Parachuting in...

So, parachuting into the downtown eastside...its been the best experience of my life so far, even with all the struggles. It is definitely difficult living in the slums all the time, and I have to admit, it is really nice when you get the chance to get out of the DTES, but God is really working here. It's been rewarding, personally and for the Kingdom I believe (although I'm still only really finding out what the Kingdom actually is in our class on the subject).

You quickly learn that the best thing here is community. It easily gets to the point where you can walk down the street and not see someone you don't know. As scary as you think it might be if you've never lived here, you almost always feel safe and protected because you know most of the street guys will stand up for you. The whole neighbourhood quickly becomes like a family, with many prodigal brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers. It is really easy to make friends here. And it is really easy to feel loved. I am very blessed with the friends I've made here already, both in 614 and in the neighbourhood. The community here is beautiful. And that is the most encouraging thing in a neighbourhood with so many other issues.

You learn a LOT. You take on discipline. You discover things you never thought of. You get angry. You get close. You make incredible friends and meet incredible people. You wake up early. You pray. You read the Bible. You meet God. You see Jesus. You do crazy things you never thought you'd do. You are blessed. You learn a lot about yourself. You have great teachers. You feel loved. You are delivered. You deal with your issues. You grow. You get focused. You have the best and worst times of your life.


If you're thinking of coming, pray about it and do it, and check out the poster (is i on the www.warcollege.com?)

Peace,

Megan S