The Mustard Seed Blog

Ruined For Ordinary

2012-05-25T14:20:00.000-06:00

I’ve been a part of The Mustard Seed community for 11 years now. I started volunteering when I was in high school because I wanted to help the less fortunate and knew that I had lived a privileged life. I have never worried about having enough food to eat, where I was going to sleep at night and I had the unconditional love of a good family.

At the age of 16, I thought I knew a few things about life and figured that I had something to offer the people who used the services at The Mustard Seed. It turns out that after spending time with them, I realized that I knew nothing about life. I also learned that getting out of poverty or breaking an addiction was harder than pulling up your bootstraps. One of the first people I met and got to know well was a man named John, who I always saw with a smile on his face. He taught me that true joy does not come from driving a nice car or having a successful career or wearing designer jeans. Joy is found in community with people that love and care for one another and where you are valued for what you have to give. John taught me that people living in poverty may lack security food, clothing, and shelter but they also are incredible artists, storytellers, athletes, and carpenters.

I know this will sound so very cliché but I have learned way more from The Mustard Seed community than I have taught. I have received way more than I have given. I have been ruined for ordinary by experiencing the love and generosity from this community.

You can follow me on twitter @ruined4ordinary or email me

Do you ever feel like yelling?

2012-05-24T12:01:00.000-06:00

I’m willing to be corrected if I’m wrong here, but my guess is that if you’re reading this, you have at least a moderate interest in social justice and the alleviation of poverty; spending part of your day feeling some level of empathy for those who are suffering. Hopefully I have my audience correctly identified here and can proceed with my message, because otherwise, it may come across as more of a rant.

Actually, ranting is part of what I want to talk about. Coming from a place of awareness of the injustices around us, have you ever felt like all you do is rant about issues to friends, family and anyone who will listen? Does it ever seem that there are too many issues and not enough solutions, and ultimately, not enough people who care? Working at The Mustard Seed, I’m often asking myself questions like: “Why doesn’t everyone care about the fact that there are people without homes to live in?”, or even: “Why haven’t more people signed up to run or walk for our team in the Calgary Marathon?” How many teeth do I need to pull for people to be convinced that now is the time to do something about what is going on around us?

If you read that in a yelling tone, you might have been reading correctly. That said, I don’t really think that whoever has the loudest bark will always win. Sometimes it truly is a matter of giving to something that we believe in. If people around you can see where you’re putting your resources, they are going to wonder why, do their research and likely come to the same conclusion that you have. No one really likes being yelled at, but surprisingly, they do like being part of positive change.

It might sound simplistic, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. And with this simplistic message, comes an even simpler call to action.

Our Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Dyer, is oh-so-close to overtaking the fundraising leader for this weekend’s Calgary Marathon. If you haven’t donated to him yet, it’s really very easy. And if Jeff wins, that’s an extra $2,000 for The Mustard Seed; and who doesn't like to see their resources multiplied?

All you have to do is click here, and obviously, don’t forget to tell your friends that you have. Just remember not to yell. http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?EventID=84754&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=1337753

Housing Behind the Scenes

2012-05-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

Recently, I spoke with Evelyn Ritch, Community Chaplain at The Mustard Seed, about the amazing transformations happening to our first five tenants being housed in Edmonton. What she shared touched my soul and I hope it touches yours as well. So what is having their own apartment like for these five tenants who were once homeless or at risk of becoming homeless? As you will learn, even preparing a meal can be a great learning experience and having a roof over one’s head can set aside disappointment, fear and despair.

Once per month, The Mustard Seed’s five tenants gather for a meal to celebrate. Celebrate what, you might ask? They celebrate having a home where no one has kicked them out, where no one has robbed them. And, they can come back to their bed and not lose it. However, if they were still homeless, they could have a space at a shelter one night and not necessarily get it the next night depending on where they were in a line-up. And so, in celebration of having a home and not having these bad things happen, the tenants cook together and even learn how to cook.

“It’s good to help them see all they can do in the kitchen. We try different foods and have new experiences. And, they’re starting to realize how much more inexpensive it is to cook than to go out and eat…It’s been quite the experience from showing them how to cook to seeing them go through recipes,” says Evelyn.

As Evelyn walks alongside our tenants, she is amazed by the transformations she sees.

“It’s more powerful than anyone can imagine because we haven’t experienced it. The physical changes are amazing…Working alongside them, you also get to learn a lot about who an individual really is as they blossom.”

Evelyn adds that having an apartment of their own helps them experience things that all of us take for granted.

“It’s not what our residents are learning from this experience, but it’s more about what they are teaching us in our interactions with them. For example, we see the joy of watching someone smile as their cornbread comes out of the oven when they’ve never made it before. It’s us learning just exactly what it means for them to have their own space and to have volunteer and staff members who support and care for them. We know it’s not the end of the story, but merely the beginning.”

At the Least Sound of Fear

2012-05-11T12:05:00.003-06:00

Over the last few weeks the Leadership Team of the Mustard Seed (YEG)has been involved in a variety of discussions regarding future development and our current services. Much of the dialogue has been stimulated by careful observation and an emerging awareness of a shifting landscape. Those shifts are happening in the community and the community of services which support individuals and families impacted by poverty. Books we read, speakers we hear and a persistent internal witness challenge us to examine our assumptions and practice.

We recognize that we live in a tension between the desire to help and the danger of harmful helping. Steve Corbett’s excellent book “When Helping Hurts” has challenged us to think about “alleviating poverty without hurting the poor”. We grapple with the impression that we may be contributing to homelessness by the choices and services we offer and we engage a “healthy self-suspicion” around our motives and our actions.

I would suggest that this is exactly what we should be doing.

