This blog is from one of the people from Hillside Church who did a project for school about Farm Drive. Here is his explanation of the project plus a link to his blog.
The project was part of a practical communication course for my Masters
in Communication at Gonzaga University. The assignment was to perform a
community profile where we highlighted something in our local community
that brought people together, enhanced the feeling of community etc... I
choose the Farm Drive Neighborhood Center because it was close to my
heart. I knew it was a great outreach and Melissa has supported it by
volunteering. I discovered that it has much more impact than I realized
when I was able to visit Ruben and see for myself that Farm Drive not
only enhances community, it changes lives.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Some Great News
A cool update from Gary. This is why we live where we live:
Hey Everyone:
I would like to thank each of you who have been encouraging Cadet Ruben Torres, our Farm Drive kid who is attending the Grizzly Academy. He is really doing great. He was home on a home pass and got to talk to a lot of you over the weekend. He told me about the encouragement he received from many people at The Scramble on Saturday. Pastor Joe, he was especially appreciative of your comments to him. On Sunday, many people approached him and greeted him, hugged him and told him how proud they were of him. What a smile that kid has. Thanks, Hillside family!!!
We have had a lot of time to talk and two things Ruben is working on are anger issues and holding grudges. He said that he isn’t really angry with anyone but himself, and he is having a hard time getting over that. I talked to him about letting go, and letting God work on him. Sunday’s sermon on God’s love really hit home with him. He knows that God loves him and wants the best for him, but he still feels that he has messed up so badly. We talked about how God can work on even the messiest of problems----that’s His specialty. I told him that I remember a song that Ray Boltz sang that talks about David, and says something like “when others see a shepherd boy, God may see a king.” God already sees the potential in Ruben’s life.
Today, going back to the Academy, we continued our talk. I told him that there are several facts----that God loves him, that God sent His Son to die for him, that nothing he does can be too big for God to work on, and Jesus wants to be his best friend. He said that, in his heart, he knows all that, but that his mind tells him that he’s not worth it. I encouraged him that when he’s ready, to go with the way he feels in his heart. We stopped for pizza before I dropped him off at the Academy, and his little brother asked if he could pray for the food. Not only did he pray for the food, but he prayed for Ruben and his remaining time at the Academy.
When the pizza came, Ruben asked if he could pray, too. Of course!! And right there in the pizza place, Ruben acknowledged his life as a sinner, confessed his sins to God, and asked Christ to come into his life and guide him from now on!!! Wow…………. A short time later, I asked Ruben who his best friend is, and he replied, “Jesus!” I asked, “100%????” And he said, “Yes, 100%!!!” I was on such a high coming home that I don’t think my tires touched the ground!!
Ruben is a Farm Drive “kid” who has had a lot of Hillside influence in his life over the years. From Bible Club to Homework Club to CRAM to various activities, many of us have seen him and worked with him and worried about him. Each of you has had a part in Ruben’s life. Thanks for not giving up on him. Is our Farm Drive ministry worth it? You bet it is!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!! And may God truly bless you like you have blessed kids like Ruben.
Gary
Monday, March 26, 2012
Pops
This is an excellent video from Union Rescue Mission that serves Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.
Update On Reuben Torres
From Gary the Director of Farm Drive writing about one of the kids that has been involved at Farm Drive off and on over the last few years. Here he is pinning Art his mentor:
And here Reuben is getting to enjoy some sweets at a local restaurant.
Hey Everyone:
I hope that this finds you all well. God is soooo good. This past weekend, Art Hori and I went down to the Grizzly Academy in San Luis Obispo. Art is the mentor for Ruben Torres. Ruben is in his eighth week at the Academy. Can you believe that??? Art is required to go to training, and he asked me to go with him. What a treat!!! At the end of the training, we were allowed not only to see Ruben, but to take him off base for a few hours!!! I just wanted to give you an update and let you know what we saw.
We were in a classroom with no low windows, and as the cadets approached the building, we could hear them----not a lot of noise and yelling, but a TEAM of recruits, obviously marching and calling cadence as the approached. That was the FIRST time I almost lost it. Ruben? Our Ruben? Marching and calling cadence as a member of a team??? Wow……..what a change!!! When they released us, we didn’t even get outside and Ruben approached us, sporting the biggest smile that I have ever seen. He hugged us, and genuinely thanked us for coming. Art and I both noticed right away that we were talking with a young MAN, not the little punk kid that Ruben could often be. Ruben has changed!!!
The leaders asked us to go outside for a ceremony. The mentors stood in a line across from the line of cadets (their line was straighter than our line!) and each cadet had to “pin” their mentor. As Ruben pinned us, he thanked us for being there for him----and he meant it. This was the SECOND time I almost lost it!! As we were walking off the base, I asked Ruben if he had learned to do “to the rear—MARCH”, which is a march step where the entire platoon makes a 180 degree turn at once and continues marching in the opposite direction. He said, “Oh yeah” and as we were walking, he executed a perfect “to the rear---MARCH” step. Even I was impressed!!
