Invited in

Becky is Victor's first cousin on his mother's side. She and Jordan have made a quiet life for themselves and their daughter in a small community on the outskirts of Whitehorse.

We arrived and were immediately welcomed into a peer community of 30 and 40-somethings' professionals. They have moved here for a slower and quieter life marked by a better work-life balance than many of us practice. Some people move here to homestead, and others commute in to Whitehorse for work and return home to a quieter life.

We met some neighbours at a birthday party hosted at the community hall, and were immediately invited to visit their home. They are a "retired" Dutch Couple who decided to settle here from Alberta 10 years ago. They showed us their bee hives, weaving loom, and gave us tea and honey for the road. It's that kind of place, where strangers are invited in.

After leaving Becky and Jordan's to get our bus fixed in Whitehorse, we experienced this type of "Whitehorse hospitality" repeatedly. From the random stranger who drove Victor back and forth to the mechanic, to the friend of Becky's who let a party of 5 use her pristine 1 room apartment without ever meeting us, or to the tenant upstairs who invited our crew along with their friend group for trick-or-treating when we still found ourselves in Whitehorse for Halloween. While trick-or-treating, we were welcomed into a stranger's backyard to share marshmallows around a campfire.

We were surprised and grateful at these open displays of trust and welcoming to strangers. It reminded me of what Jesus said to his followers about inviting strangers in, feeding the hungry, visiting prisoners, taking care of the sick; "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

Although I don't think what we experienced is necessarily the full meaning of this teaching, there is something about this practice of welcoming strangers in, that strengthens our kindness muscles and prepares us more and more to do it "to the least of these."

It can't go without mention here that there is an obvious need for this type of kindness here in Whitehorse. Once again as we travel across this country I continue to be struck by the dichotomy of wealth and poverty (and all that goes with it) that is a real concern across our land as it impacts our Indigenous Peoples. I don't have answers yet, but it is a real concern and as you travel into more remote areas it becomes easily apparent. Our eyes are opened.

As we were waiting to have the repairs done on our bus, we were also able to see more of this beautiful part of our country. The drive into Kluane National Park is unlike anything I've ever seen. I kept taking pictures hoping they would capture the beauty of this place, but none came close. The seemingly endless row of mountains grew closer in the distance until we were actually hiking right at the foot of them, just trying to take it all in.

Over the following three days we learned about "Yukon Time" and tried to make the best of it by visiting some of the highlights of this town. We were able to blow glass at Lumel Studios, visit the Wild Animal Preserve, Hike above the town, visit a museum, witness a fantastic display of Northern Lights, and get day passes for the city bus where the kids experienced their first ever "city bus" ride. What struck me during this experience was that each person leaving the bus took the time to shout a "thank you" to the driver before exiting. There is something about expressing gratitude that lifts the air in a place.

When our bus was finally repaired, we made one last stop on our way out of town, at Miles Canyon. This Canyon was used as a waterway during the Klondike goldrush for many prospectors to ship their wares. It was a risky journey with a strong current and cold waters and in most cases they used only rafts or vessels that had simply been jimmied out of scraps.

When the time came we were ready to leave, but we will not forget this Whitehorse Hospitality. Thank you for inviting us in.