The City of Toronto launched the “Wellbeing” neighborhood web tool just in time for me. For two weeks I have been looking through newspapers and phoning local reporters and police to get an idea of the crime figures in Toronto’s social housing. Then the City of Toronto launched its “Wellbeing” neighborhood index tool and took the grunt work out of my research. Finally the gravy train is coming my way.

“Wellbeing” (still in beta) contains information on multiple indicators for every neighborhood in Toronto. Indicators fall under Demographics (i.e. ethnicity, age, gender), Health (clinics, hospitals), Safety (crime data), Economy (average family income) and Transportation (TTC overcrowding). The tool has obvious applications for the real-estate market and social service sector . In my study, the tool allows me to observe how many shootings, robberies, drug arrests, and other crimes have occurred in neighbourhoods home to a large social housing developments. Studies like mine keep the social service sector informed and help them respond to needs appropriately.

It’s a good tool for all Torontonians, and a great tool for us at Grace Toronto. It can inform our prayers and target our outreaches.  I learned two new facts that are helping me pray for my neighbourhood, St. Jamestown.  1) In St. Jamestown, there are 3860 low-income families.  The neighborhood’s total population is just over 17 000, meaning a significant portion of parents and their children are not economically secure.  2) The turnover rate for social housing tenants is high in St. Jamestown.  So for some reason social housing tenants in St. Jamestown are trying to leave at higher rates than tenants in other neighbourhoods.  These are two issues Wellbeing helped bring to light for me, and will inform how I think, minister and pray in my neighbourhood.

Check out “Wellbeing” here http://map.toronto.ca/wellbeing.  Try finding your Grace Gathering’s neighbourhood and seeing how you can be praying for it, and where service opportunities exist.

After 3 years of volunteering on a weekly basis with Toronto City Mission, I still have moments where I ask myself “am I making a difference?”

My husband and I volunteer with Toronto City Mission every Monday night with the Senior High program.  We begin our Monday nights with a 20 minute devotion time where we share with these amazing youth about God and His love for them.  After the formal devotion time, we help with homework, chat, and play games.

Many times throughout the past 3 years I have asked myself, “is this really where I should be investing my time?” “Am I adding any value to the lives of these young people?”

The answer came late this spring when we were wrapping up our formal program and heading into the less-formal summer program.  I was debriefing with the young women who had attended my devotional all year and asked them what God had taught them in the past 10 months.   One particular young girl had been struggling with her faith throughout the year.   In fact, at one point in the year she told me that she wanted to stop coming out to Senior High because she didn’t believe in the God we preached.   She said she was “dabbling” with other religions and didn’t feel comfortable meeting with us each week and hearing about this Jesus guy.   I pleaded with her to continue coming out and shared with her that I too went through a similar “crisis of faith” at one point in my life.   We talked about how we each have had so many questions about God that seemed to have no solid answers.  I promised her that she could ask all the tough questions she liked and that together we could work to find the answers.

A few weeks passed and I didn’t see her. I grew discouraged and felt that we might never see her again.  One night, about a month later, I arrived to find her seated in the youth room waiting for our devotions to begin.  Inside I was beaming…although outwardly I tried to play it cool so as not to scare her away.  Over the next few months, as she continued to come out, we had several conversations about faith in Jesus, yet I felt like I wasn’t helping her answer her deep questions of faith.

Fast forward to the debriefing time I was having with the women in my group at the end of the term, sharing about what God had taught us throughout the year.   As her turn came up, I felt a slight twinge of discomfort wondering if she’d say she had learned nothing of value.   Her response stopped me in my tracks and brought tears to my eyes.  Instead of what I expected to hear, she said she had learned that Jesus really is the Truth and had decided to follow Him. Then she added, “Liz I wouldn’t be here saying this today if you hadn’t encouraged me to keep coming out and asking the hard questions.”

Even when we feel like we are adding nothing of value, God can use our feeble attempts in unimaginable ways!

Have you ever walked along the streets of Toronto and noticed those people sitting on the sidewalk or standing on the street corner who look unclean, wearing ragged, mismatched, filthy clothes that do not fit them and usually have a distinct smell that saturates the air around them? They often have their hand extended or hold a hat or used paper cup available for passersby to place loose change.

Have you ever given them some of your change or bought them a coffee or sandwich?  Perhaps you’ve flashed them a smile and said “God Bless you” back to them when they’ve thanked you for your kindness. Have you ever stopped to talk to them, to listen to their story, to see the real person that is living underneath the dirt and the filth and the poverty?

