Homeless in the WI

I have a friend who lives in the WI, but he is homeless. My friend lives in a tent. He has spent the last year or so chasing his next fix. He is a crack addict. Two years ago he had an apartment and a good job, but partying became a priority and he found himself running from people he ripped off. He had been exploring who God was, but he got distracted.

3 weeks ago he reappeared, tired of running and abusing himself. Now he is trying to regain control of his life, but he is finding that it is easier to lose yourself than it is to find yourself. So, my friend is living in a tent, looking for a job, and fighting his demons. He is making amends. He is once again talking about God, but this time it seems to be less questioning. Somehow, in the midst of all his running and partying, he has come to know that God is real, now they just need to get acquainted.

God is merciful. We strive to be the same. I am glad my friend has returned. I pray that he will continue on his journey towards recovery and God.

Peace,

K

Street Level 2006

Last week I was at the Street Level conference in Ottawa. 350 people who work in adolescents, the poor and the homeless gathered for a few days of learning and refreshing. It was an awesome time. I hooked up with my buddy Dwayne from Brandon Man. It was awesome just to hang out and talk for a few days. Met some other old friends and made some new ones.

The organizers did a great job of putting this conference together. The Ottawa Manifesto on Homelessness was signed by most of the attendees. It appeared in the Ottawa Citizen in a full page add on Monday as sessions opened on parliament. I will post it when I can get a copy of it.

The whole conference was a re-affirmation that the poor are on God's heart, and therefore should be a priority for his followers.

Peace,

K

Onion & Mustard Sandwich

There was a time in Montreal where if you were talking about poor people, you were referring to a few specific neighborhoods. St. Henri, Little Burgandy, Pointe St. Charles, Verdun. The reality we live with today is that the lines have been blurred. There is poverty in every area of our city. Even The West Island.

One of our volunteers came in a while ago and shared with us that at a kid at one of the local elementary schools had brought an onion and mustard sandwich to school for lunch. He did not bring this for lunch because of preference, but rather because that is all his mother had to give him.

Close your eyes for a minute and picture biting into a sandwich of onion slices and mustard. I wonder what the mother felt like that day as she made her child his lunch. She is struggling to take care of her loved one and all she can offer is an onion and mustard sandwich. This is why we must be about the business of helping the poor. To nourish kids who need food and help poor parents maintain some dignity as they strive to love their families.

It is the heart of God.

Peace,

K

It is hard to believe

I have mentioned that we are feeding kids at a local elementary school. 25 kids a day. Last week in a conversation with the principal, Don found out that for approximately 12 of these kids, the lunch we provide is the only meal they get on any given day. That is messed up.

I had another conversation last week with a guy about church and missions. We were talking about how immoral we can be, when we pat ourselves on the back for sending cash to foreign missions, while the guy next door, or down the street is starving. Somehow, foreign hungry people seem to be more appealing, I guess.

Maybe its because a hungry kid in my neighborhood look just like my kid,.... only hungry. Maybe they need to network more. I have found that all it takes to really see what is going on around us, is to get out in the community and start rubbing elbows with people. Real people. I have also found that in many cases meeting the need is very simple.... Can you make a sandwich?

Peace,

K

Sunday School lessons?......

So, the other day we were sitting around and someone discovered this book that Syl's parents used to read to her. The book is called, Stories for the Children's Hour, by Kenneth Taylor. WOW! It is amazing and shocking at the same time how we have been socialized into the kind of Christianity we have come to know,.... and run from.

Here is the final paragraph to one of the stories called, When Mitzi Didn't Obey Her Mother, "Boys and girls, when we disobey our mothers and fathers it does not mean that we will always get sick. But it does always mean that the Lord Jesus is sorry, and that He will have to take away from us some good thing when we get to Heaven, something that we might have had if we had been obedient. Always remember that Jesus wants obedient children."

The author omitted his Bible reference for this moral, but I am sure he had one,..... where is that verse about conditional forgiveness?

I think heaven is going to be pretty barren for me.

Peace,

K