centers um is not an easy one.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: And it's one that I try to be very informative about, very transparent about.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but opening community-wide warming centers that truly take um dozens of volunteers, lots of food resources because we're talking feeding people three meals a day, two to three snacks a day, the hydration drinks.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_02: More sleeping spaces.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: We're essentially opening up almost like a third shelter.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so that takes on a lot.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: So to constitute something of that magnitude, and if there's going to be other warming center sites that are doing it in conjunction with us, that means we have to have desperate measures to call for that.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: And don't get me wrong, Barry, um, I can't even get on my soapbox or I'll start bawling, but it bothers me to know people are cold.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um probably more so than than a lot of people know.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: I worry about it.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: I watch people walk by my office and um it's heartbreaking.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: The other side of it is there has to be some type of cutoff of truly what is life-saving measures, and that's what the warming centers are.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: And so it has to have a combination of all of these things.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: We have to have severe, extreme wind chills.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yesterday we did not.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: We have to have extreme, severe temperatures.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the time it's in the single digits or negatives.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: We did not.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then we also have to have extreme prolonged precipitation, which we definitely got more snow yesterday than anticipated.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so I don't refute that, but it's not prolonged.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have this for days.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh within 24 hours of the event that came yesterday, it was going to be 38 degrees, some of it's going to be melting.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so that being said, that does not stop other places from helping people, letting them in to warm up, giving people hot chocolate.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: Our community can still work in kindness to take care of people when they see somebody in change.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_02: So to your point, there were still overflow space if it's available for people to come in who weren't registered guests because they met the criteria.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_02: Correct.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_02: While you indicated that there is an exact science on how many people you can shelter because of all kinds of different variables, there is a bit of an exact science on protocols of when to do what in regards to whether it's allowing people in after 40 degree drop or 15 minutes or all day long, or when we talk about the extremes of weather, um, to have the warming centers activated.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_02: And so there is logic.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_02: There is uh it's not just TRM who has decided it's gonna be this way.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's been communications with many different people around this, not unlike uh law enforcement has or military has or first responders have.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_02: They all have certain things that they're gonna do based on certain weather conditions or other conditions that would require them to do things in a different manner than they normally would.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_02: Same thing with Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell And in addition to that, Barry, um I'm not a weatherman.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: I know that's shocking for some of the listeners, but I'm not a weatherman.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I do.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: But I will say I am so thankful for um meteorologist um Chad Omet with the National Weather Service and his team.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_00: They give out um briefings and webinars.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um they do it in advance as much as possible.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: They send us emails.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then when we truly have severe weather that hits in regards to like a polar vortex, sometimes they're doing webinars every two to three hours.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: And my team is on those, watching this and monitoring it.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so we use that.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: And then the other thing that usually goes in conjunction with the um decision to open the community-wide warming centers is do we have a declaration of emergency?
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so, anyways, all of those things are factors that we really try to communicate.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, those protocols are on our website.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_00: We leave that up all year round so that people can see well, what does the rescue mission do when it's cold, or what are these warming centers?
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: Those kinds of things.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so um did that, did a story uh yesterday afternoon with WIBW to explain what TRM is doing when warming centers are open and when warming centers are not open.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also did a the story, that same story was trying to explain to them, because this is a controversial issue, um, and there were a lot of questions yesterday of when are we going to open warming centers?
