Christmas Presence 2009

Nathan, Grace, and Anita are joining Carmelle this year in the downtown-East-side of Vancouver. They are collecting items. Please contact cj-mohr@hotmail.com for more details on how you can 'join' them this Christmas.

Carmelle's Christmas Vision

On March 29, Carmelle Mohr came to share at ECBC about her vision for the Vancouver downtown East-side. This is her story.

Carmelle’s Story

Since as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to go downtown Vancouver on Christmas Day and hand out Christmas presents. A few of us would drive down, maybe my brother and I and a couple of friends, and spend Christmas on the streets—visiting, exchanging story for story. It was only an idea, though. I was young and my ideas seemed to come on too grand of a scale, in fact they might still. In any case, I didn’t share my passion about what I thought would be the best Christmas ever; that is, until October…

On October 9th, during a World Religions 100 lecture, my professor spoke about meditation; the practice of controlling the mind that thus, examining the present. Naturally, my mind wandered. And alas, it arrived on this Christmas Day idea. Although I hadn’t given it much thought for quite a while, I felt so strongly and passionately about it. I realized that I just had to do this, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it could be possible.

After calling home for advice, as a university student so often does, I was encouraged to pursue the idea. What would start as a simple dream was about to blossom into a full-fledged project…

Carmelle Mohr

A Vision

That coming weekend, I visited the Lutheran Collegiate Bible Institute, in Outlook, SK, for homecoming, where I attended school for my grade 12 year. While I was there, I decided to bounce the idea off of some of the staff I had become close to during the previous year. I asked them for feedback on whether I was being ridiculous or whether this idea actually had any potential. Instead, I was shocked at how immediate and wiling they were to offer any kind of help! Within a few minutes, they had agreed to have each student write four personalized Christmas cards where they would say a little bit about themselves, talk about where they are from and what their interests are, and indicate that they would be thinking about the person receiving the card on that day.

The next afternoon, upon arriving back in Camrose, I spoke with Ardelle Ries, the choir director at the U of A, Augustana campus. During the course of the conversation, this idea came up and Ardelle expressed a huge interest in becoming part of this project. She decided that for the choir’s Christmas concert both the music and the readings (Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol) would focus on raising awareness about this country’s poverty and its neglect of homelessness, particularly of those living on the streets of Vancouver.

Soon after, the Student Chaplaincy program at Augustana took interest and got involved. Together, we were able to bring the vision to all the students and staff on and off campus!

Within a week, both a high school in Saskatchewan and a University Campus in Alberta were involved.

I figured it was time to actually fly home.

Growing up in Port Moody, BC, part of Greater Vancouver, has been quite a blessing to me. A life in Vancouver means the exposure to countless cultures, emerging political viewpoints, religions, magnificent landscape, a love for the outdoors, but most prevalent is its poverty, and the raw distinction between the rich and the poor.

It can be seen, for example, by merely driving down the infamous Hastings Street. Passing through the suburbs of Burnaby, along the shores of Burrard inlet, Hastings Streets then winds through the slums of Vancouver, as it travels farther and farther west. All of a sudden, skyscrapers loom overhead and Hasting Street divides business building from business person, rather than shopping cart from homeless person.

It is truly a wonder when one sees the hundreds of black Cadillac’s and Sedans quickly passing through the DTES every morning and evening. One wonders how such visible poverty can every day—between 7-9 am and 4-6pm—be passed and passed and passed.

Vancouver street ministry

It Was Time.

A man of great inspiration to me is Street Pastor Brian Heinrich, who started the Lutheran Urban Missions Society located in the DTES. I had come to know him through volunteer work I had done through LUMS and as a family friend. While home for the semester break, I brought the project details to him. I told him that we had to do this.

Christmas Day in Vancouver has the highest suicide rate, and all of the shelters close. There are many organizations in the DTES that offer support, especially during the holiday season; however, there is nothing that happens on the day itself.

Pastor Brian presented the project to the board and they endorsed it! With their knowledge of the streets and creative ideas, the dream once again took a grander scale!

My home congregation, King of Life Lutheran Church in Coquitlam, BC, also endorsed the project!

Things were in place…. But a name for the project was missing. It turned out that having a father with extreme skill in the art of “puns” oddly came in handy. The name of the project: Christmas Presence.

Christmas Presence

And from November to December, Christmas Presence grew and grew; corporate sponsorship from GUM and Colgate, donations of water bottles, backpacks, Tim Horton’s gift certificates, socks, toques, mitts, scarves, etc. The response was outstanding!

