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.

Pieces of a Puzzle

My how time flies! I’ve been part of the Welcome Home team for almost a year now. This fall we did some reshuffling of our roles. Like pieces of a puzzle, we worked at defining the gifts and skills each team member brings.

My role has shifted to more of the day-to-day management of Welcome Home including:

• leading and investing in the staff team
• dreaming up, strategizing and implementing plans for an effective program

As a newbie, I wrestled with how these role shifts would work, especially with team members who have 20+ yrs experience. But that’s what a team is! Rather than a hierarchy using power and control, we’re a team serving each other. That excites me and honours God.

Speaking of teams, I’m really energized to ride as part of my church’s Ride 4 Refugees Team in 7 short days. It’s a very tangible expression of the “teamwork” that I am experiencing as a missionary. So, as we pedal and sweat (or freeze) together, we’ll physically demonstrate what it means to work together for the sake of the gospel! And, there’s a bonus! One half of what we raise goes directly to Welcome Home’s $200,000 budget for 2009.

Would you like to be a part of the puzzle? Every piece counts! No sweat required:)

• Sponsor me as a rider
• Become one of my monthly, quarterly, or even yearly donors
• Pray for me

Nicknames

I've got good memories and bad ones, too, of nicknames that have been stuck on me like crazy glue. Most, mercifully, I've forgotten. Then, like a blast from the past, a sibling lovingly sneaks one into a conversation...

I've recently acquired a new nickname, at least at Welcome Home.
Several of the Columbian guys have decided my name should be "Shar-ita".
We have a plethora of "Sharons" creating community at Welcome Home and I DO have the distinction of being the most vertically challenged. I like to think, however, that this diminutive ending is a token of affection.
If so, then celebrate, because God is answering prayer and pouring out his love amongst us!

Little is much!

I've been watching the corn start to sprout in the fields I whiz by on my bike...
It's amazing to see new life popping through the soil and almost 'growing before my very eyes'!
As I ride (training for the Ride 4 Refugees, actually), I think about the lessons to be learned. How a seed must die to multiply, the miracles of new life, and the incrementality (is that a word?) of much of our lives.

Flakes of snow falling every day for a week makes a pile to shovel. A dandelion that goes to seed results in a colourful array on my lawn- and my neighbour's- in no time at all. An act of kindness one day, plus another act of kindness the next day, help form a loving relationship.

This week I met with an answer to prayer! Joyce is our new "housing expert". God is amazing in the ways He provides for us. Helping a resident find a home to move to after their year at Welcome Home may seem like a small thing, but when it's part of a community effort to demonstrate compassionate justice to a refugee, it means a lot. And, if you're a refugee preparing to launch out on your own after a year in the Welcome Home community, it's a BIG deal!

I've been inviting friends, family, hey-anyone who will listen:)- to join my team of supporters. I often hear the apologetic response, "I can only commit such a small amount". Of course, I'd love to receive those 4, 5, and 6 figure donations. But, isn't it amazing that in God's economy, whatever is given is exactly what is needed? Makes me think of a ditty I learned as a child- "little is much if God is in it!"

Thank you for praying, for caring, for sharing your resources so generously. I can't wait to see how God will multiply everything we have given together! And, if you'd like to join my team...