I have learned that in the eyes of society these are invisible people. One man said to me “Wow, I’m surprised someone actually saw me. I do exist,” when I stopped to hand him some change. I’ve had a few men start walking along with me and telling me their life story, or stop me on my way somewhere and talk to me about what has happened in their life to bring them to this point of poverty. I’ve learned to listen and acknowledge their humanity, even though at first I’m secretly a bit freaked out.

The most constructive time I have spent with this group of people is at the Salvation Army Warehouse, teaching literacy classes. Through conversation with them, I have learned that these people learning how to read and write grade-school level English are among society’s lowest status ranks. This is usually due to abusive, broken homes growing up as children, mental health disorders that are not properly treated and cared for, divorces where the estranged spouse is awarded everything, and debilitating work-related injuries where workers’ compensation programs do not deliver nearly enough funds to comfortably support one person. And the list goes on.  A few of the people I met at literacy classes trying to better themselves are the same people we see panhandling around the corner of Spadina and Bloor. The same could be true of any beggar we see on the streets of Toronto.

There is a stigma that people living on the streets or living in poverty are there by choice.  It was their own choices in life, their own mistakes that got them into that situation, and it continues to be their own choice that keeps them in hopeless circumstances. While this may be true to some extent, this is not always the exclusive case. In the article Meeting the needs of homeless people: The St. John Ambulance mobile service, Paula McGee and Ann Marie Barnard say “The experience of homelessness is associated with high levels of social exclusion. The lack of a home can also lead to being stigmatized by those who have more regular lifestyles and consequently, homeless people may be deterred from seeking help because they fear negative attitudes” (Nursing Standard, 1999, Vol. 13, Is. 42, pg. 38). It is the very stigmatizing opinion that we as a society have of people living in poverty that keeps those very people from achieving anything more than their own poverty.

Although this can seem like a rather depressing thought, by God’s grace we are not left with that as our only reality. Jesus said “Whoever wants to be great among you must be our servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:26. What a great example set by Jesus! In Ephesians 6:7 He says, “serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.”  And in Galatians 5:13, Paul says we are “called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature, rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

Justice and mercy extended to people living in poverty is the outpouring of God’s love and compassion unto these people. It is what makes them visible. It is including them and acknowledging them as valid members of our society.  So may we take part in this and serve our Lord humbly by reaching out to them and being vessels of mercy and justice to them.  And perhaps in doing so, may we see Toronto transformed from these pockets of poverty to a place where restoration and healing occurs in all its streets, to all its people.

Working at Toronto City Mission in the community of St. James Town can be such a blessing.  Even so, it is easy to get into the rut of believing that we are there to give to the community, without having eyes to see how the community gives to each other and to us.

The past few months have been a lesson in generosity for me, as I have watched the families we work with from a high-needs neighbourhood share with one another.  There were many highlights, including the mothers cooking and bringing dishes to our community potlucks and Bible studies.  I also had the chance to see some of our teens give what they can in way of encouragement to one another, as well as share their faith zealously with their classmates.  The pinnacle for me, however, happened about a month ago when I noticed three of our young kids in our after-school program going around with a piece of paper.  When I approached them, I realized they were writing down the names of other kids and next to their name, an item such as “chips”, or “popcorn”.  When I asked what they were doing, they told me they were planning a party at Kids Club and these were the people bringing something to share.  They were organizing a potluck party of their own, without direction from any adult leader! – and they kindly invited all the leaders to attend as well.

It was a fabulous reminder that as workers and volunteers who go into these communities, we do not have a monopoly on giving and that there is no hierarchy in giving and receiving.  After all, everything we have comes from a generous Father.  And what better way to learn that than from children?

On our first day in the Dominican Republic, the team was taken on a tour of one of the villages in Sosua, to get a vision for the work that the Samaritan Foundation has been doing for the last 22 years. First, we looked at the original village where many people still live as they await new homes to be constructed. The shacks were small and poorly built with very little light or ventilation and no running water.

After touring the village, we were taken across the street to Esperanza, the 8th village under construction by the Samaritan Foundation. Row, upon row of cement brick houses greeted us. Each house had access to electricity and running water – a vast improvement over what we had seen in the shanty town.

On Monday morning, the team arrived in Villa Paraiso, our worksite for the week. We quickly arranged into teams and got to work hauling load after load of dirt into a local school that was under construction. Building had been delayed, and the school was in danger of not being completed for the original August opening. But with help from our team, the cement floor was ready to be poured by the end of the week so that construction could continue.

