from hopelessness to hope | a message from our director
mark terrell
I have been thinking about the scripture verse of Cup of Cool Water, Psalm 107:35,
“He turns a desert into pools of water; a parched land into springs of water.”
Actually, I like all of Psalm 107. It talks about hurting people crying out to God, and God leading them to a city (community) and healing them. Then we get to the final section, Psalm 107:34-43, that talk about God’s authority to change things in our world.
Whenever I share about this verse with groups I ask them, “What images come to mind when you think of a desert?” They usually respond with, “Dry, hot, sand, lifeless, and hopeless.” I agree with all of those answers, however, I believe our verse is not talking about a piece of property, like Death Valley. Rather, the desert refers to our hearts. If I am honest with myself, I must admit that I often have desert areas of my heart too. The desert is especially a description of the hearts of the young men and women who come to Cup of Cool Water.
A young man came in one day, very agitated and talking really fast, and asked, “Mark, do you know why I smoke a lot of pot?” Before I could answer he responded, “It is because I am dead, and I want to feel alive.”
Youth also write poems, like:
We are the ones
On whose tombs
They will inscribe
Died at 17
Buried at 75
Out of the night
We breathe a sigh
For those who are dead
But cannot die
The desert… hopeless hearts longing for hope.
I love our scripture verse because it doesn’t begin and end with the desert and hopelessness. It begins with the “He.” This “He” is God, Jesus the Christ. I also like that Jesus is active in this verse. He is transforming, changing, and renovating the desert.
Again, whenever I talk about this verse with groups I ask them, “What images come to mind when you think of a pool of water?” They usually respond with, “Green, life, refreshing, hope.” I agree with all of those answers. However, I believe our verse is not talking about a piece of property. Rather, the pool of water is referring to the hearts of many young men and women who come to Cup of Cool Water, as well as my own. God is beginning to transform their hopeless hearts and mine, though it often happens very slowly.
The same young man, a few weeks after the “smoking pot” comment, came into Cup of Cool Water and pointed at a poster we have with the different names of Jesus on it. He shouted out, “Mark, they are missing a name for Jesus on that poster.” “OK, what is it?” I asked. He responded, “Jesus is a badass.”
It has to be explained that if this young man called someone a “badass” he was giving them the highest compliment he knew how to give. So to call Jesus a badass was something very special and close to his heart. I wrote it on a piece of duct tape and put it on the poster.
Yes, Jesus is renovating hopelessness to hope.
This is what I know Cup of Cool Water is all about. We bring Jesus the Christ to the desert of hopelessness and let him renovate it into a pool of hope. And we do this through providing healthy relationships, creating a community of care, and providing services.
ignite
from tiffany marshall
On Saturday the 29th of October, a group of people gathered to hear speakers and the testimonies of three youth who grew up homeless on the streets of Spokane. Held at the Davenport Hotel, Dr. Ron Ruthruff, author of The Least of These, was the keynote speaker who encouraged you to refuse to listen to the voice of the crowd. E. Susan Meyer, CEO of Spokane Transit Authority, was a very entertaining Master of Ceremonies. Three previously homeless young adults gave their testimonies and shared how God has worked through Cup of Cool Water to help them exit street life. It was a very dynamic program that shared with you the truth about the struggles youth face on the streets. Tears and laughter were shared as stories were told about the pain of their past and the redemption that comes only through Christ.
“Ignite” was an evening intended to ignite hearts to love Spokane’s youth who are homeless. The room was filled with many new faces, all listening intently. Each speaker had a deep desire to share the message about the resilient young people who are immersed in street culture. Since a majority of the audience was just recently introduced to CCW, the event was a great opportunity to share this message. In the days following the banquet, many attendees who were not previously aware of the situation have had a stirring in their hearts to make a difference.