At the Augustana Christmas Concert, we were able to raise awareness and many donations came in. In fact, I had a friend come up to me just before our final concert and hand me a very full envelope. He said that inside was $230. He had made an announcement at his church that morning about this story and that the envelope had been the response.

Some mornings I would wake up and see that a $50 bill had been slipped under the door with a note saying, “for the Christmas project thing.” Other times, friends and strangers would slip me a ten or twenty. Even the Dean’s wife was knitting.

Two days before I left to go home for Christmas, my close friend Demara Wig, who attends CLBI brought over a bag full of toques and scarves that the students at the bible school had made—a complete surprise!

Then upon packing up after exams, I decided to check the donation bin once more, just in case…It was 2/3 full again! Someone had dropped off 8 new winter jackets stuffed with socks and chocolate! And when I say winter jackets, I mean the jackets that my roommate, who farms in Saskatchewan, said she would be able to winter chores in—chores for 5 hours.

It was generosity like I had never seen, nor imagined possible!

Clearly, I had no reason to doubt.

So, it was off to the airport to fly home! Although the three massive hockey bags ushered some very odd looks, little did people know that inside were about 200 socks, mitts, toques, and scarves.

Home of the 2010 Olympic games, Vancouver
also has Canada's poorest neighbourhood.

Home I arrived, with a few clothes myself, but lots for those who needed them. It turned out that we received over $2000 in strictly monetary donations! And it was with that money that I found myself in Superstore the night before a group of us would be wrapping all of the gifts. I had spent the last 5 days going from store to store to find the best deals on items that would fill out the gifts.

I filled the cart with the exact amount I could afford and then went to pay the extraordinary bill. It was only a matter of time before the four young cashiers asked me why I was buying 50 pairs of boxers. That’s one way to raise awareness.

The cashiers ended up getting quite excited while they were ringing the items through. They started to look through Superstore flyers to find discount coupons for me. As it turns out, both the mitts and boxers were down below half price! So I grabbed another 50 pairs of each and we kept on finding coupons! I ended up leaving with twice as much as I had come for and more money to the budget.

A moment I won’t ever forget was when I got to the car to load all of the bagged boxers and mitts into the trunk. A soft, “excuse me ma’am,” caught my attention. I turned around to see a middle aged, very cold man, who looked like he was in need of a place to stay that night. He asked if he could return my cart for me. I said “Absolutely!” and that I had “accidently” bought an extra pair of mitts and boxers for my brother. He picked out his favorite. His gratitude was like none I had ever seen. I then remembered the $10 superstore gift certificate the cashiers had given me. It was perfect--$10 could give this man a much needed meal! We chatted for a little bit as we loaded up the car, he took the cart and headed on his way. I’ll never know where he ended up that night or where he is today, but I will never forget his gratitude, nor his need for a quarter.

Moments like these seemed to follow me around for the two weeks leading up to Christmas; simple reminders of what Christmas is truly about. As I look back on these moments, I see what strength it gave me in the days to come.

On Saturday the 22nd, we planned a Wrapping Day. It really was the longest assembly line I have ever seen. The gift packages were wrapped in hand-made wrapping paper. Over the past two months I had asked two local congregations and the students of Augustana to paint their hands and place it on the brown paper while saying a prayer or a thought of good intention for the person that would receive the gift. The paper was beautiful! And as we gave the gifts later, we were able to say to each person, “All of these hands are people who are thinking about you today.”

The goal was to have a gift for 200 people. We ended up putting together 200 giant gift packages, and 200 tins of home baking!

This was the generosity of only a couple of hundred people brought together over 2 months.

I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t.

Before we knew it, the long-awaited Christmas Day had arrived.

White Christmas

Now as a student who attends a university in Alberta, and who spent the previous year at a school in Saskatchewan, I expect a green Christmas when I return home. I personally do not think that this is asking too much… Apparently, Mother Nature disagrees.

December 2008 buried Greater Vancouver in piles of snow it only sees on its mountain tops. It was colder than most had ever experienced before, and although it was only -10, inexperience was the danger. Thankfully many shelters remained open and accepted more guests. There were many, however, who did not make it through December. One woman had told reporters a few days before that she remained outside because there were others that needed the space more. She passed away outside overnight on the 22nd.

December 23rd and 24th were completely white days. For two days straight, snow poured down over the streets of Vancouver. Needless to say, we were all concerned for those not able to find a warm shelter and for what we might see the following morning.

