Grace House: Agape’s presence in Surrey
brings hope and God’s love to many
by Austin Peterson
It is hard to put into words what transpires on the streets. Indeed
we all know from images in the media what the face of drug use, prostitution
and homelessness are like, and these images are often etched into
minds. But rarely do we get a true glimpse of the real people, God’s
children, behind the images.
Agape Street Ministry has been active in Surrey with street teams
for over three years. In that time volunteers have responded to God’s
call to “tell the women who work as prostitutes that I love
them”, this was the calling placed in Pat & Vicki Conroy’s
hearts to go out and minister to the “working women” in
Downtown Eastside close to ten years ago. Unfortunately, the problems
of drug addiction are not just limited to the big city. Although the
issues faced in Surrey are the same as those in Vancouver, the Surrey
teams face different challenges in reaching the women as they are
located in pockets over a large geographical area. On the Downtown
Eastside, the women are predominantly in one smaller area of the city
where over the years support services and shelter housing have become
available.
In Surrey, these services are not as readily available and the services
present are swamped by the demand from the growing problem of drug
addiction, prostitution and homelessness. However God is good and
through His providence a number of churches in the area are providing
as best they can to meet the needs of those on the street through
hot meal programs, warm clothing and shelter during extreme weather
conditions. On the streets in Surrey, we do not encounter the same
number of women as Downtown but we carry forth the same message of
God’s love for them.
Teams in Surrey are comprised of a man and a woman, where as downtown
teams often go out in larger groups as they encounter much larger
numbers of women in that area allowing opportunity for more women
to be ministered to. In Surrey, the locations of the women are quite
varied and we generally encounter women on their own or in groups
of two or three. We do not wish to overwhelm the women with numbers
but reach out to them on a one to one basis.
The response to our presence is well received. As we have been able
to increase the number of nights that teams are out on the streets,
the women have come to know and trust us. We are commonly known as
the “candy people” on the street in red jackets bearing
the Agape Street Ministry logo. They look forward to meeting the teams
to talk briefly, pray if desired and receive a candy bag with a scripture
card and picture. We often hear how the girls collect the cards, adorn
their rooms with them, and express their appreciation for our presence
on the street.
Trapped in a world of drug addiction, abuse, and lost hope, our role
is to bring the message of God’s love to them through our prayers
and presence on the street. We assure them of God’s love for
them and that His love is the answer. We tell them that He has a beautiful
plan for their lives and that through His love all the challenges
they face can be overcome. The women we meet come from different backgrounds
and experiences. None want to be there and most want to overcome the
addictions and get clean and off the streets. The road back is very
difficult but we assure them that with God all things are possible.
Many of the women have a real faith and belief in God, and we are
thankful for God’s presence in all of them. Mother Theresa of
Calcutta performed the work of her ministry knowing that indeed the
deserted destitute people of her society were children of God to be
cared for, treated with dignity and love. In the same way, Agape Street
Ministry reaches out to the broken and hurting women working in the
streets of our communities.