As the evening served as an introduction for many people, it also gave you a chance to extend your hand and help fund new programs at Cup of Cool Water. These programs are helping youth gain the confidence and knowledge needed to earn their GEDs, obtain jobs, and grasp opportunities to explore their God-given gifts. The birth of the Redemptive Development programs began with the need and profound opportunity presented to educate and empower. Betterment is making youth better today…a toothbrush, a shower, a change of clothes, and clean laundry. Development is equipping youth with the skills and confidence needed to become successful in their education and eventually career. In order to implement these programs (GED training, job training, and Classes of Whimsy), Cup of Cool Water needs to increase staff positions and the hours that we are open. Currently, the youth are at CCW 17 hours a week. By introducing these programs, and increasing the time that youth can be at Cup of Cool Water, you will keep youth off of the street and give them opportunities that they so greatly need.
We have been very blessed by your financial gifts, and there is still a need to raise the remaining funds. The goal was set at $45,000. At the event you raised over $21,000, including one–time gifts and monthly pledges. You have the unique opportunity to see what God can do in these young lives. More staff + more hours = safe youth. Young people want to come to the understanding that they are valued, they are loved, and they are children of God. We know you desire for them to succeed. Will you make a difference in the lives of these precious young people? The three young adults who shared their stories at Ignite testify to the impact that many like you have had in their transformed lives. Give them the opportunity and they will succeed. Now is your time to walk alongside them and give them that chance.
hope for His kids
from kathy burrowes
“I didn’t think I could have fun without drugs, but this was awesome.” –female youth, 17, after outdoor activity with CCW staff.
Sometimes being involved in the lives of the youth we serve here at Cup of Cool Water can be so hard on the heart!!! I just want to fix what’s wrong in their lives; I want it to be all better. I cannot imagine living through some of the experiences I hear about from the kids. Although I want it to be all better for them, I quickly remember that only God can make it better. I can listen without judgment, I can wipe tears and give hugs, I can play games and share meals, and provide for some of their basic needs within the ministry. However, as one young lady told me “you guys might be able to fill our tummies, but you can throw all the pain medicine you want at us, and it won’t fix our broken hearts.” I already know this in my head, but when one of the kids says it out loud, it resonates deep within my heart and reminds me that only Christ can heal!
Recently during drop in a 17-year-old young man told me this when I asked about his family: “I ran away from my adoptive home; they were assholes. Then I contacted my biological family for the first time and they were assholes, too. So I’ve chosen not to have contact with any of them.” When I asked, “Why not?” he replied, “Well, it’s just easier on my heart to have no one.”
It’s true that many of the kids we serve do CHOOSE to leave relationships. Most often the relationships they have known were abusive or extremely unhealthy and dysfunctional. However, occasionally there are kids who were adopted or cared for by loving families, but who cannot seem to move past what happened to them BEFORE God brought these folks into their lives. The wounds of their past are SO deep that new, healthy, loving relationships cannot and do not take away the pain of their past. Only Christ can do that, if we are willing to let Him.
Some of our youth attempt time and time again to leave the streets. They may get court-ordered drug treatment, maybe have temporary, safe housing, or be motivated to start school or a job. These are exciting experiences in which to walk alongside our youth. Recently, a young lady obtained a bus ticket to leave Spokane and her life of methamphetamine use on the streets. The night before she left, determined to sober up, complete school, and reconnect with her small child, I saw her skipping in the hallway! As we said goodbye it brought tears to my eyes and hers. My tears were a bit of my own sadness for how much I will miss seeing her sweet smile, but more for the difficult road that I know lies ahead for her. I reminded her I will be praying for her and she said “that’s cool.”
