starts when I was young. But I first have to say I have done mostly inner city missions. It all
begins at a young age, my mum started a pancake breakfast called “All are welcome”
for the homeless in the neighbourhood, we did this every Saturday at our local
church. We served pancakes and had a clothing exchange; open to the people in
need. We eventually did turkey dinner on Christmas day, giving away new socks,
toiletries, handmade gloves and small toys. We gave our Christmas day to more
than just our family but celebrating Jesus birth through serving others. This started my passion and
the need to bring hope.Over the years we volunteered at soup kitchen, sorting out clothes, etc. Even
to this day our family provides food and gifts to a local family in need
instead of giving gifts to each other on Christmas.
Someone once told me, how great
it is to learn how to do mission work in your own city and truly serve your
neighbours. There are plenty of needs in
the city around you. I always thought “Missions” was to travel and serve people
in different countries, but it’s not just that, it’s finding the need in your
own city.
Last year was the year I experienced more in my
life. I will explain, many events happened and I will try to write
thoroughly. We worked a lot with the
homeless, considering downtown Vancouver is one of the highest rate of
homelessness in Canada. Actually let me get you the exact facts: 2008 homeless
count, the results show that 2,592 individuals were found homeless by volunteers
in a 24-hour count from March 10 to 11, representing a 19-percent increase from
the last count in 2005. Vancouver alone has 1,547 and Surrey where I grew up
has 386. The authors of Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions
and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia stated that there could be up to a
total of 10,500 people in the province who are “absolutely homeless”. These are
“people who live on the streets, [and] cycle through shelters and rooming
houses”, according to this report.
My year at
Lifeteams (www.Lifeteams.ca) we got many
opportunities to interact and work on the streets, learning about all that is
offered to the homeless, who they are, why they are there and what the true
problem is. We worked in soup kitchens, street churches, interviewed people on
the street, and lived a day as homeless person. Yes, let me explain, we dressed
like them as best we could (we did need to fit in), we got dropped off early
one morning, had to find our own food, stay in one spot for two hours and
observe how the people treated you, and just be a part of the street community.
It was funny really because some people knew and others welcomed us in as new
comers to the neighbourhood, showing us the best places to get food and shelter
to sleep. A man came up to me said this,
“You will never go hungry, if you’re looking; there is so much food out here.”
Ironic, everyone thinks its food that is the problem as I walked around that’s
not the problem it was drugs yes but also it’s a place for them to belong and
feel accepted, it’s a community. One day someone on the streets told me, He was
no longer homeless but still comes down to the street everyday because that is
where friends are and where he knows he can be himself and feel a sense of
belonging.
So the day on the streets was the beginning of
much more, where I learned that they are just ordinary people. I remember
teaching a lesson before we left that day, I took everyone glasses and put them
on the table and talk about how we need to use Gods eyes to view His people. I
had to replace the picture of what the world puts in our minds and switch it
with God imagine, desire and love for them.
Another week we went to a native reserve called
Nehemiah Valley. We had to plan what we would do for a week with the kids from
the local school. Every day one of us did a talk in the classrooms and we plan
after school activities together. I did my talk on the book, “I Wish I had Duck
Feet”, the theme being, we are created just the way we are on purpose. Some
kids were quiet and shy but they need the love of God just like everyone.
Plunges, which is where a group of students come to us, we had to plan from the
moment they arrived to the moment they left. We had one group of students come
from a Christian school from Saskatchewan and the other group came two weeks
later which was a Youth for Christ group from Alberta, approximately 30 people
each group. We did things with them like a free store down in east hasting,
giving away 200 socks, working with street church, Gleaners (where they take
bad veggies that they cannot sell in stores, dry them and make soup from over
sea countries), food bank, and Soup kitchens. We planned devotionals, small
groups, worship, fun activities and food for forty people, all within a budget.
As a team we planned on who was doing what, deadlines, when meeting would occur
and who would be best team leader to lead us. They slept in our house on the
floor, everywhere, early mornings, three washrooms, a house full of people but
none the less great weeks full of God’s love and changing lives…….. (to be continued- part 1)
