Life is pretty sweet these days. I love where I'm at, and where I'm going. Some new details have arisen lately, but I'll get to those on my next update. For now, I would like to tell you about my next door neighbour, Will.

 Will suffers from pretty severe mental illness. I would say he probably has the intelligence level and maturity of around a ten year old, although his actual age is probably close to sixty. Will has never been out of Vancouver, and has never held a job in his life. His teeth are rotted, and he is a heavy drinker. 

 Will moved next door to me from a room down the hall a couple months ago, and I've had some great interactions with him since then. One day, I came into my room after having cooked dinner downstairs. I went to my fridge, and discovered both my milk and my cheese missing, but nothing else had been touched in my room. I had my suspicions. I went next door and knocked, and Will, very drunk, cracked the door open.

"Hi Will, did you take my cheese and my milk?"
"No, Jorran... I wouldn't do that. I didn't take anything, jorran."
"Are you sure Will? I can't find them. Are you sure you didn't take my cheese?"
"Nope, it wasn' me jorran..."
"Ok Will, have a good night..."

An hour later I get a knock at my door. There stands Will and his buddy Murray, who manages the building. Will is holding a plastic bag and a half-empty carton of milk.

"Sorry Jorran... I didn't mean to. I was hungry."
"I know, Will, it's ok. You have a good night, ok?"
"Ok Jorran... I'm sorry... it won' happen again."
"I know, it's ok."

The cheese had been gnawed on, and the milk mostly drunk, but that was OK, because Will is not a predator - he is prey.

On the street, there is predator and prey. Almost everyone who is indigenous to the DTES (meaning that they came there because they had to, due to mental illness or addiction, as compared to those who came there 'artificially', like me) falls into one of these two categories. The strong predators use and abuse the prey. Dealers are usually predators, as are gang members. Prostitutes can sometimes be predators, and sometimes prey - sometimes both at the same time. Some, however, are simply weak, and are always prey. Will is such a person.

One day when I was walking back to my house, Will came out of a corner store carrying a carton of chocolate milk and a pack of cigarettes. Almost immediately someone walked up to him and tried to take his milk. 

"Give me that, Will."

"No, this is mine, I bought it."

"I don't care, give it to me, I'm thirsty."

"No, It's mine!"

At this point the man tries to physically take it from Will. I walk up and seperate them - the other man was older as well, and quite drunk. I slowed the man down enough to give Will a head start, and then I followed him and walked with him the rest of the way to the building. 

"Thanks, Jorran."

"You're welcome, Will."

The street can be a tough place for prey. Will has no natural defences against those who would abuse him and take things from him. This is not his fault. Will also drinks heavily - my guess is in an attempt to quiet the pain in his head and heart caused by the abuse which he has had to put up with for so many years. Even now, his one close friend, Murray, treats him as an errant child, often being very stern and cross with him for his drunkeness and behaviour.

Will is not always an easy person to love, but his smile radiates Jesus. He truly is one of the Least Of These in a very real way.

Well, winter is beginning to settle into the Downtown East Side. Last week I had a splendid Thanksgiving dinner with some good friends in Abbotsford, before returning to the city on Sunday to help out with our own thanksgiving dinner here. I have also been investing some more time in the communities I'm connected with here in the DTES. I attend a Bible study with the Salvation Army once a week near where I work, and have made some good friends there. Outside of that, life has been fairly normal. This past week I assisted our construction crew in cutting out and replacing a 100-year-old pipe required for heating my building. I also fixed a wall in our kitchen which was starting to fall apart, and prepped it to be painted by volunteers. Both of these projects were outside of the norm of what I usually do, and it was interesting and fun to interact with some people I don't get the chance to see often. Working in the kitchen of my building on Powell provided me the opportunity to talk to a number of tenants as they went about their daily business.

I thought this week I would take the opportunity to point out a few ways that we could use your help here at Community Builders. First off, every Saturday there is a standing invitation to come and do volunteer work in our buildings. The volunteers meet at the Dodson at 25 Hastings St. E at around 9:00, and spend the day cleaning, doing minor repairs, and assisting our Tenant support staff with various other ongoing projects. We would love to see more people coming out for these Saturdays, so if you are interested let me know, and I'll put you in touch with Lisa, our volunteer co-coordinator.

