It was four years ago when I first volunteered at my church’s summer camp, and I didn’t enjoy it. I came back the next summer, and I still didn’t like it. The year after that, I worked at a non-Christian summer camp, and I left thinking that I never wanted to work with children ever again. Yet, in the following spring, I had once again applied to work at another summer camp.
Read MoreThis summer is my first time serving as an intern at Toronto City Mission’s Sonshine Day Camp, and already, it has been a journey of growth, challenges, and joy. Being placed at the Jesse Ketchum site, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but God has been teaching me so much through the campers, the team, and even the difficult moments.
Read MoreAt the start of the year, I set a goal to keep praying and asking God to show me the path He wanted me to take. I thought I would be doing something bold, like serving as a missionary in another country for a year. I had the desire, the experience, and what I thought was the right timing. But as the months went by, I began to sense God leading me toward starting my mission work right where I was, in my own community. To be honest, I felt confused, even frustrated. It felt like my prayers had gone unanswered, or at least misunderstood. But in obedience, I followed where God was leading and stepped into a role with TCM.
Read MoreThis summer is now my third internship with TCM! I worked two summers at Orton Park, and this summer I made the transition into an office intern. It has been an interesting experience, full of learning and seeing more into how God has been working through TCM.
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I returned because I truly felt led to. I knew in my heart that my job at TCM wasn’t done yet. There’s something about this place, something God placed on my heart that kept pulling me back. I’ve come to realize that the mission and vision He’s given me is deeply personal. I’m called to be that person I wish I had when I was growing up, someone steady, someone present, someone who speaks truth and hope into young lives. I want to be there for the kids, showing them love, encouraging them, and leaving them with nuggets of wisdom they can carry into their future.
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Running a summer camp can be a very thankless job, as there are many challenges that come with leading a large group of young campers. Not only are the days long and hot, but the kids can be rowdy, and there are times when you struggle to work with your team.
Read MoreAs I progress through my fourth summer with Toronto City Mission at the Sonshine Day Camp, I can’t help but feel blessed to be able to learn and grow with the team at the Jesse Ketchum site once again. Throughout my years of service at Jesse Ketchum, God has continually taught and reminded me of His presence and grace, and this summer is no exception.
Read MoreI have many fond memories of my first summer internship two years ago, but it started off with a lot of anxiety. This included stepping outside of my comfort zone with a new job, being the youngest intern, setting high expectations for myself, and feeling unqualified. The Lord encouraged me in those moments through my personal Bible readings in the book of Exodus.
Read MoreBefore coming to Canada to work for a year with TCM, I didn’t have many expectations. I simply told myself, “Let’s see what’s going to happen.” Still, there was one hope I held onto: I didn’t want to just be a visitor. I wanted to leave a real, visible impact on the lives of people I would meet in Canada. : In my mind, that meant doing something practical–something people could clearly see.
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My year with TCM has been a transformative journey. Through working with children, God reveals His supreme authority and teaches me what it means to follow Jesus daily.
Read MoreWe can feel grief when something grand has changed in our lives such as: losing a job, a change in social setting, moving, or ending a chapter in your life that you didn’t want to end. All of these things can trigger us to start grieving, without us noticing. The reason it's important for us to know this is because when we see ourselves going through this process of emotions it's important that we bring God into our lives and ask him how we should handle these big emotions.
Read MoreRecently, I’ve been reflecting on what it truly means to serve others. As a Christian, I know we are called to love God and others through acts of service, so I try to serve where I can. However, I’ve realized something important: my sense of reward often depended on the reactions of those I served…
Read MoreAs someone who is naturally fearful, the impact of fear continues to affect me today and sometimes it seems like an endless battle to overcome. When we are anxious or worried about something it is usually tied to the fear of what may happen or the fear of the unknown…The type of fear we want to overcome are the ones that overwhelm your life and paralyze you from doing the will of God. In the bible “do not fear” is mentioned multiple times throughout the bible. Yet how do we practically overcome our fears?
Read MoreMy journey to Toronto City Mission (TCM) started when I joined Liebenzell Mission, a mission organization in Germany, that connects volunteers with service opportunities abroad. The idea of working in a Christian organization that serves children and families affected by poverty in Toronto inspired me deeply. I wanted to be part of something meaningful while growing in my faith and character. When I first arrived, I was both excited and nervous about what lay ahead. It was my first time being so far away from my family, which felt daunting, but I knew this was a unique opportunity to trust God and His plan for me.
Read MoreI flew to Canada with a goal to grow in faith, develop my character, and make a difference. I didn’t have many expectations but was still excited for the journey. I did wonder, though: would this experience live up to the dreams I had when I was younger? Would I feel needed?
Read MoreAs programs began the following week, the feeling of determination I had developed over the summer had returned. While the word, determination, might sound promising or even praise-worthy, don’t be fooled. This determination was fuelled by doing a good job and meeting criteria in order to be able to sleep well at night. In other words, I began to rely on my own strength to attempt to power through and even cope with the challenge of increased leadership. It wasn’t until a couple of incidents that I finally understood what this more important word, Strength, had meant both in terms of ministry and my life as a whole.
Read MoreAs I think about the life of Jesus, my mind thinks of how great it probably was to be sinless and perfect. I think of how he probably never had to worry and could handle any challenging situation. Then I really think about the life of Jesus and realize that although He was perfect and sinless, it doesn’t mean that there were not challenging situations around him. One lesson we talked about in our curriculum this past semester is the stress that Mary and Joseph had to endure while preparing to have Jesus and even the years following.
Read MoreIn my first complete year as an Outreach Worker in the community of Jesse Ketchum, I have felt both broken heartedness, and the joy of having my heart be healed by God's grace and love. I want to share with you a story of how my heart broke for what breaks God's heart, and how my heart was also healed.
Read MoreAs I prayed, God revealed that one of my strongholds was “control.” In this sense, a stronghold is a place we create to protect ourselves from attack. However, I realized that the more I wanted to control my life, the more my anxiousness got worse—it didn’t serve as an actual, ultimate stronghold.
Read MoreFor the longest time, I’ve struggled with expressing my emotions to God. I somehow convinced myself that when I come before Him, I should have nothing to complain about—that my prayers must always be filled with joy and thankfulness. As a result, especially during times of sadness, I became good at invalidating my emotions. Instead of bringing my feelings to God, I would try to handle everything on my own.
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