2-way Traffic

A lot of our group went into the Winnipeg Urban Plunge thinking about what we could teach to all the people of Winnipeg's inner city, not realizing how much they would teach us. I remember seeing a sign on our way into Winnipeg that read: “Remember: 2-way traffic.” How fitting for the next 3 days.

It started with the scavenger hunt around the North End of Winnipeg. Split into groups of three, we were given our clues with destinations of ministries to stop at, where someone would be waiting to talk to us about another aspect of inner city life. We were dropped off at our different ministry starting points, and we started walking.

It's not enough to just hear about things that are going on in the North End, you have to actually see it. And boy, did we ever! Experiencing everything from people asking us for change, to the business people who won't look anyone in the eye; from prostitutes who don't really look the part, to gangs boldly showing of their names on buildings.

But after that heavy first day of seeing people with addictions and supposedly simple-solution problems, we realized our own issues in the form of prejudice against them and misunderstanding. People get trapped in the circle of poverty, and often they don't end up on the street because they choose to. We judge them and assume it's their fault and they've done something to get themselves there, yet circumstances make it almost impossible for them to avoid ending up there.

The next two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, consisted of going to different small ministries or organizations, some of which we had visited on Monday. Both days were different for everyone. We were separated into five groups of six people, and some served at places like Siloam Mission, while others did behind-the-scenes work such as painting tables or murals at the Vineyard Church, and so on. And just to experience the cultures there a little more, we went into four groups to different ethnic restaurants. That turned out to be quite an experience for those of us who had never had Ethiopian, Mexican, Vietnamese or Indian Cuisine.

We had a full three days and learned a lot about the realities of poverty, homelessness, and the North End of Winnipeg. To quote Jesus' words: “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3)

By Kaycie Kehler