Leaving the past behind and the streets behind is not as easy as I once thought! When I first started coming to Cup of Cool Water, I thought if every child here just had a roof over their heads they would be good. As time went on I thought if they had a roof, and a family to love them, well, that would be cool. Then I thought they gotta have God (no, I didn’t think this first!) and then yeah, a roof, loving family and God…it’s just not the case. I’ve seen it time and time again, the closer I am in relationship with a kid who is trying as hard as humanly possible to “change,” the more I see how extremely difficult it is. Old behaviors die slowly. Lies stay in their heads, habits are hard to break, trauma haunts them, violence and drugs seem to be an automatic response to any conflict or problem that arises. Learning social skills or fractions at age twenty is much more difficult than at age eight or nine. Self-sabotage lurks in the corners constantly, and before they know it, they are not only starting over but they are ten steps back!
It can be frustrating and difficult to watch the kids we love and He loves backslide or stay stuck.
My faith is deepened each and every time God miraculously brings one of our youth out of devastation and replaces it with new hope.
Now, I can smile as they share their latest plans or ideas, knowing full well that it may or may not come to pass. God put me here to be a light in the darkness, to remain regulated when surrounded by 25 disregulated kids! He put me here to encourage and wipe tears. He put me here to be His hands and feet.
It does break my heart to see events unfold for the kids that we had hoped and prayed would change. Some will die out there, some will die in prison, some will die from overdose or violence or suicide, and it DOES happen. However, my hope remains that when they pass from this life to the next, Cup of Cool Water and the staff and volunteers God placed here will have had an impact on where they spend eternity. It’s so worth it!
I am grateful to God for His provision for this ministry and the way it has changed ME. Sometimes I long for the “old” me, before ministry. It was easier! But then I think “no, the cost of obedience to Christ, no matter how difficult is well worth it.”
Amen? AMEN.
cool water bikes update
from noah sutherland
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:1-5 (NASB)
per•se•ver•ance [pur-suh-veer-uh ns] noun
1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
I don’t know if it is fair to call this last year a tribulation. However, it has been a time of testing for me personally. One year ago, we began negotiating a lease for space to move Cool Water Bikes. Today, we still have not moved, and I am not sure exactly when we will. There have been many moments in the last year that have felt difficult and discouraging. I have wondered if I have been trying to force something to happen that is more about building my own kingdom instead of God’s kingdom. We ran up against obstacles that at first seemed insurmountable.
I believe God has been teaching me patience and trust in him through all the delays. More accurately, I have seen more and more how little patience and trust I actually have. My only hope is that God’s love through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice is sufficient to cover my lack of trust. Through it all, when I have been anxious about the future, about whether Cool Water Bikes would succeed or fail, I have been reminded, by friends and family (and I think by the Holy Spirit) that this work belongs to God. He has brought us to where we are for his own purposes, and whether this endeavor succeeds (however we want to define that) or fails, he will continue to be about his business of rescuing and redeeming the hearts and minds of myself and the youth we serve here at Cup of Cool Water.
Although Cool Water Bikes is part of Cup of Cool Water, we have been running it with a separate budget in order to gauge the sustainability of this thing we call Redemptive Development. Cool Water Bikes is funded by a combination of donations and retail sales and service. We hope that as the business grows we will be able to add paid job-training positions for youth then begin funding other programs within Cup of Cool Water. Right now, those plans are on hold.
This year, we have averaged more than $1000 per month behind budget. The amazing part is that retail income has actually exceeded what we expected for the year (and that budget was set assuming we would have moved into the new building part way through the year). While donations have increased slightly over last year, there is still a large gap to bridge. The Cup of Cool Water Board of Directors has been extremely generous in their encouragement and support, specifically by supplementing the CWB budget from the general ministry budget. I am grateful beyond words for their support for this project, but I know that the current situation cannot continue indefinitely. I need help.
Can you help? We need an extra $1000 each month to meet our current needs. We need one-time gifts totaling $3000 to cover materials, sprinkler installation, and startup expenses in the new location. If you can give either monthly or once, please make your checks out to Cool Water Bikes (to help our bookkeeper). We can also take Visa or MasterCard if that is easier for you. Also, if you think your church or other group would like to hear more about how we are attempting to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ through Cool Water Bikes, please let me know. I would love to come and share our story. If you know people who are interested in bicycling, please advertise for us. I would love to give you some flyers and business cards to hand out. Call or email to get in touch: 838-8580 or noah@coolwaterbikes.org.