One of the special joys of being a part of the Dominican Republic project was the opportunity to spend time with the children in the village. Every morning when the bus arrived, the quiet village would suddenly spring to life with children running from every home to greet the team. Some wanted to help, but many just wanted to be hugged and loved.

And dinner was always something to look forward to after working so hard! It was during these times that the team was able to bond even more.

On Friday, we had the privilege of attending the dedication of one of the houses to a very deserving family. First, the team was taken on a short tour to see the shack where the family had previously been living.

Then, we watched with a mix of tears and cheers as the family was handed the keys to their new home.

With the generous support of thousands of people from across Canada, The Samaritan Foundation has been able to build over 2,500 homes in the Dominican Republic. Under the banner of “Build A House, Change A life” our group supports the work of the organization and creates opportunities for each of us to show the love of Christ to others in a very tangible way.

For more information about this project, please check out the following video.

This short video was created by Jed Richardson, one of the participants in the 614 Squads Christmas party that took place at Grace on December 5th. Thanks to all who were a part of the day and to Jed for creating this!

614 Squads Christmas Party

Thanks so much to all the volunteers who helped make this day a success!! It was such a great time with the kids and I know it made a huge impact on them, seeing your care for them.  I heard some of them already anticipating next year’s party!

Check out the pictures to see what it was like!

Setting up the cookie station

Teamwork in action

Hanging out with the kids

On your mark, get set...

Playing games

Showing off her cookie creation

Christmas Bingo

Designing a Christmas Card

Impromptu Break-Dancing

Receiving a gift bag

If you are interested in learning more about Squads and how you can be involved, please contact Beth Williams or Natalie Sutherland.

This is the best word I can think of to describe my experience in Cambodia over the past 3 weeks. 

Although I was exposed to a level of darkness and human depravity beyond what I was even prepared for, God was gracious to allow me glimpses, and even full-blown success stories, of what He is doing in this devastated country.     

For those of you who read my updates while I was gone, you know that our time was spent at Daughters Cambodia (an NGO that provides vocational training and jobs for rescued survivors of the sex slave trade). My team of 12 spent each day teaching various life-skills workshops (budgeting, nutrition, domestic violence, dance, etc) to supplement the girls’ vocational training. This was such a privilege to be able to offer these girls practical skills they would not otherwise receive from their daily environment.

Teaching the dance class was one of the highlights for me, as it was such a joy to give them an hour in their day when the burdens and brokenness of their hurt and abuse were replaced with a sense of expressive freedom and the opportunity to smile and laugh again.  My co-teacher and I taught a variety of jazz and lyrical dance routines, which they performed for the rest of the team and girls on our last day.  

In addition to seeing the success stories of these girls’ lives and the ongoing care and restoration that is poured into them thru Daughters Cambodia, a few other “lights” in the midst of the darkness of Cambodia were:

Rahab’s House:   A church in the middle of Svay Pac (a slum neighborhood in the heart of Phnom Penh), this place is a blinding example of God changing what is meant for evil into good.  The very building that this church meets in was a former brothel for the neighborhood only a few years ago.  God has transformed not only the physical building into His sanctuary, but is in the midst of transforming the people of this place into His kingdom of light as well. However, there is still extreme darkness in this neighborhood, as many other brothels still remain and every single one of the children are at-risk for being trafficked, as this is one of the known ‘depots’ for traffickers to come pick out children for brothels throughout the country. 

Place of Rescue:   A glimpse of what heaven will be like.  This was my reaction upon visiting an orphanage on the outskirts of the city that hosts close to 200 children and also houses abandoned grannies, babies and AIDS patients.  It was such a place of peace, unity, laughter and restoration.  I was overwhelmed at one point, when I looked out on the 200+ children, staff and grannies singing and dancing in the rec center, as I realized that each person there represented a story of God’s redeeming intervention in their lives.  And it became our prayer that one day Svay Pac would become a second ‘Place of Rescue’ that all those children may be testimonies of His redemption as well. 

The fight for the end of human trafficking, specifically the sex slave trade, is far from over, but it is being fought for and led by the victorious King of all battles…and this is what gives me ultimate hope.  The following became my prayer for the girls of Cambodia and the country itself, and I would ask that you would join me in praying this for them:

“For [Cambodia’s] sake I will not keep silent.. until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning…[She] will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord…It will no longer be said to [her] ‘Forsaken’… but [she] will be called ‘My delight is in her,’ …and ‘Sought out, a city not forsaken.’ ” (Isaiah 62)