I received many calls that night asking if the project was still a go. I responded “absolutely.” But, I was worried.

On Christmas morning, Vancouver awoke to one of the most beautiful sunny days it had seen in a long time. The temperature had jumped about 10 degrees and the clouds parted for the blue sky. I have never doubted this project since Christmas morning. This project has been out of my hands since the beginning. As much as I sometimes thought or wished that I was in control, it has never been me. God has been so clearly a part of this project in every step—his hand guiding every idea, every decision, every moment. Every time I’d doubt, he’d say, “Please stop worrying for once, Carmelle! Trust me.” I didn’t often listen.

And now the warm weather? It was surely to be a blessed day.

We loaded up 5 vehicles with all of the gift packages and home baking and met at Oppenheimer Park just off Hastings Street. We were a team of 22. Little did I know that this was a team that would minster to so many hearts; known and unknown.

We divided into small groups; some drove through certain areas of downtown looking for blue-tarp shelters, some stayed stationary at key locations, and some filled duffle bags with presents and baking and walked the alleys.

The reason we organized ourselves in this way is because I believe there is a significant difference between distribution and outreach. The intention of Christmas Presence is to spend Christmas with those living on the streets. It is to create a semblance of normalcy to a day that can be the loneliest and renew hope.

We Are In This Together

God could not have provided a more truly awesome team. Every member was able to serve in their own very unique way.

Axel Voigt, for example, was one such member, who, on the exterior, does not appear as someone whom you would want to meet in a dark alleyway. However, he is truly of “teddy bear” spirit. In fact, he expressed some hesitation about approaching people, so he decided to act as our “delivery man.” He drove from block to block checking up on the team and filling up our duffel bags if needed. He also took to blaring Christmas music from the mini van as he drove the streets. I must admit I was not too sure how well that would go over, but I was wrong, people loved it!

Others, such as Chelsea Harder, a student at LCBI, and Devon Koski walked the alleys and befriended many people who might not have necessarily been greeted otherwise.

Each member of the team was able to serve in there own way, and it was because of the diversity of our strengths and the passion of our hearts that we were able to minister in that way.

Two Lunches:

Whenever I spend days on the streets, I always take identical lunch bags or two of the same food items. This is so that, upon meeting someone who might need a meal, one can say, “I have an extra lunch. Would you like to eat with me?” Some will decline, but some will accept the offer. We have now created an equal ground. Food is the most basic and important way of developing community. It is over a meal that we catch up with an old friend, debate over the latest political issues, exchange stories; we minister to another through our communion with each other. Similarly, with the man or woman I have eaten lunch with, we minister to each other.

The Gift of Giving:

Devon told me of a man he had met:

While speaking with an older gentleman to whom Devon and Chelsea had given their last gift, another lady gruffly approached the three of them. She pointed to the man’s Christmas gift and asked, “Where’d you get that?” The gentleman responded wittingly, “Well, you caught me. I just stole it out of your purse about five minutes ago. I suppose I should give it back.” He then proceeded to give the gift to the lady, aware that Devon and Chelsea had no more to give. Giving meant more than receiving, even for someone who might, indeed, need it the most.

Your Next Door Neighbour:

During the day, I spent my time walking the alleys and checking up on the team members. At one point, I made my way over to one of the shelters where about 5 team members were. As we quickly debriefed the day’s events thus far, a man approached the group of us. He pointed to the large thermos my mother was holding and asked, “What you got there little ladies?” My mother responded that she was handing out hot wassail and asked if he would like some. He responded that he had “no idea in hell” what wassail was, but that if it was hot and it was indeed ale, he would take a cup. I ended up striking up a conversation with him. He began to tell me about how he had come to be living in Vancouver. He mentioned Red Deer. Surprised, I told him that I was attending a school In Camrose. He then asked if it was CLBI. Even more surprised, I responded “No, Augustana University”, but I asked how he knew of CLBI. He responded, “Oh well you see, me and CLBI go way back. I got kicked out of that place when I was 17.” It was quite the story. As it turns out, Rick grew up in Stettler, AB. This is where my father also grew up. It turns out that Rick and my father attended the same elementary school and lived not too far from one another. I called my dad over to where we were and the two “Stettler boys” exchanged childhood story for story for the remainder of the afternoon.

It is not an easy realization to know that you’re classmate is homeless, nor to think that it might by your brother, your father, or you.