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so I just wanted to be transparent of the magnitude that it takes to open the warming centers, but not to um minimize the lives that are impacted.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so um I'm proud of our team, I'm proud of our community.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, in the days where warming centers are not activated, I would say kindness goes a long way.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and there are different ways that people can get involved to help take care of our neighbors.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then when the warming centers hit, um, everybody who feels passionate about it on the days that warming centers aren't activated, I invite you to come help us serve.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: Be just as passionate when we're opening the warming centers because we need people.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we need prayers, we need the food donations when it hits, um, and we need bodies to help.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: So uh hopefully that's informative.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you want more information, uh we do have on our website there's a cold weather page that has protocols, a narrative that explains what constitutes opening the warming centers.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: All of that is out there to just help our community.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_02: There's no reason people can't be informed on really what is going on versus just an opinion of what should be done.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_02: Uh every single day, uh Topeka Rescue Mission throughout the year is a warming center or a cooling center for many, many different people.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_02: There are different times when it needs to go to another level, and that's what TRM has been prepared to do.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_02: TRM, like everybody else, doesn't want anybody harmed, doesn't want anybody to perish, doesn't want anybody to end up in the hospital.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_02: So it's tirelessly working together with many other organizations and volunteers to make sure that that doesn't happen, if at all possible.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: And we did that yesterday, Barry, and we do it you know as often as we can, almost every day, especially when weather like this hits.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: But we had teams out yesterday checking on people, letting people know about the weather, seeing where people were.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: We had um a team responding to uh we had a couple of concerns reported to us of people seeing people laying down um by businesses and such.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: We went out and checked on them.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: So while that team to two teams, depending on what time of day it was, were out, then the shelters were issuing the cold weather exceptions doing that.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: And then by eight o'clock this morning, uh we were all organizing again.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: We've got two teams going out today.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna be home base, checking in with the teams, um, doing welfare checks and going into the encampments.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_02: So to Miriam's point earlier, this is a caring community.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_02: And uh sometimes it's best to care with a little more information about how to care and and and do it that way because uh people really want to help people.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_02: And so uh and it's complicated sometimes.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, it is.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_02: But uh we're there.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_02: Well, hey, we uh we do have guests today, and uh we had a lot of things to unpack here.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_02: And so Marcus Molinar, who is director of facilities and security.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Marcus, you've been on uh the podcast here a number of times, and uh you've shared your own story of how you came to Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um and it's a powerful story.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: And uh both you and your wife are working here, and uh we love you, and you're just an awesome dude.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_02: And so uh and a big responsibility, a really big responsibility with facilities, six facilities, plus some other um things you gotta take care of, like lawns and those kind of things, and uh parking lots, and on and on and on, with a pretty small team.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_02: So your team is pretty important to you um to have the right people, and so you have one of those team members here today.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_02: You want to introduce Mark to us?
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_06: I do.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_06: I have a great team member with me.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_06: Um he has an awesome testimony, he's a great worker, um, he's honest and loyal, and uh he don't just uh make the floor shine, he actually shines Jesus to the other guest to see.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_06: And speaking of Transformation Tuesday, he has an awesome transformation story, and his testimony is really uh heartfelt.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_06: So I'd like to introduce Mark Valdivio.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_02: Mark, welcome to uh the podcast here today.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_02: Good morning.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so it's uh so Mark has kind of set you up there for uh telling us some stuff about yourself.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_02: So, how did you come to Topeka Rescue Mission and tell us about your testimony?
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_01: I uh my wife, she had worked here, and uh my dad had uh recently passed away, and we were out at a Fourth of July show one day, and I told her uh that I think I was ready to work.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_01: I was taking care of my dad for two years, and so she said that that the maintenance department was looking for, you know, some help.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: So she wanted to make sure that I was ready because she knew I didn't like being around a bunch of people and everything, and not a great place to go if you don't want to be around people, right?
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and then I was always very cautious.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't like people rubbing up on me or anything, and just the way I grew up and stuff, and so she uh had me f helped me fill out the application for here, and then we met and got hired on after a process of waiting for background checks and all that other good stuff to go.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_02: So you joined here, um a lot of people around here.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_02: How long have you been here on the team and and what has been your experience?
