Linwood House Ministries

Our Radical Hostesses on TV!

Cheryl Weber of 100 Huntley Street speaks with Gwen McVicker who is raising up women from the Downside Eastside of Vancouver to show the beauty of the city to the world.

Stations of the Cost

In conjunction with the Olympics our friend John Santic has created a photography and poetry installation called Stations of the Cost, which he has generously allowed us to host at the Great Room.

This is a photo/poetry project that echos the christian liturgy “Stations of the Cross”, which has traditionally drawn believers into reflection and identification with the sufferings and last hours of Jesus.  The “Stations of the Cost” are fourteen images with poetic reflections that is designed to draw people into reflection on the issues related to the games and help them identify with the extreme cost to the “least of these” among us.  I know that Jesus was always concerned for the poor and he was critical of the establishment that perpetuated their suffering.  The poetry in this project was informed by the prophetic voice of Jesus, the voices of the marginalized, and a tone of lament, while the images were designed to create a vivid picture and context.  I thought that with Lent and the Olympics overlapping, this would be a good way to inform our worship as we prepare for Easter.

Today John had a chance to visit the Great Room for the first time, and see his work on display.

"When I walked into the great room, the first thing that struck me was a profound spirit of love and dignity that pervades the place. There is a transformation happening there and it travels deeper than charity to a place of hospitality that welcomes the stranger as a vital contributor to the community. It's places like this that bring the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven."

As so often happens when entering the Great Room, John was greeted by Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth's story is amazing. Elizabeth means "God's promise" in hebrew, and as our conversation flowed it was fitting how her name is true to the transformation that she is living. God promises to make all things new and the great room gave me a glimpse into how this is happening in the most forgotten place. in the middle of a city celebrating sport, there are eternal medals being forged with a substance more precious than gold... new life."

Be sure to take some time to meditate on the Stations of the Cost.

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Prayer For Week 2

It's a beautiful sunny morning here in Vancouver, and we are beginning the final week of the Olympics. I know that there are many who are reading this blog, following all that is happening in the Great Room, and sending love, encouragement and prayers to us. We could not be doing any of this without that support, and we are very grateful. So heading into this final week I'd like to ask you for specific prayer for our team: our radical hostesses, volunteers and leaders.

Pray for physical and emotional health for each one.

Pray for renewed energy and strength as we maintain the Great Room, host visitors and welcome new friends.

Pray for an unending supply of love and compassion as we meet and journey with women from the downtown Eastside.

Pray that many more women will find the Great Room this week, and have the courage to come inside. Pray that the Great Room will continue to be filled with a spirit of peace, grace, rest and the sacred.

Pray for the coffee house that we will be hosting with White Rock Community Church on Tuesday evening at the Great Room, that the space will be filled with people coming in for warmth and friendship, and that the music shared will be food for the soul.

Pray for each of our radical hostesses, that this experience will continue to be one of healing and transformation on their own journeys.

Pray that God will fill us with His creativity and inspiration, and that He will surprise us with experiences and opportunities to connect that we could not have planned.

Thank you again for your support, love and prayers.

An Evening Thought

Tonight I sat in the great room watching Canada lose the hockey game but loving the experience of sitting with all my ladies and just hanging out. As I was sitting there a friend came in who drops in every now and then. She lit a candle, got a tea and joined us. As she lit her candle, which I think she does most times when she comes in, I was struck by an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, it was decided that I would stumble across this beautiful and amazing place called the Great Room and that I would be welcomed with open arms to become apart of a place that offers so much to our friends in the DTES, but in such a simple way. It was in that moment that I remembered the simple beauty that was surrounding me and how special I felt that I have been able to find a place where I can observe God working with such a grace and gentleness. I think of the Great Room like a bridge that connects so many seemingly different people by recognizing our inherent similarities, and the joy we can have by loving one another no matter our address or postal code. I am so so grateful to have stumbled across such a beautiful diamond in the rough and so grateful for those who work tirelessly to see it open and available to our friends.

Thank you.

~ Jacynta Pittaway

Giving a Part of Ourselves

It has been a busy and inspiring couple of days at the Great Room. There is so much to share with you!

Our hostesses continue to amaze us all with their endless supply of love, their servant hearts, and their courage and strength to push through some of their own challenges in order to be part of something bigger. For many months we have talked with anticipation about how God would surprise us in these days. In the last two days, we were truly surprised as we were gifted with tickets for two Olympic events this weekend! So yesterday Gwen and Ron took five hostesses to one of the curling matches and there was a lot of excitement in the air as the group headed off for their own Olympic experience. Tonight, five more hostesses will enjoy a Victory Ceremony (where hopefully Canada may be presented with another medal!).

