Thursday, December 22, 2011

Seeing in your own neighbourhood

Cary called me the other day; a woman who lives in a condo in Calgary and who has weekly contact with a homeless man who lives in her alley. Cary works for the Auditor General and is in Edmonton most of the week and only home on weekends. She stated the man in her alley is about 30 years old, does not 'look' homeless and yet carries a huge backpack and spends day and night behind her condo. He is extremely friendly and helps her carry her garbage out or visits when she is going for a walk. Cary stated that she wants to be sure she is not ignoring what her responsibility is was his neighbour and could I guide her in how to support him.

Imagine those magical words, "my neighbour". This is where the difference had already begun in Cary's heart because she didn't see him as a blight or as weaker but simply as a neighbour that she cared about.

I invited Cary down to the SEED as she had never been here before and last Saturday she came for a tour. She was impressed by how much the SEED did in the community and the services that we offered that she wasn't even aware of. I had told Cary I would make up a backpack for her neighbour with warm clothes, hygiene items and a list of Calgary resources and a Street Guide. Cary stated that he is always reading a book so she put a Chapters Gift card and a Tim Hortons Card in the bag. It was a wonderful blessing for me to work with someone in our community who truly cared and who wanted to be part of the solution, who truly was a neighbour.

Below is the email Cary sent me two days after our visit.

Hi Deb,

Thank you so much for meeting with me last Saturday morning. The Mustard Seed is much more than I expected.

I found the man we had spoken about a few hours after we met and introduced myself. His name is Cody. We chatted for a few minutes and I gave him the backpack. I let him know that I didn’t have much family left and it had made me happy to have him to shop for. I wished him “Merry Christmas” and said that if he needed any help to let me know. He said thank you and wished me a “Merry Christmas” and that was it. He seemed pleased and was smiling during our conversation. (I did say that I got the clothing and backpack from The Mustard Seed so he didn’t think it was weird that I bought him underwear! J)

I thought you’d like an update. It was so hard for me to walk away…I wanted to say more or do more… so frustrating… But I know it’s probably not good to be pushy (which is an integral part of my profession J).

I spoke to several people at work and they are fine with me putting a collection box in our photocopy room starting in January. Our office is small in Calgary (12 people) so not sure how this will work out. Like you said…everything helps.

Merry Christmas Deb and all the best in the New Year!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Christmas List of Love

Hi, I'm Trudi and I'm posting on the blog for my first time! I receive and sort donations at The Mustard Seed Calgary's Resource Sorting Centre. As Christmas draws closer I go over my list of the "to dos" and the "yet to gets", and I'm finding it impossible to concentrate. My thoughts keep running off course, traveling back to a time last season when a client asked me for help with her own Christmas list. She knocked quietly on the door to the donation room where we (before we moved) sorted clothing and hygiene. Her eyes, weary and desperate, told her story before she spoke a word. She was going home for Christmas this year, out of province, and wanted more than anything to bring gifts for her children and grandchildren.

   She had no money but offered to give us a hand during our busiest time of the year if we could possibly help her out. I wasn't really sure if we would receive anything suitable for her loved ones, however I answered without hesitation. "Yes, for sure, we would love to help you." This was truly a joyous moment. It's what you could call a stepping stone leading to a life God intended. This woman was a hard core drug addict and could have chosen a less dignified or less honest way of getting the gifts she needed; instead she reached out to The Mustard Seed in a sober state of mind, asking for help with what we all want: to spend quality time with our families during the holidays.

   Over the next week or so we all worked incredibly hard, but not once during the whirl-wind of activity did we ever lose focus or forget about the special request. The other volunteers and I kept a careful watch for donated items that we felt might make great presents. We felt that, piece by piece this list would surely come together by the time she had to leave. This was a task of love that took top priority in our little sorting room and it was important that we helped fill this woman's request. Well, I'm happy to say we found all the right presents thanks to the generosity of our donors! Our client was truly grateful, as were we for her. On her last day with us she thanked everyone, and we embraced one another wholeheartedly with gratitude. At that moment that we had found everything for her, I felt a true sense of hope for this woman and I believe she felt it too. This will be a Christmas I will never forget. She might not have known this, but she gave us a gift as well -, she gave us the spirit of Christmas.