Incredibly in the midst of all this thinking, questioning and dialogue the ongoing wonder of transformation is all around us. We could despair and cease to work, paralyzed by our personal and organizational insecurities. Or we can determine to continue to put ourselves into the mix and see what wisdom emerges.

I have to say my work over the last 12 years or so has required unshakable faith in God and courage each day to encounter and tell the truth about a disparate world. My faith and courage however are consistently dwarfed by the courage of those I have had the privilege of supporting and knowing. Each day thousands of Albertans experience homelessness, violence, exploitation and hunger and each day remarkable people put their feet on the ground and engage with our brothers and sisters in the simple and profound act of caring.

I carry my own share of the anxieties I have described. I live with many of you in the tensions of an “us and them” society. My day can end with more questions than answers. Wendell Berry is among a handful of authors who have impacted my thinking and my stance in recent years. I offer his words of comfort to those who live where I live and walk on my path.

“When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”
― Wendell Berry, Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community

Dave Grauwiler is the Executive Director of The Mustard Seed, Northern Alberta

Email Dave or Twitter @davidgrauwiler

The Size of a Mustard Seed

2012-05-11T10:51:00.000-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to write about The Mustard Seed for a national faith-based magazine. I thought you might be interested in a few of my thoughts on life in the inner city. Enjoy!

____________________________________________________________

The inner city. There are probably words, ideas, and stories that come to mind when you think of the inner city community that exists in your city. Words like “addiction,” “poverty,” and “homelessness” may have surrounded or influenced the images of the inner city that, for whatever reason, have planted themselves in your mind and understanding. However, these characteristics are not the whole truth, nor are they the definers, of inner city communities. This was a lesson I learned firsthand only through experience, only as I made the inner city my community, only as I built real relationships in this community. The catalyst that started my journey into the inner city is a place I now look at with deep love and respect, a place known across the city of Edmonton as The Mustard Seed.

The Mustard Seed is a Christian not-for-profit organization that delivers basic services, housing and employment to those in need, and partners with the community to address poverty. As an organization, we affect change in the lives of people living in poverty through building community and building mutually respecting and mutually edifying relationships within the community. We are inspired by our faith to help those in need – physically, emotionally and spiritually – and we support people of faith from all denominations as part of our commitment to follow the example of Christ in bringing dignity to the marginalized. Our work is about meeting the basic needs and developing the gifts and talents of our community. The venue through which much of this is practically communicated is through our meal program and drop-in activities.

Foundational to The Mustard Seed’s drop-in recreational programming is the idea that broken relationships are central to the issue of poverty. It seems that perhaps what first needs to be addressed in the lives of those living in poverty is the need for healthy relationships. The staff, volunteers, and community members that compose The Mustard Seed community fully understand this reality. For us, tangibly embodying this means opening our space for drop-in activities like karaoke on Tuesdays, art night on Thursdays, and Hockey Night in Canada on Saturdays. In addition to these evening programs we also have a volunteer-run sewing program, we serve as a food depot that operates out of the Edmonton Food Bank, we regularly give free haircuts, and we redistribute gently used clothing and household items through our Personal Assistance Centre.

While these programs comprise only a portion of our Basic Services programs, these are the programs that create opportunity for authentic relationship, which can then serve as an entryway to next-level programs and services like advocacy, housing, and employment. Without first laying the foundation of relationship – that is, without knowing the stories of the people we serve – it is near impossible to make further connections to other services that are available through The Mustard Seed and other surrounding social agencies. If authentic relationship – that is to say, relationship without particular agenda – is not given primary focus in our outflow of services, we’ve not accomplished our goal.

It is because of genuine relationships within this community that I feel a belonging and connectedness to the inner city. The inner city neighbourhood that I have chosen to adopt as my own community tends to be associated with need, crime, and other characteristics that often incite fear and negative attitudes and opinions, perhaps similar to the images that came to your mind when first reading the words inner city. I’ll admit, prior to my experience in this community I had fallen victim to similar ideas.

The truth about the inner city – about any neighbourhood – is that relationships are what define a community, a truth that resounds within me because of my personal experiences within the inner city. It has been nearly two years since I started my employment at The Mustard Seed and I consider my time here to be an honour and a privilege. Without acceptance into this community I never would have met Thomas*, a man in his mid-40s diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Thomas has been separated from his family for the majority of his life, leading to his on-again-off-again homelessness, and he is unable to retain a full time job due to numerous health issues, all of which has led to occasional intravenous drug use. My friendship with Thomas has had its ups and downs, but every time I see him he is nearly in tears expressing his gratitude to be a part of a community that cares about the details of his everyday experiences, a community where people actually know his name. Thomas’ reality is that The Mustard Seed community is often the only place he feels like he is accepted, a place where he belongs.

As my relationships with people like Thomas deepen, my commitment to this community only solidifies further. Thomas’ smile and words of appreciation may appear small, but it is through Thomas that I am reminded that it is in the little things that life, love, hope and joy are found. These little things might often be as small as a mustard seed.

Through the eyes of a student

2012-05-10T15:43:00.000-06:00

In Community Living we have been blessed with many students; social work, nursing, summer students, and many others. We have a social work student with us presently who although Canadian, came from a different country, different time, a totally different way of being. Her first journal post to Mount Royal University is shared below. It is, through the eyes of someone not just new to The Mustard Seed, but also new to the world of poverty and homelessness as a Canadian that we get a fresh view of who we are and what we do, and what it looks like from the outside.

