On Feb 10, in time for Valentines Day, Street Hope presented 130 pairs of socks filled with chocolates to the folks in the 900 block of Pandora. Daniel Varga, Judith Armstrong, Tim Davidge and Jackie Prowse were among the group of 12 volunteers that night. (Tim Hardy and Barb Stockle, whom many of you will remember, were also helping out).
St Philip members initially prepared the socks for Christmas but the number of contributions from local churches was so overwhelming, the St Philip socks were saved for later. The youth of St Philip worked diligently to add Valentine’s greetings to the socks. Please see the pictures on the Missions board in the church basement for photos. A huge shout out to Rob Hosie, Melinda and the kids for making this happen!
Tuesday night was cold but fortunately not raining. We took around our usual soup, sandwiches, juice and water to pass out to those who were hungry. The numbers of people on the street seemed lower than usual that week – only about 200 people. One of the volunteers, Laura, was brilliant at distributing the socks. She approached small groups of people who were sitting on the sidewalk and asked them what their plans were for Valentines Day. Most people sadly replied “don’t remind me. I don’t have anything”. She’d reply, “you do now! Here is a Valentines gift for you. Jesus loves you!” That immediately brough huge smiles to peoples’ faces and one fellow was so touched his eyes misted up.
On a usual Tuesday, perhaps 2 – 3 people ask for prayer but that night there were many many more. It was wonderful to know people feel seen and to see God’s love in action. Please pray for His healing power on behalf of our sisters and brothers who are trapped in this terrible lifestyle. In particular “N” who is undergoing cancer treatment and must conceal that she is living on the street as being unhoused is deemed a significant risk for recovery.
If you would like to join us on a Tuesday night, please speak to Rob, Judith, or Jackie and we can connect you with Lisa who oversees Street Hope. If you would like to donate or learn more about Street Hope (a part of Threshold Ministries) please check out their website at https://www.thresholdministries.ca/shv/
- Jackie Prowse on behalf of the St Philip Missions Committee