I'm back!
It is surreal to be sitting back at the same desk, staring out the same window, at the same backyard, when so much of my identity and daily life has profoundly shifted. Wild how babies do that!
To be honest, I was very nervous about coming back. How would Theo adapt to daycare? Would I even remember what I do here? I can be a very all-or-nothing person--would I be able to give Theo the attention he needs and pilot this ship?
It turns out that my worrying was for naught. Within the first week I set Theo down at daycare and he immediately crawled away from me to play with blocks. Bye Mom, I’ve got friends now!
I’ve been a Companion for a Tanzanian Guest while I was off. Here’s Theo enjoying a cuddle with our friend.
Some differences between my stay-at-home new mom life and OHH life:
Apparently days of the week matter now? I keep getting confused about what day it is.
I can hop in the car in minutes. No diaper bag, no planning around nap schedules, no thinking about where and when I’ll be able to breastfeed while out. It’s disorientingly simple!
I miss my little guy. The best part of the day is going to pick him up.
The one thing that isn’t different is the ways that people who arrived here as refugee claimants bless my life. So many of them have become good friends that I never had to step back from the community we’re all creating together--it carried me. Meals, visits, text messages, hugs, new faces, excuses to do fun seasonal Hamilton activities together...
It has been a bit of a wild ride for the team while I’ve been away. They welcomed 25 new Guests! This past summer many East African refugee claimants wound up in Canada, and you may have seen the news reports that showed them sleeping on the streets of Toronto and Hamilton. Heartbreaking stuff. Open Homes rose to the occasion and partnered with various organizations to welcome as many people as possible and our Christmas party showed the fruit of that labour--a whole crew of Kenyans sang a Christmas song in Swahili! I wish I could share it with you, because it is a real delight, but these folks are still in the early stages of their journeys so it wouldn’t be safe.
Such sweet welcome cards for new Guests from Calvin Christian School’s grade 2s!
I have been delighted to see how many new Hosts and Companions have joined in since I left. This ministry is thriving. There are big challenges, sure, the housing market being at the top of the list, but Hamilton churches are *in*.
This week we welcomed a new Guest (a Kenyan) and next week I will start leading a new Kinship Circle for another new Kenyan. The number of emails to volunteers I’ve written this week that have started, “We haven’t met yet, but I’m Danielle...”!
Thank you so much for your continued support for this ministry while I was away welcoming another kind of newcomer, my sweet little social butterfly.
Prayer requests:
For a dear friend who is in the midst of deportation proceedings after being cheated by a dishonest lawyer. I can’t say more for the sake of her privacy, but may she be able to stay in Canada.
For a Guest with an upcoming hearing who is quite nervous. It is hard to over-emphasize the way people’s lives can hinge on this one hearing!
In thanks for the whole Open Homes team and the ways they worked together while I was off to welcome so many people. Prayers too for deeply restorative rest for my coworker Alison, who took on a significant portion of the extra leadership work.
For wisdom and good conversations as we continue adapting this model to better meet the needs of refugee claimants. It will likely be no surprise to you that the housing search has only become harder, and creative solutions are needed.
Thanks that my coworker Noha is now full-time with us!!! This is a HUGE answer to prayer. Prayers for her as she builds her fundraising network, and thanks for the progress she has already made. We love her.