We took Ruben down the road to the Madonna Inn for lunch, as it was on the list of places that they recommended. Neither Ruben nor Art had been there before, so we had to visit the restrooms (two men’s and two women’s) before we ate. Still quite impressive after all these years!!! We talked a lot over lunch and got some insights into Grizzly Academy life. They have a Cadet Code: “I will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do.” We asked him how he felt about that and he said, “We have to live by that, since we are a team. If someone in the team messes up, everyone messes up.” (Ruben??? Is that really you??? He has changed!!!). As we sat there, he said, “I want to tell you guys. I really love you. Thank you for being there for me. I see now that you guys live what you believe.” He also told us that he is figuring out that he has missed out on a lot of things by not doing the things he should have been doing. Wow!!!
Part of the Grizzly Academy is school. This is one area where Ruben never excelled---by choice, I might add. He never really saw a need to participate, so he didn’t. The last GPA of his that I saw was a 0.5---that’s a high F (haha). Ruben now has a 3.8 GPA, and his goal is to finish the Academy with at least a 3.5 GPA. (Ruben??? Is that really you??? He has changed!!). Another activity that he has to do is map out goals for himself. These are SMART goals (Specific, Measurable Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound) and he knows what that means!!! I am so glad that he has had the opportunity to be part of the Grizzly Academy.
Ruben did say that he has “down days” because he misses his family and friends (“Can you say ‘Hi’ to everyone for me??” So……………”Hello, from Ruben!!”). We asked him what he did when he got to feeling down and he said, “I get out the cards and letters that people have written me and I read them over and over.” Thank you for writing to him. He has gotten letters and notes of encouragement from people he has never met!! And that means a lot to him. I mean-----we took a kid out of the hood and sent him 180 miles away by himself for almost six months. Wow!!!
Many of you have asked what you can send him. The answer is, basically, nothing. When he has visitors, he can have snacks or special drinks (vitamin water, in his case), but it has to be consumed before he gets back. When we checked him back in, Sergeant Castillo asked him, “Torres. Do you have anything on you??” “No sir, Sergeant.” (Ruben??? Is that really you???) He does get what he needs from them. There are things along the way that he will need----pictures, field trips, yearbook, stamps, etc. If you want to contribute toward those things, or hygiene items he needs, you can give a few bucks. Just get it to me, and we will start an envelope. He cannot have any money until after Family Day, which is next Saturday, March 10th. If you are interested in that, please let me know.
As far as Graduation is concerned, we did get the information, but it is not really good news. Graduation will be on Friday, June 15th, at 10:00 AM. His family can attend, his mentors will get a ticket, and everything else is up in the air. If you choose to attend, you will probably not be able to get inside to watch the graduation due to space considerations. Some of us have talked about a Graduation Celebration when he gets back. This is probably a better option.
Thank you all for your support for Ruben. I know that you will be impressed when you see him. He does have a home pass coming up in early April, and I’m sure that he will be around. If you want to write to him, here is his address again:
Cadet Ruben Torres, Platoon 2
Grizzly Youth Academy
PO Box 3209
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-3209
God Bless you all for caring……….not only for Ruben, but all of our kids at Farm Drive.
Gary
And here Reuben is getting to enjoy some sweets at a local restaurant.
Hey Everyone:
I hope that this finds you all well. God is soooo good. This past weekend, Art Hori and I went down to the Grizzly Academy in San Luis Obispo. Art is the mentor for Ruben Torres. Ruben is in his eighth week at the Academy. Can you believe that??? Art is required to go to training, and he asked me to go with him. What a treat!!! At the end of the training, we were allowed not only to see Ruben, but to take him off base for a few hours!!! I just wanted to give you an update and let you know what we saw.
We were in a classroom with no low windows, and as the cadets approached the building, we could hear them----not a lot of noise and yelling, but a TEAM of recruits, obviously marching and calling cadence as the approached. That was the FIRST time I almost lost it. Ruben? Our Ruben? Marching and calling cadence as a member of a team??? Wow……..what a change!!! When they released us, we didn’t even get outside and Ruben approached us, sporting the biggest smile that I have ever seen. He hugged us, and genuinely thanked us for coming. Art and I both noticed right away that we were talking with a young MAN, not the little punk kid that Ruben could often be. Ruben has changed!!!
The leaders asked us to go outside for a ceremony. The mentors stood in a line across from the line of cadets (their line was straighter than our line!) and each cadet had to “pin” their mentor. As Ruben pinned us, he thanked us for being there for him----and he meant it. This was the SECOND time I almost lost it!! As we were walking off the base, I asked Ruben if he had learned to do “to the rear—MARCH”, which is a march step where the entire platoon makes a 180 degree turn at once and continues marching in the opposite direction. He said, “Oh yeah” and as we were walking, he executed a perfect “to the rear---MARCH” step. Even I was impressed!!
We took Ruben down the road to the Madonna Inn for lunch, as it was on the list of places that they recommended. Neither Ruben nor Art had been there before, so we had to visit the restrooms (two men’s and two women’s) before we ate. Still quite impressive after all these years!!! We talked a lot over lunch and got some insights into Grizzly Academy life. They have a Cadet Code: “I will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do.” We asked him how he felt about that and he said, “We have to live by that, since we are a team. If someone in the team messes up, everyone messes up.” (Ruben??? Is that really you??? He has changed!!!). As we sat there, he said, “I want to tell you guys. I really love you. Thank you for being there for me. I see now that you guys live what you believe.” He also told us that he is figuring out that he has missed out on a lot of things by not doing the things he should have been doing. Wow!!!
