There’s no shortage of things to get us down these days—and with good reason. I feel like I keep coming back to this write-up schtick every week, but here we are. You know the routine: we’re bombarded with headlines that range from unsettling to downright frustrating and discouraging. South of the border, political action surrounding immigrants and tariffs and health care continue to drop jaws on the daily and all that noise has spilled across the border and into our context as we anticipate a federal election with bated breath. Global tensions continue to mount, with wars and conflicts reminding us how seemingly elusive peace has become in our times. The ongoing war in Ukraine, now stretching into its third year, is one of those heart-wrenching reminders. The despair is real and pressing in more every day.

And yet—this week, I saw something that changed the air around me.

On Monday I met with two local volunteers who’ve been quietly, faithfully helping Ukrainian newcomers resettle in our city. Over the past three years, they’ve helped with everything from navigating housing applications and registering kids for school, to figuring out transit routes and practicing English conversation. But more than that, they’ve simply been showing up. They’ve brought coffees mid-week. They’ve helped folks furnish their apartments. They drive them around the city to show them our sights and sounds. They regularly take the time to sit down, listen, and just be present. No reward. No fanfare. Just care.

It was weird but I walked away from that meeting lighter than I’d felt in days. Seriously. Obviously the world hadn’t changed in that hour, but my perspective sure did—at least for a bit. Their involvement and serving hearts reminded me that even in a world that can feel harsh and exhausting, goodness is breaking through. I’ve probably shared this before and it’s almost become a cliché now, but I think of Fred Rogers’ famous words: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” This week, I found them. And it was actually life-giving and despair-dissipating.

I should tell you the reason I met with these volunteers, which, if you’ve been feeling the despair lately, could be some really good news for you. As many of you who are on the Neighbour 2 Neighbour network know, since the fall, we’ve been sending out sporadic requests for help when new families come and are in need of a lift from the airport or household goods or winter clothes, etc. This is all via the Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis organization out of Waterloo who we’ve been working with. You all have stepped up something fierce! The local volunteers reached out to me because their own capacity is limited and they’ve been stretched thin as of late. They’re in need of folks like us who might have an hour or so a month to spare. I figure if we had 4–5 people in our community each willing to give an hour a month, it would be once a week that we could connect with some of these families. That’s really not that bad!

What would it look like? Could be anything from helping them practice English, taking them on a walk through their new neighbourhood, showing where to find groceries, or just bringing them a coffee and checking in with a smile. We’ve already been doing some of this as a community, and so now’s the chance to lean in more intentionally.

As I think about this opportunity, I’m reminded of what we’ve been talking about on Sundays in terms of our faith costing us something – this whole idea of dying to self, etc. Serving others will cost us something – whether it’s our own agendas, our own wants and desires, our own needs. Whatever. It will cost you – trust me. That said, we rarely hear  someone complain about the “cost” in hindsight. This is because the reward inevitably outweighs any cost to self that is incurred. No doubt, this is what Jesus was getting at when he said “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” To lose our life is to find true life in Jesus. Die to self and experience the joy of life in the way of Jesus.

So listen, without guilt tripping or any such nonsense, if you’ve been feeling the weight of the world these days—if your social media or newsfeed has worn you down or you’ve found yourself in a bit of a fog of despair—maybe this is a small action that will help clear the clouds for you. Maybe stepping up in this capacity – even just once a month for now – will prove to be the path that’ll lead to the hopeful disposition you’re longing for these days. Again, no guilt here. I get that many of us are not able to commit to this for a myriad of legitimate reasons. That’s fine. But if the Spirit’s prompting you to help in some capacity here, I’m confident you’ll be glad you did. 

If you are interested in helping out, even just to explore what it might look like, let me know. Let’s be the kind of community that not only looks for the helpers—but becomes them.