DAY SIX

By Brett

Today was another busy day as we wrapped up our last full day in Toronto. This morning, we handed out water bottles to anyone we encountered that was in need and spent time talking to them and hearing their stories. We also spent the afternoon in an Islamic community trying to strike up conversations and learn more about the Muslim faith. We did not have any full-blown discussions about Jesus and salvation through Him, but we had some valuable interaction with Islamic culture and grew in our confidence to talk to others not like ourselves. We ended the evening sharing what God had taught each of us on the trip. It's always such an encouraging time and I always wish others could be there to hear what everyone has to say. I cannot do justice to each one's responses, but I listed below a comment or two from each participant to help you get a sense of what God has been busy doing in us.

1. Joel B. mentioned that God helped him to become a better leader this week

2. Abigail D. felt that God had helped her to open up and feel more confident talking with others that are different.

3. Brandon D. found that God had helped him overcome some irritation and frustration

4. Ashley Ha. said that she really enjoyed getting to know some of the homeless personally and especially saw God use her to bring joy to their lives

5. Liz H. noticed that God used the teenagers to impact the adults in ways she didn't expect

6. Kevin H. saw how much impact he could make by doing small things in peoples' lives

7. Brooke H. was amazed at how many people are reaching out to the hurting and saw God help her to connect with people who are less fortunate

8. Ashley He. was taught that every person has a story and how eye opening it was to learn of each person's story

9. Lucas J. discovered how fun it can be to help people

10. Callie T. became more comfortable praying out loud and was surprised at how her attitude had changed regarding how she saw the homeless

11. Katie W. was surprised by how thankful the needy were to be helped and was given confidence that she can hold conversations with others that are different than her

12. Eddie W. found that he could talk to people more easily than he thought before the trip

13. Brett learned that those he encountered were not that much different than him and was given a new compassion for the lost and hurting

Thanks to everyone who prayed and helped support us and make the trip possible! You can be assured that God truly worked in all of our lives and we are excited to see how God uses the trip in the future!

DAY FIVE

Ashley with Andy...one of her favorite new friends that she served!

Spent the morning with Jeff McCarrell, a missionary who has worked with Muslims in Toronto for many years.


Believe it or not, this is where the girls are sleeping (along with about 4o other girls from a church in Minnesota!)

By Brandon D. & Eddie W.

Today we started with prayer and confession--this has been so much fun. We prayed to God, read the Bible and wrote in our daily devotional book. After we got back from prayer, we got to prepare some for our trip to London next year. A missionary who lives within the Muslim Culture in Toronto taught us today how to treat, live and be with Muslims. We had a great time and we are excited to go to London next year. Later, from 3-7 pm, we worked at St. Francis Table.

I (Brandon) had a great time at St. Francis the entire week. I made some great friends that I will always remember. I met Sergio and Dominic, both older guys, but very inspiring, very kind and open. They have some of the best personalities I have ever seen. I will miss them greatly, and I have already started! :')

We also had free time tonight, which we used to go to up in the CN Tower. I got to lay down on the glass floor and it was amazing. We also walked to Dundas Square, which is the Toronto Times Square. I Love you all. (I hope grandma is reading this. xoxoxoxo)

DAY FOUR

This is our group with our CSM host leader Paula (next to Callie) on the roof of St. Francis Table (don't worry...it was safe!)

DAY FOUR

By Callie T. and Brooke H.

Today we woke up bright and early! (7am!) After breakfast we had devotions in our Secret Garden, which is awesome and filled with the most beautiful plants and wildlife and store-bought pomegranate ever! After devotions we headed to Booth industries for the first time. Booth Industries is a factory run by the Salvation Army. The workers consist of mentally and physically handicapped people as well as a few summer interns. In order to reach their quota, groups like us come in and help them package goods. We also got to socialize with the workers during work and break times, which was the best part! They were so friendly and kind and everyone in the factory got along with one another really well. They weren't shy, which made it SO easy for us to jump right in and get to know them! The work was a little tedious, such as creating toiletry travel packs [and zipping bags for TWO HOURS!], but the workers made it really fun and go by very quickly! After that driving back to the church for lunch was awesome because we saw so many puppies! Puppies make us happy!!! For lunch today we had Canadian cuisine! Poutine!!! It's a dish made with just fries, gravy, and cheese curds. Only one out of thirteen of us liked it! We're told it's basically the only dish Canadians eat that Americans don't. Crazy, eh? After lunch we went to St. Francis Table again and helped them serve dinner once more. It was really awesome and everything ran smoothly. We served 110 people tonight roast beef, REAL mashed potatoes, and vegetables! Everyone there is always so grateful and when we leave, we all go with overfilled hearts, joy and stomachs! After we got back to the church we had a brief discussion about our day and everyone shared their experiences then we had a praise night at the church, which was awesome! There were different stations to praise God from, there was a music station [where almost everyone was at], an art station [where we both were at!!!], a journal station, and a prayer station. It was extremely chill and a lot of fun! THIS DAY WAS GREAT!!!! WE CAN'T WAIT FOR TOMORROW!!!! WHOOO!

DAY THREE

By Kevin H. & Lucas J.

