Vancouver Urban Plunge

The Vancouver Urban Plunge has come and gone, and because of the experiences our hearts have been affected in ways many of us have never dreamed possible. Outtatown partnered up with YWAM Vancouver, and they led us through a week that was meant to put us out of our comfort zone. From wandering the streets getting to know the area, to trying out new ethnic foods, to the Rose Prayer Walk, we began to grasp the lives if the Vancouver population. We visited three different temples including a Buddhist temple, A Sikh temple and a Muslim Mosque. All of these places had there own you unique flair and we learned a lot from each one.

One of the most profound days was “impact Vancouver day” in small groups we had to be creative and design a way to impact the city. My group created a “wanna chat?” circle. We took out some chairs onto East Hastings and were there only for one purpose, to listen. It was amazing how many people actually sat down and poured out their stories. We listened to stories of tragedy as well as celebrated the stories of triumphs with the people sharing. We did not realize how many people are just looking for an ear to listen to them.

Overall, the Vancouver urban plunge was extremely successful opening our eyes to issues that dominate the city, and need more people to focus on. Through all the brokenness we first saw in the downtown eastside, beauty was prevalent and by the end of the week, it shone bright with hope.

Regan