Shannon’s Treasure

Dion Oxford on true value

t was early in January when I was asked to cover an afternoon shift on our outreach van. Our outreach workers scour the city every day of the week in hopes of finding someone who is living in the Don Valley [an undeveloped river valley running through downtown Toronto] or other remote areas. Their goal is to build trusting relationships with individuals living outside, in hopes of walking alongside them towards a healthier living situation.

A few of our staff had traveled to Atlanta for a conference, and we were left short-staffed. As I hadn’t done street outreach in a very long time, I happily agreed to do it. I felt I really needed a dose of reality after being holed up in my office for so long and that an afternoon of trudging through the Don Valley might do the trick.

I also felt that it would be a perfect opportunity to get to know our newest outreach worker better. Shannon had once lived on the street himself and had, at one point in his life, lived with an addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol. He is one of the fortunate ones who managed to kick this addiction and has chosen to give back to the community.

While we were driving, I asked him what about this job brings him joy. His answer struck me hard and moved me deeply. He told me that when he was a kid he always dreamed of being a treasure hunter. He wanted to grow up to be an explorer who roamed around looking for things of great value. He revealed to me that during his time of living with his addictions, he assumed that his dreams would never come true. He had lost hope.

He went on to say, however, that since he has become a street outreach worker, he knows that his childhood dream has come true. He said that every person he encounters while doing outreach is a treasure.

As he was telling me this, we were climbing up a hill that had just about defeated me. Once we got to the top, we walked along some train tracks until he stopped us in the middle of nowhere. “What are we doing here?” I asked. He said, “We’re visiting my friend.” We then proceeded to climb into a hole that led us to an underground house. The person living there had dug a huge hole in the ground, framed it up, and built his home there. It had homemade solar panels for heat, electricity that ran off a rechargeable battery, Christmas lights, a bed, cupboards, and a bookshelf. It was as though I had entered a scene from Lord of the Rings and I was in Bilbo Baggins’ house. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

I began to really grasp his notion of being a treasure hunter. We then drove to another location. We climbed down yet another seemingly impossible hill and then walked along more train tracks. He began looking for signs of life, and I yet again felt as though I was in a scene from Lord of the Rings where Strider was following markings that revealed to him which direction he should take. He stopped when he saw some orange peels beside the tracks and began climbing a hill. I decided to wait and then he looked back and silently beckoned me to join him. I scrambled up the hill and wondered not for the first time if this was my last day alive, and suddenly I was looking down on a man’s encampment in the middle of nowhere. The man approached us and angrily and in no uncertain terms demanded that we leave him. He told us he wanted nothing to do with society, including us. Shannon told him we were with The Salvation Army—then left his card and said if he needed any help to feel free to call us. We then respectfully left him. Shannon had once more found more treasure that no one else knew about in a place no one would care to look.

Once we got back to the van (after climbing through more bush and almost breaking my neck), Shannon continued on telling me more about his experience. I will never forget his words to me. He said that working through the 12 steps of AA as well as working at Gateway as an outreach worker is bringing him into a deeper understanding of who God is. As he meets the people that he sees as treasures more valuable than any gold or silver, he is meeting God.

My mind took me to the passage in Matthew’s gospel: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy…but store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt.6: 19-22). Shannon has left behind his juvenile desires to find earthly treasures and, on his journey to recovery, is placing higher value on human life than he is on material gain. He is placing his treasure in a sacred place where nothing can damage it. As a result, he is entering into an understanding of and relationship with the sovereign Lord and is gaining a deep and tangible understanding of the Kingdom of God.

Here at Gateway, we strive to view each person as a treasure. Everyone who walks in our doors has been created by God in His image and therefore has immeasurable value. God has gifted us with the opportunity to journey alongside people who have been long forgotten and overlooked by mainstream society—and in return, we get to experience the Kingdom in ways that bring us more joy than any paycheque or earthly treasure could ever bring.

Writer: Dion Oxford is the founding and current Director of The Salvation Army Gateway, a 108-bed shelter for single men who find themselves homeless, as well as a drop-in centre for men and women in Canada’s largest city. The Gateway has 48 staff who serve close to 10,000 meals each month and help an average of 200 people per year get off the street and into more appropriate housing. Dion has been working amongst Toronto’s homeless community for the past 17 years in a number of different capacities. He has travelled across Canada as a speaker and musician with a vision of informing and educating the church and the public about issues related to poverty and homelessness. He has a Bachelor of Religious Education from Tyndale College and is currently finishing his Masters degree at Wycliffe College. Dion is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s Roundtable on Poverty and Homelessness. He is married to Erinn and they have a 4-year old daughter, Cate.