Social Work Practice:

The Mustard Seed is offering exposure to me of the lives of Calgary's residents, lives that were unknown to me; those experiencing hard times
I am learning to have a greater respect for people who are going through difficult times or who are homeless, and not to be afraid. I have had opportunity to observe and talk with, I now can say, "these people are beautiful, they are so well behaved and understand social norms, they honour us"
I could take a leaf from this book of homelessness in calgary and share with those in my home; the way the talk, the way the visit, the way that they are so honourable
I have witnessed intelligence, I have seen Bible studies where topics of great magnitude are reviewed, based on sophistication rolling off of tongues that has shown me new light
These are not homeless people, they are people who presently are experiencing not having a home. There is a difference and I will not label

My thoughts:

I am interested by the level of relationship betwee the employees and the guests.

They treat each other as equals, not superiority, only friendship

They eat together, talk together, joke together; this relaitonship has surprised me. If I can't tell who is staff and who is guest then I know all are comfortable with being here; eating the same food served in the same way
Those without homes at the Mustard Seed know they are respected, they are wanted, THEY ARE SOMEBODY

Refining my thoughts:

In my country we are 99% black and you would never go and see a manager sit and eat with a homeless person. Food is served on a golden plate to a manager, while those without homes eat from paper plates

Theory:

STRENGTHS BASED: Guests are offered things and goals that they can manage and that they choose, so they succeed. They have responsible roles because someone believes in them and so they rise up
A resident with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome sets up and prepares for a Bible Study; this is community
The residents voted on conflict resolution based on aboriginal healing circles. This is RESTORATIVE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE being lived

Strengths of the Agency:

Holistic and interested in the total man or woman
Food, health, talking, communicating, valuing: life being lived
Freedom for guests to come and sit and talk, no one is too busy to care and doors here are always open

The Mustard Seed Wrecked My Life

2012-05-02T12:06:00.001-06:00

May 9th marks exactly one year since I walked through the doors of The Mustard Seed in downtown Calgary for my first day of work. When I applied in January 2011 for a summer student position and I received the job, I was excited, and looked forward to what I hoped would be a rewarding summer of work before returning to university in September. But God had other plans.

I'll be honest. I didn't really sleep for about a week prior to my first day. As it loomed closer, I started getting more nervous. Growing up, I'd spent only limited time around homelessness, usually from behind a kitchen window, silently serving up plates to what seemed like endless lines of people. How was I ever going to connect with or relate to the guests of The Seed? I consoled myself with the knowledge that I only had to survive 14 weeks and then my job would be over.

12 months later, I'm still here. And loving every minute of it.

I've never had a day at The Seed where I haven't looked forward to going to work. Don't get me wrong -- there are challenging moments, tiring nights, and emotional battles. But every day, I learn new things.

I've learned that if I ask guests how they are, I usually won't receive the superficial "good thanks, and you?" answer that often characterizes day-to-day interactions. If someone's having a bad day, they're going to be honest about it. And so my motto now, not just at work but in all areas of my life, is to never ask someone how they're doing if I don't have time to stop and hear the answer. Because sometimes, the only thing any of us needs is an opportunity to be heard and understood.

I've learned that I'm really not that different from a lot of my friends who don't have permanent addresses. If anything, many of them are just a lot stronger and more resilient than I will ever be.

I've learned what it means to be part of this amazing community. When I got severely sunburned last summer and could barely walk for two weeks, I had guests shading me with umbrellas every time I stepped outside, offering me their own supplies of sunscreen, running to the store and getting me aloe vera...and yes, teasing me mercilessly and calling me "The Lobster". But hey, I deserved that one.

I've learned that we have some of the most talented and gifted artists, writers, and musicians in all of Calgary right here in our midst. Seriously.

I've learned that I will see Jesus in the most unlikely of places.

I've learned to delight in the simple things, like a chaotic game of Dutch Blitz, a crash course in card tricks, or a conversation full of hysterical laughter.

I've learned a new level of sincerity in my faith, as I've sung worship songs in a shelter dining room, and prayed in a stairwell, and cried alongside guests as they confess to God, with tears pouring down their faces, that they don't want to be prisoners of addiction anymore.

I've learned that I have received far more from my time here than I'll ever have to give.

I've learned that God gave me a passion for messy relationships and brokenness, and that being part of someone's journey toward healing makes my heart beat faster...makes me feel like I was made for this purpose.

I've learned that I'll never be the same person as I was 12 months ago.

The Mustard Seed wrecked life as I knew it, and I am so grateful. I wouldn't trade the past year for anything, and at this point in my life, I can't imagine working anywhere else.

Why do we value 'justice'?

2012-05-01T10:52:00.000-06:00

Some recent conversations, and a really good book , have got me thinking about justice, and about how significant it is that The Mustard Seed has included justice as one of its core values. I’ve started asking myself, “If values inform a community’s vision and work, how should The Mustard Seed’s valuing of ‘justice’ shape our work with those on the margins?”

‘Justice’ is an extremely slippery concept. Just think about some of the images that 'justice' brings to mind . . .

The meaning of 'justice' is so debated that many wonder if it makes sense to use the word at all.
I think it does. When Jesus and the prophets spoke about ‘justice’, they meant ‘putting things right . . . restoring broken relationships, whether those relationships are economic, political, social, or otherwise’. By valuing justice as an organization, we place ourselves in the long-line of God’s people who care about healing a broken world and ‘putting things right’.

There is a second reason I think valuing justice is important. When we talk about ‘putting things right’, we end up talking about ‘rights’. Things are wrong - things are unjust - when people are denied something that they have a right to. What do people have a right to? I think food, clothing, a home, fair treatment in a court or a hospital, a decent wage, and respect would make the list. When people are denied food, or do not have access to a decent home or a living wage, they are being denied basic human rights. They are being denied the opportunity to flourish. Injustice is present.

Of course, a community that cares about rights also has to take some responsibility. When we value justice, we take responsibility for the wrongs in our community and work together with those who have been wronged to put things right.

