A typical weekend lived out through Linwood House Ministries…
Last Friday night an excited, tired group of 29 Trinity Western students arrived at Linwood House. They found their rooms amid the excitement of staring, awing and waiting for us to tell them where they could go and not go. ”Oh, make yourself at home. This is your home for the weekend.” It didn’t take them long to curl up on a chesterfield, get a latte and a snack and breathe. BREATHE was the theme of the weekend.
While the gang at Linwood enjoyed sacred space, Gwen hopped on a ferry and went to the Great Room in the Downtown Eastside to join Jen and Sue and our new friends Dr. Jennifer Mervyn and Heather, and another team of Trinity students for a day of Phototherapy. It was an amazing day. Six of our friends who live in the area became photographers for the day. The theme was Beauty. Together we explored what true beauty is and how it is different for everyone. They talked about beauty that is seen from the heart. The excitement grew as the women learned how to use the digital cameras, how to work with release forms if they took pictures of people on the streets, met their assistants, etc. Then off they went to capture pictures. When they returned, excited and amazed at what they saw, photographs were rushed to London Drugs for immediate development. The staff was wonderful, gave us a great discount and praised the quality of the work. While the pictures were developed, the women enjoyed an amazing lunch prepared by Kathy Curtis and her team from West Van Baptist. I wish you could have been there to see the women as they viewed their photographs of beauty. Each woman picked her three favourite photos and signed release forms to allow us to use their art to make a calendar as a fund raiser for Linwood. They took home the beautiful photographs and all of them said that they couldn’t wait to do it again. In the minds and hearts of the team, we could begin to dream about possibilities for the future-a photography business, art exhibitions, partnerships, continued phototherapy.
Gwen left and returned to Linwood House, where she joined with Melinda and Lindsey (two students who had accompanied Jen and Sue on the last trip to Thailand) and shared the power of story and the life changing experience of going on a mission to Thailand. Gwen shared the importance of Breath, breathing in and breathing out-taking in and giving out. All of the students joined her in committing to love Jesus style one person.
Whew….I’m out of breath as I write this but full of thanksgiving that the ministry continues to create sacred space and God continues to surprise us with His creative Spirit, that works powerfully to bring healing and wholeness to others.
~ Gwen McVicker