Aside from the general volunteer opportunities, there are a couple specific needs that we need to have met. In the Powell building, where I live, there are currently three bathtubs, but no showers. We would really love to see a shower installed into at least one of the bathtubs before Christmas. This job would not be overly complex, but does require a couple people handy with plumbing in order to make it happen. There is also no budget available for this project, so we would be looking for people willing to donate time, money, or supplies towards this project. It would really go a long ways towards making the building more livable for the tenants. If you are interested in being part of this project, let me know - as I said, I'm trying to get it done before Christmas, but as of yet I don't really have any leads on making it happen.

A second, and slightly bigger project that needs to happen is the replacement of the fuse panels at the Powell. Currently the building is wired on the old fuse-style breakers, rather than on a modern switch-style breaker. Further aggravating the problem is the fact that some rooms share a single breaker with a neighbouring room. This is fine during the summer, but during the winter when people plug space heaters in, it causes a lot of blown fuses. To complete this project we again need people who would be willing to donate their time, money, or materials in order to have the fuse box replaced at least, and possibly to have the electrical system upgraded in the building. If you are an electrician, or know one who might be interested in helping out with this project, please let me know - I would love to have you come look at the building and see what you think.

Last weekend we saw the first Columbia Bible College Urban Mission Adventure group come to the DownTown East Side. I was given the privilege of speaking to CBC as a whole on that Thursday morning in chapel, and then again along with my co-worker Andrew Stock, and my boss, Gordon, to the smaller UMA group that evening. While the talk to the chapel did not go as smoothly as I had hoped, the evening talk went over very well, and I was glad to be a part of it. UMA was my first exposure to the DTES, and I'm hoping that perhaps one or two out of the group were as profoundly impacted as I was. Over the weekend I was able to spend a little bit of time with the groups as they worked in and wandered through the DTES, and it was great to see them interacting with the community. I realized how 'normal' life has become for me here, and how my own view of the neighbourhood has changed in the past five months.

I want to tell you here about another one of my friends. You'll remember my last update where I mentioned getting a punch from a guy who lives in our building. During that scuffle, Thelma came out of her room and started yelling at mike to back off from being so aggressive. After My co-worker had taken Mike aside and started to calm him down, I went with Thelma and walked her back to her room. On the way, she started crying. To understand why this is important, you have to understand Thelma.

My first memory of meeting Thelma was of this short, overweight, older lady yelling at me to carry her walker down the flight of stairs leading out of the building. She was wearing a helmet over her hat, and wearing at least six shirts, and I think a pillow shoved inside the outer shirt. When she looked at you, it was the definitive crazy-eyes look that you think about when you think of a severely mentally challenged person. The entire presentation was almost comical, except for the fact that she was hurling swear words at me for not moving fast enough.

Over the next couple of months, I carried that walker up and down those stairs many, many times. Every time I did, Thelma's countenance towards me got a little bit softer. Eventually she started stopping at the top of the stairs to chat with me for a few minutes before continuing on to her room. Sometimes she would make perfect sense - other times, it was hard to figure out what she was talking about. Eventually she learned my name.

This brings us up to the small scuffle in the hallway outside the office. As I took Thelma away down the hall, she started to cry. She asked 'Why does that guy have to be so mean? I didn't do anything to him.' My heart broke a little for her right there. I got an image in my mind of a little girl, watching her parents fight and wanting to protect her mom, and wondering how her dad could be so cruel. I don't know if that was actually Thelma's experience or not, but I'm sure it's not far from the truth. Underneath an exterior that's as hard as nails, Thelma is a very hurt broken little girl.

She is also an alcoholic, a smoker, and a crack addict. She still threatens to throw people down the stairs if she doesn't like them. I'm pretty sure the list of who's getting into Heaven is VERY short in her mind, but I also know that she believes she's on it. I'm pretty sure I believe that too.

I mopped Thelma's floor a few days ago, or what I could reach of it. Her room is 98 square feet, and out of that 98 square feet, there is perhaps 6 square feet visible. All her walls are piled as high as will be allowed with various nicknacks and clutter. Her fridge is crammed full to the point of bursting with food both good and rotten. How she hasn't gotten food poisoning, I have no idea. One of these days we will have to take her for a little trip while other staff clean out her room. When she comes back, she'll scream and swear at us for about a week, and then start to get used to her new, cleaner living conditions.

I like Thelma. She is a child of God in the most real way - someone who has been profoundly broken, extremely calloused, and yet still has a remarkable air of innocence that pokes through every once in a while. I'm looking forward to seeing her in the future, sitting with Christ, no longer needing her walker or her helmet.

Thelma, to me, typifies the DTES. There is hope here, but it won't always look like you think it should, and sometimes you have to dig for it.

