When I first moved to Vancouver, I would stare at East Hastings through the bus window. I saw shopping carts stacked with bags of cans, sleeping bags under doorways and people sitting idle against the brick walls. It was overwhelming. I felt compassionate, but still nervous. It seemed so dark and desolate and I thought there was nothing I could possibly do to help. And then I heard of Agape.
One evening as I volunteered with Agape, our group left the church in the early evening and prayed the rosary as we walked. Over two hours, we encountered more than 100 women. We prayed together as they asked God to protect them and their families.
As I looked at the face of each woman, I saw exhaustion, pain and anguish. I couldn’t help but wonder what went wrong. We were all born with potential, but some of us fall off the path and never make it back. I suddenly realized this was exactly where I needed to be: where God wanted me to be.
I was reminded that we need to reach out to those who need it most. When Jesus was on Earth, He walked among the most fragile and vulnerable people in society. When we are constantly surrounded by family and friends, we can’t imagine what it’s like to be alone. When you experience the love of friendship and the grace of God, it’s your duty to share it with those who don’t have it.
If you push yourself out of your comfort zone, you will always find new ways to spread your love to others. It’s easy to drop a coin in a donation box. It’s another thing to meet new people and explore new places.
You don’t know what effect your actions will have. You don’t know how far your love will reach and you don’t know how important your smile or touch could have been to someone that day.
(Kelly, 21, is a journalism student at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B.)
Reaching out to those who need it the most
By Stephanie Kelly, Youth Speak NewsThey call it Canada’s poorest postal code. When you walk a few blocks past Vancouver’s highrises and shopping districts, you’ll find a different city. People crowd the sidewalks at the corner of East Hastings and Main Street. It’s a district known for its poverty, homelessness, drug abuse and prostitution. It’s a part of town most try to avoid — all but one group. They’re an army dressed in red and their weapon is prayer.
They’re called Agape. It’s a Catholic Christian Outreach ministry whose mission is to reach out to the women of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and offer them a message of hope and love through Jesus. Agape helps women who are addicts and prostitutes, many of whom are also homeless.
Agape means “God’s love,” to serve, expecting nothing in return. Volunteers in red jackets walk the streets every night of the year. They always proclaim the same message: God loves you and the only way to escape the bonds of addiction is through a relationship with Jesus. Agape teaches that for those who suffer, God can be a source of strength, comfort and unconditional love.
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