The INN Missions

by NightShift

This week we were truly blessed to have an INN Missions Group join us from Bellingham, WA. Not only did we benefit from their willingness to join us and our street friends in the evenings, but we had enthusiastic support during the daytime, too. Some of the students went to our new Care Cottage location, where we may not have had all the appropriate tools to make the most of their time (and hearts…these kids really came to work and do whatever needed to be done), but they got on with whatever needed their attention. They did some post-renno cleaning and pressure washing, and moved trash from the back of the property to the front so that it could be loaded on to a truck and taken to the dump. They helped move furniture and assemble a bed and and and… We enjoyed sharing our stories and passion for the work we do and a little about how God is working in our situations.

     

At the NightShift Centre the students there rolled up their sleeves and got stuck right in, cleaning and washing and organizing everything in sight! In the warehouse the cubbies and clothing bins were reorganized and the food shelves were inventoried and restocked with zeal. The team assisted with sorting clothing and stocking our mobile clothing truck, from which they later served our street friends with a clean change of clothes.

    

They certainly knew how to put in their elbow grease in preparation of the nightly servings. In the evenings, the group joined our regular street outreach volunteers to provide sustenance to our street friends. It can be a bit of a culture shock the first time you step out and personally engage with people who are hurting, living in poverty and desperation on the streets, and so we split up the troupe into smaller groups so as not to overwhelm people who regularly use our services. There was an almost immediate knitting together, of ‘family helping family’, and an awareness that God used or drew on some real interactive gifting. Any preconceived notions and fears were wonderfully dashed and the group had a blast serving with us. As one of their group put it so well, “We all need to be loved and cared for. This was easily revealed after having just a few conversations with some of these people on the streets. The difference between us is only a few circumstances, only a few different choices…” The full article and others are available on the INN blog. It was great to spend time with these precious young people and we truly appreciated their hearts for Jesus.


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NightShift