I've decided to answer a couple of questions that I get asked often with this update. One question I get asked fairly often is what it is like to live in a one-room apartment. The answer is, in a word or two, often dull.

Living in a small space really makes me appreciate the lives that many of our tenants live. My room is actually quite nice compared to some - I have a window with access to fresh air, and thick walls blocking out the majority of noise from the street and the restaurant next door. Despite these amenities, the four walls can represent a prison cell far too easily. About two weeks ago, when the air outside was scorching and the air inside little better, I had no energy to go and do anything. soon that lack of energy led to apathy, where nothing really seemed to matter besides where my next meal was coming from. It made me realize that if drugs were added to that mix, and the only thing that mattered was where your next fix was coming from, it could be a deadly cocktail. With that in mind, I forced myself to start spending more time outdoors, and began riding my old broken bike quite a bit. The bike is well and truly broken now, with one of the pedals falling off completely and the brakes being dangerously bad, but for those two weeks my bike was freedom for me.

Currently I have a cat keeping me company as well, a five-year old black and white that sheds far too much for my liking. He and I have a bit of a love-hate relationship, but more than that I'm afraid that he is feeling the effects of being closed in even more than I. I'm currently searching for another home for him, so if you have a cat-friendly house and want an affectionate feline to curl up with, let me know.

Back on the subject of living in a rooming house. Everything is slightly more difficult than you think it should be. My building only has bathtubs, so I now have to schedule 20-30 minutes or so to bathe, rather than my usual in-and-out 10-15. We only have one kitchen, and it's downstairs - I also only have a small apartment fridge. these two facts mean I need to plan my meals and shopping well, or eat out more often - and sadly, the latter choice is usually the case. Subway and cheap pizza are my friends.... luckily I have had the bike to ride to burn off all the carbs.

The upside to living in a rooming house is that I am slowly getting to know my neighbours, and forming friendships with them. The building is quite a mix of characters, and I often get a chuckle leaving my door open and listening to the conversations in the hall.

Another question I get asked regularly is usually asked in the form of a statement: 'It must be heartbreaking'. My answer may surprise you: yes, at times it is heartbreaking, but no, it often isn't.

My heart hurts for those that cannot find peace and home no matter where they look. This happens both on the street and in the suburban church. My heart hurts for those with addictions that they cannot control. This happens here in my building, with alcohol, crack, coke, meth, heroin, and a host of other chemicals. It also happens in your church, and in your community, with alcohol, porn, shopping, work, TV, and a host of other concerns, both mundane and extraordinary. My heart hurts for those that have been abused and wronged by those that they should be able to trust the most - their families, friends, and pastors. Again, everyone in my community has suffered this abuse, often much more extremely than you could possibly imagine. but again, also, that same abuse permeates suburban and urban and rural communities the world over. it is not distinct to the DTES. Yes, my heart hurts for my friends here. Does your heart hurt for your friends struggling with these soul-crushing issues? Do you know what those issues are?

This is the thing about the DTES: Yes, there is extreme pain. but that pain is worn on the surface, the way one wears a jacket. You can't hide sin when it is literally written in the track marks on your arm and in the pockmarks of your face. There is no covering up the upheavals that drugs and alcohol and prostitution cause to individuals, families, and neighbours. This, strangely enough, is a good thing. Pain on the surface can be expressed in the open, and there is hope that that pain will be seen by others, and that others can hopefully walk with those in pain. For those of us who spend the majority of our lives outside of poverty and addiction, however, there is a distinct lack of surface-level sin. We bury our sin and hurt and pain deep within ourselves, fearing that anyone will find it and expose us as the broken beings we see ourselves as.

I'm not sure which breaks my heart more - the surface pain I see every day on East Hastings, or the buried pain that I know exists in each community, church, and person. We need each other, and we need to start relying on each other and allowing God to speak through one another and into our lives. We are not meant to walk through this life alone. We need community, just as desperately as my friends in the DTES.

Well, I suppose that is enough preaching for one night. Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement during my time here. Your thoughts and prayers mean a great deal to me.

First, some highlights.During the week of July 10th we had a number of volunteer groups helping out around our buildings, including a group from Chilliwack where my friend Jamison is an intern. It was great to reconnect with him and his youth kids in a new context, and to show them a slice of life they wouldn't otherwise have a chance to see. The kids really responded well, and were totally up for the challenge of the work we set before them.

