David & Josiah
This past summer, the City of Montreal
closed down a number of public parks in the downtown core, including a nearby
park called Cabot Square, for rejuvenation and renovation. The Cabot Square renovation
is slated to last one full year, which greatly affects our homeless population
because this park was a gathering point for them, a place where they knew that
they could find friends.
As a result of the closure, our homeless
friends would have had nowhere else to go, so The Open Door united with other
non-profit organizations that serve the homeless in a project called the “Cabot
Square Project”. We are collaborating with local outreach workers, social
workers, street nurses, First Nation groups, neighborhood security, the City of
Montreal and Station 12 of the Montreal Police Department to help fill the need
for the homeless to have a safe place to stay during the closure of the park.
The Open Door’s collaboration in this
project helped us to get the funds needed to extend the hours of the shelter. In
order to facilitate the extended hours, we hired an Assistant Director David
Chapman ( on the left) and a few summer interns, one of whom was Josiah
Henderson (on the right, in red).
In July’s update, I wrote briefly about
David, as he had just been hired as the Assistant Director. David
is an ordained Anglican Priest and he has experience working with the First
Nations people. He has leadership skills and is also a great example of serving
with patience. David fits in perfectly as the Assistant Director.
David
has taught me personally a lot about patience and has mentored me on how I can
become better at relating to those who live in Montreal. He has also taught me
some French along the way. David’s signature saying is “C’est bon, c’est bon”
which translates to something like “it’s good, it’s good”. He says that it was
one of the first French sayings that he learned as he was shopping at a local
grocery store.
Josiah
was hired on a short-term basis as one of the summer interns, but was then
offered the opportunity to keep working part-time once the internship was over.
He learned the different aspects of his position very quickly and has also
taken initiative in other areas as a leader. Josiah’s attitude is one that is
very humble and he is very diligent about serving the needs of others before
those of himself. He is currently studying theology and puts what he learns
into practice at The Open Door.
Personally,
I have learned from Josiah how to be more humble when working with our clients who
can sometimes push our limits of patience. I also really enjoy working with
him, as we share the responsibility of coordinating the shelter’s volunteers and
workers.
Both
David and Josiah are great assets to have at The Open Door and we truly
wouldn’t be able to operate the longer hours without them. They have both also
been a great support to me when I have been in need of a break. I truly
appreciate both of them and am very thankful to our Lord that they work
alongside me at The Open Door.
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25
