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.

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.

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.

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.

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