Eyes:

A common question I am asked is how to approach someone in street ministry. All you have to do is look people in the eyes. It is acknowledgement.

So many people who live on the streets are passed and passed and passed every day, no different than objects. However, it is not only those sitting by a garbage bin whom we ignore, it is people in our every day lives too; in hallways at school, at the office, at the grocery store, and in the mall. We can feel so alone in this world even when we are standing at a cross walk with 8 other people, or in a classroom of 150. Eye contact is a way of saying, “Hey! Right there with ya.” But, we are often so caught up in our own lives, or perhaps in our own loneliness. It is as simple as looking up, but proves difficult because it means that we must make ourselves vulnerable.

Everyone has got that spark in they’re eyes, right? From my experience, some don’t. Rick did not. Although eh spoke with enthusiasm and we often laughed together, his smile never reached his eyes.

If there is one thing that terrifies me the most about the streets, it is when you cannot see the spark; that spark is hope.

Suggestions:

As we packed up that night, a man approached me and asked if I was the girl in charge. I responded that really no, but technically yes. His name was Alex and he told me that if we were planning on doing this project again next, he would have some suggestions. He wanted to help too.

I have met up with Alex a few times since Christmas Day to chat and dream about what the Downtown Eastside (DTES) could be like, or rather, should be like. He is the scariest looking man I ever met seen in my life, but one of the greatest.

Speaking with the team later that night, similar stories were shared about how people watched out for each other and had each other’s back. Many times during the day I was told about a Christmas dinner that was happening around the corner and that I should go and grab turkey before it gets cold.

It was a community. I had overlooked that. I had been blind to it. I had a lot to learn from the people down there and I always will.

Lessons

So much of what we are shown is to fear people. But in the DTES and on the streets of Edmonton, it is not the people to fear. It is the situation they are in, what those situations force people to do, and the lack of understanding that we often have for people who do not live the same way we do.

Call me crazy, but I do not believe that anyone wants to live in the DTES, or wants to be homeless, or wants to wonder from where there meal will be.

We have each been blessed with extraordinary gifts and talents in so many different ways. What I want people to know is that it is not about some big dream and connections and projects. It is about reaching out in every moment in any way. Yes in the DTES, but in Alberta, in Saskatchewan, in Camrose, in Edmonton, in school, at work, while you cross the street, as you call home, while you pass a stranger—we have an opportunity to hope together.

I have never been happier nor more sad in my life as I was on December 25th. It was a day that I was blessed to see the generosity of 3 provinces over the past 2 months come together. Christ was truly born—right among his people: the suffering, the sick, and the hungry. Four hundred gifts which had seemed so numerous when loaded in vans and packed in backpacks, only met a very limited need. We could have sued a thousand. We could have used thousands! The DTES is of such great need, one that is truly impossible to express in words. However, even though the gifts quickly disappeared, their meaning to each individual was truly powerful. Even though we could not meet the physical needs of the people, we could offer our time, our love. We were blessed because we were able to spend Christmas with our extended family.

Those that live in the DTES are not homeless, they are homeless people. They are just like you and me. The might be you and me. They have parents, they are sons or daughters, they too have had the ups and downs of adolescence, they have cried, they have laughed, they have gone to school , they have a favorite teacher, they could be from Stettler or Chicoutimi or Moncton or Edmonton, they have regrets, they have memories, they have passions and hobbies and interests. They are you and me.

This is why I am happy and sad. I feel as though God has touched the lives of hundreds of people in Vancouver this Christmas and has ignited in many an even stronger passion to help our friends on the streets. The awareness raised these past few months has opened many doors for a hopefully larger project next year. For this, I rejoice! However, I mourn for the sheer reality that 400 gifts is merely a speck in the scheme of things here. There are many friends I spent Christmas with for the first and last time. I mourn that there is such suffering among a country that is so blessed.

There was a beautiful woman, no older than I, who found me as we were leaving to say thank you. She hugged me and did not let go. We stood in each others arms for so long. I wished that I wouldn’t have to let her go. She was skinny. Her arms were scarred and she had rash injections all over her right arm. She was cold, but her gratefulness could have warmed a hundred houses. She was so beautiful. I will never forget her.

This Christmas we ventured out with the intention of giving Christmas presents and presence, but we ended up receiving far more than we gave.

I ask you to remember our brothers and sisters in the DTES and those without homes across Canada. I ask you to stand for any who cannot. I ask you to be a presence in the lives around you.

Merry Christmas.