Having this ‘justice’ mindset can make a huge difference in our work at The Mustard Seed. For one thing, people would not have to “do anything” to demand what is right-fully theirs. By the simple fact that someone is a human being, an image-bearer of God, they deserve a home, good food, the economic resources to flourish, and respect. It is their right. Even if folks are frustrating, or are living lifestyles that might make us uncomfortable, or don’t fit into our culture’s idea of ‘deserving’, they have a basic right to the things that will allow them to flourish as God created them to flourish. Justice demands it.

Another difference that justice makes is that, if someone finally does receive what is rightfully hers, she does not have to go out of her way to say ‘thank you, thank you, thank you’. As Nicholas Wolterstorff puts it:

“Since poverty is a violation of rights, the poor person is fully entitled to stand up and demand what is hers by right. She does not have to beg for it; she may demand it. That’s what’s implied in rights. Further ... she is entitled to demand it not on the basis of her good behaviour but on the basis of her personhood - this in turn grounding her imaging of God. And if and when she does finally receive what is due her, she does not have to pen letters of gratitude. It will be quite enough for her to breathe a sigh of relief and move forward toward becoming what she can and should become.”

I realize that all of this leaves a lot unsaid. What exactly will it look like to give everyone access to a good home, a decent wage, and basic respect? How do we actually practice justice?

But, at the very least, by saying that we value ‘justice’, The Mustard Seed says that our community members have a right to some really fundamental things – simply because they are human beings, made in God’s image. Not because they are nice. Not because they asked politely. Not because it might make us feel better to give it to them. No other reason is needed than that they are a human being. They exist, and that is enough.

Clothed In Confidence

2012-04-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

Hi, I'm Laura U. I'm an employment coach at The Mustard Seed in Calgary and this is my first time on the blog. I was assigned as Sandra’s Employment Coach a few weeks ago and met with her for the first time soon after. She sat with me in the intake room, and I asked to hear her story.

“Oh, my story is sad, sad,” she whispered. ”In my country there is too much war”.

I left it at that, sensing she would rather not go further. However, I did learn that Sandra is from Uganda and came to Calgary to find work.

“I need to find confidence to interact with people in a job”, she told me. “Can you help me find confidence?”

I told her I would try.

One of our first steps toward confidence is being taken today. We are going to Making Changes, a not-for-profit agency that outfits women with professional clothing for the workplace.

We arrive in the afternoon and Sandra’s eyes widen as she takes in the place, which is set up like a clothing boutique. Racks of clothing fill the room, one corner is stacked high with shoes, and a standing coat hanger dangles with purses. Another shelf is covered with brand-new cosmetics.

We are paired with a volunteer stylist who leaps to action, handing Sandra dress pants in eggplant and khaki. Then shirts in bright colors and soft fabrics are brought out. Sandra receives each item with stunned graciousness, her eyes full of light. She says little, but she is beaming.

Sandra steps into the dressing room, and our stylist looks at me and says, “She is wonderful.” She is awed, as I am, by Sandra. She shines.

In a world torn by war, oppression, and violence, Uganda is no exception. It would seem that the brutal reality of war would harden one’s heart. Often, however, as I and others in the Employment Centre have seen, it has the opposite effect. In some individuals, the need for God grows stronger. Sandra had told me in the car on the way to Making Changes that she prays a lot. She has to pray a lot, she says. It is a means of survival. Sandra has kept the hope planted by Christ, and it shows.

We prepare to leave Making Changes. Sandra fills out a survey, and when asked if she is now ready to enter the workplace with confidence, she checks “strongly agree”.

In the car on the way home she tells me that she has read in Scripture that God has good plans for His children. A few more times she whispers it: “Good plans”. Her confidence in God’s goodness has renewed my own. And with that, we ride back toward downtown Calgary - clothed in the confidence that comes from trusting Him.

Thank you, Garneau School!

2012-04-23T16:30:00.004-06:00

Q. What do you get when you combine 2 enthusiastic teachers + 42 grade 1 and 2 students +The Mustard Seed ?

A. A whole lot of awesomeness! (And according to spell check, awesomeness IS a word!)

Late in 2011, we received a very special visit from the grade 1 & 2 students at Garneau School in Edmonton. They came for a tour and made some delicious sandwiches to serve during our drop-in. However, this was only the beginning of our relationship with these great students!

At the end of January, all of the kids came back, bringing with them dozens of backpacks stuffed with hygiene items, bus tickets, blankets and other good things. They had a blast unloading each backpack from the truck in a long assembly line which snaked through our Community Support Centre. Their giggles and excitement were infectious!

Still, I think the highlight for our staff was when two of us were invited to come to the school to check out the amazing models and dioramas the students had created of the different ways The Mustard Seed helps people.

Friday night Movie Nights:

"Peas Be With You" Community Garden:

(Please excuse the poor cellphone pictures!)

The students had made dozens of these dioramas, and each model had an explanation page next to it and a little book where we could write encouraging notes about the projects. Other models included our bread shelf, our Personal Assistance Centre (clothing and hygiene items), and our evening meal program. They had also made a video about The Mustard Seed, and worked on a lot of math and writing projects all based on their experience at The Mustard Seed. It was integrated, experiential learning in the best way!

Some of the students' work spoke most articulately to what they had learned at The Mustard Seed about how people need more than just food and clothes- they need love, support, and a place of belonging. It was an inspiration to see the colourful and creative ways the students had chosen to work through these ideas!

Thank you, Garneau School!

Cutting Hair for a Cause

2012-04-19T08:00:00.002-06:00

Meet Art, The Mustard Seed’s volunteer barber who cuts hair on Thursdays. He has been a barber for over sixty years. Art started supporting The Mustard Seed by making financial donations and then decided to donate his talent and time as well. He says he enjoys his volunteer work with The Mustard Seed in Edmonton.

