We're Going to the Zoo!

Do you remember when you went somewhere new for the first time and didn’t know anyone? You didn’t know where anything was or how things were done. Well that’s what the two Palestinian families CMC is helping to sponsor are experiencing this year, with the added challenge of having to learn a new language and writing system at the same time.

Each family benefits from 12 months of financial support from the 4 sponsoring churches [CMC, Rouge Valley, TUMC & Don Heights Unitarian] after which time they will have to take the first steps making their own way in their newly adopted home country. Of course, they won’t be left to their own devices by the churches, but the financial safety net currently provided by the churches will be replaced by either welfare or, hopefully, income from a job.

In the midst of the challenge of both sets of parents having to learn English and the children starting school, they have gradually started to get used to life in Canada’s largest city, which as you can appreciate, is a far cry from spending roughly four years in a refugee camp on the Iraqi-Syrian border. If you add in to the mix the fact that both fathers have suffered significant health issues in recent months [although both are thankfully doing better now] you can understand what a year of upheaval and change it has been.

That both families are getting used to life in Canada is due in no small part to the selfless efforts of members of the various sponsoring churches, who have devoted many hours in helping to get the adults to appointments with social agencies and Government Departments, and the children to dental and eye appointments, and so on. They have also taught them how to use the TTC and to travel by bus to visit relatives in the K-W area or in Whitby.

I think you get the picture that 2010 has been a year of massive change living far away from everything that is familiar to these two families, and the learning curve for everyone has been very steep. That’s why I can honestly say that it was my very great pleasure to invite both families, on behalf of CMC, to visit the Toronto Zoo on Saturday, September 25^th for an afternoon of simple fun and fellowship. Between the two families there are nine children, ranging in age from two to sixteen, and most of them said that they wanted to see the lions first! Of course, with the lions being pretty much at the far end of the zoo from the entrance, we saw plenty of other animals on the way and it was such a delight to see the children’s faces light up when they saw the various creatures. God has created many varied and wonderful animals, and no matter what your own feeling about zoos, it was so heart-warming seeing these children smiling, hearing them laughing, teaching them the animals’ names in English, having them teach us their Arabic names, enjoying them holding our hands and spending time with their parents. Although the weather was overcast, these children truly bathed us in their sunshine!

These families have been so gracious in accepting our hospitality and have welcomed us into their homes with open arms. They are truly a blessing to us and I am thankful for this small opportunity to get to know them better and look forward to further occasions to welcome them in to our community.

-Tim