If You Touch Canada, You're Touching the World
HAMILTON, ONTARIO - “Canada is a transplanted mission field,” said Andy Busa (44) International Teams Philippines full-time missionary to Canada. “Canada is a very strategic location because you can meet people from all over the world. If I go to Indonesia, I’ll only be reaching Indonesians. But if I come to Canada I’ll be reaching Indonesians and other nationalities too.”
Such was the argument Busa used when trying to explain to IT Philippines that he felt called to Canada and not to a country in the 10/40 Window. This is the area that contains the largest population of non-Christians. It extends from 10 to 40 degrees north of the equator and stretches from North Africa across to China.
Busa has been working in Canada for two years helping new arrivals and refugees adjust to their new country in very practical ways: finding housing and furniture, getting to appointments, and filling out necessary documentation.
He was also instrumental in founding Micah House a temporary home for refugee claimants that opened in May 2005 with the help of its partners TrueCity and International Teams. Prior to the opening of Micah House, refugee claimants were sent to men’s or women’s shelters and families were broken up. Refugee claimants are not eligible for the government programs available to sponsored refugees and, as a result, often have nowhere to go when they arrive in Canada. In its first year, Micah House provided shelter and assistance to 80 refugees in Hamilton.
“I wanted to be involved in fulfilling a global mandate,” Busa said. “I was impressed with the idea that if you touch Canada you’re touching the world.”BLM
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