So what about the new shop? We are getting closer and tentatively hope that it will open this winter. We have a contractor lined up who has volunteered their time to oversee the physical improvements that need to happen. But there are still some hurdles to clear before we can open the new store. It is still impossible to make a very firm timeline because every time I have tried to do that before, each step has taken ten times as long as I expected. Will you pray with me for perseverance, character, and hope through the Holy Spirit?
I need it.
redemptive development
from rachel terrell
Cup of Cool Water’s mission is to empower street youth to become wholehearted followers of Christ and to exit street life.
Coming to know Christ is begun through the intentional relationships that staff and volunteers develop with youth through all services provided by Cup. Exiting street life is accomplished through enduring relationships and services that empower youth with skills and knowledge to make the transition.
What is Redemptive Development? Simply put: Redemptive Development is programs offered to expand Cup of Cool Water’s mission statement of empowering youth to exit street life. Currently Cup offers basic services like showers, food, and clothing. All these services are critical and will always be part of what Cup does. Basic services can be described as “betterment”: making your life better today. At Cup we want to expand into “Development”: providing training, education and skills to equip youth with the tools necessary to exit street life. This is where Redemptive Development (RD) fits into Cup’s mission.
All programs offered through Redemptive Development will require different levels of responsibility through goal setting, showing up on time, and/or taking ownership in the program. Currently RD is offering Classes of Whimsy. These classes focus on learning a skill such as knitting or cooking. Learning something new provides an opportunity for youth to build confidence and responsibility by showing up on time and contributing.
Soon RD will be offering GED tutoring/ College prep and job training/ life skills courses. Equipping youth with skills for gaining employment and completing their education in a small class setting will allow for relationships to grow and goals to be met.
Redemptive Development empowers youth to pursue life changing goals with the support of a caring community that provides a structured environment.
If you would like to know more about Redemptive Development or have ideas/ skills to share with us, please contact Rachel Terrell: Rachel@cupofcoolwater.org
hear from ccw donors
“I met Mark Terrell through the Krista Foundation and I admire his dedication greatly – how could any mother of children not be drawn to Cup of Cool Water? What keeps me involved? A continued intent in helping our homeless young people.”
~ Mardelle Shagool – Cup of Cool Water Donor
As a mentor of Juvenile Detention for 8 years, I would encourage the young people to contact Cup of Cool Water for assistance within a Christian atmosphere. What keeps me involved? Care for our young people.
~ Phyllis Salmon – Cup of Cool Water Donor
current needs
○ Large Wool Blankets
○ Gift Certificates for winter boots
○ 53A HP Laser Jet Print Cartridge
○ Socks!
○ Winter gloves and outdoor wear!
○ Women’s(girls’ style) pants – sizes 0-8
○ Handwarmers
○ McDonald Bucks
○ Hot Chocolate
○ Stamps
volunteer spotlight
taylor norelius
from sara wiltermood
Age: 21
How long have you volunteered at CCW? 2.5 years
What do you do outside of Cup life? I am a student at Whitworth University.
What is your favorite thing about volunteering at CCW?
I love to be able to give something to someone who really needs it. I feel that for many of us not experiencing extreme poverty, clean socks or food is not exciting, but I love to see a kids face light up when we have a food they love or they earn a cool new backpack.
What was something you were most surprised about when you first came to CCW? I think I was surprised that the kids actually wanted to talk to me. They didn’t seem at all uncomfortable and I guess I thought they might be.
What do you think most people wouldn’t know about the kids that come to CCW?
I don’t think they would expect to find the needs of children under the hardened exterior. These kids may live on the street and seem really tough, but they like all children really want to be loved and respected.
