My FMP journey started with the really quiet drive to Regina. I am not joking about the really quiet part either. Our group was almost completely dead silent. I do not know what it is but once I get into a vehicle and there is a long journey ahead I just sit and look out the window or sleep, I rarely talk while travelling. So this drive was no different, they only people talking were Walter and Nick in the front seats. Long drives give me time to think through some things that are bothering me or to prepare myself for whatever I am about to do. So I was preparing myself for Regina for half the time and the other half of the time I was sorting through so complicated thoughts that had been bugging me since the beginning of the week.
Healing Hearts building once used to be a penitentiary for boys a several years ago. Our leader, Walter, also told us that it used to be a lab for something. I can’t remember if it had to do with biochemical’s or the assembling of important machinery. So the walls were fairly thick and had steal re-enforcement, and the windows were three paned. After our tour and orientation, Walter had the guys take down the ducting in the church sanctuary, then after settling in we all went to bed to be ready for a full day of work.
Morning came and during breakfast we did a quick devotion and group prayer for the day to go well and that our group would have unity in our work. We usually did this every morning, sometimes we would after supper. I did not mind the work that we were doing but sometimes there was not much for us girls to do and we began to sit around doing nothing, taking naps, reading the bible, making meals, etc. Making meals together was fun, we agreed on how to cook everything, like the perogies and Mennonite style sausage. It was to bad that I started the tea towel on fire when getting the vegetables of the stove.
The things I learned about myself this past week are that sometimes I can adjust or respond quickly to the needs of the work we were doing, but sometimes I didn’t do so as well. I also learned that when I want to get something done, I’ll try hard not to let those around me bring me down when they are not helping with what needs to be done, even if it was a small job. This experience taught me that I do have an abundant gift of mercy and I am a very forgiving person, not that I did not know this before. I understand that I really cannot stay angry at a person for more then ten minutes and that I have a compassion on those who‘s lives are so screwed up that they turn to other things to help them through.
The youth pastor, Spurgeon, took us on a walk down some back alleys and the Stroll. He talked to us about how kids of around the age of eight or ten would set fire to the dumpsters because they are in so much pain from being sexually abused that they used this as an outlet of their pain and anger. Spurgeon also pointed out the spray painted gang signs on the dumpsters, shed doors/walls, and many other surfaces.
Then there was the Stroll and the prostitutes and the saddening stories of how they ended up on the streets. Most of the time pimps would promise girls a good time and usually get them hooked on the life of being a prostitute. Sometimes the girls left because of problems or situations at home and didn’t want to be there anymore and pimps took advantage of these situations. I felt sorry for the families that had to deal with the loss of their daughter/sister to this life style.
When I heard Kevin’s testimony-- he is part of the Love Is Here ministry-- before we got on the Love Bus, it made me think about my brother-in-law, Marty, and how screwed up his life is right now. Kevin talked about how he used to be a drug dealer and how one day he was “hit by the bus”. He had gone through so much and he was getting sick of the life he was living, he had been shot at and probably beaten up a few times. Kevin wanted a change and he got on the Love Bus for the first time one night. He had seen the bus before and knew what the people were all about. That night he gave his life to God and his addictions too. He was changed instantly. This made me wish that my sister’s husband could have an experience like that. Life altering. The Love Bus was an amazing experience that I would gladly do over again.
I knew that dry walling the ceiling of the church was going to be a great blessing to it’s family. The heating bill would not be so high because of the loss of heat through the unfinished ceiling. Now that it is all done the heat will stay inside for everyone to enjoy. But, while dry walling I felt that we could have been doing other things that I felt were more important to the community, the “urban reserve”. We could have been helping out at soup kitchens or shelters, the Salvation Army. Working along side other ministries, making house calls so that we could have learned more about the Native culture.
I remember hearing from one of those working with Love Is Here that there are a lot of spiritual superstitions that the Native people believed. There is one that I learned along time ago about the northern lights. There is a reserve called Big Island, near Meadow Lake, that believes that if you whistle or even look at the northern lights the spirits will come and take you away. I had been there for an event that Bethel Gospel Camp had thrown together and the northern lights were out that night. But, it would have been interesting to see if that superstition was only held by that reserve and not by others.
It would have been interesting to hear about other things that they believed as well. I guess that not much of the superstitious beliefs would have held in an urban reserve situated in Regina, where there is crime, prostitution, gangs, drug abuse, drug dealing, alcohol abuse, all kinds of abuse most likely everyday. One thing that some of us, me included, were surprised about was the fact that there was gangs and prostitution in Regina. I thought that prostitution happened in places like Vancouver, Ottawa, and Toronto. I would have never thought of Regina as one of those places.
Another thing I experienced on the Love Bus was the openness the group had with each other and us, complete strangers. They shared stories with us about how they had reached out to those that came onto the bus and how years later they hear about that person and that they had made it off the streets and into a better life style. I was so encouraged to see how they interacted with the prostitutes, pimps, gang members, drug addicts, etc. They had such compassion for them, they did not judge them for what they did, they just talked with them and gave them donuts and something hot to drink. If the conversation or the Holy Spirit moved in the direction of sharing the Gospel with those people they followed without hesitation. Before we had left they had prayed that God would bring people to the bus, people that they could reach out to and touch with His loving mercy and share His Son’s salvation story. It was a blessing to just sit and watch what was going on around me. I played some guitar with one of the ladies at the back and taught her some chords. She has just began learning guitar.
After having the dry wall completed, there was such an emotion of satisfaction and joy that we has finished and had done a really good job as well. We had endured long tiring, sweaty, itchy, and dirty days of work that it felt so good to be done. Walter showed his appreciation by having us over for pizza, wings, and either a movie or Rock Band. We played Rock Band for most of the evening with his three teenagers.
The ride home was just as quiet as the ride there. Everyone was really tired and almost instantly fell asleep. I stared out the window thinking about the week we had and then decided to read my book. We stopped to help a native couple with their van-- it was making a weird clunking noise so we followed them to the next town and the repair shop there. We were encouraged to see and hear that they were Christians. They have a license plate on the front of their van that said “Jesus”. So we prayed for them and that they would get to their destination quickly and safely. I could see that they were grateful for our stopping to help them out. Soon we were back at school and ready to see and talk to everyone else. To hear their stories.