On Wednesday night the group came to Recre8, the Salvation Army coffee drop-in, and we had the opportunity to take them on a walk down the street to the community gardens and back. At the end of the night, Ricky, A first Nations DTES resident, was experiencing an attack that he saw as spiritual. We gathered around and prayed for him, and it was an amazing thing to see class, racial, and denomination barriers being destroyed through prayer. Here, a group of Mennonite kids, Salvation Army young adults, First nations street people, and a woman struggling heavily with addiction prayed over a man who needed prayer. To see Leigh-Anne, who is your stereotypical (in appearance) drug-addicted street person praying and lifting her hand to God for her brother was an awe-inspiring moment. The whole scene reminded me of something one would usually see in the Third world, reinforcing even more the differences in culture between the DTES and the wealthy. I made me seriously consider, not for the first time, which class of people is truly more broken.

The following week I went through some serious personal upheaval. The details involved are not easily explained, but suffice it to say that several forces came together all at the same moment, tipping me very close to the point of burnout. I spent a week doing very little before realizing I needed to get away and refocus. The opportunity came to head home to Ucluelet for five days and so I went, although somewhat reluctantly. I felt like I was 'cheating' a little, stepping outside of the DTES, when some of my fellow intercultural studies students do not have such a chance when they are abroad in Africa or South America.

Regardless, I took the opportunity, and it wasn't until I was home that I realized how much I needed the break. While I was home I was able to get a fresh perspective on my work, and refocus my mind to the tasks before me. I was also able to realize that I needed to take better care of myself and my time off, something I had been neglecting to do.

I've been back in the DTES for a couple days now, and feel much better than I did last week. I've committed to taking on a slightly lighter workload, giving up my time with the volunteers on saturdays in favour of taking some much-needed time for reading and prayer. I'm excited again for the months to come, and looking forward to seeing what God has in store.

Here's some things you can pray for, if you feel so inclined:

Pray for my health, both physically and spiritually. Pray that I can hold myself to my schedule to ensure that I get proper rest every week, and so that I have time to spend focusing on where God wants me to be.

Pray for those I encounter, especially for the relationships I'm starting to build with the other 23 tenants in my building.

Pray for the Community Builders team, that we will be able to work together effectively, with a minimum of disagreements and setbacks.

Pray for my friends in the community here, especially Ricky who I mentioned above, as he struggles to follow Christ in an environment which often makes it very difficult to do so.

First, I am now on my way to becoming a licensed pest controller for our buildings. Steve, the head of maintenance here, ordered me the books I need to read to get my certificate. Once I take the course, I will be able to work for our pest control company, hopefully moving into full-time in January once my formal internship is over. This will give me the opportunity to stay in the DTES longer, and also to make some money to complete my final year at CBC.

Second, just last night I completed a move out of my suite at #103 – 25 Hastings St. E and into a one-room apartment in our third, smallest building – the Powell Rooms. The room is approximately 200 square feet (10x20), has a sink, a shelf, a small fridge, and a bed. I have already started to fall in love with it. For quite some time now I have wanted to try my hand at living in a very small space, and when the opportunity came to move into the Powell, I jumped at the chance. The move will also let me come into closer contact with our tenants, and allow me to relate to them on a equal level. I am simply one of them now.

The Powell has 24 or so tenants, making it the smallest of the three buildings attached to our organization. It is also often the most forgotten building, and this shows through the disrepair. The building was once notorious for drugs, organized crime, and prostitution – and this was only three or four years ago. Now, thanks to Community Builders and a lot of hard work, the building is home to some of our most stable and independent tenants. I am really looking forward to getting to know the guys here better, and to stretch myself with a brand-new set of challenges.

Another great thing that has happened recently is that I have acquired an old bike, which has given me a freedom of mobility I didn’t realize that I was missing. I love my bike, and have already ridden the seawall all the way around Stanley Park.

Last Sunday I spent the weekend in Abbotsford, catching up with old friends and spending some time in my old apartment. I was given the opportunity to speak at Bakerview on Sunday morning, and I have included the transcript of what I said below. Thank you so much for your support, my Bakerview friends!

Please keep both myself and the DTES in your prayers.

Please pray for me, as I make the transition into life in a rooming house. Pray for my safety on my bike, and for the others in my building.

Please pray for our tenants. We have a number of tenants with severe drug and alcohol addictions, and a number with mental health issues. Please keep the tenants in your prayers. Pray for health and wellness to overtake their tired and broken bodies.

Please pray for our staff as well, as we constantly work through the best way to help the people in our care. Sometimes we must make very tough decisions for the tenants’ well-being, such as throwing away belongings so that the tenant actually has room to live. Pray for wisdom in our decision-making.