Daffodils in the Dark

I was riding my bike home tonight and came upon these valiant sentinels, proudly displaying their colours in the dark! I had never realized that unlike tulips which close up when it's raining or the day is coming to an end, the daffodil defiantly shouts its glories rain or shine!
I want to be like those daffodils. Too often I'm a fair-weather flower, crumbling under adversity and hiding out the storms. I see this resilience every day at Welcome Home - my spirit is becoming well-acquainted which such an attitude. Victor Frankl, in Man's Search for Meaning, reminds us that the last of human freedoms is the ability to "choose one's attitude".
That's what I'm learning from my friends at Welcome Home. What an awesome place to serve! Want to join me?
I'm more than half-way there in reaching full support for my ministry. If you'd like to join me, standing defiantly against the wave of despair and fear during these rough economic times, drop me a line!

60/60 experiment

I began an experiment today- every 60 minutes my Blackberry chimes to remind me that God is in control, He's with me, and He's at work in my world! It's something that I'm doing with some fellow travelers, based on Soul Revolution by John Burke.
It began as a rather non-descript day, with no clear, demanding agenda to give focus to my time. So, I prayed this prayer,

"Good morning, Christ. I love you! What are you up to today? I want to be part of it. Thank you."

I power-walked to catch the bus. "ding!!" Coming towards me on the sidewalk was a neighbour. Neither of us speaks each other's language, so our communications are always a bit comical... Today she asked about the sold sign on my house and I was blessed to have her suggest that she could come visit me once I move into my new digs downtown!

My lunch appt forgot:). "ding!!" I got to chat with one of the refugees I love to share life with at Welcome Home. He was laid off over a month ago and I've been asking God to help him find a job as well as keep him from being discouraged. What a resilient man. Though he still cannot understand this Canada, where someone could be laid off with no notice, he decided to use this time wisely and enrolled back in ESL until he gets a job. Anyone know of someone that's hiring??

Oops, I forgot that I've got a phone conference in half an hour- better hurry and catch the bus... why was I so forgetful?? "ding!!" Look who's standing at the bus stop! A former resident of Welcome Home greets me with a big hug. I catch up on his life and encourage him. (We haven't finished praying for his spiritual search, either.)

"ding!!" Now I'm not sure if I should apologize for being a bit late or not; after all, was that a God-thing at the bus stop? I enter into the phone conference with a fresh awareness that my day has already been filled with God's direction, provision and blessing. I can surely expect the help He wants to provide as I invite some new insights and perspective from a co-worker!

Moments in Time

Well, it's 18 years since we made the move from the rolling prairies to this wonderfully hilly ("Can we stop so I can run down that hill, mom?") country.

Today I took a hike up Mt Trashmore, as it was then known. It's an amazing spot where the beauty of the surrounding region can be clearly seen, especially on such a brisk day. I remembered rolling into town full of anticipation and also a bit of trepidation. The last of our preschoolers heading off to school, a church ready and eager to welcome us with open arms...

Over the years I took many hikes to this windy vantage point. It is a good place to pray over the city, a lousy place to try to fly a kite! Often the prayers were for the neighbourhood, now they zero in on a 2nd story rooming house downtown where seekers from around the world are coming to us.

Today I stopped to thank God for the paths He's led me down and process the far-reaching impact of choices made. My family has grown up and flown the coop, the house sold this week and it's time to embark on some new trails. Who'd a thought... but then, I am reminded that "all our days are written in His book" and gratitude, confidence return.

I read a wake-me-up quote last week in Brother Andrew's Secret Believers:

The purpose of the church cannot be to survive or even to thrive, but to serve. How do you serve?
...sometimes servants die in the serving...

You and I ARE the church. We don't know much about the "die in serving part", but believers around the world do. I receive this challenge and am setting my course towards serving.
Will you join me?

By the way, I'm trusting God to help me buy a place in downtown Kitchener so that I have somewhere to "lay my head" come the end of May :).

Back-Seat Drivers

One of the great things about taking the bus in the winter is that "who cares what the weather and driving conditions are", they're not MY problem! No worries over my car not starting, the driveway or roads not being plowed, the pending ice storm... As long as I'm willing to wait and dressed warmly (thanks for the new parka, mom and dad) it's a carefree time.

However, there's always a down side. I have absolutely no say, no control in where the bus goes, when it might roar past me a mere 10 seconds in its wake, when it can't make the icy hill or when the service is threatened by strike. I realized that riding in a bus is the only time when I'm NOT tempted to be somewhat of a back seat driver, precisely because there's no one on the bus who cares one whit about my opinion!

