Snapshots

Had a sobering moment this week at Dinner. A woman was serving herself from the table and she said she wanted to come to church on Sunday. She told me that this was because she wanted to be like me.

The other week, the woman who has taken on leading a kids' activity for the kids who come to Dinner said that one of the kids (not one of the ones pictured) had asked her if she was from the Childrens' Aid Society. Taken aback, she said, "No." The child said, "It's just that you're a lot of fun." The woman asked later, "What does it say about your life when a visit from the CAS is the highlight of your week?"

Moments like these happen regularly to those of us who are making friends with people who live at GTI. We're getting past the intimidating surface of the place and starting to see the very human hearts of the people. But there's still a difference between the 'us' and the 'them' which exists entirely in some of 'their' eyes. They have a hard time not seeing us as vaguely better, somehow. I'm still working out how to use that to point them to Jesus and how he sees them.

Anyway, Church continues every Sunday morning and we sing a lot. The greatest single need we have right now is a projector, either overhead or video type. We're currently borrowing one from a local church that I pick up on Sunday morning and return Sunday afternoon, but they need it themselves throughout the week. New or used would be fine. We're not picky!

We're also in need of building materials for a ramp that would allow wheel accessibility for our two get togethers each week. The handyman at the Motel has been able to jerryrig something, but it's so narrow that it's not safe and when it gets wet, the section in the middle that is an old varnished piece of board gets slippery. Good building materials are scarce there because so much of what's available is used and has nails sticking out all over which would destroy tires.

We're working on putting together a choir for Christmas. Still in the early stages.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers. It never ceases to amaze me how God is working through us to build a safe space in a crazy neighbourhood.

r