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_01: I started here in September of 2023.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_01: And during that time in January of last year, it was getting closer to the anniversary of my dad's death.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I wasn't sure on you know how to handle the stuff, so started uh drinking a little more, and then that one special drink would lead to a phone call to get some dope and it happened a few times so I was like, yo.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_01: During that time, I uh was kinda lost still mad at myself for doing what I did because I had I love these people and to hurt to let them down the way I did, it tore me up inside, especially Marcus, because we had started becoming really close and so from April to May drinking and still getting high, just not you know, just feeling sorry for myself.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I was doing.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: You had a big loss in your life, it sounds like but it uh one day it was like, you know, sitting there in my room high.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_01: I just asked God, I was like, you know, I said, I'm tired.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_01: I said, I'm tired of this, tired of being letting people down, tired of feeling sorry for myself, tired of looking at myself in the mirror, and in May, May 21st, my ex-wife, well, I I call her my wife, still.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_01: She had called me up and she wanted a meet.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_01: So we met at uh pizza parlor, and I'm still calming down from being high a couple days before and drinking the day before, and for her to for us to sit there and talk it her telling me, you know, so I want you to, you know, turn your life around so we can be together, can't be together because she got seven years sobriety clean.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_01: So and she's like, I can't have, you know, you going drinking, doing drugs or whatever if we're together.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: If you want a life with me, you want a life for us, you gotta turn around, you gotta change.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_01: And that day for the first time, actually looking into her eyes and seeing the pain with her talking.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_01: It made me think, you know, is this what I want?
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_01: So after we left separate ways that day, I'm walking home and I stopped at Tilton's to get some money out of the telling machine.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_01: I was gonna go to the bar, but then I changed my mind, I went home and sat there watching TV, still thinking, thinking, and I still had uh a little over a 12-pack of beer in my refrigerator.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I went to the refrigerator, grabbed a beer, sat down on the chair, opened it, and I'm just like seeing her eyes, seeing the the hurt, what she was telling me.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_01: It was like, you know, this is it.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_01: This is I'm done.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_01: So I walked to the sink, poured the beer away, opened up the rest of the beer cans that I had in the refrigerator, threw them in the sink.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, it's time to live life right.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_01: So from that day, me and her, we saw each other every day, we talked and more and more, it's like this is what I want, this is what I need.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_01: And we kept in touch, me and Marcus.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_01: And in January, I mean uh July of last year, they called me back, and I've been trying to make up for what I have done before and make things better.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_01: I knew I had to earn everybody's trust, you know, back.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just been a lifesaver, you know.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_01: He's him and the other co-workers have all became like brothers to me now, and we became very close.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_02: How do you see yourself?
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, you saw the the eyes of someone you didn't want to hurt.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_02: You didn't want to hurt Marcus.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_02: You feel like you let people down, you wanted to start over.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_02: How do you feel now that it's been since July that you've been back?
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_02: You feel like that these are your brothers now um and sisters here at TRM?
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_02: How do you feel differently inside than maybe you did before?
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_01: Today I feel more at peace with myself.
• 43:52
  unknown: Okay.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_01: I can look at my I can be happy with the person that I see in the mirror today.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_02: How's you poured you poured um Better Perve a 12 pack down the sink?
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um you didn't go back after at that point.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_02: What what's different now, other than you don't want to disappoint people?
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have the craving, you know.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm out of excuses on why I should drink or why I should do drugs.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_01: There's no more excuses.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_01: I used them all up.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_01: Now it's time to move forward.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_01: And no regrets.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_01: I lock the regrets and the behind in the closed door in the closet.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_01: They're left there.
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_01: I'm moving forward with good things going in my life now.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_02: What's it mean to be a part of a ministry who focuses on God, His Son Jesus Christ?
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um how does that play a factor into all of this?
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_01: This has been very scary at times.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_01: I remember when I started, it was like, man, I tell everybody, man, there's ghosts in these walls.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, I don't know what's going on, because every time I would walk, I always walk with my fence, my fists clenched.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: They were always, you know, ready for something to happen.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_01: And then it's like, after a while, I started noticing, you know, my hands freeing up and starting to get to know the people, the guests, whatnot, and I guess everybody, you know, learning from them, their stories too, is helping me.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_01: Just because I know, you know, if I didn't have the mom that I had, I probably wouldn't be here.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody wanted my mom to kick me out because I always from age 11 I drank and did drugs all my life.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_01: But my mom was we're still with the rock of the family and uh just trying to better like I said, my dad's not here anymore.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_01: He can't see what I'm doing today.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_02: Marcus, you um got a big machine to keep rolling here, to beak a rescue mission with all the facilities and security.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um small team to be able to do it all.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_02: You guys do it amazingly well.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um a lot of these facilities are not in the shape they were when they were first built.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um they're old.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so you gotta keep them all up.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_02: You get somebody on the team, you really want to depend upon them.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_02: But you also sometimes have to make a decision, um, like you did with Mark, that we can't do this now.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_02: How hard is that for you?
