ruminations on the past week

Last weekend I went on UMA, AKA CBC's mandatory weekend on East Hastings (stands for Urban Mission Adventure). It drastically impacted my life.

60-70% AIDS rate, as high as Botswana, a country in the middle of Africa.
90% Hap C rate.
40% First Nations.
40-50% Foster kids.
100% of the girls, and 50-70% of the guys sexually abused before winding up on Hastings.
50% with diagnosable mental illness, but probably close to 100% dealing with some sort of mental instability.

It hurts. I want to help fix it - I want to do something. Because despite the evil of addiction and the broken people, it is still one of the friendliest communities in the Lower Mainland. Far friendlier than Abbotsford, that's for sure. Where else can you walk up to nearly anyone on the street and say 'hey, do you want to tell me your story?' and have someone actually respond with anything other than an incredulous stare?

I realized that that is where I am supposed to be. For the 2009/2010 year, I plan on living on East Hastings and working with an organization that will take me. Right now, I'm hoping for The Salvation Army, and to work with their War College / 614 community, but we'll see. All I know is that my near future is tied with those who are least, last, and horribly lost in their addictions. I want to be a light, and to be an outlet for them to share their stories in words and pictures.

Is it bizarre that I feel more comfortable walking around the streets of East Hastings and the surrounding area, than I do the streets of Abbotsford?

The rest of this week has been interesting and challenging, both personally and academically. Academically, I had my OT midterm, which was 13 stages of torture. Hopefully I did all right.

Personally, I've just a got a lot going on. I hope I'm on the right track, but time will tell. But hey, you never get anywhere by sitting around asking what ifs. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. At this point, I'm not too worried about making a fool of myself. I don't know if that's good or bad. We'll see.

I also went out to see Isaac, my brother who had surgery on Wednesday. He's doing a lot better, and already hobbling around on his crutches a little. It'll be six months before he is 'better', and he may never have full use of his ankle again, but he will get to the point where it's not holding him back any more, which is awesome. Thursday night I went to see U2 3D again, which was again absolutely fantastic - even better when watching it with friends and family.

So now I'm back in Abby, avoiding homework like the plague, and wondering what to eat for supper. And listening to the newest Bored Again Christian podcast. Fantastic.

This life is crazy, an amazing adventure. I'm looking forward to the future, learning from the past, and enjoying the present - well, trying to enjoy the present. It's not always easy... it actually takes work. But understanding that is the first step to enjoyment I think...