Latest / Our Community, Our Mission / Ep #186 - Unleashing Leadership Potential in Adversity

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Ep #186 - Unleashing Leadership Potential in Adversity · Our Community, Our Mission

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Heavenly Father.
• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We thank you, lord, for this day and your blessings and provisions.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: God, we just want to pray right now, lord, for our unsheltered neighbors and those experiencing this heat right now.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Lord, just pray your protection over them, your blessing over them, and Lord, just pray your blessing over this time today.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Lord, in your holy name, we pray Amen.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Hello everybody.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: You're listening to Our Community, our mission, a podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission here on August, the 23rd 2023, podcast number 186.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: This is your host, barry Fiecker, here this morning on this beautiful day in August.
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: We can call it beautiful.
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: In someone's eyes, it is a beautiful day because they woke up.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: Yes, that's true, that's true.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: It is hot in Topeka, kansas being from Arkansas we say we're all glistening.
• 0:54
  Speaker 4: We're all glistening yeah, really that's sweating profusely.
• 0:57
  Speaker 4: But from Arkansas we say we're glistening, my house was sweating this morning.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: I know Poor house, but at least a head of house right, that's right.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Amanda Barrow is Executive Director of Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Maryam Kreebel, senior Director of Supporting Certainty, deputy Director of Supporting Certainty.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: Maryam, what are you?
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: Barry is enjoying retirement.
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: What a great opportunity to be, barry.
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: I am Matt oh well anyway.
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: So we've got a special guest which has been on the podcast before we want to get to her here real quick, but just real quick updates.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: Amanda, maryam, in regards to this unprecedented heat we are, I understand.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: Over the last weekend we had over 120 heat index in Topeka.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: Lawrence was reported at 134 heat index.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: What's happening with folks coming in shelters?
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: What about our street outreach programs?
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: Sure.
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: So we have seen an increase in those seeking shelter.
• 1:53
  Speaker 4: I think we do.
• 1:55
  Speaker 4: You know, anytime the weathers are extreme whether that's extreme cold or extreme heat Lots of children coming into the shelters.
• 2:02
  Speaker 4: So you know we topped over 50 in the last couple of days being in our shelter, so you can tell whether that's because they have been couch hopping or maybe staying in their cars.
• 2:15
  Speaker 4: School has started and so now there's just this different level of accountability, because summer is over and parents are knowing they've got to get the kids back into school, and so we've seen an increase in that.
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: We're watching that.
• 2:28
  Speaker 4: I drove over the weekend a couple of times just around the buildings and our water spickets are being used a lot more.
• 2:35
  Speaker 4: You see people filling up jugs and just cooling off, men and women trying to get their hair wet and things like that.
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: So we've been watching making sure that that is working properly.
• 2:47
  Speaker 4: As far as our in shelter neighbors, you know our staff has been down.
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: So, just to be realistic, usually we're leading the charge on this, but we've had to kind of take a different role just because I have people out, and so we've provided more resources versus the manpower, Whereas normally we're going into overtime and I'm out and all of these things, but If you don't have teams, you can't do that, and so we're just thankful for our other partners, as in to Pica Police Department and Vallejo and helping provide waters and Gatorades, the propels, things like that, as we can't necessarily do the manpower this time as we have.
• 3:28
  Speaker 4: I also would like to thank just people in the community, particularly the Salvation Army, because they've opened up cooling centers and that is helpful.
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: So one of the things that, either at the Mobile Access Partnership or when our teams have been able to do outreach, we have let our unsheltered neighbors know here are the places that you can go, here are the times, and giving them warnings.
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: Now, one of the things that our team was able to accomplish last week, before all of this started hitting, was giving people the forecast.
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: We were telling them this is coming, are you prepared?
• 4:00
  Speaker 4: Making sure, and so now it's just a matter of providing ice and those resources and checking on some that we know have physical ailments, and so that's really turned into our priority, instead of quantity, trying to get out to everyone like we normally do.
