Hot chocolate for the soul

3 Comments Posted by on January 10, 2012

I’d like to share a story with you from one of our recent AOK evenings. 

To provide the context, our team walks the designated route, handing out hot chocolate, and we usually stop by the skate park to hang out with the youth there for a bit. We all pour hot chocolates, sit and chat. On this night, we sat down with a group of young guys and asked if we could pray before we left. They all seemed really responsive and one guy spoke out and shared about his mom’s state of health, saying she’d been on medication for 17 years. Recently she had to have surgery, which she was finding so hard to handle. He was really upset and wanted us to pray for anything to help the situation. So we joined him and pleaded with God to step in.

Two weeks later we saw the group again. After some conversation, someone asked the guy we’d connected with before how his mom was doing. In response his eyes lit up…”Dude,” he said, “My mom is totally healed! She is completely off medication after 17 years…it’s a miracle. God answered your prayers. Thank-you.” 

I was shocked and couldn’t help almost crying on the spot when I heard that. I know that some of our street friends embellish stories, that’s the reality of addiction; but this guy was different. God used the innocence of a young man to show that he hears our prayers and answers them. Even in my doubt, I had to believe this story!

Sometime it feels like I just go hand out some hot chocolate, have a conversation, sometimes pray and then move on…BUT there is more. We do those things, but God stays – he swirls around wherever we move, whoever we talk to and he lingers after. It’s beautiful and I’m so grateful that God moved the curtain that night and we got to see a bit of his plan in the life of  this son and his mom. He’s moving beyond the nights we go out. He finishes every conversation we start and has the power to continue to spiritually “feed” his children beyond our hot chocolate and muffins.

Those little glimpses of answered prayers provide hope and purpose to keep on going, keep serving, and most importantly, loving the people God puts in our way well. He will do the rest. 

Britney

Homelessness, Street Ministry , ,

Food to spare? A meal to share!

Leave a Comment Posted by on December 23, 2011

Come down any night at around 7 pm and you’ll see a hub of activity around the NightShift centre. Serving tables are set up, the mobile kitchen is brought out, food is made ready and there’s usually a long line of people waiting patiently in turn to receive the steaming hot dish of the night.

Every evening, a dedicated team of volunteers organizes, prepares and serves that meal to anyone who is hungry for nourishment, warmth and compassion. Year round, NightShift coordinates donations to provide the ingredients on a nightly basis, and hundreds of people are involved in ensuring that these needs are met.

At this time of year, when the bitterly cold weather adds to the perhaps bitter-sweet memories or painful reminders of a different Christmas, one spent with loved ones in different circumstances, it can be particularly harsh out on the street. We therefore appreciate all the extra help we can get to help ease the pain, to lighten the load and to share in the gift of time spent with friends.

  • Two weeks ago a small fleet of vans and mini-buses transported our street friends to the Uptown Church in White Rock for a special Christmas Dinner. 
  • This Friday we look forward to a feast of prepared turkey, salmon, prawns, fried rice, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, salad, stuffing, dinner rolls, and scrumptious desserts, all generously provided by the Overwaitea Frood Group in Langley.
  • On Christmas Eve, the Whalley Legion (13525 106 Avenue) will be serving a sit-down meal from 5 pm, for our street friends, and the NightShift team will be handing out stockings and singing carols around the streets of Whalley. 
  • At our regular serving in the evening on 25th December, our volunteer team will be out with lots of support to serve dinner and celebrate Christmas together.

Ours is definitely a mixed menu of very special delights, as we witness people coming together to share food, of their time and of themselves. Regardless of who we are and what we share, we are all receiving so much more than we can imagine.

Merry Christmas!

Andria
Volunteer Services

Donations, Homelessness

Driving in the clothing and blanket donations

Leave a Comment Posted by on December 5, 2011

All hands and feet are working overtime at receiving, sorting and distributing the donations of warm, clean clothes and blankets that are so desperately needed at this time of the year. With chilly temperatures come warm hearts, as people turn jackets, warm pants, boots, hats, scarves and gloves into so much more than just the clothes abandoned in a closet.

Our Sisters and NightShift volunteers track daily the items needed most by our street friends, as they replenish the clothing truck from which we hand out clean supplies and blankets every night of the year. We are so thankful for all the extra offers of help to collect warm winter wear and extra layers under which to sleep. One family we know is giving up their own gifts to provide gloves and socks to those who so desperately need them. Local community groups, teams of colleagues, such as the RCMP family of personnel, and whole businesses are turning their focus to supporting others this Christmas. In lieu of parties, we know of fundraisers being planned (for example, at Exclusive Floors and Cotter Architects) to benefit individuals in need. We are also receiving dozens and dozens and dozens of Christmas stockings (Surrey Red Hat Society and Regent Christian Academy and so many more) for distribution on Christmas Eve and care packages and food items for Christmas hampers…what a wonderful time of the year!

This year we are again so very, very thankful to be the intermediary beneficiary of the REALTORS Care Blanket Drive campaign. In Episode 12 some of the donations are literally being driven and dropped off at NightShift…

For all your contributions now and throughout the year, thank you.

Angie
Coordinating clothing donations
for NightShift and Sisters Thrift Boutique

Donations, Homelessness ,

Reflections on a Gala full of Light

Leave a Comment Posted by on November 24, 2011

The light: coming from the dark of despair and brokenness, into the light of the Cross. This is how NightShift has been described and how our logo came into being.

Saturday’s Gala was an awesome evening of light! Every year the team pulls together – with such a drive and determination – to provide a delightful evening of celebration and sharing, reflecting on the year and looking to the future of all that NightShift can be. Every year this most important fundraising event in our calendar brings people together with the desire to make a difference. In the spirit of community and corporate responsibility, we can each individually accomplish much together.

Seeing a packed room with everyone dressed in their finest is surely a stark contrast to what we see daily on the street. We have much to be thankful for. It was therefore all the more heartwarming to have some of the members of our Street Soccer Team join us. They had – no pun intended – a ball! Lee Aaron and her musicians were amazing.

Everyone had a purpose for attending, which was to support NightShift and the people we love on the street. We shared details about our plans and walked our guests virtually around the Care Village in Fort St. John where we are building a place of retreat and restoration. 

I would once again like to thank everyone who participated in any way they could, from our generous sponsors to the donors of the wonderful live and silent auction items, from our guests on the night to anyone participating from afar, from every individual who shared of their time, talent and tirelessness to each of you who pray for NightShift and the people we serve. Thank you.

MaryAnne Connor (Mac)

Photos courtesy of Derek and his team at LeaderBoard

Fundraising, Homelessness , , ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 28 other followers