There is nothing particularly special or amazing about Doonside. Located in the Greater Western region of Sydney and in Blacktown City Council, Doonside would appear like any of its surrounding suburbs. In fact, Doonside is a suburb with its share of physical and social issues such as drug and alcohol dependency, unemployment, breakdown in family relationships and social isolation.
I haven’t always loved Doonside. Just over three years ago I didn’t even know the suburb existed. The first I heard of Doonside was when I was asked to lead the team of volunteers that visit the suburb through Street Teams. I had already been serving in Street Teams out at Telopea, so I had some idea of what to expect when I arrived in Doonside for the first time.
It was in one of my first weeks serving in Doonside that I met Barry*. Barry had recently separated from his wife and moved into an empty house with pretty much no possessions of his own. While he was quite sad and down in life to begin with, I watched with amazement how he began to give live a chance and each week seemed happier. I will never forget the week where he surprised us all by encouraging us and giving us some of his own wise advice!
As our team grew, we were able to expand to new streets and visit new residents. We began visiting Diane* who had been living in the same house for over 25 years. Though she has three children and many grandchildren, as a widow she was quite lonely and had little help with things around her home beyond her capability. Once she met us for the first time she began to call us her angels sent from God and was telling everyone she talked to about these people that come to visit her.
One resident our team had been visiting for some time was Ruth*. While it took some time for her to warm up to me as a newer member of the team, I will never forget sitting in her lounge room listening to her opening up to the horrors of her upbringing as tears fell from her eyes. She pointed out to me how her street had improved since we had been in the area, and how grateful she was that we were there.
Last Saturday was my last day serving in Street Teams. While it was hard to comprehend leaving the team and the area, I was amazed by how God had prepared me for the end of this season. While driving home I was reflecting upon my journey of Street Teams. What I noticed is that while I had had gone to help and serve the people of Doonside, I think I was impacted the most. I fell in love with the people there and that is why I love Doonside.
For more information on Street Teams visit
http://myhillsong.com/citycare/street-teams
* Names have been changed to protect privacy