• 4:17
  Speaker 4: We've got a focus group of some that are older and some that have those physical ailments.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we are definitely in a crisis here and so all hands on deck to do whatever we can.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Fortunately, a number of agencies still doing the Mobile Access Partnership, which is out there on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help people, and definitely that is a great place to get a cool shower and water and those kind of things.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: Want to jump right into our guest here today, your former boss, amanda.
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: Which is.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: I don't know if anybody can really be her boss, but anyway I tried once hey.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: That's not nice.
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: Yes, the superintendent of USD 501 to pick up public schools.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: Dr Tiffany Anderson, great to have you here on our community, our mission again.
• 5:04
  Speaker 5: Oh, it's wonderful to be here.
• 5:05
  Speaker 5: Thank you for having me.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: You're very welcome, Dr Anderson.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: Remind us again how long it's been since you were in Topeka.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: I know even before you started, you and I had the opportunity to get to know each other and visit, but when did you officially start as superintendent here?
• 5:20
  Speaker 5: Officially June I'm sorry, july 1st 2016.
• 5:23
  Speaker 5: So I'm moving into my eighth year.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: Eighth year.
• 5:26
  Speaker 5: I'm flies by really fast and we've done some pretty remarkable work, both together with the rescue mission and in various ways throughout the community.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: Dr Anderson, you came from a community in Missouri where you had had a significant percentage of poverty and you were successful in addressing those poverty issues with your students graduation levels, rows and those kind of things.
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: You've had some similar success in the Topeka public schools in this area Obviously your trademark tennis shoes and unique scarfs and how you come in to really engage with the students.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: But in the process of all this there's been a lot of changes that have happened in the world and one of those things that you didn't expect when you came into this work as well as coming to Topeka, was going to be the pandemic.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: How has that your momentum in regards to really trying to help the students in the district, to improve the families, to improve on a great momentum there?
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: How did that interrupt and what have been the ramifications of the thing that we're still suffering from the ramifications?
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: But how did that interrupt what you were trying to do and how have you navigated through that?
• 6:41
  Speaker 5: Well, that's a really good question, in part because when you talk about what we've done, I really have just had the opportunity to work alongside some incredible people and partners to transform communities, and so the experience with the pandemic are really.
• 7:02
  Speaker 5: With any challenge, I always say there's a blessing in the challenge.
• 7:05
  Speaker 5: You just have to see it.
• 7:06
  Speaker 5: So the interruption that we talk about is really an opportunity to disrupt the norm and to grow from it and to do some things differently and to look and see at things differently.
• 7:21
  Speaker 5: So that is the opportunity that we gained from that disruption.
• 7:25
  Speaker 5: So, as examples, we now, since the pandemic, have other virtual learning platforms for students of all ages who may have health conditions that keeps them from coming in who may have other reasons why they may not be able to be in school at that time, and we used to only provide that for secondary school students.
• 7:50
  Speaker 5: So we are one of perhaps 11 sites, I believe, in Kansas that has really K-12 virtual opportunities now.
• 7:58
  Speaker 5: Additionally, our level of focus of partnerships was always strong, but it's even stronger now because we have some partners who perhaps prior to the pandemic, were not as involved as they are now, because they understand the true circle that we live in, in which what you do does impact me and what I do impacts you.
• 8:25
  Speaker 5: So the level of generosity and giving and love has only grown since the pandemic.
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: How, so what are some of the examples of that that?
• 8:33
  Speaker 5: you've seen.
• 8:33
  Speaker 5: Well, we have more volunteers parents and others who have decided to get more involved on a day-to-day basis in the classroom, and they originally were isolated and were looking for volunteer opportunities, so they gave out food and things like that during the pandemic.
• 8:49
  Speaker 5: But now they have become so connected with that school that they adopted that.
• 8:54
  Speaker 5: They're in school mentoring young people and supporting them in that way.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: It's part of that, because they had to become the teachers for a season and now they're realizing how valuable you are.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: Oh, my goodness.
• 9:05
  Speaker 5: That's perhaps part of it.
• 9:06
  Speaker 5: You know this.
• 9:07
  Speaker 5: On the way here, I had a wonderful opportunity to speak with a particular bus driver who was just finishing his interview as a para, and you know it's so interesting.
