Winnipeg is really great so far. We live in a big duplex in the down town west end area. The area is incredibly old, and our house is past the hundred year mark itself. The neighbourhood is very ethnically diverse, and it is interesting to have so many culutures within such a small area. Poverty has definately left its mark in this inner city area. Prostitution, drug use, and crime are all serious and visible problems where we live. The house we live in used to be a gang haven for the neighborhood. If people were walking by our house they would cross to the other side of the street because of the kinds of people that inhabited it. Every major crime other than murder had been reported at this house. The house was completely gutted and re done by a local pastor who was very passionate about the people who lived here, and has blessed them with many great stories of reconciliation, this house being one of them. Lovely history in the air between these walls.
So I have been here two weeks and it has been a pretty challenging, but amazing time. We have been learning so many things together. This last week, speaker Phil Cunningham came to do a one week seminar on justice. We talked about hunger, human trafficking, AIDS, child soldiers, as well as spent an afternoon walking around our neighbourhood searching for brokenness and injustice, believing strongly that we can't proclaim we long for justice for those far away, without confronting the injustice in our backyards. Eye opening stuff for sure. I cant see a possible future for me outside of serving the oppressed. Some times you talk about justice and its just a massive weight and burden which is poor for transformation. It is most certainly an aspect, however, without Christ in the equation, it is passion without direction, a car without wheels. We spend alot of time focusing on obedience as the MOST important thing to do. What more can you expect from clay?
The schedule we keep is tight, and is disciplining me in ways I have not yet experienced. At seven we have breakfast. 7:30 to 8:30 is quiet time. Quiet time has been awesome for me, as its a great time to connect to people back home with prayer, as well as simply ponder and dwell in the depths of grace, and our inheritence with the Lord. 8:30 is corporate prayer or worship for 1/2 hour. The worship we have done is not usually musical, and it has been cool exploring different ways of lifting my heart to God. The corporate prayer we do is beautiful and the liturgical togetherness adds something special to our day. 9-10 is usually small group time. We have groups of four within the base that meet in these times. This is a good time to share some scripture, concerns, and most importantly prayer to build each other up. Then lecture begins and goes until lunch. The lecture is very interactive and engaging, forcing everybody to offer input. After lunch we we have work duties or outreach until dinner. I am on maintenance which means cleaning out under the deck, shovelling snow, that sort of thing. On tuesdays a few of us are running a kids after school program for some girls in the neighbourhood. I feel like this will be a great way to connect with the community. We eat dinners at the Ellice cafe, which was started by the same ministry that resurrected our house, and they serve up some great grub for us. They offer some cool food programs that provides a cheap way to eat out for families who would otherwise never have that opportunity. Evenings are usually free, with the exception of thursdays for an outreach preperation session. Weekends are free, but we must attend some sort of Church service on sunday. Any service we want in the city. The director and her husband have started a small church plant here at the house, and I think I will be joining this community for the next three months. If you want to learn more check out www.littleflowers.ca
Aside from our schedule we have some homework as well. We have ongoing book reports due once every three weeks. The first book is blue like jazz. I am really enjoying the insight and honesty of the author Donald Miller thus far. I was looking for intentional community when I began me search for a fall program to attend. God has answered that prayer, as this place is a very tight community. Because it is so small, there is no room to search out similar folks and form bonds. It is stretching me to new levels of acceptance of different beliefs, life styles, and communication styles. Despite our quarks, we are all searching and longing to live by the Spirit of Life, and it is such a lovely environment to meet God in. As we lift God to his proper place as the head, I am beginning to catch glimpses of a functional body, and am excited to see more. Next week Chris Witler is coming to talk about evangelism, which I am very stoked about. I know that will thrust me out of many comfort zones, and break down some walls I have built against that word, evangelism. So thats my life here. It is a roller coaster in many ways, however, I have experienced more joy and laughter here than I have in any other group of people.
Thanks for taking time to hear about my life
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