Give Us All A Break

Honest update. Please...DO NOT SHARE.

I know that some of you who used to see me in-person regularly before the holidays have reached out and thought, "It's been a while, I wonder how Kuya's really doing and how come I haven't seen him around as often as we used to?" Let me explain.

At work (which is also where we live), we experience multiple COVID breakouts and sometimes come into close contact with our neighbours, students and those who need more help than others...

DISCLAIMER: Physical distancing, use of PPEs, sanitization of highly touched areas, health questions and temperature screening, constant reminders are practiced!

(stationary and mobile sanitization stations at our TCH building)

...but sometimes it is out of our control especially with the most recent variant called Omicron. Our most recent incident occurred right before the Christmas and New Year's holidays!

Toronto Public Health (TPH) shut us down before Christmas break and we went into lockdown personally and professionally. Since I always have the most exposure, my wife and I tried self-isolation for several days between us but that was difficult, The photo below was my work and play station adjacent to our guest bedroom. It was a mentally and emotionally draining vacation which impacted our physical state. I even had to deal with several police incidents in our neighbourhood which still spilled onto our vacation. Honestly, it was a slow process for us to open back up even after several government announcements. If you know me, Chantelle is aware that I am like a dog that needs to go out for walks LOL.

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It wasn't too long ago, maybe mid-late January, when we actually got the go ahead from TPH to do some programming in person and even be with our own families. However, we are still taking baby steps to be respectful of how sensitive everybody has been (i.e. providing groceries, meeting with extended families, church gatherings, gym, schools, etc.). As a result, we took the hybrid route and are still doing some virtual After School Program while slowly taking rotational small friend groups in-person. There are no physical church buildings, grocery stores or malls anywhere near us which is something we need a lot of prayer for. So, our biggest obstacle right now is the use of our Toronto Community Housing (TCH) building. Sometimes we get messages that we can and cannot use it, whether it's COVID related or a surprise fix of a long ago request...it's just very frustrating and confusing especially for the families who want to entrust us with their children's holistic development.

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We are slowly and selectively exposing ourselves to different groups while being protective of not just us but others as well like: being practical and efficient while buying groceries, getting some sun, enjoying food again. I am so thankful for my wife, my Camp Hope team, our community StreetLeaders and volunteers, their families and to all of you for being supportive and growing in understanding of the realities that we are all still figuring out. We are resilient and have set an example to many others to continue gathering safely and to keep sharing God's Love with the people He has called us to serve during these pandemic times. All the while, remembering to not be reckless and irresponsible but practicing healthy boundaries and Sabbath, being gracious and giving ourselves a break, being compassionate and having fun.

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Our next big thing is March Break Camp and we are in the planning stages. We are continually adapting to "give a child a break" which in turn fulfills our desire of giving a lot of families a break. We also just got the news that vaccine passports and capacity limits will be removed with masking requirements and (increased) social gatherings to remain in place. Although each establishment can choose to still require of such, it is a bit of relief in our context. [View article here]

Please pray for us and if you feel led to give financially, please click the link and picture below.

>>> GIVE A CHILD A BREAK! <<<