• 9:18
  Speaker 5: There are so many and I'm sure you all understand this that can stand on the sidelines and criticize, and I always say in my mom and daddy's church if you're going to criticize, there is always room for additional volunteers.
• 9:30
  Speaker 5: And I happen to be visiting on Sunday New Mount Zion and Pastor White said that exact statement, as they had some technical opportunities instead of you want to criticize the technical team or the music team or we love to see you volunteer, I know.
• 9:46
  Speaker 4: It's noted.
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: I'm going to use that next time.
• 9:49
  Speaker 5: Always room for volunteers, and so we really use that spirit in ministry to say, as we are ministering to people across the community, using education as our platform, to talk about love and generosity and to really feel that we also will open up pathways for you to be involved in ways that perhaps you never thought you would.
• 10:11
  Speaker 5: It's very beautiful.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: One of the things I remember early on is that you hosted a meeting within Mayor Dela Isla over at Believe, your Church, to where a number of clergy came in to talk about how are we going to keep kids fed, because a lot of people don't understand that that meal that's in school, or two meals maybe, during the school day, is some of the best meals, if not the only meals that some children have.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: And so the pandemic was going to interrupt that.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: And so I remember walking into the room and big room and all those chairs were at least six feet apart.
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: We were all spread out.
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: I mean it sounds a little bit funny right now, but we didn't know what the risk was.
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: I mean, we were told what it was and there was some definite risk there, but it was like we want to come together but we can't really get too close together.
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: Yes and so.
• 11:05
  Speaker 5: You know, the power in that is that love transcends distance and space.
• 11:10
  Speaker 5: And it taught us that as we look at other ways to connect beyond personally hugging someone, it's in what you say and the personal contact, the taking time to be fully present, the listening to learn rather than listening to respond.
• 11:27
  Speaker 5: It's funny you mentioned food, because here's the other thing.
• 11:29
  Speaker 5: Out of the pandemic, there are many grants and funding streams that opened up from the government federally and statewide that weren't present before.
• 11:38
  Speaker 5: So Topeka Public Schools is the only district in this region that now, as of this year, has a multi-year grant to give every student lunch at no cost.
• 11:48
  Speaker 5: Parents still have to fill out the form, but it doesn't matter your income, so it saves every parent.
• 11:54
  Speaker 5: Yes, approximately almost $1,000 over the course of time, depending whether they were free or reduced, or whether they were reduced or full paid, so beautiful.
• 12:05
  Speaker 5: So imagine the change for young people whose parents work, who don't qualify for lunch, who just didn't eat because they knew they didn't have the money or they didn't want to create a burden for their family or for young people who are on their own, who are 18 at high school.
• 12:21
  Speaker 5: So we've just removed that stigma.
• 12:23
  Speaker 5: Everybody gets free lunch.
• 12:24
  Speaker 5: It's just our first year, so that's a new grant.
• 12:27
  Speaker 5: Mental health mentors, that's another new grant and we have one in every school.
• 12:31
  Speaker 5: Our COVID nurses have continued in schools, so we have added health support.
• 12:36
  Speaker 5: So a number of opportunities, some of which were ESSER grant funded and some are just new grants that are now available.
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: Those things just don't fall into your lap.
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: You've got to have a relationship, you have to work those things out, and that's one of the things that you and your team have done very effectively is that you work local, but you also engage with beyond local to be able to get those things in, which is not an easy thing to do sometimes.
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: I'm going to ask you a question.
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: It's going to maybe put you on the spot here.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: This is not to be political, but it is also political.
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: In regards to hunger, you mentioned that you're one of the few in the area that have been able to make sure that kids are able to get food, regardless of income.
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: I was in a meeting last week and, if the information is right, there's about 134 nations who have voted to or made statements or whatever the case might be, that hunger is a human right Not excuse me, food is a human right to combat hunger, except for two nations the United States and Israel that have not signed on to it is a right to have food or access to food.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: I'm putting you on the spot here.
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: What are your thoughts on that?
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: I think feeding people shouldn't be a tool.
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: It should be something that's readily available, especially in the nation, as plentiful as we are, as much food as we have.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: Not to get political on that, but it just seemed like that was odd to me that you would really have to work to make sure that that kids have food whenever they need it.
