THURSDAY Conversation – June 17 at 9:00 am
MONDAY Conversation – June 21 at 7:00 pm
Zoom – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7538449219

Welcome to International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR)!

So designated by the United Nations General Assembly, June 16 acknowledges the efforts of migrant workers to support their families.

More than 200 million men and women annually work in other countries in order to send money home to 800 million family members (statistics quoted from the United Nations website).

The Five Oaks Centre Education and Retreat Centre located near Paris, Ontario – currently a non-profit interfaith/intercultural spiritual centre, that originally was a retreat centre of The United Church of Canada) opened its doors to migrant workers last year when COVID required the Centre to suspend regular  programming.  The Centre became an isolation centre, where migrant workers could live while quarantining for 14 days after arriving in Canada. The first 40 workers arrived from Mexico in April 2020.

From April 2020 to October 2021, Five Oaks will have hosted 485 workers quarantining, and 126 commuter workers (living at the Centre and travelling daily to a nearby farm).

Many of us probably have little contact with migrant workers, but their stories are tales of dedication to family and to community. The United Nations says that the IDFR commends “the determination and resilience of the human spirit as evidenced by migrant workers.”

During COVID, most of us have felt the loss of not being able to be with family and friends. The IDFR reminds us that, even before COVID, many families experienced family separation due to economic, political and environmental circumstances.

Hopefully, when we emerge from COVID, we will emerge with a new appreciation of the determination and resilience of the human spirit, and with a renewed commitment to working to create a world in which resources and economic wealth are more justly and equitably shared for the welfare of all humanity.

During this continuing COVID time, one of the ways the TMUC community nourishes our continuing sense of community is via our weekly online ZOOM chats.

June ZOOM’s are Thursdays from 9 to 10 a.m. and Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m.  Carol and I are taking turns hosting the ZOOMS we each enjoy some holiday time.

TMUC ZOOM link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7538449219

Meeting ID: 753 844 9219
+1-204-272-7920

We keep you in our prayers,
Jeff and (on holidays this week) Carol