Today, we got up the latest out of all the groups for breakfast.....at 8:30!!!!! then we went to the park for devotions and then completed what they call an ethnic plunge. This is where we got dropped off in the heart of Chinatown and got to explore all of the different stores and learned about their culture. As we visited shops we would ask them questions about their culture, such as "what are the main types of chinese spoken in Toronto?" or "how many types of rice are sold in the market?" Surprisingly, the shop owners knew a lot about this and were very open about it. After Chinatown we went out for lunch at a Jamaican restaurant where we had some amazng food. It was exotic but good. After a nice break we headed back to St. Francis to help serve food again. We enjoyed talking to people and learning about what it's like to be homeless. After that we went back to the church to go out on what is called a street walk. In this we played the role of a homeless teenager. We had to go out and feel what it would be like to be homeless. We had to answer the five questions of survival. 1. What am I gonna eat? 2. Where will I stay? 3. How am I gonna make money? 4. What will I do for entertainment? 5. What will I do for hygiene? Everyone was given 2 dollars to get food for that night. Kevin and I got 2 donuts each, which were very good. Then we also had to find suitable shelter where we wouldn't get caught by cops or owners and getting kicked out. We walked a lot and everyone was tired by the time we got back. We also were given the scenario of the homeless teenager by a preacher named Patrick. He told us to pretend we were a 13 year old who ran away to Toronto with only the clothes on our back and 2 dollars. Overall, it was a good experience for everyone and helped us realize how much we really have.

DAY TWO

MINISTRY BEGINS by Abigail D. & Katie W,

Today we started off our day by going to The Scott Mission. This mission is a place for homeless people to go to get meals, clothes, watch T.V., and have a safe place to sleep. We broke up into two groups, one serving the meals, and the other organizing clothes. In the kitchen, we served two meals, one at 10:30 am and one at 11:30. It was a very fast, orderly process where people could come in and eat their meal. In the basement, we organized clothes, got to talk to other volunteers and learn of the people that come to The Scott Mission daily and what their story is.

For lunch we went to a Japanese restaurant, where they served seaweed and tofu soup, then we had sushi that had cucumber and salmon in it (some people struggled with the sushi). Then they brought out a box with different compartments in it. In each of the compartments was teriyaki chicken, fried veggies, white rice, salad, and fruit. All of this we had to eat with chopsticks, which was fun for some, but for others, not so much. Lastly, they served ice cream, and we could choose one of three flavors: Green Tea, Red Bean, and Mango. We both had the Green Tea, which was pretty good! The Mango tasted exactly as it sounds, and the Red Bean tasted like a mix between vanilla and maple.

From 3-7 pm, we went to a place called St. Francis' Table. It's a restaurant where the homeless and poor only have to pay 1 dollar to receive a restaurant quality dinner. Today's meal options were either chicken, rice, veggies and bread, or pork, potatoes, veggies, and bread. Here some of us worked in the kitchen, and some served the food. It lasted from 4:30-6:00, and in that short time we served 142 people. This showed us how much need there is in this city, and it was cool to see how God used each of us to serve them. We also enjoyed spending time with the people as we ate our dinners with them as well.

The last thing we did tonight was a sandwich run. We walked around the city handing out a bagged lunch to the homeless. We got alot of different responses from the people. Most of them were thankful and appreciative.

This was the first of the two longest days (7 am to 10:30 pm!), but it was still alot of fun, and we are looking forward to tomorrow!

DAY ONE-PRAYER TOUR

PRAYER TOUR by Ashley He.

Tonight, we went with our CSM host Paula on a prayer tour. She showed us around the city of Toronto, and the different places that we might be visiting and interacting with throughout the week. Some of the places she showed us (during the day!) were Regent Park (largest housing project in North America), Prostitution areas, Crack Row, and Casey House (Hospice house for those with AIDS).

At the end of the tour, she took us to see the skyline of Toronto. It was amazing. To see all these places, and to hear about people struggling with their everyday lives, made it seem very personal. We came on this mission trip to Toronto not even knowing what exactly what we were getting into. So many people are struggling, and we are here to serve them showing God at the same time. It's so exciting to begin this week knowing we can make a difference in someone's life. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but God is working in this city, and He hears prayer, no matter how helpless situations may seem. One person can only help so much, but God can do anything, and it's amazing. I'm so excited for this week!

DAY ONE-TRAVEL & DINNER

ARRIVAL AND DINNER by Joel B.

Travel was fantastic. We played 'Trivial Pursuit' (of course Pastor Brett knows all the movie answers,) had our laughs although most people just slept. At lunch Brandon, Lucas and Eddie got their hands on some Monster energy drinks making the trip a bit funnier.... and louder. At the border we all had our laughs about how long it was taking and how Brett has an uncanny ability to chose the line that will, without fail, take the longest to get through. Somehow we made it through without an international incident. We arrived at our destination on time which I'm sure we couldn't have pulled off if we had Pastor David driving. We unpacked and had an introduction time with the leaders and the rest of the group. We met our leader Paula who is amazing with names! After about 10 minutes she had our names all memorized.

For dinner, we ate at a wonderful Indian buffet called "Haandi." I was a little bit worried about it since I had never eaten Indian cuisine before but it turned out to be fantastic. The food was delicious, although was a bit spicy and they served a bread with dinner that we all couldn't stop eating. After dinner Paula introduced us to a "love it" or "hate it" Indian dessert experience called Paan. It is a number of Indian spices and seeds in a grape leaf that you insert in your cheek and suck on. Some people thought it tasted like Chai tea or cinnamon.