Knocking, Listening, Staying: The Everyday Practice of Community
Description
How does a single, ordinary moment of kindness ripple through a whole neighbourhood? While Shannon attends to a family matter, Johan steps in to revisit Audra's beautiful story—one that encapsulates what Neighbourly is all about. We hear how Audra’s family legacy of generosity shaped her heart for others, and how an open inbox and the practical use of CarePortal led her to reach out to a neighbour in need. What began as a simple delivery quickly turned into a powerful chain of compassion, drawing her community together and forging friendships in unexpected places. Through Audra’s experience, this conversation gently reminds us that care doesn’t have to be grand—just present—and that with intention and a little courage, ordinary people truly can offer extraordinary care.
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Johan Heinrichs:
Before we begin, a quick note to our listeners. We were planning to share an interview hosted by our new host, Shannon this week, but we've had to delay its release due to a family matter she's attending to. Our thoughts are with her and her loved ones, and we look forward to having her back very soon. I'm Johan, and today I'll be guiding you through a story that beautifully captures what neighbourly is all about. Ordinary people offering extraordinary care. Sometimes the simplest act of care begins with an open inbox and a willing heart. Today we revisit our conversation with Audra from Winnipeg, a wife, mother and teacher whose story reminds us how one small yes can ripple through a whole community. Let's get right into it.
Johan Heinrichs:
Every one of us has a story about someone who showed up when it mattered most. I'm Johan and this is Neighbourly A, a podcast about the ordinary ways people show extraordinary care. Every other week, Shannon Steeves sits down with someone who's lived that out. Real stories of faith, kindness and community in action. So grab your coffee and let's join Shannon at the table. When we asked Audra what shaped her heart for others, she didn't start with a program or platform. She started with family.
Audra:
Why do I care for others so much? And I realize it's because of some beautiful women of faith who have gone before me. So my great grandmother was one of the first settlers in the Rosenard area. In fact, my great grandfather cleared the land for the farmers, so they knew what it was like to be newcomers in a land and to start a new life. Her oldest daughter was my grandmother. And I remember my grandmother never went anywhere without something to give. Her hands were always ready to share. So, you know, home baked buns, pot of soup. She would quickly run and grab a bouquet of flowers from her garden, her huge garden.
Audra:
I remember she had a gift closet and it was full of things that she could grab to give. And as a child, seeing that I noticed it, I was also the recipient of some of those gifts. One of her daughters is my mother. And my mother is the same. She's a caregiver. And so in our home growing up, it was always important to keep other people in mind to share what we had, because we were so blessed. So then it is our responsibility and our joy to bless others in turn. And it was a way of sharing and caring for the people around you because that makes life better.
Audra:
And so I realized I've really grown up with beautiful women of faith who have lived this way. So I think it was just Natural for me because I've been so modeled, and I think investing in people is the best and the most meaningful investment.
Johan Heinrichs:
For Audra, generosity wasn't an idea. It was a rhythm of life passed down through generations of women who believed that sharing was simply part of faith. When she and her Walter husband married, they carried that same intentionality forward. Not with a closet of gifts this time, but with something a little more practical.
Audra:
We don't have a closet or a box, but we have an account, designated bank account. It's called giving, and it's not part of our regular life budget. But when we have extra money, we'll just throw it in there. And so when needs come up, when someone's going through a hard time, we have got money to give, and that account is what we've used for Careporto. We plan for it. It's the windfall money. You know, the stuff that you didn't really have designated anyway, so throw it in there to bless others because we are so blessed. So at our church, we.
Audra:
We have a point person who kind of makes sure that a few times a year, the church hears about it, hears about these opportunities. We're invited to sign up so that we get emails and notifications in our inboxes. And when I first heard about it, when Walter and I first heard about it, we're like, well, of course we're going to do that. Sounds awesome. And so we have the different notifications that come in our inboxes, and we can respond to them. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. But we have responded over the years in a few ways. Sometimes we've given money, sometimes we have the item that is being requested.
Audra:
And so we give that item. And recently we actually delivered, like the delivery people.
Johan Heinrichs:
That intentional rhythm of giving eventually led Audra and her church to start using CarePortal, a technology that connects local needs with people willing to help. One day, a request appeared for a young international student who is pregnant and alone. When Audra's point person noticed the student lived just two blocks away, she reached out. That was all Audra needed to hear.
Audra:
Oh, well, I think the way it came across my life was our point person at our church had been working on this, actioning this need. And so she actually reached out to me and said, hey, Audra, by the way, would you be open to getting involved? This person actually lives really close to you, actually is your neighbour. And at that point, that was all I needed to hear. I didn't even need to hear her whole story or what was all happening. Like, if I can meet and help someone who lives right here, like, absolutely. I'd be honored. It'd be awesome. On top of that, you know, for years we, we have hosted international students in our home.
Audra:
And so I have a big heart for newcomers to Canada, especially students. I know how hard they work. I know how much sacrifice goes into them making this dream of theirs come true. And I can't imagine showing up and then finding yourself pregnant and not knowing how things all work here. And oh my goodness, I need a car seat, really? And what do I do? So, yeah, absolutely. It was, it was a no brainer and I just got excited that I could do something about it and hear.
