During our Summer BBQ Meal, one thing that stood out was how easy it can be to connect when we take a moment to talk. A simple example was the World Cup. It quickly became a shared topic that brought everyone into the same conversation. People talked about their favourite teams, recent games, and predictions. Some followed it closely, others joined in with curiosity, but everyone had something to add. From there, the conversation naturally moved into other things like news, m

Seeing people at the door is about more than offering a sandwich and a drink. It means encountering the reality of poverty, addiction, mental illness, and deep human suffering. These situations are heartbreaking, but they also lead us to ask, “Jesus, what would You do here?” In those moments, we are reminded that Christ calls us not only to meet physical needs but also to respond with compassion, dignity, and love. At times, we become so occupied with our own plans and priori

Every week, OIM Street Outreach teams walk the streets of downtown Ottawa carrying sandwiches, water, clothing, and other practical items. Yet what we often discover is that the greatest need is not food or clothing, it is connection. Behind every request for a sandwich is a story. A woman grieving the loss of her husband while waiting for heart surgery. A young man searching for work and purpose. Someone battling addiction and longing for freedom. A cancer patient facing che

There are days that are just tougher than others. Sometimes, at the end of the day, you sit back and reflect on what made that day so special. There are days that just seem to breeze by, and before you know it, it’s time to go home, and you wonder where the time went. I have recently experienced both types of days. It was a tough day where we had to say goodbye to yet another fellow comrade, and yet, as I sat in the chair and looked out my living room window, wondering if the

Spring is sooo busy. The winter was sooo long and didn’t seem to be letting up, even until late April, but then suddenly it was warm (reasonably), and people burst forth from their hibernation and started all manner of gardening and other activities. Home Depot, Rona and other such stores had full parking lots. Ottawa was hungry for spring. The streets of Ottawa’s inner city also erupted into double the number of street friends we were serving daily. The number of people we a