“I’ve really noticed how genuine people are. Many people say thank you after I cut their hair and I feel like my skills are valued by the community,” he says.

Art is a Christian who wants to share his faith while cutting hair so he hopes that through his skills and chats, he is able to help those in The Mustard Seed’s community on their journey. He truly believes that God’s great love for all of mankind is in action at The Mustard Seed.

“I see God’s love in action every Thursday through the community, staff and other volunteers,” says Art.

Why does Art keep coming back to volunteer?

“The great staff who encourage me and make me feel welcomed and valued keep me coming back. The community is gracious and kind. I enjoy the atmosphere and I feel like I am really a part of the team.”

Hacky Sack

2012-04-18T00:40:00.004-06:00

As a relief support worker at The Mustard Seed Calgary, I work in several different departments (my job never gets boring!). One of my primary tasks involves helping facilitate our DemoCrew and CollegeCrew programs -- experiences where high school or college/university students spend multiple days and nights with us at The Mustard Seed volunteering and learning about homelessness. Our goal with these programs is to demolish the darkness and demonstrate the love of Jesus.

I was wrapping up orientation during one such CollegeCrew and asked the group to share whether they had any fears or apprehensions for the weekend ahead. One young man, whom I'll call David (not his real name), spoke up.

"I've never been good with words. What am I supposed to tell somebody whose life seems to be one bad run of events after another? I don't know how someone like me can say the right thing to help."

I told him that often, it's not the words we speak, but the most seemingly insignificant actions, that make the difference. He nodded, unconvinced, and I took the group for their first mealtime with our guests.

After supper I went to round up the students. As many wrapped up conversations with their tablemates, I looked around for David and found him leaning against the wall, intently focused on a game of hacky sack that had been started in the corner by five or six guests who I knew quite well. I approached David and stood with him.

"Do you think...do you think that maybe I could go play for a bit?" he asked me nervously.

"I think that's a great idea," I replied with a smile. "Go for it! They'd love to have you."

Cautiously, David approached the circle, where the guests enthusiastically invited him to join in. The following day, one of the guests approached me with more joy in his face than I had seen in months, asking if I could "please, please" excuse David from a group activity for a bit so they could play one more game of hacky sack together.

At the end of the weekend, David revealed that he had struggled with depression for many years, and had felt unqualified to help make anybody else's life better.

"But now," he said, "I know that it's not always about saying the right words. Maybe, sometimes, it's enough to kick a sack around with a bunch of people who I would normally have passed by on the street."

Sometimes, "helping" just might look like a game of hacky sack.

How Volunteering Became a Gift

2012-04-17T08:00:00.002-06:00

Before working at The Mustard Seed, I never knew that those living in poverty volunteered in our community. But, it's true: those we serve at The Mustard Seed often volunteer for us. And, sometimes the experience is even life-changing for them. Lillian's story tells it best.

"I came from an abusive and alcoholic family. People were murdered in my life - and that really hurt me. Then, The Mustard Seed helped me.

I volunteer in The Mustard Seed's donations sorting group. I can feel God's presence at The Mustard Seed and through all the different people who work there. With the sorting group, there is prayer for people. I really appreciate being part of that group.

The Mustard Seed has helped me get food when I had nothing, nothing at all. All I had was AISH. I used to look down at the floor. I couldn't talk to people without stuttering but I sure can now. I opened up at The Mustard Seed.

I've gone from being a very silent person to a very open person. I smile with people. I share with people. And, I always leave The Mustard Seed feeling light and full and complete."

Thanks to Lillian for her story and for her volunteer efforts. Thanks also to others like her, who despite their own difficult circumstances, take the time to help their own community.

Volunteer Week: Esther

2012-04-16T09:30:00.000-06:00

The meaning of the name Esther is "star," and we couldn't agree more! Sisay in our Housing department recounts the service of the dedicated Esher Nathe.

Esther has been a volunteer in the housing program for the past five months. Currently, she is the only regular volunteer who comes every Friday nights to run the game night, and donates about twelve hours of her time each week whenever she is able to work longer shifts. Over the course of the past five months, she has developed wonderful relationships with our residents, which may be due in part to her bringing munchies (purchased through her own means) that we snack on during the games. Esther is so enthusiastic (and competitive!) in the way she plays the board games with the residents; and most of the time she wins the game - because of that she is very popular. You can hear our residents asking for her if she happens to miss a Friday night, and you can also sense this calm and peaceful spirit that she brings each week when she joins the group. Esther has been a great help to me whenever I get a chance to work with her. She is one of the highly favored volunteer by our residents and overnight staff.

Thank you, Esther, for your commitment and dedication to serving the less fortunate in our city. Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week!

- Sisay
Housing Support Worker

Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week!

2012-04-16T08:37:00.000-06:00

It's Volunteer Appreciation Week! Join with us as we recognize and thank our volunteers across the organization through this blog! Leave them some comments and let them know how far their dedication goes!

An Invitation

2012-04-13T18:38:00.000-06:00

Whenever I'm spending time with our community in the drop-in I often wonder how newcomers to the neighbourhood, as well as the greater community of Edmonton, perceive our community with an "outsider" perspective. I mean, there are some reactions that I could predict: fear of the unknown, the perpetuation of stereotypes of the urban poor and the homeless, a desire to remain separated from those who are different... But maybe the people who regularly hang out in our drop-in facility and other agencies like it are not as different from us as we might think.

Our community is often said to be an unhealthy one, and for some that is most definitely true. For the recovering addict, the inner city could be just one big trigger. For the ex-gang member the inner city might represent flooding memories of intense violence. But not everyone from this neighbourhood is in recovery. There are some for whom this community is filled with deep and meaningful relationships, friends who have become more like family, people who give one another worth, and value, and meaning. In the midst of this dichotomous world of health and instability, The Mustard Seed stands as a refuge for people regardless of what side of the fence they may be on this day.