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_02: And then to give a person another chance, what does that mean?
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_06: It's uh it's a lot of heartbreak and a lot of prayer.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_06: Um and a lot of sympathy, I would say.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_06: Or empathy or sympathy?
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_06: Um, I don't know.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_06: I prayed a lot about Mark.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_06: He I I get attached to my people.
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_06: Like he said, we're like brothers.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_06: So um when I see one fall, when I see one fall and I have to let them go because they're not, you know, they're not good for the team in that moment, yeah.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_06: That's that's one of the hardest things I have to do in the position I am in.
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_06: Um but fervently pray and um continue to pray that Jesus is in their heart and uh continue to be the example of him to other people is how I get through that.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_06: And um and staying connected.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_06: If I would if I dropped all connection and didn't have that like bond that we had, I wouldn't have his phone number, wouldn't have any way to connect, would we wouldn't even be here.
• 48:13
  SPEAKER_06: So but staying connected in that in that sense.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_06: Um and just the the friendships and relationships that are built here.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_06: Um that's how uh that's how I'm able to make that decision to bring somebody back.
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_02: So you uh mentioned that Mark just doesn't make floors shine, but he shines He shines Jesus.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_02: Jesus.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_02: He does.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_02: Explain how you see that, Mark.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_06: I see that as um just going up and saying hi to somebody and asking them how they're doing, like intentionally doing that.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um walking down the hallway from the room.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_02: From a dude that was rocking ready to take him on, huh?
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_06: He was ready to rumble and from going ready to rumble to being relaxed and at peace is uh pretty incredible.
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_06: But again, that's uh the example of Jesus that he sees through us that he in turn puts on other people.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_02: Mark, what do you think when you hear that about you now?
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_01: Kind of shocking, you know.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's uh it's just like when I see, you know, the guests over there picking cigarette butts off the floor, off the ground.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that gets me.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_01: We had a guy one time volunteer with us, and he was doing that.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I looked at him, I told him, I was like, man, I said, put that cigarette butt down.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_02: So they're not picking them up to clean up the sidewalk.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_02: No, smoke them.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_02: Pick them up, smoke them because you can't afford cigarettes.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, man, I said, put that down.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_01: I said, once we get done doing what we're doing, I said, I'm gonna leave and I'm gonna go buy you a pack of cigarettes.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I left, went and bought a pack of cigarettes, and just uh smile, the gratitude that he showed, you know, thank you.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_01: You didn't have to do that.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was like, you know, I was like, as long as you're volunteering with us and you're helping, I said, whenever you need a pack of cigarettes, I said, let me know.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_01: I said, I can it's nothing for me to go buy you a pack.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_01: That way you're not picking them up off the ground.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm not sure I'm going to marry a mortal man to anything right now because they're over here crying their eyes out.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_05: I know.
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_02: You know, i you know what if you're a listener right now and uh you're saying, well, that sounds not okay to go buy somebody a pack of cigarettes that perpetuates a problem that they may have in their life or whatever.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_02: This is uh this is ministry in a very unique and different way, though not everybody gets.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_02: But even a pack of cigarettes or noticing somebody and saying you don't have to do it that way is so unconventional to maybe what we would call Christian.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_02: But it is those kind of things to notice somebody's situation in their life and care for them that is part of what's called transformation.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_02: And while we wouldn't say, hey, it's great to, you know, go smoke cigarettes, you probably wouldn't go down by them a fifth.
• 51:27
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 51:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um that's that's a whole different story, right?
