“Then they bring homeless people back to ‘The Feet’ for a worship service and lunch,” says Executive Director Mike Myers. “In the after- noons, the youth groups go to low-income housing communities and pick up children for Kids Clubs. We host the Kids Club in the after- noons at our park on our campus. It stretches our staff, but it is encour- aging to see the Lord work in the lives of those who come to minister alongside us.” Something similar happens at Safe Harbor Rescue Mission. “We have a day program that serves women and children,” says Vicki. “Our number of children in that program normally doubles during July and August. We have partnered with churches that run backyard Bible clubs at our facility for about three hours each day. This has been a huge blessing.” Outward Focus W hile winter’s freezing temperatures cause great concern for the homeless in many areas, in others, summer’s extreme heat is the issue. So several missions step up their community outreach efforts during this time. Phoenix Rescue Mission’s “Code Red” Summer Heat Relief campaign lasts from May to September. During that time the mission mobilizes additional volunteer outreach teams and does more street ministry, according to President and CEO Jay Cory. “The summer heat in Phoenix can be deadly for those facing home- lessness,” he says. “So we act as a hydration station and greatly increase our distribution of water, hats, and heat relief survival packs. Last year we distributed more than 850,000 bottles of water.” Hydration also becomes the focus of emergency services at Los Angeles Mission. “When the heat goes up, tempers and temperatures soar,” says Herb Smith, president/CEO. “We have an increase in day guests look- ing for a respite from the heat.” Doing relief work in your own backyard is a great way to interact with people you wouldn’t normally see. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness about your mission’s work while you share Christ’s love. Inward Focus V arious missions use the summer months as a time to invest internally by help- ing residential program members deepen their walk with God, training volunteers, or doing repairs on the physical property. At Las Cruces Gospel Rescue Mission in New Mexico, many of the “rescue” people leave the mission to travel or sleep outside, according to Executive Di- rector Henry Young. That frees staff members’ time to invest in the lives of people who are there longer term. “In the past summers, we have used this time to focus on the spiri- tual growth of those who are here Ī WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2017 47 Various missions use the summer months as a time to invest internally by helping residential program members deepen their walk with God, training volunteers, or doing repairs on the physical property.