God is good Eh?

Hello!

I am back from Toronto. And I have a few minutes (not in philosophy by the way) to update you on this interesting trip.

We drove all Friday afternoon and got there around 8ish. We went to this amazing Jamaican restaurant! It was the bomb!!!!!!!!! Then we went on this prayer tour through the city. We saw the good, the bad, the ugly. No lies right here. It was insane. We drove down the worst street in all of Toronto. It was terrible. We saw the corner where high sex trafficking takes place and we saw the corner where low trafficking occurs. Basically a lot of terrible things take place on this road. We saw Regent Park where a lot of affordable housing is. We saw the "fifth avenue" of Toronto.

It's terribly sad

It's like this. We all agreed that whatever way you look at it rich people and poor people have addictions that are heart breaking. The poor may have addictions to porn or drugs, but rich people have this addiction to material goods and wealth that gives them a five minute high.

We prayed for Toronto. Oddly, my heart was brought back to Grand Rapids. It's wierd considering we were there for these Canadians that are desperately in need of the Grace of the Father. Yet, my heart broke for our city.

Saturday we literally woke up at the crack of dawn. We ate, did devotions. Then we went to "The Good Shepherd." It's the equalivalent of Guiding Light Mission. It's a men's shelter and all of them are homeless. It's heartbreaking. I met a beautiful woman named Annette there.

Then we went and made beds. Next we ate some good Greek food. After we went to St. Lawrence Market. Objective: love on some people. Delaney and I found young woman who was sitting by herself waiting for her mom so we went and talked to her. She had to leave so we walked and came across a man on the sidewalk. He had a guitar and suitcase in tow. It naturally fell over, so we ran and picked it up.

This then spurned an hour of him talking to us and explaining that "Canadians LOVE Americans to death! We do. We really do. But we hate your government." And so we listened to him tell us this ten different ways. It was quite humorous.

Then we did a street walk. I don't even know what to say about this. I can't hardly fathom a 13 year old running away and going to a big city such as Toronto. It's incredible. So, if any of you want to run away...please don't. Trust me. Not a good situation.

It's sad. I do not even know how to say it.

Four years ago, when my family and I went to visit it for vacation I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now. It has it's charming aspects, but it's mostly just incredibley sad. The streets are lined with sex shops, porn shops, strip clubs, massage rooms, liquor stores, and other things that I don't want to know. It's unbelievable.

Then Sunday we cleaned and made beds at the shelter. We then headed to a Filippon Church. That was quite the adventure. I missed a lot of the sermon, because I definitely fell asleep. Missions= very little sleep. I'm beginning to learn this firsthand. Then ate some some interesting food.

Then HOMEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

I so want God to break my heart more and more for this city. There is so much pain and sin and evil. I want to bring LIFE and see the Lord move drastically!!!

I know this will take a lot of persistent prayer. I'm willing.

Anyways, that was my trip.