A Full Monday

MONDAY

I think we all slept well last night (and hallelujah, I actually fell asleep quickly and stayed asleep until the morning! First time in a month). We had a busy day yesterday and it was well worth it.

Our resident chef, Yang, woke early with Shelley to prepare breakfast for us and then head into the Northwind office to begin the lunch prep for the team.  When you are cooking for about 30 people it takes a long time.  We are thankful that we have such a talented and trained individual to be preparing all our (VERY) yummy food for us.

We leave the cove by 8:30am. Our day starts with a devotion, Monday led by Bera. He reminded us of Matthew 28 (the Great Commission), Psalm 106 (remember well what God has done, and all things in the past lead to this moment), and John 4 (the harvest is ready, and there is urgency in what is being done).

We then had 2 hours of Safe People and Places Training – based on “Plan to Protect” and the requirements that we all understand what it means to be safe and to keep others safe. This is highly important as those who come to the play days, the Gathering, Next Steps, etc.. are mostly all vulnerable people.

LUNCH! An amazing Chinese stew made by our team. What more can we say?

After lunch, we clean up our dishes and head out to the play days at Wilson Street. These housing complexes are supported housing and run by the city. What strikes me is that need for upkeep and maintenance. All these speak to the needs the community has. There is much garbage around – at and around the dumpster, on the ground and at the playground. The shingles are in need of repair; one unit was burned by fire and is to be fixed still.

But in all of this, the children seem happy and were all very polite. They were taking care of one another and they were just happy to play! They were excited we were there and were looking forward to the play day. We think that this community currently has one of the younger group of children out of the 4 we will visit. There are needs there for sure. One unit is for the public health team (currently it is closed) but signage talks about a variety of health issues, such as COVID, sickness, what to do if you need help from drugs, how to keep out of gangs, what if someone takes over your home etc. From this I think you can imagine what goes on in and around the complex.

Play days feature a variety of carnival like games. Children play and are given prizes when they win. Northwind has been working all year with these families and invite them out for a variety of programs and supports. We go on the back of their trust. We all wear red shirts so that they know who is a part of the team for safety.

At the end of the play day time (2-4:30) they gather all the families for a bible story. They know this, and are eager to hear. When they are registered the parents put their children(s)’ names into one of 4 raffles for prizes (for the kids, and a gift card for the family).

At the end we pack all our supplies and clean the complex area – trying to leave it cleaner than when we arrived.  Lots of broken toys, and other garbage to pickup.

With the day done, and the team tired, we return to the office at 141 May St. What strikes me is that here around the office you  always see those who are in need – some homeless, some with disabilities, some who have been/are drug dependent. We have dinner and start to unwind.  In a debrief time, Bonita takes out a number of laminated emojis. We are to choose one and share how we are feeling. We are reminded of how God has blessed Northwind and have done something great over the past few years – from when the first organization decided they were no longer serving Indigenous communities, to the loss of the Cove. Then to the birth of Northwind as a new organization still called by Bera and Bonita, and then the redemption and repurchase of the Cove and subsequent land/buildings for Northwind’s use. It is amazing to hear of how God has moved and worked here. There is much going on and much ministry still to do.

We finish with a trip for some ice cream and to Kakabeka falls. Return to the Cove and some star gazing by the lake. We did manage to catch some meteors from the Perseid meteor shower.  And then to bed.