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_01: No, well, it's like when we look for uh volunteers, like I told Marcus one time, you know.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_01: I say, when we look for volunteers, I'll cook food, I'll bring food, and I'll tell our volunteers, look, I got I'm bringing uh burritos or two plates or something, and I'll say, you know, I'll feed you guys if you guys want to, you know, help volunteer.
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I told Marcus one day, I was like, well, I said I was gonna offer them money.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, no, you can't offer them money.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, well, I'm desperate for some help.
• 52:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I bring food and I offer to, you know, give them something else, something different to eat.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, so touching lives in very unique ways.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Lamanda, um we're we're way past our time here, but um what does it mean to you?
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_02: Miriam, chime in here as well.
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_02: What does it mean to you to you to have a Marcus and um a Mark and other people like these guys who do what they do but also go the extra mile?
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, Lily said my name first.
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um we're running out of time.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_00: I I think I could do a whole podcast in response to what you just said.
• 52:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's because life is short, and death is often something that I think scares many of us just because of uncertainties or suffering or separation from our loved ones.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_00: But really, if we have salvation in Christ, eternity is something that we should anticipate, we should look forward to.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_00: And we should also be motivated as Christians to try to share the hope of Christ and it not just be only sharing scripture because sometimes we don't understand the scripture.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_00: But one way that we can truly share the Father's heart is to be open and honest about how he has met us in our mess and made a message out of it.
• 53:50
  SPEAKER_00: And not everybody can be as vulnerable as you just heard Mark be.
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_00: That I needed to earn that.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so to hear him speak vulnerably, to see the changes from the fact that he wouldn't even look up and he just worked.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that broke my heart because I so badly, and I told Marcus this multiple times in my office.
• 54:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I need Mark to know we love him, and I don't care if he's cleaning floors or not.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_00: And Marcus would be like, I know, boss lady.
• 54:58
  SPEAKER_00: I tell him, I tell him.
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I would be like, no, does he know like he matters?
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't care if he stands there and talks to me for 15 minutes and doesn't get to my bathroom.
• 55:06
  SPEAKER_00: I want him to talk to me.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_00: Marcus is like, I know, I know, but Lamanda, not everybody is ready to have a conversation with you yet, right?
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_00: And multiple conversations and to see that go from that to I can joke with him this morning and call him a VIP and all of that, and just to see what I'm gonna call as just like a heavy weight that he had on him be gone, and then for him to talk about it.
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know about you, but it's not easy to get even a one-on-one conversation, much less a mic in your face and talk about stuff you did that you're not proud of, but then to be able to talk about how people have held you accountable and then to talk about how you've changed.
• 55:46
  SPEAKER_00: That to me is incredible.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_00: Going back to Marcus, um that is why Mark is such a blessing, because Mark has the ability to talk about his own story, which I think reaches people and then attaches people to Christ in a way that sometimes even maybe a church service can't because they're not ready for that.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_00: Then you pivot to Marcus.
• 56:17
  SPEAKER_00: Mark is willing to do those things.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_00: One, because of the transform transformation that God has done, but two, the safe and almost accountable boundaries that a leader like Marcus has put in place with his people.
• 56:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Marcus is not gonna be the leader where you can have a light and hide it.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna have your light shining for the Lord, and Marcus is gonna keep fanning it so diligently until you just can't stop yourself from talking about how far you've come.
• 56:54
  SPEAKER_00: So both of them as men, and both of them with their stories and definitely Mark's cooking.
• 57:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um is such a blessing to me as just a sister in Christ to them, but also as a leader.
• 57:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think that it's just a pure privilege for me to walk through even those hard moments.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_00: You know, briefly I want to touch on uh when Mark relapsed.
• 57:22
  SPEAKER_00: Marcus came into my office and he was kind of hitting his hand.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, Um, I'm worried about him.
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_00: Lamanda, I'm worried about him.
• 57:34
  SPEAKER_00: He was just pacing my office.
• 57:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I stopped him and I said, I am too.
