About the ups and downs of a homeless person, an ex-homeless person, a refugee and a pastor
Paul Oosterhoff, chairman of the House of Compassion in Nijmegen, explains on the website of the house how they always walk a stage of the Walk of Wisdom with a changing group. We are happy to reproduce his story on the WoW site. What does he write?
The Walk of Wisdom is a walking route of 136 kilometers around Nijmegen over hills, through forests and cultural landscapes, along rivers, along all the beautiful places that make the Rijk van Nijmegen such a beautiful environment. Many have already walked that route, with its start and finish in our Stevens Church, many will follow. Also from the House of Compassion we decided to walk the route.
Of course in many different stages, covering an afternoon, about 10 to 14 km at a time. We always go out on Wednesday afternoons and follow the signs of Walk of Wisdom. It looks a bit like an angel. You may have seen them when you walked through nature in the vicinity of Nijmegen.
Special company
We arrange transport to the place where we left last time, walk a bit and are then picked up again by car. A few people from the board form the core of the group and others from the target groups of the House of Compassion always join in. Last Wednesday, for example, I walked with a homeless person, an ex-homeless person and a refugee. You could also say, with a fanatical NEC supporter, a philosopher and a runner.
A special group, while I walked for a while with the ‘philosopher’ (quote, when we marveled at something beautiful in nature: ‘It’s laughing with that God, how he has put everything together so precisely.’) behind us walked the hardcore NEC-er and the Eritrean refugee to try to meet each other with a mix of English, Understand Dutch and sign language.
From person to person
Certainly not everyday, not for me, but not for them either. Such a small-scale encounter between people from very different backgrounds is exactly the intention of the activities of the House of Compassion. During the meals, we try to ensure that vulnerable people from the different target groups and people who are open to it meet each other. Eating together is an excellent opportunity to ‘see’ each other from person to person.
In the handyman team, refugees who have exhausted all legal remedies are committed to doing chores around the house for people who are unable to do so themselves. Another positive experience of people in our neighborhood with a refugee who has exhausted all legal remedies, whom they would otherwise not be able to visit so quickly. A discussion circle of refugees and non-refugees about the deeper things of life is another example.
Rich experience
By the way, did you know that anyone can sign up for a ‘walk of wisdom’ by ordering a starter pack. You decide the date, theme and pace of your tour. But it was not about all those kinds of practical matters, last Wednesday in the woods of the Reichswald, it was about the ups and downs of a homeless person, an ex-homeless person, a refugee and a diaconal pastor, exchanged in a beautiful landscape. A rich experience for everyone.
