Winnipeg Urban Plunge

This past week we partook in an urban plunge into Winnipeg’s inner city, hosted by MBMS International. We started the urban plunge with an “Amazing Race (Journey)” which divvied our site of 27 students into 9 groups of 3. We were sent all over the North End and inner city Winnipeg to gain an understanding and an appreciation of the “brokenness and beauty” of the Winter City we call Winnipeg.

My group, Team High Five, started the day at the Siloam Mission where we were given a brief tour of the mission and where we were each challenged to exchange one piece of our clothing for a piece from the donation room. As a North American, letting go of material possessions is not an easy task, but I felt it was definitely the best way to set the tone for the day. In that moment I realized that God, not me, was to be the focus of the day. This is something I believe I really need to make myself more aware of on a daily bases as a North American who often values his possessions in too high of a regard.

From there we traveled up Main Street and were challenged to step outside our comfort zones when our task was to strike up conversation with the less fortunate that we encountered. We were able to talk and just hear their stories. It’s crazy how fast the cultural/social divide breaks down when you actually take time to get to know someone; a person changes from a face on the street to a story of highs and lows. Even more amazing is how impactful prayer was in that encounter. Offering prayer might not feel like much, but the tears in those ladies eyes demonstrated to me how God’s love for each and everyone one of us is the hope that the world will never be able to squash.

We were introduced into the tough reality of prostitution and addiction in the North End when we went to visit Harvey Rempel at the Bethlehem Aboriginal Fellowship. He really opened our eyes to how prevalent this issue is in the city of Winnipeg, and in so many other cities all around the world. After my eyes were opened to reality of it all, every person I saw standing on a street corner just tugged at my heart. “Please God, not her too” was a reoccurring thought I had as we walked around. Harvey made an excellent point; women do prostitution, but it does not define them. They are someone’s daughter, mother, sister, and more importantly a child of God just like any of us.

We were introduced to a Winnipeg got spot called The Forks, giving us an understanding of its significance to Aboriginal people who first settled on its banks many years ago. Through a free shuttle ride on the Spirit Shuttle, we were able to explore the Provincial Legislature. Here we were able to take in the beauty of this building, but also to pray for the huge responsibility of decision making for our province and country abroad.

From there we went to Portage Place Shopping Centre, where we were challenged to get to know a random stranger in the food court. My group was a little scared at the thought of just walking up to any random person so we sat down and prayed for confidence and to be shown the person we should go talk to. It’s pretty crazy how fast God works some days; not a minute after we finished praying, a couple of guys in a table right next to us started up a conversation with us.

Heading towards the University of Winnipeg Campus, we spoke with a man named Travis who introduced us to the Spence Neighbourhood and a boarding house. He told us a bit about his life and the house church he’s started within these boarding houses. It’s a church made up of tenants of all different backgrounds, addictions, and individual challenges. Travis, as well as Harvey, is an excellent example of Christian men and women being willing to take a risk to reach the seemingly unreachable. They defiantly challenged me not to look at ministry as a 9-5 day job, but to see it as a calling, as a way of life.

This urban plunge opened my eyes and the eyes of the members of my site in so many ways. Time and time again, God demonstrated his love for all of his creation, be it in the sites we saw or in the rich or poor that we encountered throughout our day. The day was all about the journey, not the destination.

By: Stephen Foord









Ben, Deanna, Sarah, Carla, and Jen hanging out with Steve, the building manager at the Vineyard.