June 15, 2018 will mark 365 days since The Mustard Seed merged with northeast Edmonton’s Mosaic Centre. Like any other merger or partnership, this joining came with some uncertainties, but over this past year, it has become clear that The Mustard Seed and Mosaic Centre are in fact better together.
Linda Deveau, The Mustard Seed Edmonton Community Programs Manager
and Mosaic Centre Co-Founder, reflects on the merger below.
It is no secret that the uncertainty caused by moving from the known to the unknown can create ripples in a person’s confidence and self-perceived value. Imagine facing the sunrise each morning not knowing where your steps will lead you and whether or not you will be welcomed when you arrive; if, when, or where you will enjoy a meal; whether or not you will have a safe place to lay your head that night and who your dining or sleeping partners will be.
These are the realities that our community participants experience daily.
Looking into that same sunrise on those same mornings, our Mustard Seed family, across this city, is given the opportunity to greet and embrace those walking the streets of the unknown — to be one constant, for a few hours, in a person’s journey. How blessed we are to recognize the faces of the forgotten, to know the names of the nameless, to encourage the journey of the lost, and to witness the restoration of hope to the hopeless.
“How blessed we are to recognize the faces of the forgotten, to know the names of the nameless, to encourage the journey of the lost…”
Recently having made my own transition from the certainty of Mosaic Centre, I found my confidence and self-perception wavering. Questions of where and how I would fit in with this unknown group and structure kept me up at night, walking my own street of the unknown. Although my journey is a soft one compared to those of our community members, the staff at The Mustard Seed have welcomed, embraced, and included me — giving me a strong sense of belonging.
I am honoured to be included in this group of passionate, caring individuals. The acts of kindness unveiled each day at our many sites, and also within the organization between staff members, reflects the nature of our The Mustard Seed family and how our positive culture affects everyone throughout our agency.
