Skip to main content

The privilege of knowing inspiring people.

The time has come when the "last time..." of things is starting to happen. Yesterday was my last time meeting with NUCLEO, which is a network of all the governmental and non-governmental organisations in the city which work with streetkids. We were doing our anual evaluation and planning and spent the day together. Although a busy day, it was good to get away and see the positives and the potentials from last year. As I was listening and talking to these extraordinary people, I realized just what a privilege it has been to be a part of this network.

Even if it has meant years of productive (and unproductive) meetings, and maybe not always as much efficiency as would be desired, it has meant that I have gotten to know some really inspiring people. People who really stand up for and go many extra miles to see change and restoration in the lives of the streetkids. People who don't give up, even when the kid goes back to the streets again and again and again. People who have chosen to allow themselves to really love and care for the streetkids.

Not many of the projects are Christian, and it makes me think: if these people are this amazing now, imagine if you added the transforming power and grace of Jesus to it. I am so grateful to God that this city has these people working in it, and even after I leave, I know the streetkids will always have many streetworkers fighting for them and showing them value and dignity.

Popular posts from this blog

Packing...again.

I just folded the last load of laundry and I’m almost packed. Off to the airport at 5am tomorrow morning, heading off to Amsterdam. I’m excited, a bit nervous, and wondering what it’ll be like. It’s been a good week at home with lots of quality time with family, especially the little nieces and nephew. I’m glad I’ll see them in April again. Well, not much to write and packing to be done and a bit of sleep would probably be a good idea too. Next time I write it’ll be from Amsterdam....
Read more

Single-tasking September: The art of single-tasking.

To change habits and ways of life, the motivation for change has to be strong, and the benefits outweigh the effort it takes to make the change.  For so long it’s seemed like the ability to multitask has been regarded as a great skill, but is it really a good thing? Recovering from burn-out, one of the effects I noticed was that it was harder to concentrate, and especially tricky trying to focus on many things at once. I’d try to multitask, only to realise that all tasks suffered from lack of capacity to complete any one of them. The challenge is that the habit of always doing many things at once goes deep, and when I tried to focus on just one thing, I found that it was actually really difficult.  As I did a little google search on the matter, I found it seems like multitasking isn’t as healthy as once thought, and that it doesn’t help productivity. Some even referred to it as “switch tasking”, in the sense that the brain isn’t doing many things at once, but shifting rapidly...
Read more

Small moments that mean a lot

Walking home on the crunchy snow that lights up a December evening,  I felt so thankful. The revelation that fellowship and being together is the best gift you can give someone, and realising that although it might seem small, it can turn into something big when a person feels seen and valued.  Yesterday I helped out with a crafts workshop for a group of lovely women volunteering for Crux where I worked before (well, in all honesty: they were making angels while I ate Christmas cookies, Quality Street chocolate, and chatted). I love walking alongside people in conversation, and realise sharing life for 2 hours can last so much longer in value and experience.  This evening we had our Christmas dinner for volunteers and people who are part of my current job. It was a delightful evening with many nations gathered around the same table…. eating the same food… and for a few hours creating a small fellowship moment that will become a good memory for the future. Often in my job ...
Read more