By Elita Fung, Outreach Worker at St. James Town
I had the chance to sit down and catch up with Lyka.
Q. How are you involved with Toronto City Mission (TCM)?
A. With TCM, I am currently volunteering at KIC (Kids In Community) and I also attend Youth Extreme every Monday night.
Q. When and how did you get involved?
A. My friend Charmaine started to go to KIC when we were in grade 4. So I knew what KIC was. A couple of years later when my brother was in grade 6, he started going to KIC. Then when I was in grade 9, I bumped into Elliott Shin at McDonald’s where he invited me to got to Youth Extreme. I went that week and now I have been going there for two years.
Q. What are your highlights from volunteering, helping with the kids?
A. My highlights from volunteering with the kids would be my experience during March Break Camp and Sonshine Day Camp. I remember when I first started volunteering at KIC, I was this shy, quiet person, but now I am very outgoing as I have grown closer to the kids.
Although if I were to choose, my greatest memories came from volunteering for Junior Extreme Camp during the summer (with the kids in gr. 7). I am grateful for the friendships that I have made with the kids, TLCs (Teens Leading Communities), and leaders.
Q. I know last year you and your friends weren’t quite sure what you believed. How has that changed in the past year and what caused that change?
A. Every year, Youth Extreme has their yearly March Break Camp Retreat in hopes for us students to strengthen our faith and to enjoy each other’s fellowship. When I went on the retreat in grade 10, I was more focused on myself than my faith. Since I was sick, I did not enjoy going to worship, or doing bible time.
When I went to retreat this year, I listened to every sermon and had my “eureka” moment when I realized that God knows who I am, that I should live my life to glorify God, and to share His Word. A year ago, I was living in blind faith. I remember going to the retreat and there was this one question that basically asked where we were at in our faith. I remember saying that I kept up with my faith by going to church, and praying, but I would not see the importance in it. Today, I would definitely say that my faith has strengthened. Some of my friends think that I’m crazy or some Jesus freak, but they do not know the importance of God, or they have not learned how to accept him in their lives. If I were to have one wish come true, it would be for kids at TCM, and for my non-believer friends to realize that God can and will do amazing things for you.
Q. What do you hope to be in the future and why?
A. When I grow up, I hope to become a teacher. I have always wanted to be a teacher since I was 3 years old. This summer, I had the choice between two summer jobs: working at Sonshine Day Camp, and working at Centreville. I decided to work with TCM. Ever since my co-op placement for teaching, and volunteering for KIC, I have realized that I am a natural with kids, and teaching. I chose to stay with TCM because I currently love what I do. I am very grateful for my TCM family.