A Story of Welcome and Love
A STORY OF WELCOME AND LOVE: FROM THE CENTRE OF PEACE AND RECONCILIATION IN PRINCE GEORGE.
On November 26, 2022, a welcome potluck was held in the hall of St. Michael and All Angel’s church, Prince George. It was hosted by the Centre of Peace and Reconciliation.
Originally, the meal was intended for Prince George’s newly arrived Ukrainians (178 to date, with another 80 on their way.) However, the Board of Directors decided they did not want to overlook the Syrian refugee families who came to live among us over the past five years. Then suddenly, another catastrophic world event erupted, when the Iranian Islamic Government began a war against its own people, especially women. This war has greatly upset the International Iranian students and faculty studying at the University of Northern British Columbia. So, it was decided that the Iranians in town would also be included.
Over eighty people attended the event, bringing with them their traditional dishes. The board member who emceed the event was Dr. Nasim Ghavidel, and she urged the attendees to have the courage to cross ‘International borders’ and to talk to people of differing nationalities and faiths.
A small miracle occurred, the adults ate well from the abundance of food brought and there was a great deal of intermingling, lively, loud conversations and laughter, followed by the swapping of Facebook and WhatsApp information.
Meanwhile, the children decided to get sugared up at the dessert table and for the most part skipped anything nutritious!
and then with great enthusiasm, they dove into the toys and games set up in the specially designated children’s games area, adeptly managed by twin girls from Syria, Wiyam and Hiyam, who did an amazing job of keeping everyone engaged and entertained. Jenga was a total hit!
At the end, an energetic team of volunteers cleaned the hall, and washed and stacked away all the dishes. The environment was protected using plates and cutlery from St. Michael’s; we did however vow that next time, we would not use any plastic bottles of water.
For close to three hours, a multiplicity of Nations met to share food in an atmosphere of inclusivity, peace, and joy, (a temporary respite from deeply traumatic memories). As people departed, their beaming faces spoke loudly of hope and community, more than any words could have. On this very special occasion, Love was in the air, because God was among us. Love is in the air