• 14:17
  Speaker 5: You know, not only do I agree with the statement, but I think that the more that we see ourselves in the position of others or they're most vulnerable, the more we understand this piece of.
• 14:30
  Speaker 5: When we say it's a human right what it is to be human, the more we can understand the importance of truly loving our neighbor.
• 14:39
  Speaker 5: So you know, I used to say education is a civil right, but not everybody has that opportunity.
• 14:46
  Speaker 5: Healthcare is it should be a right that everyone has, and certainly food and particularly the nation is rich as ours.
• 14:56
  Speaker 5: So, without getting too political but really speaking the truth to power, in that when we feed those that are hungry, we know that we are a better nation and community.
• 15:10
  Speaker 5: When we educate those that are in need, we know we are a better nation and community and we cannot grow without those basic needs being met.
• 15:22
  Speaker 5: We know that.
• 15:22
  Speaker 5: So I would agree.
• 15:26
  Speaker 5: You know I've always quoted and Dr Malin was getting in many of the things that I say because I think we learned so much between ministry and politics and just loving on folks in that space.
• 15:41
  Speaker 5: You know there's a quote that I've mentioned many times from John Dunn, from the Bell Tolls and several of Dr King's speeches.
• 15:50
  Speaker 5: I cannot do well unless you do well, and you cannot do well unless I do well.
• 15:54
  Speaker 5: We are all connected and we're all part of the main Wow that is powerful, that is very powerful.
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know it's and you see this, you know this.
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: I think anybody who is working with children know that they are not gonna be able to learn until they feel safe.
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: You're not gonna feel safe until you're fed, and so there are so many things that today are compromising safety of our communities and our students.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: What are you doing, what have you done in the district to try to help students know that they're safe, not only in the classroom, but maybe to and from, and I know you personally and you don't fanfare this, but you personally are involved in families to help them?
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: How important is it that our students feel safe, not only intellectually but practically?
• 16:46
  Speaker 5: Well, and when we talk about what I do, really, it's really not me.
• 16:50
  Speaker 5: I say, it's really we as a team, we as a district and wow, we have an amazing team.
• 16:56
  Speaker 5: So we have a mental health team at every school in Topeka.
• 16:59
  Speaker 5: This is our sixth consecutive year without having a completed suicide of a student or a staff member.
• 17:06
  Speaker 5: That has to be one of few places in the nation that can say that.
• 17:10
  Speaker 5: And it's because not because of me, but because of our mental health team and what they're doing we also ensure that, first and foremost, we give the message of love and belonging and we focus on relationships first.
• 17:29
  Speaker 5: I know it sounds like a crazy thing, Like it needs to be harder than that.
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: That was supposed to be about the three R's and the relationship wasn't one of them, right, oh, I?
• 17:38
  Speaker 5: know, and so one of the things when Ms Broyles was part of the team and still is part of the team in an extended way we talk about relationships, pedagogy and curriculum, such as relationships, the people that you put in front of people and the resources you give them to do the work Right.
• 17:52
  Speaker 5: So in that relationship piece, our preschool staff and other staff members they do porch visits.
• 17:58
  Speaker 5: Home visits happen regularly.
• 18:01
  Speaker 5: When you miss, when you have an absence, three consecutive absences without parent contact, there's more to home visit.
• 18:08
  Speaker 5: Well, you don't have to wait to be true and to have a home visit.
• 18:11
  Speaker 5: So we all really focus on relationships and pouring into people and when you do that collectively you see progress in so many connected ways.
• 18:24
  Speaker 5: I'm just privileged to have the opportunity to walk along some pretty incredible superstars and to create perhaps new paths with partners to allow them to do what they do so well.
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's a quality of a good leader to be able to recognize those who are on your team and to give them credit.
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: And you have a great team.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: There is no doubt about that, and they have a hard job.
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: They have a great leader.
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: You got a chance to work with the executive director to peek a rescue mission at one time.
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: She was a principal and a couple of your schools.
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: What is that relationship between the two of you?
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: Amanda chime in here.
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: You know you.
• 19:03
  Speaker 2: You were a little reluctant for her to leave her post with we had another job waiting.
