The Right People - With the Right Heart

“I was a wreck when I arrived in Canada,” says Norma. “I’d go from one community centre to the next looking for help. Again and again, the staff would tell me ‘Everything is going to be okay!’ but I would always leave in tears.”

Norma was fortunate enough to have a relationship with a therapist back home in Mexico. Through a series of phone calls, she found the support she needed. “When you first arrive, you feel disconnected – from yourself, from the whole world. Having someone who listens to you in your own language helps you to reconnect and rebuild.”

When Jesus began his ministry, he knew he could not do it alone. He needed to find the right people – with the right kind of heart – to join his team. So he set out to call disciples from all walks of life – fishermen, revolutionaries, even a tax collector – mirroring the diversity of the people he came to love and to serve.

So it is with the multicultural ministry of the Mennonite New Life Centre. We also need the right people with the right heart in order to love and serve newcomers. In addition to a caring and dedicated staff, we have a very special team of volunteer counselors. Marta is a psychologist from Guatemala. Luz worked in Mexico as a school counselor. Leticia is a clinical therapist from Cuba. Norma was inspired by her own experience as a refugee to use her training in psychology to accompany others through the identity crises and integration challenges that come with life in a new country.

“From my experience as an immigrant,” states Norma, “I understand the hardships newcomers have. From my experience as a psychologist, I offer a listening ear as well as guidance for working through emotional struggles.” She and her colleagues now listen to other newcomers, helping them to reconnect. Supported by a clinical supervisor, Norma, Marta, Luz and Leticia walk with others along the
journey to wholeness. They extend a lifeline to newcomers overwhelmed by despair. They provide support to newcomer women fleeing abusive relationships. They offer the miracle of understanding to other internationally trained professionals striving to
gain a foothold in a new professional context.

Norma, Marta, Luz, and Leticia - Women of courage - Women of heart. The right people with the right kind of heart.