The Mission is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely. We have been in constant contact with the local Health Department and have been on conference calls with the CDC and local health officials all week. The safety of everyone at the Mission is our top priority. In an effort to help our most vulnerable neighbors and to keep the guests currently residing at the Mission safe, we have adjusted our intake procedure.

The following measures have been put in place regarding the Mission’s Intake Procedure:

• Intake hours have moved from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We want to make sure that we give everyone in need the opportunity to get off the street and into safe shelter.
• We are asking more questions during our intake screening. We want to know where someone has travelled, if they have any underlying health issues, and more.
• Our staff is checking all guests temperatures at the door. Temperature checks are done on a guest upon entering the Mission and will continued to be checked as they go in and out of the building throughout their stay at the Mission.
• The Mission has established a quarantine intake area that maintains social distancing while the person goes through the intake process.
• Once a guest is a part of the Mission’s program, we are asking everyone to follow CDC guidelines of social distancing and stay in house. We ask only those who work and those who have appointments that they must attend to come and out from the Mission.
• Quarantine rooms and protocol have been put in place should any guest at the Mission display symptoms of COVID-19. If guests display common symptoms of COVID-19, the Mission will work to get those individuals transported to the appropriate healthcare facility.

The Mission is following CDC recommendations and guidelines. We are doing our part to make sure that we keep our guests and community safe. We have been asked if we are going to be remain open due to the Governor’s Edwards recent proclamation limiting gathering to 50 or fewer people. We want to assure everyone that the Mission is considered an essential service just as a hospital and nursing home would be; therefore, we are allowed to remain open. If you see someone in need of help, please direct them to the Mission. We are here to help our neighbors and our community during this difficult time.

We don’t have to tell you that our community is in uncharted waters.

In Matthew 14:29-31, Peter walked on the water with Jesus. When he saw the wind, he took his eyes off of Jesus. He became fearful, began to sink, and cried out to Jesus, asking Him to save him. Jesus took him by the hand and saved him.

It’s easy to look at the world around us and get discouraged. Like Peter, focusing on troubles makes it easy to take our eyes off of Jesus. And when we do, our troubles overwhelm us, and, as Peter did, we become afraid and we sink. When we focus on Jesus, however, we can have peace in the midst of these turbulent times. Though we may be walking through uncharted waters, we know that our community and the church will prevail and this will marked as our finest hour.

We’ve talked extensively over the last several days about how you can help us during the COVID-19 outbreak, but now we want to ask…. How can we pray for you?

If you or your loved ones have any needs for which we can pray during this difficult time, we want to hear from you. If you have a prayer request, please email us your request at prayer@sbrescuemission.com. Our staff would be honored to pray for you during this time of uncertainty.

We want to give a special thank you to our community. Mr. Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Thank you for being a light and showing our cities that we are stronger than any obstacle we may face.