As Thanksgiving Day in the United States is tomorrow, November 27th, it will be my second opportunity to take inventory of how much I have had to be thankful for in the past year (Canadian Thanksgiving was on October 10th). I have been reflecting on the fact that it’s been nearly a year since I have been in Montreal as a missionary with The Open Door. During that time, I have been surrounded by a great community of friends, co-workers and fellow believers. With the help of all those people, I have learned much and grown spiritually during this past year.
Volunteering at The Open Door, and living in a different country, can certainly be a very draining yet rewarding experience. God’s grace, mercy and hope have given me the motivation to stay the course, and the support and love of good friends has made it all possible.
I am certain that in one blog post I won’t be able to name all the names of those who have walked alongside me during my time in Montreal thus far, but here are some of those people who have been impacting my life in one way or another.
I am thankful for Caleb Clark and Brennan Huard for giving me the opportunity to come and serve at The Open Door. I am learning a lot from both of them on a continuous basis. Caleb’s leadership, on both a spiritual and personal level, has made quite an impact in my life. I still have a lot to learn and soak in from his leadership as Director of The Open Door. Brennan and her husband, David, have taught me about the importance of building community with our friends of The Open Door (our homeless clients) as well as those who volunteer their time to serve. Many of our friends who visit The Open Door don't have a home or family, so they come to The Open Door for their community. And in my October post, I wrote about David Chapman (Assistant Director) and Josiah Henderson (a fellow co-worker), both of whom are teaching me the art of patience, forgiveness and love for the homeless.
I am thankful for the two churches with which I am the most involved in Montreal: Eglise Vineyard Montreal Church (www.vineyardmontreal.com) and Emmaus Anglican Church (www.emmausanglicanchurch.com). Both of these churches have helped me with my spiritual growth and are also supporters of the work of The Open Door. It takes a community of believers working together to help the poor and needy, and being a part of both of these congregations has allowed me to see two different denominations of believers demonstrating the love of Christ in tangible ways.
I am thankful for the generous financial support of each one of my donors who contribute on a monthly basis to support my mission here in Montreal. Along with the stipend I receive from The Open Door, each of my donors make very precious contributions to the payment of my living expenses each month. It is because of my supporters that my mission is possible, and I am so very thankful for how God has supplied me with faithful donors and prayer partners to help me serve the poor and needy of Montreal.