A refugee's experience is painfully similar. While such dependency means that there are some elements of being carefree, there's so little control over the process of being accepted as a resident, or finding any space in an ESL class, or having their workplace credentials recognized or even moving the hearts of decision-makers so there's a place to live once they arrive in the country. In most ways, no one cares one whit about their opinion, either!

That's where I am leading a team of committed, compassionate servants who are making it our agenda to care, to listen and to offer some measure of control over their lives for the refugees who make Welcome Home their home. Although it can be annoying at times, back-seat drivers are indeed welcome here!

What's the point?

Yesterday I was grateful to hop on a toasty warm bus after doing the "bus stop shuffle" to keep my toes from freezing. Icy roads and frigid conditions meant that the bus wasn't all that successful in starting and stopping. Now I may be mis-reading the bus driver's actions, but it seemed to me that when he found a stretch of open road, he sped up and enjoyed the chance to just go! So much so that when someone rang the bell, he almost forgot to stop and let them off.

Made me think of how much easier it would be if people weren't getting on and off all the time. The bus would always be on time, and complete its run with ease. But that's not the point of transit. It's about getting people to and from where they need to be.

THAT made me think of Welcome Home. If we were just a rooming house, life would be relatively easy. However, we believe God has called us to create a community where newly arrived refugees of all sorts can experience safety, support, encouragement and family... where each one can hear about and encounter Jesus. That means that there are a lot of stops and starts, and we're not always on time or sailing smoothly through our days with ease. With a lot of prayer, though, and a determination to stay focused on what we're about, we expect to see results... eventually.
Please pray that God would keep us focused and joyful as we depend on Him to do the greater work among us.

Transit Time

I’ve chosen to become a transit user and as I’ve logged some hours on the bus, I’ve had a few insights about transit time.

1. Life is slower and requires more margin. I can’t hop on my bike 20 minutes before an appointment and arrive there sweaty, but on time! While I may chafe, this in-transit time has given me space to think, to pray and/or use my “Crackberry”. I get to choose my attitude and how I’ll use this “free time”.


2. I do best when I accept the time restrictions and even plan for them. I’ve learned to do the 100 yd dash for the bus, sometimes making it and other times not. Sometimes the bus is early or late, and I’m the one who must adjust.

I was thinking about how my new experiences are helping me identify a bit more with my refugee friends. Their lives, now that they’ve arrived in Canada, are about waiting.

• Waiting for work permits and interim support


• waiting to learn English


• waiting to be accredited to work in their profession


• waiting to see their families again


• waiting for us to provide closets for their rooms...
  

And, their claim process is about someone else telling them what they need to do, how it has to be done, where it must be submitted and when it’s due.

I’m grateful for a chance to invest in their lives. There’s nothing like a lively conversation with an unexpected friend on the bus to make the time fly! My prayer is that we can be friends for the journey who bring godly encouragement during the process.

I’ve also noticed that on longer bus trips I get so lulled into complacency that I stop looking for my stop and almost forget to get off! Welcome Home’s goal-setting process aims at helping each refugee identify what they’d like to accomplish, how we can help them get there and then celebrate when they do. I believe that’s what Jesus would have us do.

Please pray for our friends who are in “Transit Time” that they would come to know Jesus while they wait. And, pray that we would be good travel companions.

Anyway

I heard a song yesterday that challenges me to find courage in the midst of personally difficult circumstances.

"You can spend your whole life building something from nothing and a storm can come and blow it all away; build it anyway!" (Check out the rest of the lyrics here.)

As I listened, I realized that I know what this looks like. I've seen it lived it out by the amazing folks I work with. Just over a month ago, Juanita (not her real name...) shared her story with me. As I listened, I realized that I was being given a gift. To speak of unspeakable things, to trust me with her pain, to share her sorrows and then together find a solid place to stand- it's an experience I will always treasure.

Sure, refugees get discouraged. And, they sometimes act out their frustration over the impossibilities of their lives by lashing out at the person or circumstance that’s available- but don’t we all?! However, the indomitable spirit that prompted them to flee their home and endure separation from loved ones, to start over again in the midst of innumerable overwhelming odds, places me in the role of humble student with each of them as my mentors.

God must have known I needed “living witnesses” to spur me on in my own walk of faith at this time. That’s the Christmas gift I receive this season.

And my prayer for each of those who make Welcome Home their home?

• First and foremost, that they would find their home in Jesus.
• That they would learn enough English to be able to use the training/skills and capacities they brought to Canada.
• That they would make friends and find community in Canada.
• That they would be reunited with their loved ones.
  

Merry Christmas- Anyway... thank you for journeying with me.