Journey Update

In the days since our last Journey program, I have tried to sit down and write and share what went on. It has not been as easy as I had hoped. Perhaps the reason for that is simply that there is so much that is “felt” by all of us during these three days and words cannot do justice to the essence of grace and unconditional love that seems to permeate the whole of Linwood House. It is the essence of what we do at all times yet somehow The Journey more than any other event makes us all aware of our own vulnerability, and that we are each on a journey to healing and wholeness.

Many of our guests arrived at Linwood House for their first Journey. Leaving their environment on the Downtown Eastside can be very traumatic and so they were in a place of being totally overwhelmed by the drive, the ferry, and the beauty they encountered up here. After settling into their rooms we encouraged them to explore, have a latte, and just get familiar with their surroundings at their own pace. It doesn’t take too long for laughter and camaraderie to begin to emerge. This is a huge breakthrough due to the fact that barriers are rarely brought down when you live in the Downtown Eastside. Barriers that invisibly say “keep out” are firmly in place with those who live in an environment of sheer survival mode constantly.

Our Friends of the Journey who come a long distance to volunteer their hairdressing and makeup services are a great hit and this time we had a friend come from the Interior of BC and lend her heart and her hugs as she painted nails. Our Monday night group of women that gather at Linwood House offered to prepare the meal and serve it. So it gave us a more restful afternoon and a lot of fun as we worked together. After the meal one of our group brought her art supplies and encouraged each one to paint something to represent a special moment in life. The artwork was incredible! Watching the body language say it was safe, they could relax and express something special was amazing.

Perhaps what came to me as I interacted with our friends was that we want to let them know they are beautiful, they have value, and they are worth it to fight for and walk beside in life. Yet as we pour these truths into their lives we are learning to accept them ourselves – to know we too are of value, our life is worth fighting for and having friends walk beside us, and each has their own beauty. We are so much more alike than we are different at our core.

We are all in the image of God who wants to draw us into freedom, love and to experience those unforced rhythms of grace Jesus talks about.