Part of the Grizzly Academy is school. This is one area where Ruben never excelled---by choice, I might add. He never really saw a need to participate, so he didn’t. The last GPA of his that I saw was a 0.5---that’s a high F (haha). Ruben now has a 3.8 GPA, and his goal is to finish the Academy with at least a 3.5 GPA. (Ruben??? Is that really you??? He has changed!!). Another activity that he has to do is map out goals for himself. These are SMART goals (Specific, Measurable Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound) and he knows what that means!!! I am so glad that he has had the opportunity to be part of the Grizzly Academy.
Ruben did say that he has “down days” because he misses his family and friends (“Can you say ‘Hi’ to everyone for me??” So……………”Hello, from Ruben!!”). We asked him what he did when he got to feeling down and he said, “I get out the cards and letters that people have written me and I read them over and over.” Thank you for writing to him. He has gotten letters and notes of encouragement from people he has never met!! And that means a lot to him. I mean-----we took a kid out of the hood and sent him 180 miles away by himself for almost six months. Wow!!!
Many of you have asked what you can send him. The answer is, basically, nothing. When he has visitors, he can have snacks or special drinks (vitamin water, in his case), but it has to be consumed before he gets back. When we checked him back in, Sergeant Castillo asked him, “Torres. Do you have anything on you??” “No sir, Sergeant.” (Ruben??? Is that really you???) He does get what he needs from them. There are things along the way that he will need----pictures, field trips, yearbook, stamps, etc. If you want to contribute toward those things, or hygiene items he needs, you can give a few bucks. Just get it to me, and we will start an envelope. He cannot have any money until after Family Day, which is next Saturday, March 10th. If you are interested in that, please let me know.
As far as Graduation is concerned, we did get the information, but it is not really good news. Graduation will be on Friday, June 15th, at 10:00 AM. His family can attend, his mentors will get a ticket, and everything else is up in the air. If you choose to attend, you will probably not be able to get inside to watch the graduation due to space considerations. Some of us have talked about a Graduation Celebration when he gets back. This is probably a better option.
Thank you all for your support for Ruben. I know that you will be impressed when you see him. He does have a home pass coming up in early April, and I’m sure that he will be around. If you want to write to him, here is his address again:
Cadet Ruben Torres, Platoon 2
Grizzly Youth Academy
PO Box 3209
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-3209
God Bless you all for caring……….not only for Ruben, but all of our kids at Farm Drive.
Gary
Friday, February 10, 2012
20 Years!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Various Events
This past summer...Dave Finkle and Jonathan Camacho took some of the Junior High School boys on a weekend trip backpacking in the Sierras. They backpacked into Spicer Meadows and did some fishing, hiking, and swimming. It was the first time for some of the boys to go backpacking and of course there was a lot of complaining!
July....After a trip to Lake Tahoe for Patty and I, we took some kids to San Francisco. Started in Daly City by taking Bart into the Civic Center and then waiting in line to take a Cable Car over to Fisherman's Wharf. After walking around the Wharf we walked down to Ghiradelli Square for some ice cream. Then we took the same route back to the car. We all loved the Cable Car! The other pictures are of our visit to The Planetarium in San Francisco, a drive up in the mountains and the Junior High girls on a beach trip.
July....After a trip to Lake Tahoe for Patty and I, we took some kids to San Francisco. Started in Daly City by taking Bart into the Civic Center and then waiting in line to take a Cable Car over to Fisherman's Wharf. After walking around the Wharf we walked down to Ghiradelli Square for some ice cream. Then we took the same route back to the car. We all loved the Cable Car! The other pictures are of our visit to The Planetarium in San Francisco, a drive up in the mountains and the Junior High girls on a beach trip.
Homework Club Kicks Off
We've kicked off our new fall season of Homework Club. Another set of full groups with kids on waiting lists. Pre-Kinders started off with a new teacher this year as Margaret Coutts stepped down last Spring. We are very excited and happy to have Dawn Escobedo oversee the class!
Monday and Wednesday we have the younger kids - 1st thru 5th grade. The picture below is of the kids on their first day at Homework Club.
After we all meet together, we break into small groups by grade and work with the same leaders every week. This small group model has proved very successful as it allows us to develop deep and meaningful relationships with the kids. This is Lee and the 2nd graders. Then Gretchen with the 4th and 5th graders and lastly, the Pre-Kinders.
Monday and Wednesday we have the younger kids - 1st thru 5th grade. The picture below is of the kids on their first day at Homework Club.
After we all meet together, we break into small groups by grade and work with the same leaders every week. This small group model has proved very successful as it allows us to develop deep and meaningful relationships with the kids. This is Lee and the 2nd graders. Then Gretchen with the 4th and 5th graders and lastly, the Pre-Kinders.
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