Isn't it safe to say that all of us are constantly in need of some kind of healing or recovery? Aren't we all guilty of misguided decisions? I've travelled around the world and lived in several marginalized communities and I've learned the same lesson in each location: people are people are people no matter where you go. We have all done wrong and had wrong done to us. We are all just as broken as our brothers and sisters, and we are all looking to experience recovery.

The difference between us can be recognized in the support systems some have or don't have. Some of us have well-intentioned parents and families, some of us have churches and faith developing communities, some of us have hands constantly being reached out to us. Yet there are many who fall and are left to their own vices and devices, which for our community are usually limited.

But there is hope. There is hope that the ones who have received a hand up will outstretch their own hands to the next, to the other, and offer themselves to those who have been forgotten. Together we can build healthier communities, mentor relationships, and more diverse and unified neighbourhoods.

Think of this as an invitation. What will you do with it?

Easter People in a Good Friday World

2012-04-05T21:03:00.003-06:00

This afternoon I walked into The Mustard Seed’s Community Support Centre and read this quote on the whiteboard: “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song!” (Pope John Paul II).

In the midst of poverty and homelessness, and grieving the terminal illness of a beloved member of our Mustard Seed community, it can be hard not to give in to despair. The world is such a broken place that sometimes it feels like the darkness of Good Friday will last forever.

The amazing thing about being a people of God is that we know that Good Friday is not a permanent situation- Easter’s coming!

Jesus` resurrection radically transforms the way we view the world. Easter is the hopeful promise of life, a reminder that brokenness and death are not the end, that God has the final say. We are part of a community where this is an especially powerful story to share.

We are called to be Easter people, not just this weekend but every day. The tomb is empty, and hallelujah is our song!

Upcycling

2012-04-04T10:01:00.002-06:00

I few weeks ago, I spent a Saturday afternoon, exploring Inglewood with my family. We enjoyed eating lunch and drinking chocolate, discovering artisan shops and unique clothing stores - all the while people-watching. It was a charmed afternoon and the highlight for me was happening upon Reworks – an upcycle shop. Upcyle? The process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials of better quality or higher value. This little boutique was full of reclaimed ideas where shovels became chairs, seatbelts morphed into wallets, and street signs turned into tables. The whole experience got me thinking; isn’t this what good news is all about - that brokenness can be transformed?

Followers of Jesus hold onto the hope that the Good News is a story of transformation. We hold onto hope that Jesus is making something new out of what ‘is,’ out of brokenness, our sin, our sorrow. We long for our mourning to be turned into gladness; joy to be given in the midst of our grief. We cling to the image that the world is being renewed and that restoration will come, as we are taught to pray for the Kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven. The story of Jesus is full of upcycling. Yet, here we are in Holy Week. A time set aside to remember that Jesus’ last week was a paradoxical blend of triumphal entry and a tribunal death sentence. Cheering crowds became jeering mockers. A feast became a last supper. It’s as if everything was trending towards refuse. And then death became life – the ultimate upcycle.

At The Mustard Seed, we celebrate Holy Week as a way to remember that Jesus’ story is Good News for the poor. And that following Jesus is an invitation to participate in making all things new. As we set about to building community and supporting change, we see despair grow into hope. We are joining in the greatest example of upcycling: where loving God inspires the loving of neighbours and that love turns death into life.

What do you hope to see upcycled in the world around you?

Jeff is Running To End Homelessness on May 27, aiming to raise $15,000 for The Mustard Seed. Please consider giving generously towards this goal.

Raising funds in a polite place

2012-03-30T11:24:00.005-06:00

Fundraising is a tricky thing. There’s something slightly counter-intuitive for us polite Canadians about asking others for money, whether they’re strangers or loved-ones. It’s sometimes even an issue for me to explain to someone new that I work in this field, to the point that I must admit to spinning it a bit on occasion by saying: “I work in fun-raising!”

It shouldn’t really be this way. No matter who we are, we should be able to talk to others about a need and provide them with ways to respond to it. I’m thankful to have had spent just enough time on the “front lines” here at The Mustard Seed to know that the money for which I’m politely asking through invitations to events, is much needed and well spent. Somehow, though, there are times when I still need to be reminded that I’m asking for good reasons. If that happens, I just have a chat with my good friends who are Employment Coaches, or read blogs and updates from Aftercare Workers to be reassured of exactly why I’m doing this. I’m fortunate this way, but I can imagine the difficulty other polite Canadians have when they try to raise funds for The Mustard Seed, especially if they haven’t had this front-row seat to the life change that happens here.

In my case, knowing the real impact donations make is the key to effectively asking people for them, so here’s my encouragement to you: stay informed and stay excited about the community, hope and change that’s happening here so that you can be an advocate for those experiencing it. Reading this blog is a great start, so keep coming back. But if you’re doing that, it’s inevitable that you’ll also want to take tangible action, and fundraising is a way to do that that should not be overlooked, even if it challenges our polite sensibilities.

If you need a clear way to get started with that, take to the streets on Sunday, May 27 with Team Mustard Seed for the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon(find out more about by clicking the banner on our homepage). Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just trying out your first 5 km race, what the team will all have in common is the cause.

If cardio makes you cry, I have another suggestion. Click here to get started. I have lots of ideas for what could raise fun and funds, which I’ll share next time. Stay tuned. Or if you’re already excited, send me an email at lydianutbrown@theseed.ca and we can start right away! And remember, the more informed you are, the more likely others will be to respond to your "ask", whether it's polite or slightly obnoxious. Either way, thanks for reading. You're on your way to making a real difference.

