Meeting Poverty In Our Backyard

This Wednesday I have the privilege to introduce my first year college students to poverty, the world of addictions, in the context of the inner city of balmy Winnipeg. These eager students (actually some of them are quite afraid) will be volunteering at foodbanks, serving at soup kitchens, hanging out with kids at drop-in centres, and hopefully connecting with the urban poor. Why? To expand their understanding of community and mission, two key values of the institution I'm employed by. And hopefully, bring compassion to those less fortunate and here the stories of people who have faced poverty firsthand by birth, loss of job, mental health, addictions, or by simply making some poor choices in life. I love to see my student's worldviews expanded in this setting. I've had some students who decided to stay and do their part in working with the poor. It is a complicated issue poverty and it obviously isn't simply about giving handouts but clearly we as humankind are called to reach out to those in need. For some reason, we sometimes find it easier to sponsor a child across the ocean than to respond to the need in our backyard. Why is that?

Whatever the case - I am faced with lots of scheduling details, travel logistics, and unfortunately a lingering cold that has threatened my voice numerous times this weekend. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated as I do my part in leading this missions exposure week from the 1st to the 8th. We will be working with organizations such as Siloam Mission, Inner City Youth Alive, Salvation Army, Gospel Mennonite Church, Living Bible Explorers, Union Gospel Mission, YFC Fire Escape, and Winnipeg Harvest. The week goes by quickly but it is tough being away from family.

How Rich Are You?

Check out the Global Rich List site and find out how you rate as far as wealth in the spectrum of people inhabiting planet earth! It takes less than a minute and very interesting results!

Service

This past week I had the privilege of spending time with 42 first year college students and exposing them to a variety of soup kitchens, drop-in centres, & shelters in inner-city Winnipeg. It was not an easy week, particularly being away from family, but it was a rewarding one. It was exciting to see many of my students step up to the plate and interact with people they would normally look away from - the sniffers, the addicts, the alcoholics, the prostitutes, the homeless, the mentally-ill, and the poor. The hardest reality to hit home was the many kids from very difficult home situations.

One of the contrasts I observed was in how "ministry" was being done - soup kitchen style versus potluck. The soup kitchen approach is basically handing out food to people who stand in lines waiting. The potluck approach is very different, both the haves and the havenots offer their services in distributing food & clothing, and sit down at the table and eat with each other. I think both approaches have merit but it seems the second is more humane, more community minded. A lot people cannot help their economic situation, particularly the young or the old. Addictions and mental disorders as well keep people from living their lives as the majority of North Americans do.

A special thanks goes out to Gospel Mennonite Church, Salvation Army, & Inner City Youth Alive for hosting us and allowing us to serve in so many ways! God has blessed both the poor & the rich with so much - however, it seems that often it is the poor that realize contentment better. The fact is we all live in a "broken" world and all long for restoration and reconciliation with our Maker.

G

How Much Land Does A Man Need?

I recently came across Leo Tolstoy's short story, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?," which centres on the life of Pahom, a Russian peasant with strong ambitions, seeking his fortune. A clever Bashkir tribesman offers him a deal he is eager to accept: 1,000 rubles for as much land as he could walk around in a day. So, Pahom sets out at dawn and would have realized a rich estate but for his obsession to encompass more land than a day's walk would allow. He manages to return to his starting point before the sun sets, but only to collapse on the spot with blood trickling from his mouth. The dream of conquest was over with the death of Pahom and his servant burying him. The last line of Tolstoy's story, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?," is answered, "Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed."

The story is one of greed and perhaps reflects well North American society. We see this story lived out on reality TV shows such as Survivor in which people are willing to forsake all that they would normally stand for in order to win money. We also see it in regards to the abuse of our environment, how we mismanage the resources we have been called to manage. When is enough - enough? It is also a story of lifestylism - what motivates us to pursue the things that we pursue? Are our motivations of merit, of value or are they mere greed. How willing are we to sacrifice our time, our families for the sake of our careers?

Maybe the story is simply about overload as Dr. Richard Swenson suggests in his book The Overload Syndrome. He says the problem with our society is not necessarily the load or ambition but our willingness to go beyond what our bodies can endure. The Bashkirs knew that Pakhom's body had limits - but his greed did not.

I remember a co-worker of mine who had a picture of a limo in his lunchkit. I asked him about it and he said that was what kept him going. On the side he was selling Amway or some type of pyramid get-rich scheme. I remember thinking how futile an ambition that was.

G

Asia Tsunami Relief

My guess is before the tsunamis hit Asia most people in this world had no idea what a tsuanami was never mind even spell it. But it happened and the result clearly has been catastrophic. I was reading a Relevant article entitled: "A Personal Response To The Tsunamis" on one person's take on it and was led to the blogsite of someone who had survived the ordeal by being at the right place and right time. I encourage you to read her article as it provides some interesting insight into it all.

Our family has made a contribution to assistance with the Tsunami and I feel drawn to give more. So many hurting families, so many who lost loved ones, and with no real answers for them. My wife expressed the other day that she felt drawn to go there, to help in person!

G

Some before & after pictures...