Director's Gleanings of 2008 at Oasis

As we contemplate the mission of the church and the ministry of an organization such as Oasis, we examine the meaning of integral mission.  We realize that we are called to meet all the individuals’ needs: emotional, physical and spiritual.  Of course we begin by meeting their most pressing needs.  As we feed the hungry, find an immigration lawyer, give referrals for housing or furniture and deal with a myriad of other issues, we realize that the poor will always be with us just as Jesus said.  But, nevertheless, He has called us to serve as best we can and to fight against the injustices that we see all around us.  Oasis serves its community and the GTA doing many of the following:

1. Giving food to 70-110 families on a Wednesday morning
2. Greeting a newcomer who comes to the Oasis doorstep with suitcases in hand having recently arrived from a far off country
3. Serving a pregnant lady who has no health coverage and has another teenage daughter who is not allowed to attend school for lack of proper documentation
4. Teaching some 15 newcomers ESL on Monday mornings as they struggle to understand Canada’s cold climate, strange food, and the governmental system which is so different from what they have experienced in their country
5. Counseling women who have gone through severe trauma or abuse in their native countries and assisting them to deal with the scars left behind
6. Sitting around a table and sharing a bowl of soup with people from Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Guyana, Trinidad, Colombia, Mexico, Nigeria, Argentina, El Salvador, Bolivia, etc.
7. Accompanying a client to a Welfare office to assist as a translator
8. Teaching a class of 15 students a Bank Teller course as these newcomers struggle with the language and the new concepts.
9. Assisting a class of computer students overcome their fear of learning about computers since this skill will undoubtedly help them in the job market
10. Opening the Bible to share a truth with a newcomer who has many questions about spiritual issues
11. Hugging a new Christian whose body is in constant pain, but who still is able to radiate the joy that she has in spite of the pain she feels

We count it a privilege to serve and to see fruit in newcomers’ lives.  Thomas, from Kenya, who volunteered at Oasis, came to be a firm friend of mine during the 10 years that I have known him.  As a mature student, he finished his high school studies, invited me to his graduation and then went on to study Social Work at college.  Upon completion of this course, he studied at university recently receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Social Work.  Now, this ambitious man is hoping to study for his Masters in Social Work.  Thomas has considered Oasis to be his community and says, “Oasis has given me the extended family that I so needed when I arrived to Canada without my wife and three children.  I have felt at home at Oasis with the new friends that I met as I did my volunteer work and as I formed relationships with people from all over the world.”

         At times our hearts ache as we try to meet the needs of so many hurting people, but our reward comes when a young man calls out cheerily upon leaving the Oasis food bank, “Thanks so much for everything you’ve done for me.”

                     “So little we do and so great the need!”

                      You also can be a part of what we are doing by:

• Your prayers
• Your love gifts
• Your encouragement

Thank you for being a part of Oasis!

- Phyllis Ortiz (Founding Director)