Terry

2012-03-26T11:19:00.001-06:00

Photo by Susan Brandt

You know Terry. I know you do. But you don't yet know that you do. Terry was, as a friend states, "as much of the Calgary landscape as the tower itself."

How do I know you know Terry? Well, if you work, live or have ever been downtown, I bet you've seen him. Wait, you probably don't know Terry. But you should have.

Terry was the man who you might have seen on 1st SE or on 1St SW in his wheelchair. You might recognize him as the man who has the prosthetic legs with the Calgary Flames' logo at the top. He doesn't look like the type of person that people ever want to get to know. Ever. And the majority of people make zero effort. At first Terry would always remember me, and then he began to forget me a bit and eventually just asked me for change - but if I said "Hi Terry" in the morning as I walked past, the response was almost radiant.

A couple of years ago, I fell into stride, as you might say, beside Terry as he wheeled to his usual place and I walked to my bus stop after work. I chatted with him for a few moments before, daft as I am, realizing that he was struggling. "Can you help me out?" he asked, and I agreed and moved in behind his wheelchair to give him a push. And boy, it wasn't easy. I'm glad he asked because I am apparently so ridiculously clueless that I wouldn't have realized he had needed help with it. But pushing that chair in my dress coat and cowboy boots opened my eyes. Most people think Terry ended up the way he did because he was weak. It was clear that he was struggling, and was probably the type of "homeless" person that parents warn their children about. But Terry was anything but weak, and he was anything but scary. He was, hands down, one of the strongest men I've ever met. To push his chair for 3 minutes left me breathless. I can't imagine the persistent breathless feeling that his tumultuous life left him with. Terry was a strong man with a life full of struggles. I mean FULL of struggles. And as I struggled up that gentle incline, pushing his wheelchair and hoping I didn't lose my footing, I couldn't help but wonder how many times Terry had perhaps lost his footing, maybe even daily - and how important it is to have people to pick you up when you fall.

Last week I learned of Terry's passing through a colleague on Facebook. I watched the comment thread as many Mustard Seed staff and volunteers left their verbal respects for Terry. If you know him or saw him every day, this is your forum to perhaps leave him a few kind words. And remember Terry when you see someone alone and struggling. Don't be afraid to ask if they need help up the hill.

- Sarah

Quilting for a Cause

2012-03-16T09:31:00.001-06:00

Hi, I'm Nathan, and it is my great privilege to have the role of receiving donations at The Mustard Seed. It is truly fantastic to regularly hear the stories of how our donations arrive at our door. Many of our donors are especially thoughtful and put an incredible amount of work into making or collecting the items that we need. The following is one of those great stories.

This is Jeanette Glockner. She is 86 years old and lives alone amongst a community of seniors in Ft. Saskatchewan. For the last ten years, Jeanette has been making quilts for those in poverty in Edmonton’s inner city. She is an example of someone whose personal vision makes her an incredible, independent partner to The Mustard Seed. Just like The Mustard Seed, Jeanette chooses to intentionally follow Jesus Christ by working against the root causes of poverty.

Jeanette’s quilts are an interesting patchwork of varying fabrics that she receives from the surrounding community. She says that very rarely will she need to ask anyone for the fabric. Friends and acquaintances will stop by with material, or on occasion a bag will just show up on Jeanette’s doorstep. Jeanette says, “The Lord Provides.”

While sewing, Jeanette makes a point of incorporating a special message on every quilt. One patch of fabric will always contain the statement, “Jesus Saves. Call on him.” Jeanette hopes that her blankets would help those who receive them to “Come into saving knowledge” of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Jeanette says that it can be difficult for people her age to get out and to make friends. But, she also says, “My best friend is the Lord,” and, “Don’t just sit around.” There are many ways to get involved in taking care of those in need, even from home. It is commendable that Jeanette has so thoroughly committed herself to this idea, especially considering the regular cost of electricity and repairs for her sewing machine.

As a lifeguard in her younger years, Jeanette developed a love for swimming. She still frequents her local, indoor pool as often as five times a week. It was at this swimming pool that, more than ten years ago, Jeanette struck up a conversation with her now long-time friend, Don Adams. Jeanette and Don soon found common ground in their Christian values and desire to help people in need. While Jeanette is able to stay active swimming, she is unable to make the trip to donate her beautiful quilts. This is where Don fits in. For as long as Jeanette has been making her quilts, Don has been regularly making the trip from Ft. Saskatchewan to the heart of Edmonton to make the delivery.

I want to take this opportunity to praise the efforts of those who thoughtfully contribute to the cause of The Mustard Seed. You are not only part of an incredible movement that changes lives daily, but also part of a community that offers hope to the hopeless.

Finally, I want to thank Jeanette and Don who have both inspired me with their humble generosity and incredible kindness.

Good Fences = Good Neighbours?

2012-03-12T16:44:00.002-06:00

When Robert Frost wrote, that “Good fences make good neighbours” back in 1914, I wonder if he realized how wrong he was. If it was accurate back then, I’d argue that it has long since ceased to be true. Having lived my whole life in Canada, I would say that we like our fences more than we like our neighbours. The result of good fences has been the formation of barriers more than the forging of connections and these obstacles have fractured our neighbourhoods.

What I’ve experienced is that most of us commute in the early morning darkness, leaving from our garages and travelling to work. Most of us travel alone in cars made for five, listening to radio relationships while we worry about our families, our money and our inner sorrows, fears and hopes. Some of us return home in busses, ears filled with music that only we can hear, reading books only we enjoy. At the end of it all, we scurry back inside our homes. We can go weeks without seeing our neighbours, months without talking to one another. This is an individualistic journey we have created, where we travel alone in the comfort of isolation.

