Every Friday morning at 7am we walk through and around Toronto's Regent Park where we live and work, praying for the neighbourhood, the people who live our the neighbourhood, the people who have lived in our neighbourhood and the people who will live in this neighbourhood.
Regent Park was North America's oldest housing project. Many people from all over the world have lived in or around this area when they first arrived in Canada. Many people lived here as they were unable to work or find work. Many, many children have lived in this area for a long time. The nieghbourhood is changing. The low-income housing is being replaced by market-value housing and - that is an answer to prayer - we will see what happens in the long term.
In the short term there is violence. This is sadly still a violent community. Many times the community members are on the receiving end of violence perpetrated by people coming here from other parts of the city. Not too many weeks go by without us hearing of another friend shot or killed.
Elsaida, a wonderful senior lady who raised her family here, when she is part of our prayer walks, leads us to various corners, lawns, and buildings where young people in our community have been shot and killed. Some go back years and others are so recent that there are still shrines marking the passing of a loved one. We pray for their families. We pray for peace and an end to violence.
Elsaida and others formed a group years ago in Regent Park called, 'the Dreamers'; these dreamers planted a peace garden. Elsaida lost her own son to violence in this community. Every week we stop in the prayer garden and we pray that there will be peace in Regent Park, peace in Canada, and peace in the world. We keep praying because we know that as we learn to forgive, humanity will indeed learn war no more.
Regent Park was North America's oldest housing project. Many people from all over the world have lived in or around this area when they first arrived in Canada. Many people lived here as they were unable to work or find work. Many, many children have lived in this area for a long time. The nieghbourhood is changing. The low-income housing is being replaced by market-value housing and - that is an answer to prayer - we will see what happens in the long term.
In the short term there is violence. This is sadly still a violent community. Many times the community members are on the receiving end of violence perpetrated by people coming here from other parts of the city. Not too many weeks go by without us hearing of another friend shot or killed.
Elsaida, a wonderful senior lady who raised her family here, when she is part of our prayer walks, leads us to various corners, lawns, and buildings where young people in our community have been shot and killed. Some go back years and others are so recent that there are still shrines marking the passing of a loved one. We pray for their families. We pray for peace and an end to violence.
Elsaida and others formed a group years ago in Regent Park called, 'the Dreamers'; these dreamers planted a peace garden. Elsaida lost her own son to violence in this community. Every week we stop in the prayer garden and we pray that there will be peace in Regent Park, peace in Canada, and peace in the world. We keep praying because we know that as we learn to forgive, humanity will indeed learn war no more.
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