• 19:10
  Speaker 5: Just as you jump into this, here's a life vest.
• 19:15
  Speaker 5: If you jump into this, you know deep water, I need some help.
• 19:20
  Speaker 5: You know I was her boss.
• 19:28
  Speaker 5: Honestly, we see each other as you know.
• 19:31
  Speaker 5: I pray that all of our principal see me in this way, as co-laborers of ministry and in that co-labor of love we really Kind of walk the talk.
• 19:41
  Speaker 5: And the last position being at shaynor, which they just started preschool last week.
• 19:46
  Speaker 5: If I could just left shaynor this morning checking on the the now we have a two-year-old center there, so, but it developed and continued to grow under miss Brails and now miss Baxter.
• 19:58
  Speaker 5: Miss Brails, as you already know, is pretty incredible Because, prior to any of her roles, relationship and love and caring for others and truly being a servant leader and whatever job she had Was her focus and so, divinely, I believe, the Lord brought us together with her Visiting chase middle school and finishing her administrative credentials, and the rest is history.
• 20:24
  Speaker 5: Yes, so we're fortunate that she's still working with our students, with 70, 79% free lunch Over enrolled this year, the highest enrollment that we've had this early and over enrolled in kindergarten.
• 20:38
  Speaker 5: A lot of families moving to the area oh, 30 families that are Ukrainian.
• 20:42
  Speaker 5: Ukraine out of our second most widely spoken languages.
• 20:46
  Speaker 5: So we are the hub for you say families.
• 20:49
  Speaker 5: So it's.
• 20:50
  Speaker 5: You know the world has changed.
• 20:52
  Speaker 5: But having miss Brails, as we talk about the unsheltered, or Understanding the path of the unsheltered, who better than an educator to be able to do that?
• 21:03
  Speaker 4: Miss Brails, I guess this relationship that we have and the connection I'll just kind of turn it over to you Sure, you want to add to that yeah, that was beautifully said, I think I also, when I think of dr Anderson, I just think of someone who is who she says she is, and I will forever be grateful for her balance in entrusting me with new roles and Leadership opportunities.
• 21:31
  Speaker 4: Sometimes, when I even was like, am I ready for this, she's like, oh yeah, you're already there, you're gonna do great.
• 21:37
  Speaker 4: But then also, she was always someone that you could land on if there was a struggle or if you needed guidance, because she was that example.
• 21:46
  Speaker 4: And so I just loved walking alongside and serving in 501 with her, because there was always opportunities for me to grow and to learn and to Do better and be better for our people who needed it and desperately were Depending on us.
• 22:05
  Speaker 4: But at that same time, she was entrusting me with you know, at State Street it was 500 plus families and the decisions that I was making, and I didn't have to worry every day about being micromanaged and you had this opportunity to be who God was calling you to be and to serve and to serve well.
• 22:25
  Speaker 4: And what I think is incredible about that is that didn't stop just because I was no longer serving in a 501 building Great, I still will receive encouraging text messages from her, or I can reach out to her and say, man, this week has been a struggle.
• 22:40
  Speaker 4: Pray, because we really are an extension of the hands, the feet and the heart of Christ.
• 22:47
  Speaker 4: It doesn't matter where you're serving, what matters is how you're serving, and so I still feel very much connected to her and I think I will forever feel that in that colleague, that Friendship, mentor and just someone that I know Greatly impacted, who I continue to be a leader of today.
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: So, maryam you, former director the Tupica United Way, living United.
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: It's hard, harder to do than say.
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: Yes it is, and and you've watched this relationship between Superintendent and director of the rescue mission, from what it was to where it is.
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: This is kind of a gift, wouldn't you say?
• 23:26
  Speaker 3: it is absolutely a gift.
• 23:27
  Speaker 3: It's a gift for TRM, for our organization.
• 23:31
  Speaker 3: I know it's a gift for Amanda as well, and yes, it's, it's just a gift because so we serve so many of the same folks right their parents, the children, everything like that.
• 23:43
  Speaker 3: So to have that strong relationship is Amazing, and when we just had the opportunity to present to the pair of professionals on their day, it was incredible because it was as if we were talking to people that knew what we were talking about.
