As we continue to see connections made through our Causeway program www.thecauseway.ca it’s so crucial at times to get away from just reading statistics and data, and hear real life stories of lives that are being changed as a result of it.
We recently received a Causeway referral from our MMC shelter and needed to find volunteers to come alongside him in his new neighbourhood. So we went on the hunt for some people who live in that area and we realized we had trained Hang Kit and Sarah. We reached out to them and sure enough they were willing and able to give it a shot. We made the introduction over a meal and the Causeway volunteers took it from there.
Last week I hosted a Causeway volunteer appreciation night and heard some stories of how the program has been going. Hang Kit and Sarah shared with us a beautiful story of how their new friendship is going. We heard about how their lives are being changed. They shared about how he is teaching them so much about how to not ‘judge a book by its cover’. He is educating them on things related to issues of homelessness and shelter life. They spend time in each other’s homes. And while they are extremely humble people and only shared about how their lives are being changed, we heard from his MMC community follow-up worker that he is seeing drastic positive changes in his ‘client’ as well. He is happier. He is paying much more attention to little things like his appearance and personal hygiene. His life is simply better due to having a couple of friends in his life.
Causeway is about building mutually beneficial friendships. That can only happen when ‘dignity and respect’ are foundational in the relationship building. We are seeing that play itself out in real lives on a regular basis in this program. I am so thankful for all the staff in our shelters who can see the value of Causeway in so many people’s lives.
Let’s continue to strive to treat all people we come in contact with dignity and respect as we work to be “The Hand of God in the Heart of the City”.
Dion
Director of Mission Integration
Prayer for Dignity and Respect
Creator God,
Today we celebrate the sacredness of all God’s people,
And remember we are created in Your image.
We praise You God for the gift of life
and the special place that we have in Your creation.
Created sacred, we reflect Your image,
and are called to respect the same dignity in others.
We praise you and thank you for wonderfully creating us.
Help us to see each other and ourselves as sacred and holy.
May we always recognize the dignity and worth of every person,
And may we treat all with deep respect,
through your Son Jesus.
Amen.
Adapted from here.