The Hidden Work of Grace
Hello Friend,
After a long summer break, children are excited to return to school and reconnect with friends. While the new school year brings excitement, it presents a recurring challenge for families impacted by poverty. Due to financial constraints, many of them do not have access to after-school programs. With their parents working, they risk idling on the streets or coming home to an empty apartment, making them the most vulnerable in the hours after school.
At Toronto City Mission, we provide after-school programs, Kids in Community (KIC) and Youth Extreme (YX), free of charge, so children and youth can spend time in a safe environment where we provide homework assistance and engage them in positive activities, like games, sports, and crafts. We incorporate Bible teaching in our programs so they can learn about God’s love. Through His power, we pray that they can lead a transformed life and find their hope in Jesus.
Sometimes God works as quietly as yeast in bread dough. The changes are almost unnoticeable at first, but the transformation happens quietly and slowly inside a person’s heart.
*Shanon is one of the girls in our after-school program. When we first met her, she frequently disregarded rules and struggled to get along with her peers. She would get into trouble for fighting, swearing, taunting, stealing, and lying. We continued to pray for her. Through building trust and a relationship with her, we guided her and, at times, disciplined her. For a very long time, nothing seemed to help. Just when we had exhausted every approach we knew, we began to see a beautiful change.
During a Bible lesson, we taught the kids about anger and how to express emotions in a healthy and God-honouring way. After that, we noticed a change in *Shanon. When she found herself in arguments that could escalate into physical fights, she chose to be a bigger person and walked away. From a young girl who was once overcome by her anger, we are amazed to see how she can apply what she learned. We praise God for softening her heart! We hope to see her lead a transformed life and build loving relationships with her peers.
*Name changed to protect privacy
We are grateful for any gift amount, big or small, but for $35 a month, you can help one child attend our KIC program for an entire year. Alternatively, you can help send on teen to our YX program with a monthly gift of $50.
Your generous contributions will enable us to continue to provide free after-school programs and a safe environment for the kids beyond school hours. Our prayer is that through the after-school programs, kids like *Shanon can find their hope in Jesus Christ and lead a transformed life that blesses those around them.
In His Service,
Elliott Shin
Executive Director