Monday, December 19, 2011

The Season of Giving

Weekends are a unique time in the inner city. Most of the agencies are closed, and there is a kind of hush that seems to blanket the remaining activity. As I was leaving work one Sunday, a somewhat distraught older, aboriginal man approached me wanting to talk. We sat, side by side, our arms slightly touching, on the steps of the church looking out at the neighborhood. Sitting for a while, in silence, and then looking off into the distance he said, “I did something bad.” “You did something bad?” I echoed in reply, my mind wandering off as I imagined any number of confessions that could follow. I looked at him and waited for him to respond. It was as if he was pulling the words from deep inside, mustering the energy to give them a voice. “I gave my money to some bad people. They asked me for money and when I gave them some, they tried to take all of it from me. How can I be a Christian?” he asked, “I try so hard to love people and to give them what they want, and then they hurt me.” I could tell he had a heavy heart, and we continued to sit for a while in silence, intermittently speaking about the difficulties of being human, being a Christian, and of loving people.

In this holiday season we are often reminded of the good in the world; it is a time to remember family and friends, to enjoy big meals, and of course, to give gifts, but there is also a great deal of pain for many people. Many of the worst parts of the inner city - the violence, the addictions, the broken relationships - all seem to increase around this time. They often seem senseless until they are seen as responses to the intense pain many of our neighbors harbor, pain that is often amplified by the memories of holidays past. In listening to this man it was as if I could feel some of his pain. I share this with you because in this Christmas season, one of the invitations of the season is to love one another through the spirit of giving. My invitation to you is to consider that perhaps whenever people ask for something from us, we are to give to them; perhaps not always specifically what they are asking for, but we can always give dignity, respect, and kindness.

This Christmas Season, and throughout the year, may I always remind myself to pause and consider, “what is this person asking of me, and what am I able to give them?” Let me be reminded that not all gifts must be bought from a store and wrapped in pretty paper to be valuable, and for each person I meet, may I take the time to ask myself, “How can I love this person more?”

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Redefining "Neighbour"

The Mustard Seed currently has a picture featured predominantly on its website. The photo is of a man holding up a cardboard sign that says, “I used to be someone’s neighbour”. The scene reminds us that homelessness is closer than we might think- that people affected by this displacement are sometimes those just like our neighbours, co-workers and friends.

But I think the sign in the picture also asks us to think deeper about the full definition of “neighbour”. Are our neighbours just those who live geographically close to us? Because someone does not have a home, does that make them no longer our neighbour?

Whenever we have faith-based groups come to The Mustard Seed in Edmonton, a big part of how we talk about our inner-city community, about poverty, and about our mandate as Christians regarding these topics is to focus on the Gospels’ call to “love your neighbour as yourself.” We run a workshop with many visiting youth groups titled “Who is your neighbour?” in order to emphasize that our neighbours are not just those who live near to us, but include all people both locally and globally. We talk about what “loving your neighbour” looks like in action, and how groups can respond when their “neighbours” are faced with poverty and injustice.

Poverty and brokenness can have a devastating effect on neighbourliness. People affected by poverty and homelessness often have their right, God-created relationships as neighbours distorted and broken by sin and the effects of poverty. They are put in a position where they no longer feel like they are anyone’s neighbour- they are rootless, disconnected, and too often forgotten.

While the photo on our website tells us that its subject is no longer someone’s neighbour- in the traditional sense of no longer living in a home next to someone- this man is definitely still our neighbour in a wider, more significant way. In fact, as a person faced with homelessness, he is even more in need of the love of all of us fellow neighbours!

Home for Christmas


I’m about to go live on air for the final two hours of the 10th Annual Mustard Seed Shine-a-thon. I remember being on the radio last year, as a co-host for my first ever Shine-A-Thon. From where I was sitting, I could see out across a dark, snow covered street to a lineup of people making their way to our shelter. I was on air while over 300 Calgarians made their way on yellow school buses to an industrial park to find shelter from the frigid cold. There I was, seeing an enormous need and being so compelled to invite listeners to be generous. I could see the difference they could make, lining up right in front of my eyes. At no other point in my life have I been so aware of how a donation could be transformed into life change.

