On the streets

In the middle of no where... not quite; but that's teh feeling I get as I trapse around in the cold of downtown Calgary. We are actually in the middle of everything... the most populated, dangerous areas of the city; I have never felt so needed, or so much need in my life.

We are on our urban hike ministry trip, in case you were wondering. We left on Monday and we won't be back until Friday. We are surviving on the minimum, the trip is not about comfort. Right now I am so thankful to be able to use a public access computer to let you all know that I am still alive.

There is far too much to write about right now. It has been amazing. The point of the trip is to help out, and understand the lives of Canada's homeless population. We are living in the basement of a church, and are getting about 6 hours of sleep a night. The rest of the time we are volunteering at Calgary's various h0meless organizations, ( The mustard seed, salvation army, the drop in centre etc.) We are serving meals, preparing food, setting up clothing hand out centres, and even preaching on the street. There are literally thousands of people, and about 350 of them do not get a bed anywhere all night, even when it is forty below. The need is astonishing. Most of the homeless are men, actually about 80% are, but that's because the sex trade gives women another place to go. Everything I see makes me so sad, and makes me ask, as a christian, what should I be doing? These people are honestly in need, would Jesus ignore that? I don't think so.

Our first day we got a tour of salvation army ( my favourite place to volunteer so far) and then went with a street church to preach in the most dangerous area of town at about 9:00 pm. It was a dangerous situation but we trusted God to take care of us. WE handed out hot chocolate and pizza, and shared the good news with people. Some of them were really receptive, and it was amazing. They were truly hungry for a touch of love, a touch of humanity. The stench was incredible though,l and something we all had to overcome. It smelled like urine, booze, body odour, weed, and vomit. The people's stories, and their appearances were so sad. There was a few people who were very angry that we were there. One man tried to attack us while yelling " I am ready to kill!" None of us were the least bit frightened. At that point, I realized that God really does protect, and he does not give us fear. I could be a missionary in a dangerous position, if God called me there, and I would not be afraid. He tried to break the speakers, he attacked the guys, who jumped on him, and finally he walked to the end of the block and yelled at us to " turn it down, I can't hear the voices inside my head!" We all knew what those voices were, so all we did was stand there and pray and take authority over the enemy. Let me tell you, when you are actually in danger and you pray, it takes on a whole new faith dimension. We all felt compassion for him, not anger. One of the guys sobbed, heartbroken for him. Patrik commented " Now this is being real light in the darkness." It was an amazing beginning.

Since then we have seen so much, and done so much. I see how fortunate I am to have the support group and the family that I have. I would never wind up in that position. My heart is so broken for these people in a new way. When we don't have scheduled volunteering to do, we roam the streets looking for someone to help. We have taken a few people out for coffee, amid the funny looks from the "rich" people who watch us walk in with them. Their stories always make me cry. They are so lonely. They are so appreciative. It's amazing the places that you see Jesus. Sometimes you see it in someone sharing their joint with someone who has had a bad day. In a few days, I have gotten used to knowing what to look for as signs of where a person has been. I know what meth addicts look like. I know the signs of people who have shot drugs up thier arms. I know how to tell when a drug deal is going down. It's amazing. I know that when we walk downtown, the guys have to walk on the outside of the street, least someone think I am a hooker and he is my pimp.

A world that has always been so foreign is now becoming a cold reality before my eyes.

I will update you later. Love you all. Two more days.