The result of this hard earned independence is that for most of us, we do not have a place where we can share our struggles. We don’t have a neighbour to turn to in trouble, and there’s no place for our troubled neighbour to reach out to us. We ‘love our neighbours’ vicariously through institutional philanthropy and nameless generosity all the while across the fence marriages end, month outlasts money and kids are raised to fear strangers while everyone’s strange. It is little wonder that the most vulnerable among us are swept to the margins into the fence carved alleys of homelessness. Every one of them was once a neighbour. Good fences make good neighbours?

On Sunday, my neighbour Matt and I passed a power drill back and forth over our shared fence. We undid the screws that held us apart and took down our fence. It is far too early to know if indeed we’ve begin the journey towards becoming ‘bad’ neighbours. All I can say is that my six year-old son, Ian immediately took advantage of the extra space he had to play and stopped to ask Matt if he could play in his backyard. Matt simply replied, “No… Ian, this whole backyard is yours.”

What difference have you seen fences make?

Please, leave a comment about ways you think we could be good neighbours.

On Helping

2012-03-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was walking home from work last Saturday evening when I heard a woman’s voice calling out down the sidewalk. With tears streaming down her face, she was standing by the road waving her arms and yelling at passing cars, “Help! Help! Why won’t anyone help me?!” It was getting dark and snowing heavily- no one was stopping.

I walked towards her, admittedly a little nervous. When I reached her, she collapsed into sobs in my arms, continuing to cry, “Why won’t anyone help me?!” As I talked with “Dawn”, it came out that she had missed two days of methadone treatments, and was in a lot of withdrawal pain. As well, one of her feet was extremely swollen, and an earlier stroke had affected a lot of her physical movements.

Dawn told me that when she went to the hospital to see about her foot and about getting methadone, she was told she was going to have to wait and shouldn’t come to the hospital when she was high. She left after waiting for four hours, but when she tried to go back to her apartment, her methadone withdrawal symptoms made her neighbours lock her out after accusing her of “being a druggie”.

As Dawn wandered the streets in pain and frustration, she began to yell at passing traffic to stop and help her. By the time I found her, Dawn was utterly convinced that everyone passing by just thought she was a “dirty hooker drug addict”, and that’s why they wouldn’t stop. As we stood in the snow, Dawn’s pain was palpable as told me how hard it is to change- she didn’t work the streets anymore and was getting off drugs, but still no one seemed to believe she was anything but a “worthless crackhead”. She asked me how she was supposed to believe in herself if no one else seemed to. Her own self-worth had taken another huge blow from all her negative experiences that day- they had reinforced her belief that she would never really be able to make a difference in her own life, that no one wanted to help her.

I asked Dawn what help she wanted- did she want me to call an ambulance? Give her a bus ticket? Walk with her back to her apartment? It turns out she didn’t want any of those things- I think she had been yelling for help in the deepest sense: “Help me to believe in myself. Help me to change. Help me find hope.”

Dawn has challenged me to consider more fully what we mean when we say we want to “help” people affected by poverty- I'm realizing it is sometimes easier, and so much more complicated, then we think.

Poetry

2012-03-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Alan, a resident in our new apartment building, shared this poem with me that he had written and told me that I could share this poem because he wanted to help raise awareness around the issues of poverty. This poem reinforces to be the fact that people don't grow up dreaming about being homeless- they dream the same dreams that we do; travelling the world, falling in love, starting a business, going to school or having a family.

Sleepy Angel

By Alan

I watched her quietly sleep with a slight smile on her face.

Maybe she was dreaming about when her mother threw her a birthday party when she was just six.

Or when she dreamed about being married to a Prince when she was a little girl.

Away she laid quietly sleeping on a cold winter night on a sidewalk downtown Edmonton.

Running from comfort

2012-03-01T14:46:00.001-07:00

I am not a runner. There have been many periods in my life where I’ve tried to take up the sport, considering everything from the physical benefits, to the mental clarity to the social “cred” it’s purported to offer. So many of my friends and coworkers are committed to the practice for these reasons and others, but somehow I have yet to succumb to the pressure and sometimes even the temptation to gear up and hit the road for any longer than about four kilometers. Ten minutes in, I always find myself fighting to ignore more than just the pounding of my joints on the pavement and the strain in my poor calf muscles; it becomes a mental battle as I struggle to logically determine how and why so many people actually enjoy this painstaking activity and choose willingly to do it on a regular basis.

I’ve asked runners on several occasions to explain their reasons for engaging in this seemingly masochistic pastime, demanding they justify their behavior and share the precious secrets of how to push through the pain and exasperation.

“Just don’t stop. It’s not comfortable for anyone, but it’s worth it in the end.”

When I first heard this response, I laughed out loud. But now that I’m responsible for The Mustard Seed Calgary’s involvement in the 2012 Scotiabank Calgary Marathon, I’m looking deeper into this statement.

Many of us reading this are living comfortable lives. How often do we truly and intentionally bring ourselves to a challenging place where our physical and mental limits are tested? And how often do we have the opportunity to see the fruits of overcoming challenging times?

We have all heard that overcoming obstacles builds character. In some miniscule way, we are able to relate to those that are living in difficult circumstances as they seek to persevere through battles that are more than a sore calf muscle and a temporarily-increased heart rate.

So if this motivates you to try something that builds character for yourself, why not also run to help build a better life for someone in need?

On May 27, 2012, a team of Mustard Seed staff and supporters will wake up at an uncomfortable hour to participate in the uncomfortable activity of continually propelling one leg past another, having completed the uncomfortable act of asking their friends and family to pledge them in this pursuit.

I invite you to join us. It won’t be comfortable, but it will be worth it in the end.

For more information, see the Calgary Marathon link on our homepage.