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

It’s not often that the good news comes and keeps coming. But recently, Operation Road Home has scored several significant victories in housing unhoused and precariously-housed Veterans. I’d like to share with you the most recent one, which I feel is very poignant, because the individual in question has struggled for several years to overcome many obstacles. He has been very perseverant and a strong self-starter in initiating and pursuing goal-oriented behaviours, which have

Many of OIM’s volunteers and staff can likely attest to the difficulties of ministry to our street friends. Seeing people at their worst, who have been taken advantage of, who struggle with addiction, mental and physical health. While we know that God is ultimately and sovereignly in control, it can be difficult to see His plan amid suffering. Speaking for myself, I deal with my own suffering in certain ways (by trying to give it to God), but it can be difficult to deal with

Last weekend, I was driving along King Edward Avenue with my wife. As we drove, I shared my reflection about how sad it was to see so many people hunched over because of drugs, sleeping in a small alcove or tent, and just seeing groups of street friends huddled near the shelters. It was truly heartbreaking. I shared how incredibly blessed I felt to have a roof over my head, even though I sometimes can be a bit ungrateful for the kind of home I have. My wife chimed in, saying