Hi there,
I'm Ty and I work as a Team Lead in The Mustard Seed's Housing department in Calgary. I spend a lot of time in Transitional Housing on the third and fourth floors of our oldest building, 102 11 Ave SE.
It has been through many changes over the years of its existence, but after all of those, nothing has been cooler than what is happening now through community building. The residents are creating safe home for themselves, partly with the help of Resident Advisors (RA). Essentially, I'm talking here about peer leadership. I'm talking about residents in the midst of life recovery voted into a leadership role by their peers. One for each floor, and I'll tell you what - it's empowering. Why?
It is representative of the community you live with recognizing your gifts and talents, much like becoming a member of the board of a community association. The coolest thing was when one floor embraced a true campaign spirit! We saw posters, conversations, and a victory by only two ballots to achieve a majority as a slate of four candidates were whittled down to two and then one. I saw a great sense of fun, community and the importance of one’s voice when living in a healthy community.
The RA is there as a first point of support for their neighbours, to help brainstorm solutions, host social events, mentor new residents in the culture and welcome new residents, etc. Beginning this process was a powerful step, not just for our guests, but for our staff as well. It was a sign that we were throwing out the charitable model we know best, to simply say, this is our community: staff, volunteers and residents.
We're getting ready to live in the future of community. Are you?
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
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!
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.
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?”
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!
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!
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