As we are at the official halfway mark, I asked a few of the hostesses this question: What is one thing you've learned about yourself, or one thing you've learned through your role as a radical hostess? Here are some of their responses:

"I love meeting people, and being a blessing to someone else. When I tell my story, I'm giving a part of who I am." - Elizabeth

"People are enjoying learning about our community. But I too feel very welcome here at the Great Room, and have enjoyed being a part of this." - Aida

"I used to fly off the handle and let things bother me, but I am learning to have more patience." - Tracey

"When I tell my story, I am giving a part of who I am". These past few days in the Great Room have been rich with story telling. On Thursday seven students from Heritage Mountain Secondary School in Port Moody came to the Great Room to learn about our ministry and all that we do in the downtown Eastside. Throughout the afternoon they listened as some of our radical hostesses shared parts of their stories, and you could see that these young women knew they were receiving a wonderful gift. Afterward they headed out to the streets with some of our hostesses to have their own personal tour of their community.

On Thursday night the Great Room was transformed into a prayer labyrinth as another team from YWAM came to pray into the issue of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in our city. It was a sacred time, and so beautiful to see and hear the prayers of so many going up for freedom and justice for men, women and children here and around the world. As I sat at one of the prayer stations and prayed for the many men and women who advertise their bodies in local newspapers and websites in Vancouver, I was reminded again of how every single person has a story, hopes and dreams and a purpose that extends far beyond their current reality. May it be so, for every person living in slavery in Vancouver, in Canada and in every nation.

Friday afternoon I was gifted with a glimpse into the story of a new friend I'll call Cynthia. She had never been in the Great Room before, but easily settled in with something warm to drink and a safe, quiet corner to share. She looked at me and told me how much she is struggling with her addiction. "It's like a great big monster", she said, "it's foaming at the mouth, and all I want to do is take a big sledge hammer and kill it." And then she said this. "My soul is tired. It's so, so tired." My heart broke a little in that moment, but I was reminded of what a great privilege it is to be part of providing soul rest to friends who are broken and hurting. And I was also reminded of how much we are all in need of soul rest. Thank you Cynthia for reminding me of that today.

All is Well

I'm sitting in the Great Room tonight, under a wall of photos of "our" Olympic gold medalists, our radical hostesses. We have spent many years hanging out in the downtown Eastside and if there is anyone who deserves a gold medal it is these amazing women. Courageous, brave, resilient and determined beyond anything I have ever seen. To deal day in and day out with exploitation, addiction, poverty, mental illness and still find even a spark of something that allows you to hope for what could be... believe that little whisper in your spirit that tries to remind you of your dreams... dig deeply to uncover the purpose that is uniquely yours and only yours.

These friends are truly victorious, every single day.

Since the Olympics began we have all looked on with pride and excitement as our radical hostesses have risen to the opportunity to serve, love and share themselves and their community with others. They are clearly blessing those they meet. But more than that, it has been heartwarming to see how they have been learning about themselves, uncovering what is possible within, seeing what they can accomplish, and deepening relationships with each other as they work together as a circle of women.

We have had another full couple of days here as guests, visitors, ministry teams and women of the community have come to our space. Each of our hostesses is immediately attuned to new friends in the space and they quickly approach to introduce themselves, welcome them, offer a cup of coffee and make them comfortable. Today, several groups of people enjoyed very extensive tours of the downtown Eastside by our hostesses and all returned with a better understanding and appreciation for this community.

Tonight, as we are winding down from another busy day, there is a wonderful sense of family settling in here. The lights are low, candles are flickering, tea is brewing, treats are being enjoyed, conversation is easy and rich, there are even a few gathered around a tv in the corner enjoying some Olympic events together.

It feels like home. All is well.

Are These Chains On My Soul?

In our training and preparation of our radical hostesses over the past several months we have talked about anticipating and expecting that God would surprise us in ways we couldn't expect. Yesterday was one of those days, a day full of surprises.

Yesterday afternoon Rachel Starr Thomsom and Carolyn Currey of Soli Deo Gloria Ballet--a poet and a ballet dancer--came to the Great Room to share their gifts with us, and it was absolutely beautiful. Combining music, spoken word and dance, they shared an amazing message about the journey of life, full of joys and sorrows, despair and hope, and ultimately healing and freedom.

During the performance, the poet asked, "Are these chains on my soul? I cannot crack this death. I cannot find the way."

The dancer twirled and leapt as these words and music filled the Great Room in response, "My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God my Saviour has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy reigns, unending love, amazing grace".