• 23:58
  Speaker 2: Same team kind of.
• 23:59
  Speaker 3: It was a different location, assignment, but yet same different perspectives and yet still the same, the same, and so it was this amazing experience to be able to do that.
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: Dr Anderson, not every community gets to have this opportunity that we have here to work together like we do Talk about Topeka.
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: You've been here for a few years now, as you said, and and it's gone by fast.
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: What's your vision?
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: Building upon these relationships and Helping our students, our families, to strengthen our community.
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: What, what's your vision?
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: Because you are a visionary.
• 24:37
  Speaker 5: You know and I always say you know, my vision is this you know, and my son I were talking about, we were talking about purpose actually, and so you know, and he and as young people talk about, you know what's my, my purpose and how do?
• 24:48
  Speaker 5: What do I see in the future?
• 24:49
  Speaker 5: Well, your purpose is God's purpose and my vision is to see Topeka through the eyes of Christ and for and a pray that people see our children in the way that God sees them.
• 25:00
  Speaker 5: You know you talk about.
• 25:02
  Speaker 5: It was great that that.
• 25:03
  Speaker 5: First of all, thank you for training our pair of professionals.
• 25:06
  Speaker 5: And so you're still serving in this training capacity and when you talk about it's all the same team.
• 25:12
  Speaker 5: I believe that everything is preparatory this moment that we're talking and those that are listening and whoever's listening out there, it's meant for them to hear it at this moment.
• 25:21
  Speaker 5: The preparation think about that with miss Broyles, and I met her in part through I think I was on KSNT or something and met her husband who said my Wife, she's read some of your work and would love to connect.
• 25:35
  Speaker 5: She's an educator.
• 25:36
  Speaker 5: And then chase, and then state street, which happened to be connected to chase than shane earth.
• 25:41
  Speaker 5: And here Everything in life is preparatory and we're very much positioned on purpose for God's work.
• 25:49
  Speaker 5: So, having said that, another example is Dr Gray, dr Aaron Gray, who was working in semen at one time and we met just him and his wife and children in the community and he left semen and really followed the work, joined us, but he's part of your board here at the rescue mission and he's carrying two jobs.
• 26:11
  Speaker 5: Right now he is serving at Randolph where school, where he was principal.
• 26:15
  Speaker 5: He left there to be a director in central office working with instructional services and communications, and then Randolph became open and who better than truly a leader in God has given him the tools to say I can do both jobs.
• 26:28
  Speaker 5: So he starts his morning and he is mentoring the two administrators.
• 26:34
  Speaker 5: So he has two administrators under him.
• 26:35
  Speaker 5: He's mentoring them on how to serve well as a great leader.
• 26:39
  Speaker 5: So he spends half his day at Randolph and half his day in Tobica and think about that the largest district in this region, the, that's one of the top seven in the state, and this young man can manage communications and instructional services and Randolph, where he is beloved, without really missing a beat, and manage his children and family and all the other things.
• 27:04
  Speaker 5: In fact, he preached a great sermon on Sunday at his church.
• 27:08
  Speaker 5: So for those that want to hear it, go on the website of El Shaddai and you'll hear him preaching.
• 27:13
  Speaker 5: So he's a deacon as well.
• 27:15
  Speaker 5: So everything is preparatory for the great things that are to come.
• 27:21
  Speaker 5: That is the hopeful message that we can bring to people through Tobica, through the rescue mission.
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: So those little things we do today are going to impact tomorrow and the future.
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: They do matter, and you know there's a lot of debate about the homeless issue around the country right now.
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: I think that compassion has really been challenged because people are seeing it in ways that they've never seen.
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: It's been affecting people, whether it's on a hiking trail or down along a, an arch district or whatever the case might be, and so.
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: But the things that we did yesterday matter for today, and the things that we do today are going to matter for tomorrow, so it's going to be really important how we do them today, isn't it?
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely To make those right decisions.
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: I mean, you mentioned Dr Gray.
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: We, those of us who know him.
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: He's the super quiet, amazing servant that gets it done, but no one would know unless they know, because he is so, he's so quiet and so that's it.