• 57:42
  SPEAKER_00: But Mark's choices right now are not your fault, but yet we're also not going to limit our God and think that Mark is gonna stay in this spot.
• 57:55
  SPEAKER_00: And we're gonna be ready to welcome him back.
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't care what anybody says, and I don't care what anybody thinks.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_00: And when Mark is ready for that, we're gonna help him rehabilitate, however, that looks, and help him come back stronger.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um so it's not all the beautiful things around here that we do try to express and talk about.
• 58:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but there's also the in-betweens, and those in-between times matter too.
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I love them both and respect both of them dearly.
• 58:28
  SPEAKER_02: Well said.
• 58:28
  SPEAKER_02: Miriam.
• 58:29
  SPEAKER_04: I can't add much more other than I just love them both.
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_04: And I don't want to say any more.
• 58:35
  unknown: Okay.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_02: Guys, um, and Marcus, you've shared your testimony before.
• 58:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, that's why you mentioned the word empathy, sympathy you have for individuals um like Mark.
• 58:46
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and drawing the line, um, which um we all need a line drawn uh when things are not okay, but then to be there ready.
• 58:56
  SPEAKER_02: That's how Christ is in our life.
• 58:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_02: He's kind of drawing a line for us.
• 58:59
  SPEAKER_02: You know, these are the okay things, these are not okay things.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_02: Here's the things that are going to give you life, these are things that are gonna bring death.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_02: Uh but anytime you want to go to life, let's go.
• 59:08
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's what um speaker rescue mission is about, and that's why we have a mark about Libya here, um, which I do want to get in line for the next time you cook, because I was on the way out the door and they said, Hey, uh, remember you this maybe one of the first times we met, you said, Hey, I've got some food here for you.
• 59:23
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going, Darn.
• 59:24
  SPEAKER_02: I've got to go.
• 59:25
  SPEAKER_02: It smells great.
• 59:26
  SPEAKER_00: The rice is on point.
• 59:27
  SPEAKER_00: I could eat a whole plateful of just the rice.
• 59:29
  SPEAKER_02: So, but uh Mark, uh uh we're all on a journey.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_02: You're on a journey, we are on a journey together.
• 59:35
  SPEAKER_02: And so um thank you for sharing part of your journey with us today.
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_02: Looking forward to more.
• 59:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, just to uh uh just to hear how you were walking down hallways and then now you're going up to people and engaging with them and saying, Hey, I'll go get you a pack.
• 59:51
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to do that.
• 59:52
  SPEAKER_02: That's amazing.
• 59:53
  SPEAKER_02: That's amazing.
• 59:54
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_02: Anything else you'd like to share with our uh listeners today?
• 59:57
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 59:59
  SPEAKER_02: We good.
• 1:00:00
  SPEAKER_02: Marcus, anything?
• 1:00:01
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, so um no matter how far you stray, um just be aware of that that small voice that you can hardly hear in the busy time saying turn around because he wants you to uh come towards him now speaking of Jesus Christ.
• 1:00:21
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks.
• 1:00:21
  SPEAKER_02: Very good.
• 1:00:22
  SPEAKER_02: Well, if you've stayed with us listening to this podcast all the way to the end, you got the best part.
• 1:00:26
  SPEAKER_02: And so thank you for joining us on this what's called uh Giving Tuesday, Transformation Tuesday.
• 1:00:32
  SPEAKER_02: You've heard about transformation that has occurred and still occurring.
• 1:00:36
  SPEAKER_02: And uh you can be a part of that transformation um this Christmas season into next year uh by um going to the website at trmonline.org.
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_02: That's trmonline.org, and check it out, see what the ministries of Topeka Rescue Mission are, uh take a look at uh the places to volunteer, how you can give for Christmas, how you can give today on Giving Tuesday, um, how you can financially invest in people like Marcus and Mark and so many others who need you so that they understand that they matter.
• 1:01:10
  SPEAKER_02: And thank you for mattering.
• 1:01:12
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, thank you for being a part of the team of Topeka Rescue Mission, and thank you for listening to our community, our mission.