On December 31, Mike Kildal (Developer of Ministries & Teams) graciously shared the pulpit with me for the first ten minutes of his sermon. I was able to share an update of my six months spent in DTES and some of the things I have learned. In the picture you can see an overview of homelessness I discussed.Then after the third service, a group of over 25 friends, supporters, and new contacts spent an hour and a half discussing my role serving with First United Church. The interaction was terrific and very encouraging.
One aspect of home is belonging to a community, and I saw that Roseburg is my home and my roots are deep. It made clear that I am a missionary / chaplain. As I am a dual citizen, many of you had thoughts I would be relocating permanently.
With year end donations as well as my regular support, I am so grateful the fiscal year ended in the black with prudent reserves for income tax and other anticipated extra expenses. Thank you to all who have shared your thoughts, prayers, and support with me. You are partners with me helping those in despair have a sense of belonging and community in the DTES.
Gratefully,
Ross
Glad the year ended well in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteIt was fantastic to see you again Ross.
ReplyDeleteA couple of months ago, my husband & I flew into Seattle to begin a very fun 5 days. We purposely didn't plan anything, so we were free to go and do whatever we wanted. After renting a car and ferrying to Victoria and back, we went into Canada and drove the beautiful road up to Whistler. The only thing we knew about the Whistler resort was that it was something we should see. Wow. WOW! What an incredible conglomerate: beautiful architecture, hotels, golf courses, restaurants, bars, boutiques, stores, and accessories for every imaginable recreational activity. We settled into a luxurious room at the Hilton and went exploring, amazed at everything we saw and ate. Back in our room, we opened the window to a beautiful mountain view, lit the fireplace, snuggled into a feather bed piled high with down pillows, toes wiggling happily at the cold, crisply ironed cotton sheets. The kitchen was fully stocked with chocolates and high quality coffees, teas & wines; the bathroom beckoned with a jetted tub and white terry robe for each of us. Wow. Not accustomed to such luxury, but we found that we enjoyed it tremendously!
ReplyDeleteAfter a day and night of pampering, we got back in our rental car and called our friend Ross to see if we could stop by & see him. He told us how to get to the church in DTES, so we met him there. Walking to lunch at a Vietnamese place, we passed the inhabitants of DTES: the drug addicts, the prostitutes, the homeless, the mentally & physically challenged. No one really seemed to notice us, and they certainly weren't angry or pushy about these obvious strangers walking through their world. After lunch, Ross wanted to show us Canada's attempt at helping the addicts and he wanted us to stand and watch for about 10 minutes. So we did. We watched the addicts go in and, after a few minutes, come back out, ready to face the rest of their day. The squalor of the few blocks up and down from the church was pathetic: garbage rotting in the street, debris from collapsed buildings waiting to be removed, the refuse of modern society waiting for some sort of resolve. The church had its interior stripped and replaced with bunk beds for the homeless--mattresses only, no sheets. Maybe blankets were handed out at night.
The contrast between where we began our day and where we ended our day could not have been more extreme. From Whistler to DTES. If I had to choose where to spend my life...I would choose to be where the heart of God finds His purpose: DTES.