Since that day, the donations have been used to help 98 of those in that lineup to make their way home. Those gifts have helped 47 more find meaningful employment. And we’re not done yet, because while I’m on the air tonight, the line will form again and many will make their way to our shelter. They choose to do so, because they know that they will be received by staff who will offer the lost art of hospitality and from there, they will find hope, experience community and begin the journey towards sustainable life change. In many ways, our shelter has become a re-housing centre, an employment centre and even more, a centre of hope.

Today is a day to give. I write this blog hoping it will inspire you to donate generously, inviting you to do your part to make a difference in the lives of those who stand in line, showing that they do not stand alone. Tonight, as a despairing line forms, let’s get together to offer hope and show that Christmas is a season filled with great anticipation, new beginnings and a gift far beyond what any of us ever imagined. Let’s bring that line ‘home’ for Christmas.

Tune in live to 88.9 Shine FM or visit us in Banker’s Hall.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Still here...

I’ve been a part of The Mustard Seed since 2001.  I can remember the first time I served a meal with my church as if it was yesterday.  I remember being surprised by how polite everyone was as I offered them a bun with their meal. I remember laughing at the jokes the people told me and how safe I felt despite the warnings from my parents to be careful.

After that night, two friends and I started volunteering.  We served lunch and then helped clean up and chat with people.  That’s when I met George* who ALWAYS had the biggest smile on his face and never said anything negative. Ever.  Then we came on Saturday nights and just talked with people as we watched Hockey Night in Canada. That’s when I met Carl* who spoke candidly about his addiction, loneliness and what it was like to live on the streets.

In May 2004, they hired me as a Summer Intern after finishing my 2nd year of university.  I spent four months working in the kitchen, food bank, clothing centre and playing baseball.  i. loved. It.  This was the first time in my life that I had a job and actually liked it. I guess you could say that I found a piece of myself at The Mustard Seed that summer.  Although I worked with people on a daily basis who had encountered so much pain and heart ache they still had hope that things could change.  They inspired me and made my faith look trite and surface.  I was forced to ask the tough questions such as “how can people say God is good in the face of such trial?”, “What does it mean to see God in everyone?”, “what does success look like in the eyes of God?”

It’s now 2011 and I am still here.  I could write a long list of the jobs I’ve had since 2004 but that’s not important.  The reason I am still here is because I still believe that I can be a part of bringing the Kingdom of God to earth as it is in Heaven.

Thursday, December 08, 2011

What’s Going on in Employment? An Update

The Employment Centre at The Mustard Seed as we now know it has been operating since August, which means that we’ve had just over four months to work with our 80-odd clients towards achieving what we’re calling “sustainable employment.” We’ve spent a lot of time talking about definitions, data and decisions as we’ve been rolling this all out. While these are essential to a successful program, I thought it would be helpful to provide some insight into what’s been happening amidst it all in the real lives of our hard-working, hope-filled clients; the people who are the real focus of all of this.

Mary came in for help with interview skills which gave her the confidence to land the cleaning job for which she’d been hoping.

Tom struggles with addictions and has worked one-off day jobs for the last few years. We introduced him to an employer who offered him a construction job where he worked steadily for close to a month. He’s still working through his challenges, but is recognizing the value in steady employment that he didn’t see before.

Jennifer is working part-time in a job her coach assisted her in securing, but is making money to get her FoodSafe training and fulfill her dream of working full-time in the food industry.

David came through the Employment Centre to get a job with Facilities at The Mustard Seed, and is now able to afford a trip home to the US for Christmas.

Vanessa is in her mid-20s and has never had a job. She was able to work with a coach to get into a paid training program that will give her the work experience she needs to enter the world of employment while earning enough income to pay her rent.

George, despite his serious mental health issues, was able to see real change happen through perseverance and readiness to change. In a matter of days, he came for a haircut with one of our volunteers, searched for a job with his coach, secured an interview and received a job offer and has been working steadily as a dishwasher downtown ever since.