Johan Heinrichs:
About it from that simple, yes, compassion began to multiply. As Audra explains, one post on Careportal quickly became a team effort, a chain of kindness where everyone played their part.
Audra:
Yeah, so I think this is the amazing, the amazing power of a platform like Careportal. So you can have this, you know, this caseworker that knows this person knows the need posts it. That gets shared to so many different inboxes. And then there was a person who said, oh, here's some money I want to give toward that. And then there was a person who said, oh, like I can buy that. Oh, I found, I found a great stroller car seat combo on Facebook Marketplace and I can buy it with that money. And so someone bought it and then someone said, oh, can we bring it to your house? And then that person, like, yeah, sure, I'll get it to, I'll get it to church on Sunday. But all along the way, like, extra things got added.
Audra:
There was like a pack of diapers, there was wipes, there was like a little toy. Then there. And then at some point, information came that, you know, the student doesn't live alone. And so there was a little gift for the roommate, you know, and, and in the end, it was like this whole care package. And so Walter and I showed up at church. It all got loaded in our car trunk. Everything had been gathered. We had a whole trunk full of stuff.
Audra:
All that I had to do was literally take that trunk load of stuff, text the number I'd been given. So we, we were given the number for that student and that had all been set up. So I just had to text her and say, hey, you know, what afternoon works for you? What time works for you this afternoon? And we pulled up and yeah, when.
Johan Heinrichs:
Everything was gathered, it was time for delivery. And that's where the real story began.
Audra:
So Walter would be the person who would say that he's not very compassionate. I think he's far more than he gives himself credit for. But he'd be the person who would just walk by, oblivious, just not wired that way. And so he was happy to drive. I was happy for the extra moral support and the muscles to carry the things. And so for him, oh, yeah, I could drive over there like, no, that was no big deal. And at one point, I think I even said, oh, I'll just go, I'll be okay. And then he's like, well, no, I'm driving.
Johan Heinrichs:
Audra says she felt excited, but also a little nervous. She was about to meet a complete stranger. Here's what she was thinking before knocking on that apartment door.
Audra:
Yeah, well, the reality of it is it's, you know, it's one thing to get excited about. Oh, yeah, I want to go drop this off. It's so easy. I mean, I just have to transport the stuff that's already been collected. So my piece was an easy piece. And yet there's that part there that now there's awkwardness because we don't really know each other at all. I don't have any relationship with this complete stranger. She doesn't know me at all.
Audra:
There's a little bit of uncertainty. Like, you know, what kind of situation am I walking into? What kind of person is this? I mean, obviously she's not going to be sad about a truckload of gifts. I'm not worried about that. But, you know, I don't know what her reaction is going to be like. I don't know. So there's a lot of unknowns, and there's lots of times in life you need to do that, by the way. And it's one of the things that I'm always telling my students, take that risk. You're not going to grow if you don't take a risk.
Audra:
Get past the 10 seconds of awkwardness, because that's all it's going to be. Don't let the awkwardness of 10 seconds stop you from having that important conversation or stop you from doing the right thing. Get over yourself and just go do it. And there's just so much blessing and joy in it, you know, and that's. That's where this life flows. It's life giving.
Johan Heinrichs:
Those few seconds of courage opened the door to something sacred. What started as a delivery turned into a moment of deep connection.
Audra:
And so there we were. So we're at the door. She knew we were coming because I had texted. And so she met us at the Door of her apartment building. And she was thrilled. First of all, she was relieved because she didn't know when the baby was going to come and she didn't have the stuff, so she needed to know she was going to be okay. So brought it all up to her apartment for her. And, you know, as we're going, we're just chit chatting, we're getting to know each other a little bit, and she's quite, quite forthcoming.
Audra:
I mean, she knows we know a bit of her story. And so she was sharing her anxiety and how happy she was that that this was here. And then once we got to her apartment, I'm showing her all the extra stuff and she was just thrilled. So there's extra things. And then I think it must have been, you know, once we were in her space and once she saw all the extra love and she saw, you know, Walter and our warm, friendly faces, it's like it did break the barriers. And it was like she had held this in for so long, and here was finally a kind person who's willing to listen. And it was also her. Her choice.
Audra:
It was her initiative. But she started sharing, and I was just happy to listen. And, you know, before long, there was tears and there was Kleenex and then she was leaning in and then there was a hug, and then she was calling me mama. You know, she just was so desperate for a kind word at a tough time.
Johan Heinrichs:
Listening to that, I'm reminded how love begins right at the edge of our comfort zone. For Audra, that small act of kindness became more than charity. It became friendship. And as she tells it, something holy was happening in that moment.