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: That's.
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: People on your team got him here to be a rescue mission and I think it's just really good to celebrate those, those of us who get to see it, to let people know what is happening in our community.
• 28:30
  Speaker 2: Well, in the last and you've got a tight schedule, so we just thank you for coming in today what would you like to say to the listeners here on our community, our mission about something of hope right now, because people are feeling duly kind of hopeless.
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: Obviously, we're in a strange weather time in our community.
• 28:52
  Speaker 2: Things are burdensome.
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: There's people in our community right now living outdoors.
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: There's people living in cars.
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: There's people living in homes without any electricity.
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: Yet there's people also who are struggling just because they're struggling in life the economy, the price of everything that's gone up, the uncertainties politically and so forth.
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: What would you say to encourage people who are listening today, because today does matter for tomorrow.
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: What would you say to them that matters?
• 29:22
  Speaker 5: Well, perhaps, rather than my words, why don't I share God's word?
• 29:26
  Speaker 5: And what does God say to encourage you?
• 29:28
  Speaker 5: One is a scripture from John, that where it says God's command is to love one another as I have loved you, and I think that changes how you look at them, as when I hear people have conversation, I will ask the question is that compassionate?
• 29:47
  Speaker 5: Does that reflect love?
• 29:48
  Speaker 5: And one of our board members board member she said I'm just gonna start saying is that students first?
• 29:53
  Speaker 5: It's a kind of a theme, a model I put in front of everything when I first started in 2016 and it stuck.
• 30:00
  Speaker 5: So students first.
• 30:01
  Speaker 5: Is that students first when people have conversation?
• 30:03
  Speaker 5: So when they're talking about the unsheltered, is that compassionate?
• 30:10
  Speaker 4: Is that?
• 30:10
  Speaker 5: really who we are.
• 30:11
  Speaker 5: The other is from Jeremiah, for I know the plans that I have for you.
• 30:17
  Speaker 5: And that scripture tells us its plans for hope in the future.
• 30:22
  Speaker 5: And so God tells us that is the plan for the future.
• 30:28
  Speaker 5: And if that's not encouragement, have mercy.
• 30:31
  Speaker 5: I think you can join and volunteer in any of our spaces.
• 30:38
  Speaker 3: And you will leave.
• 30:40
  Speaker 5: You will leave not only energized for a positive about what's ahead, but also fulfilled with knowing we're doing some amazing transformational things.
• 30:52
  Speaker 5: But we need those that are listening out there to walk alongside us as co-labors in this ministry, right.
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: That's really good words.
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: I heard a motivational speaker on a podcast this weekend encourage people not to listen to motivational speakers.
• 31:08
  Speaker 2: He said turn off all the noise because we're so influenced by what people say, but be motivational doers.
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: And I thought about that and I thought that is really the key here.
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of voices out here today saying it ought to be this way or you ought to do this, or here's the way we need to look at things.
• 31:28
  Speaker 2: Watch for people who are doing it.
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: Dr Anderson, you're a doer.
• 31:31
  Speaker 2: You're also a motivational speaker, so don't take that away from you.
• 31:34
  Speaker 2: You are a motivational doer because of your example and we just thank you that you are doing what you're doing, not only with our school district, but also use a person in our community because of who you are in Christ and because you're the real deal.
• 31:47
  Speaker 5: So thank you for joining us today.
• 31:49
  Speaker 5: Thank you, we are as only strong as our team.
• 31:51
  Speaker 5: So thank you, team from TRM and thank you team.
• 31:54
  Speaker 5: Topeka, for doing the great work that we're all doing.
• 31:57
  Speaker 5: Thank you.
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: Thank you Well team.
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to our community, our mission today.
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: This has been podcast 186.
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: If you'd like more information about the Topeka rescue mission, you can go to trmonlineorg.
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: That's trmonlineorg.
• 32:11
  Speaker 2: You can subscribe, rate or share our community, our mission.
• 32:14
  Speaker 2: These are difficult times but we got some great people and you're one of them and we want to thank Dr Anderson for helping lead the charge in the way she does.
• 32:22
  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to our community, our mission.