To the caseworkers who go above, with tireless care and boundless love. You chart our course through rain and strife, and guide us towards a better life.

In heart of Whalley, amidst chaos and hustling bustling of city - there lies a safe haven of compassion, love and kindness- Olive Branch. Within these walls, stories of resilience and hope have been etched ever since we opened in Nov 2020. One of these many stories is one of Kim’s that is close to my heart and I have had the honor to witness unfold in my time here.

The Great Conductor has a way of turning ordinary circumstances into extra-ordinary events. This morning I got to work at 6am, which is an hour and a half earlier than usual. It was one of the few rainy days this summer has allowed.

Some mornings after making lunches, organizing field trip forms, planning carpools, cleaning up spilled juice, washing stinky jerseys and then shuffling four, chatty, chaotic kids off to school, I get to work already exhausted. This was one of those mornings.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.”

“God can show Himself as He really is only to real [people]. And that means not simply to [people] who are individually good, but to [people] who are united together in a body, loving one another, helping one another, showing Him to one another. For that is what God meant humanity to be like; like players in one band, or organs in one body.”

I am struggling with this newsletter story. Maybe because it isn’t really a story, maybe because it isn’t as heartwarming as I would like it to be. Yesterday, I learned that another person near and dear to the mission was claimed by the opioid crisis. Today, I awoke to learn that it is All Souls’ Day…

It was a warm, sunny afternoon and I really didn’t want to go to another meeting. We’ve had many meetings with the growth of SUMS, many with Executives and City officials, and I had committed to go to City Hall to speak to a group of organizations about our new Cove Healthy Living hygiene facility…

I pulled into the parking lot of The Olive Branch Shelter and stopped the truck. If I could have put my head down on the steering wheel and cried without making a scene, I might have.

Prior to COVID I use to facilitate a short Bible study at Surrey Urban Mission, the organization that looks out for the needs of homeless and addicted folk in our community. We partner as a church with them in different ways. It was challenging but also one of the most interesting Bible study experiences I ever had.

I was driving to work on a cold March morning wondering when spring would arrive, and the COVID response would end. My morning devotions on rejecting anxiety already in my rear view mirror…

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash…no, it was more than a flash, it was a flame. It was a frigid morning and as many before him had done, a man was lighting some cardboard on fire for a moment of relief from the cold.

Recently, I bumped into Harold. I was excited to see him, as I had missed him during these times of social isolation. He was heading to the bottle depot with a baby stroller loaded with bottles. I complimented him on his haul but on this morning, he was in no mood to receive my praise. He didn’t share the joy of our reunion.

Some days, I ride my bike to work. It is a short commute, so I sometimes take a long route home. On one of these extended returns home I had to cross a pedestrian bridge a couple kilometres from my house. As I left the road and approached the bridge I noticed two concerned women, one on the phone and the other had her eyes on what looked like a pile of clothes at the end of the bridge.

Today, as I walked into my office and turned on my lights I was overwhelmed by the awareness that every one of our guests has a gift.

I am going to confess something to all of you. Some days this job gets the best of me. Simply put, it gets heavy and I get weighed down.

Many of you, who come to the mission regularly, know my friend Russell. He is perhaps one of the most colourful people I have met. I think there is a story to tell from every time we meet.

My people are the strongest, frailest, happiest, saddest, most confused, most enlightened, most deceptive and the most honest people I have met.