Everyone I spoke to on Monday was impacted by the transit strike. Bus riders described long lines to board Skytrain already packed like sardines. Drivers sat in snarled traffic. And those who stayed home could hear a lot more beeps and honks from the confluence of impatient, ill practiced chauffeurs and cyclists. While watching the evening news one particular story caught my attention. CBC reporter Michelle Ghoussoub had found some good Samaritans who stepped up to help those stranded.
Nadejda Netchaeva happened to have a couple days off and used her neighbourhood Facebook group to offer a ride to her local community. “May as well just do something nice for some strangers.” It wasn’t long before she was shuttling someone to a hospital appointment and then helping a parent make it to their child’s Kindergarten interview. “My life’s motto is do good recklessly. We want to help each other out as best we can and build that good sense of community, because I find that’s one thing that’s really missing in Vancouver as a whole.”
I was moved and inspired by Najejda’s initiative and generous spirit. It was reflective of Jesus’s nature too. It made me take stock of my presence and my church’s impact on meeting the felt needs of our city. Are we doing good with a measured, calculated approach or is there a degree to which we recklessly let the Holy Spirit lead us in ways to show kindness? I said a prayer as I logged into my own local Facebook group and began typing “Offering a ride…”
Link to news story: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2302671939750