Audra:
I just felt giddy with excitement. Like, this is so cool. Like, it took, what, half an hour of my day maybe, And I got to meet a neighbour and I got to make a difference. And there's, you know, there's life and there's satisfy. It's so satisfying. And yeah, I was just so, so thrilled. And, you know, when she started sharing and she's leaning in and we're hugging, I do think the Holy Spirit was there bringing healing and hope in that moment. You know, we didn't say it that way, but at one point I looked at her and said, you know, I'm from the church and God sees you, and I want you to know that God sees you and God loves you, and that's what these gifts are.
Audra:
But in that moment, it felt like a holy moment. God was there. I have no doubt. It brought. Well, I know it brought hope and healing to her, she had shared about how she, as an international student, she hadn't been well treated at the university by everyone she had met. She really felt being a minority, you know, being alone. And so she didn't even know who she could trust in a new country because it hadn't always gone well for her. So here was a beautiful time.
Audra:
When it did go well, she did ask for help and it did go well. And God Kadian met her there whether she recognizes as such or not. It was a beautiful moment.
Johan Heinrichs:
That encounter didn't end at the doorstop. Audra stayed in touch, celebrating the baby's birth, visiting again with home cooked food and bringing hope right into her neighbour's kitchen.
Audra:
I actually was able to say, I texted her a couple of days later, just said, you know, so how are you doing? You know, I really want to know when the baby comes because I want to celebrate with you. And so a number of weeks later, she did have the baby and I did get a text and I got a little photo and she actually invited me to come see her, you know, another month after that she invited me to come and visit baby because I, I would love to see. So then I was able to go again and this time I brought my own care package. I brought some diapers and I brought some food that I had cooked for supper, got some extra snacks for the roommate and the kids. And I was able to go by and cuddle the little one and give her, you know, a little more hope. It was really neat.
Johan Heinrichs:
Listening back to Audra's story. What stands out isn't just generosity, it's its intentionality. She and Walter planned for compassion. They created space in their lives and in their budget to say yes when a need appeared. Before we close, here's how Audra reflected on what caring this way has done for her, her church and her city.
Audra:
At a very basic level, it allows us to not be so selfish and inward looking. It's very easy to look after your family and your friends. It's very easy in a church to look after the church, be there for each other, but to be others focused. As far as outward focused, we know that God has called us to do that, but that's not easy. So as a citizen living in the city I live in, you know, I read the papers, I hear about the crime rates, I hear about the statistics. I know about what happened down the street and how police presence were there. And you know, I, I can, I live here, I see what's happening and I want to make a difference. I Want my community to be a better place, but how do I do that? And I don't think you have to be a Christian to have that, you know, and we want to live in a safe place.
Audra:
We want to live in a community that cares. And so that's the big picture. How do we do that? Well, we do that through connection. We do that by engaging. We do that by getting involved. So from a church perspective, getting involved, pushing yourself to, you know, to go to those places helps us to be more others oriented, and it allows us to engage and actually build that. It's like a peacemaking kind of thing. But it comes in little pieces and many little pieces.
Audra:
One of the pieces is, you know, Care Portal. And one of the pieces was, was my dropping off a stroller for a new mom. But bigger picture, bigger church picture, bigger community picture, it's engaging in our community in positive ways. Well, and all of those little steps when we're all doing that, it makes a collective difference, right? And it can feel kind of useless by yourself. Oh, what good does that little thing that I do do? But when you can work together and when I think the, you know, the beauty of Care Portal in particular is that it just, it just allows those collective steps to come together, right? It just organizes it and collected in a, in a very intentional way that we can't do on our own. So that's absolutely beautiful. I would just say, you know, from, from my experience, from my wonderful women of faith who have modeled this for me in my life, to my experiences, particularly with Care Points Portal, it's worth it. It's worth it to get engaged, get involved, get off the couch, give a little bit of money, give a little bit of time.
Audra:
It's a little bit from how richly blessed we are to reach out. I would just like to encourage, maybe inspire people by saying that sharing and caring makes a difference much bigger than we can quantify. Just go do it. You won't be sorry.
Johan Heinrichs:
Audra's story is a glimpse of what happens when technology serves relationship instead of replacing it. CarePortal might send the notification, but it's people, neighbours like Audra, who turn those alerts into connection, dignity and hope. Maybe that's something we can all practice this week. Look for one simple way to close the gap between awareness and action. To be the person who knocks, listens, and stays. Because when we do, care stops being a project and starts becoming the way we live. The stories we share here remind us that care doesn't have to be perfect to be powerful. It just has to be present.
Johan Heinrichs:
Neighbourly is an initiative of Care Impact, a Canadian charity equipping churches, agencies and communities with tech and training to care better together. Visit CareImpact CA or to find out more about the podcast sponsorships, being a guest or just dropping us a line, visit neighbourlyPodcast CA. We'd love to hear from you. Check the show notes for the A link or hop on our Care Impact Podcast group on Facebook to join our podcast community. I'm Johan. Thanks for listening and keep being the kind of neighbour someone will never forget. In a good way.
Audra:
Love is turning over tables Breaking off chains When I see you in a stranger I'm no longer a slave.
Audra:
TABLE.
Audra:
Tearing down walls Building under bridges between us Sam.