It was a beautiful moment for all who were there. One of the hostesses shared that she had never seen ballet before, and was so moved to experience it for the first time.

Later in the day, we were surprised again as Peter Struk and John-Joseph Honasan arrived at the Great Room with dinner for everyone and the gift of music to be shared. We quickly assembled a team of our hostesses to go into the streets to invite women in. As I type I'm reminded of the story of the banquet prepared, only for no one to come and so the hosts were directed to go into the streets to invite strangers in to the party. We were not disappointed. Within minutes the Great Room was full with about 15 new friends who came to eat, meet new friends, see the Great Room for the first time and enjoy the music. You could see the excitement in the faces of our hostesses, who quickly got to work mingling and serving our new friends. Once again, we were so encouraged to hear the music of JJ who sang for us, but more than that to hear his story. He is from the Philippines and has a heart for the issue of sex trafficking because several of his female relatives have been victims themselves.

Our hostesses continue to be amazing!!! They are working so hard, and seem to have an endless supply of love to give as they serve others. It is such a privilege to be part oft his amazing circle of women.

"Are these chains on my soul?
I cannot crack this death.
I cannot find the way."

Please continue to pray for the hundreds upon hundreds of women in the downtown Eastside who are asking that question this very moment, that they will find the way to peace, freedom and a life renewed in purpose, just as it was always intended.

                      

(Click image for larger version)

Update From The Great Room

It couldn’t have been more fitting to have awoken to beautiful blue skies and sunshine yesterday, the day of the Annual Women’s Memorial March. It felt like a gentle reminder that freedom had come to each of the women we were honoring and remembering, and that freedom was within reach to each of us standing under those beautiful skies.

At twelve noon over one hundred people gathered in the Great Room for a time of reflection and prayer, prior to the march. Pamela Masik, the artist of “The Forgotten” was our honored guest and shared very personally from her heart about her experience in creating the canvasses of 69 of the missing and murdered women. Another guest, a leader with YWAM led us in singing Amazing Grace and then after a prayer we filed out onto the street to join with the march at Main and Hastings. The crowd that had gathered was the biggest I had ever seen for the march, and there was a such a spirit of peace and unity in the air. The sound of the drums beating, the Women’s Warrior Song being sung and the eagles soaring above the crowds (regular visitors to the march now!) were some of the amazing sights and sounds.

After the march the Great Room was full again as a crowd gathered to mingle over Valentine cookies and tea, and enjoy the music of two amazing singers from Abbotsford. Our hostesses were AMAZING as they made tea, served cookies, welcomed friends to the Great Room and got to know new friends. Many of our hostesses have also been taking visitors out on tours of the downtown Eastside and they have been a huge hit! Yesterday, some friends dropped by to ask when the next tour was “scheduled” and if they could sign up!

Late last night as we drove along Cordova Street, my heart sank a little as I saw three young First Nations girls no older than 14 or 15 years standing on street corners, being forced to sell their bodies because of life circumstances that I couldn’t imagine. It was a very different experience to what many of us had been feeling and experiencing through the day, but it was no less poignant. The cycle continues, the work is not done, and there are thousands upon thousands of women who need justice, freedom and the love of others to journey with them into hope. Please continue to pray with us.

This morning we started the day off with a wonderful time of sharing and prayer with our hostess team. Several have gone out to the streets as I write this to connect with women in the community and to invite them to a special event we have this afteroon.....two ballet dancers are coming to share a “ballet experience” with us at the Great Room. Laughter, busyness and transformation is filling this space and it is good.

Thank you for journeying with us as we journey with others.

Stay tuned!

Women's Memorial March

February 14th 2010 delivered what could only be described as a spectacular and moving day. Not only did the sun shine in all it's usually hidden glory but a city showed up on mass to stand in solidarity with a community who has lost so many of it's women. We began at The Great Room, packed to the brim with many people wanting to be apart. After a few brief words from Gwen McVicker and Pamela Masik, we all sang Amazing Grace together and headed down to main and hastings. The Women's march was one of the biggest I have ever seen, apparently 4000 people showed up. We marched, there was drumming, there was crying and for some I believe there was healing.

The Great Room was truly the land flowing with cookies and coffee as we all came together again to celebrate friendship and togetherness, it was beautiful. More than Gold had two beautiful singers who sang their hearts out for us and ended what had already been a beautiful day with a gentle tenderness that I believe drew many hearts to hope for the DTES.

In the evening we had a few new friends come and hang out, the radical hostesses were exhausted after working so hard all day to make the Tea Party a welcoming experience. So we ended the day with cups of tea, sitting on the couch, admiring figure skating. All in all a good day I'd say!

~ Jacynta Pittaway