Tony, a new Canadian and a skilled glazier, came to us for help finding any kind of work just pay his rent and help out a sick loved-one. Instead, he worked with his coach who accompanied him to an interview that landed him a job in his field. He’s been employed successfully for over three months now and has achieved full benefits doing the trade he loves.

Marcel was frustrated with temporary work, so came to us to find something more permanent. We introduced him to an employer with a contracting business, and since then he has been learning new skills on the job and taking pride in the things he’s been able to build, abut also in showing up consistently every day.

These are just a few of the life stories our clients are writing daily. There are others that don’t seem so positive: some battling addictions and other health issues, some lacking the motivation or skills to get into their dream job. This is a reality for many of the people The Mustard Seed serves, but they all have one thing in common: they’re here. They’ve taken the initiative to work with an Employment Coach to take positive steps forward, however small or large those steps may be. So while we take steps to make sure we’re serving them with the best policies and programs possible, I hope this has given a glimpse into what’s happening on the ground, because their individual successes are also worth talking about.

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

A Million Dollar Gift

The phones were ringing and everyone was giving what they could. Amongst all the ones and zeroes stood a tired and weary man, reluctantly playing each day with the hand he was dealt. Beyond the tattered clothing and possession-filled backpack lay a glimmer of hope. Coins in hand, he walks hesitantly to the table. "Here," he says, opening his hand to reveal a few dirty coins, "it's all I have." He was immediately embarrassed and closed his fingers around the shiny objects, retracting his arm and bowing his head. "It's only three dollars."   "That's ok," they said. "No, it's only three dollars."   "No,"  I tell him, as I touch him gently on the back and look straight in his eyes.   "It's not only three dollars, it's three dollars." "It’s not only three dollars... " everyone there echoes. He looks up at us standing there and, looking slightly more empowered, sits down to fill out the form. "You should make a challenge," I say, and explain he can challenge other people to donate. "I want to challenge everyone to give, because if I can give, they can."

After that exchange, I slowly walked away from the table, my heart a little warmer, my smile a little brighter. Thank you, sir, for touching my day and my heart in a way I will never forget.

Four years later, we're about to launch into another Shine-a-Thon, the event where the above events played out. I'd like to personally ask you to listen to Shine FM on Thursday, December 15, and watch our Facebook and Twitter feeds in Calgary to see and hear about the work happening at The Mustard Seed and how you can help. Our goal is to raise $250,000 in one day with your help. If nothing else, we're fun people to listen to, and you'll be inspired in one way or another. Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for listening.

Friday, December 02, 2011

The Day it All Changed

Hi, I'm Karina, I'm the Executive Assistant to Jeff Dyer, our COO here at The Mustard Seed. Visiting Heritage Park drastically changed my perspective.  No, not of how much more modern our society is today compared to the past, but of people experiencing homelessness. Last year I had the opportunity of visiting Heritage Park in December with 8 of our clients and a few other volunteers.  We all loaded into the 15 passenger van and, when we arrived at the park, seemed to naturally split off into a few small tour groups. My group included Carissa*, John* and Silvia*, along with another volunteer.

I admit, before going on this outing, and before joining The Mustard Seed, I was scared of homeless people I’d see on the streets. I made the generalization that they ALL were dirty, did drugs or drank non-stop, didn’t have thoughts or feelings and enjoyed begging for change.  In short, I de-humanized them in my mind.

As we wandered through the park, I was able to talk with several of the other group members, and got to hear their perspectives and feelings about various things. Carissa, in particular, shared with me throughout the afternoon about her struggles with mental illness, but how she’s doing much better and how her relationship with God is her source of strength. After a few of such conversations, it hit me: each person experiencing homelessness has a unique story & struggles, and at the end of the day is just a human being like me. There’s nothing to be afraid of. This seems like such a small shift in thinking now, but at that time, it was a big step. 

Since that day, I’ve made it a priority to connect with the people we serve, and often the small conversations we have at lunch are a highlight of my day.  I’d encourage you to reach out and simply talk with someone you have a certain notion about or otherwise wouldn’t. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a person experiencing homelessness, but could be that seemingly unapproachable neighbour or the quiet immigrant. It just may change your perspective and generalizations, something that if we all did more often would lead to increased mutual understanding and ultimately societal change.

- Karina