From the Prairies to the Big City!

By Melat Hailu, Fundraising Coordinator

Melat visiting St. James Town

Leaving Winnipeg was one of the toughest things for my family and I but in August 2016 we took a leap of faith and moved to Toronto.

It was not long after arriving in Toronto that the Lord opened my eyes to a simple truth: in order to serve and help those impacted by poverty, I did not need to travel to another country. He purposely showed me parts of Toronto that would affirm that truth and would help me in concluding that Toronto was exactly where He wanted me to start this part of my journey. Based on this, I began to look at the different opportunities in this line of work.

In the midst of looking for employment that the Lord showed me what real obedience and fully depending on Him looked like. During my time of waiting, I often found great comfort in the verse “wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”- Psalm 27:14

In His time, the Lord opened the doors of Toronto City Mission and I began working here as the Fundraising Coordinator.

Reflecting on my journey with the Lord in the last few months, a major lesson has been: He desires my YES more than anything else. My YES in obedience. My YES in submission. My YES in surrender. My YES in His plans over mine. My YES in discipline. I have learned that by simply saying YES (even when it doesn’t make sense, or I don’t feel like it) what I am actually saying YES to is for His perfect will, joy, and peace to be complete in my life.

Now as I embark on this role in TCM, I hope to continue being fully dependent on Him for guidance to identify and build on my strengths, accept limitations as hedges of protection from God and yield to the different seasons in TCM as God’s avenue of perfect timing.