Thursday, September 21, 2017

i know i told everyone to call me FALLa starting today, but due to the sudden burst of beautiful weather this week, i just can't seem to retire my summer name, POOLa, quite yet.

i got out of the pool this morning only to notice a feisty squirrel staring down my cat. disclaimer: it's not my cat - it's my friend's cat; i don't even like cats, but the protective lioness in me came out when i saw that my my friend's cat was being hunted by a predator. like for real - i'm pretty sure i saw it it licking its lips.

but here's the thing. harper was oblivious to the fact that she was seconds away from being on the wrong side of the food chain. but i wasn't. i stared that squirrel down eye to eye as i blindly tried to untie harper's leash. and yes, she's on a leash. which is why i needed to swoop in and save her. she had nowhere to run.

would you believe me if i told you that this dumb cat (sorry, dan) hissed at me, her hero? that she was royally pissed that i was bringing her inside, away from the vicious, hungry squirrel? (i tried to tell her what was happening, but i don't speak cat). IS SHE NUTS? ;) (evidently the squirrel thought she was).

she's still mad at me as i type this, but i don't care. she's alive, and she should be grateful that she's alive. (you're welcome, harper).

all kidding aside, this got me thinking.

how many times have i thrown a hissy fit at God (or my parents or anyone else who loves me) for protecting me from something i couldn't see? a toxic job or disastrous relationship? exciting plans that fell through because i was needed somewhere else (i had planned to be in cuba the week my mom passed away) or because what i was about to get involved in (or with) wasn't God's best for me? you name it. (insert anything else you can think of here).

but as i was reminded of today, sometimes, just sometimes, there's a squirrel in the tree that you can't see.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

i started my new role as the community dinner co-ordinator at the church in regent park on Saturday and my heart could not be more full.

some would say that this has been in the making since i started volunteering back in November, but for me, it started a lot sooner than that. i can't help but reflect and see how God has had His hand in my life long before pastor jake (who, by the way, i am very grateful for) ever resigned.

in 2011, i was in a van full of people touring the ins and outs of Toronto when we came to regent park. I don't know whether it was the poverty I saw, the stories I heard, or the hope the people driving the van had for this community, but something stuck out to me about this place and only grew from there as I spent some time hanging out there with the salvation army that summer.

fast forward to the summer of 2016 when I couldn't get regent park out of my mind. unbeknownst to me at the time, a few months later i would end up reconnecting with a friend, who, just so happened to have just planted a church in regent park. i showed up a few weeks later to check things out and the rest is history.

i'm so thankful for this job, the incredible people i get to work with, and the community i get to serve, and am looking forward to loving, and learning, and growing as i serve in this capacity.

[part two : mcdonalds]

happy to report that as of today, i have been promoted to the 'guest experience leader champion' (how's that for a job title?), a new role that is being introduced to mcdonalds this week. i have a conference call with head office tonight at five to go over my new job description, but the jist of it is this: i'll in charge of training, coaching, and motivating all of the GELS in my store and responsible for making sure our surveys are being handed out and that our scores remain high.

i'm thankful for this job, too; for my understanding and flexible bosses, and the top notch crew that i get to work with!

[part three: youth unlimited]

my supervisor is having a baby in a few weeks and so i had the honor of helping her lead a team of youth from scarborough at the beginning of august so that i would know what i was doing when she goes on mat leave.

we led them through a poverty meal (which i blogged about previously), a street walk (which i didn't) and served alongside of them at a great place that provides meal for the poor downtown Toronto.

i walked away from that day and a half even more convinced that i was born for this.

here's the clincher, though.

youth unlimited requires me to fundraise my own salary and I cant do it without YOU.

at this stage, i'm getting paid minimum wage for up to ten hours a week for fundraising (usually ends up being about five hours a week with my schedule being the way it is), and am not able to work at my target 20 hours/week (which will be salaried income at the point) until i reach 40% of my target goal.

right now i am sitting at 17% (which i am so so so thankful for), but i did the math this morning which leaves me $1100 short/month.

if i break that down, that means i would need:

110 people to commit to $10/month
55 people to commit to $20/month
22 people to commit to $50/month
11 people to commit to $100 month

... and so forth.

i know this is a lot to ask - i barely make ends meet some weeks myself - but if you are interested in being part of a really great non profit/ministry (and a part of my kickin team), i humbly invite you to do so.

you can write cheques (do they still exist?!), call our office, or donate through Canada helps [canadahelps.org - search youth unlimited (toronto YFC) - scroll down to donate monthly (or donate now) and under "apply your donation to a specific fund set up by this charity", click my name (number 09)] and BOOM - you're not only helping me, but you're helping youth, those on the margins of society, and the organizations downtown Toronto that are making a difference every single day!

want to grab a coffee and talk further? holla for paula. i'd be happy to make time for you.

ps. pastors, youth pastors, and leaders, i'm also available to come and speak to your church or youth about urban ministry/hang out/whatever you need me to do. just say the word! (feel free to spread the word, too). thanks, peeps! :)

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

i was standing at the bus stop minding my own business when an elderly man approached me.

"excuse me, miss" he said, followed by his toothless grin. "do you have a loonie so i can buy a soda? i found this food around the corner and i would love a pop to wash it down with".

i couldn't help by stare at his dirty, half-eaten container of food.

"i sure do", i said. (i don't always have money to give them, but i happened to that day).

he vanished into the convenience store behind me as quickly as i pulled the loonie out of my pocket.

a few minutes later, he ran up to me an extra skip in his step. "thank you, thank you, thank you" he said with the same toothless grin that blessed my heart the first time. i, too, couldn't help but smile.

you see, he asked for a dollar for a pop - and get this - he bought a pop.

not all panhandlers spend their money on alcohol and drugs, and this is just one story out of many where i have seen this firsthand.

but, let me pose a question here - so what if they do?

don't we use drugs, alcohol, sex, netflix, food (enter anything else here) to cope with our pain? how can we expect anything less from 'them'?

and better yet, does our responsibility lay within our willingness to give when we're able to, or in how they spend the change we place in their cups? (because if that's the case, we should probably stop tipping our servers at the restaurants we go to because a lot of their tips go right back to the bar after work).

addictions are real things, sure. and a small percentage of people are on the streets because of theirs. i get it. (but even still)

but not all are.

some are there because they fled from a level of abuse that i can't comprehend and their alternative is worse. others, because their job got outsourced and they couldn't find another. some because of mental illness, and others because of the family/societal structure they were born into and they can't seem to break the cycle. it's hard to break a cycle, after all.

now, let it be said that i can't possibly (and don't) give to every single panhandler i see on the street, and i'm not asking you to, either. all i'm asking is that you - we - challenge ourselves to break down the preconceived ideas and judgements that we have about why they're there and what 'they will do with the money we give them' and extend a little grace to a fellow human in need. if you have an extra loonie floating around, say hi and hand it to them, and if you don't, make eye contact and say hi any way.