The Hands of the Broken

In the quiet coastal towns of Parksville and Qualicum Beach, where the Salish Sea kisses ancient shores and cedar forests whisper secrets to the wind, something extraordinary is stirring. It is not the work of the flawless or the mighty. It is the work of the Creator, who has always chosen the cracked vessels, the stumbling hearts, the ones the world calls failures, and filled them with living water until they overflow.

Long ago, a fisherman named Peter denied his Lord three times before the rooster crowed. A murderer named Moses stuttered when he spoke. A persecutor named Paul once breathed threats against the innocent. Yet the Creator lifted them up, dusted off their shame, and used their trembling hands to shape history.

And so it is today, in these small Vancouver Island communities, where the Creator is doing it again. He looked upon the broken—the homeless sleeping under bridges, the addicted wandering empty streets, the mentally afflicted crying out in silence, the poor who feel invisible—and He did not turn away. Instead, He gathered a handful of equally imperfect people: recovering addicts, grieving parents, a weary pastor, ordinary folks who know what it is to fall and fail.

Out of these unlikely souls, He knit together Manna Homeless Society—His voice for the voiceless, His hands reaching into the margins. Manna is not a polished organization born of boardrooms and strategic plans. It is a miracle born of obedience. The Creator has whispered a commission into their hearts: Go. Find land. Build shelter. Plant gardens and greenhouses. Give My children not just a bed, but dignity. Put their hands to meaningful work—tending soil, growing food, watching life spring from seed. Let them heal as they labour. Let them taste purpose again.

This is no small dream. It is a kingdom vision: a place where the formerly homeless become the caretakers of the land, where rows of tomatoes and kale feed both body and soul, where greenhouses bloom with hope in winter’s grip. A community where people stay as long as they need—sheltered, fed, valued—until they are ready to step back into the world whole.

But visions this beautiful do not rise on wishes alone. They rise on partnership. The Creator has always worked through community. He sends the ravens to feed Elijah, but He also sends the widow to bake the bread. He parts the Red Sea, but He tells Moses to raise the staff. He heals the paralyzed man, but He waits for four friends to lower him through the roof.

So it is with Manna’s land. This dream will become bricks and soil and shelter only when partners step forward. When landowners feel stirred to release property for kingdom purposes. When contractors offer skills at cost. When gardeners donate seeds and knowledge. When churches open their wallets and their hearts. When businesses sponsor greenhouses. When everyday people—retirees in Parksville, families in Qualicum, believers across the island—say, “Here am I. Send me.”

Every contribution matters. Gifts of money towards the land, A thousand-dollar gift builds walls. A hundred-dollar gift buys tools. A bag of soil, a packet of seeds, an hour of labor—nothing is too small in the hands of the Creator. He multiplies loaves and fishes; He will multiply these offerings too. To the hesitant: remember that the Creator is not looking for perfection in His partners, only willingness. He will use your small yes to shelter someone who has never known safety. He will use your gift to put calloused hands back to meaningful work. He will use your prayer to break chains of addiction and despair.

In Parksville and Qualicum, a generation of the broken is waiting to be made whole. The land is waiting to be claimed. The gardens are waiting to grow. Will you be the partner the Creator uses to make this vision real? The story is not finished. It is being written right now—by imperfect people, for imperfect people, through the perfect love of a Creator who wastes nothing. Step in. The harvest is coming.

Robin Campbell

Manna Homeless Society

Monetary donations can be made by e-transfer to:

MannaParksville@gmail.com

Or cheques can be sent to:

Manna Homeless Society

PO Box 389

Errington BC VOR 1VO