In the Old Testament, God provides for the Israelites with manna and quail while they live in the desert. In the book of Numbers, Moses strikes a rock twice with his staff and water gushes forth for the Israelites. In the New Testament, and in the book of Matthew especially, Jesus works multiple miracles involving bread and wine. He feeds crowds of four and five thousand; he turns water into wine at a wedding.
It鈥檚 stories like these that inspire the work of Kyla DeHaan 鈥16 with Christian non-profit organization the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. For Kyla, it鈥檚 a matter of Christians genuinely demonstrating their faith and love for God when they become aware and act on injustices like hunger. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 easy for us in this day and age to separate ourselves from issues like hunger because we live in such a food-rich society. We can鈥檛 fathom what it鈥檚 like to go hungry for days and we鈥檙e so used to hearing the same old 鈥榩eople are hungry story鈥 that it鈥檚 become easier to tune out.鈥
“It鈥檚 easy for us in this day and age to separate ourselves from issues like hunger because we live in such a food-rich society.”
With the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Kyla鈥檚 response is tangible. The organization helps everyday, ordinary Canadians identify what hunger is, why it exists, and who is hungry through countless educational resources; mobilizes and advocates for the Canadian government to find effective ways to respond to hunger overseas and offers Canadians the opportunity to financially give to its member church agencies that work in international communities to end hunger.
While very passionate about international development and the issues surrounding the developing world, Kyla did not anticipate ending up across the country in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kyla鈥檚 initial role was as a Resource Assistance in the Resources and Public Engagement Department. At the start of 2017, however, she switched over to working as a Program Support Officer with the International Program Department. She could be filing one minute, making travel arrangements for a colleague the next minute and drafting a project summary of the Foodgrain Banks鈥 work with member church agencies overseas a few more minutes later. Both roles are ultimately about supporting others in each department in their work and both have required flexibility and adaptability. The main difference is the scope of each department: one is focused on Canada, while the other on overseas projects.
Kyla attributes her job search鈥檚 early success to the freedom to follow her passions, but also to the liberal arts and science aspect of her education. Taking different classes in multiple disciplines taught her positively react to various and changing contexts. 鈥淭aking science and art courses simultaneously meant that I was constantly surrounded by different thinking and concepts that didn鈥檛 always click with my thinking. But instead of getting frustrated and limiting myself into my own niche thinking, I was challenged to keep exploring different thinking than my own and understand the background and situation that people were coming from. At the same time, I was also encouraged to understand how I could adapt my own unique thinking to fit in these situations,鈥 she reflects. 鈥淎s someone that works in a supportive and administrative role, it鈥檚 a skill that I constantly find I need to use so that I鈥檓 able to persevere with tasks that are challenging, work in various contexts and, most importantly, continue to learn each day.
Responding tangibly to an issue as encompassing as world hunger, and promoting a holistic infrastructure in which to respond, is not easy 鈥 but it is one of the pieces of Kingdom work that Redeemer graduates are prepared for.