{"id":1841,"date":"2024-08-08T18:22:49","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T18:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T10:58:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T10:58:41","slug":"at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/","title":{"rendered":"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this first-person account, Saskatoon Crossroads Residential Services<\/a> chaplain Tyrone McKenzie shares how divine timing and the perseverance of kindness can win over even a hardened heart.<\/p>\n

Housing, shelter<\/a>, and social services<\/a> (including correctional and justice services and addiction services) are fundamental aspects of The Salvation Army’s mission<\/a>. Click\u00a0the links above to learn more.<\/p>\n

\"A Photo from Pixabay<\/p>\n

I met Paul (not his real name) sometime in the winter of 2023-24; he was on restriction but would often come into our entrance. Paul\u2019s demeanour can be menacing; face tatoos, coarse language, and often angry.<\/p>\n

The first time we met, I had come into the entrance from our dining room after speaking with a few of our guys who were having breakfast. Paul immediately came over to me and got in my face. \u201cYou\u2019re always looking down on us. You think you\u2019re better than us, and you look down on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

I admit I was intimidated. I stumbled an apology, tried to ignore him and spoke with someone else in the entrance.<\/p>\n

I ran into Paul on the street and thought I would try again. \u201cI think we got off to a bad start. Let me introduce myself. I\u2019m Pastor Ty.\u201d This time, he was less confrontational and shook my hand.<\/p>\n

Paul would come into the chapel at various times throughout the winter, usually making remarks about our programming and religion. Then, I didn\u2019t see him for quite a long time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I met him again on the street in June. He had just been released from prison and said, \u201cI\u2019m sober now, and I want to get into treatment.\u201d Paul\u2019s restriction was lifted, and he started staying here and attending some of our programming. He seemed to enjoy and engage in our music time on a Friday.<\/p>\n

The next day, Paul was attacked by a man with an axe. I learned that he had made his way to Crossroads, bloodied and with serious injuries and that he was in the Royal University Hospital.<\/p>\n

When I walked into his hospital room to visit him, the first thing he said was \u2013 \u201cI need you to pray for me and pray for the person who attacked me. I did a lot of violent things when I wasn\u2019t sober, and I just don\u2019t want him to hurt anyone else.\u201d He went on to say, \u201cI think God is trying to get my attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the course of that week, I saw him several more times. He was in a lot of pain due to his injuries and needed surgery on his hand due to the attack.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On June 21st, he asked if we could go outside for a coffee and a smoke. We sat down at a picnic table, and he shared some of his story with me. He said that when he attended the music session the day before his attack, he heard a voice say, \u201cNow is the time.\u201d We talked some more, and I had the opportunity to share the forgiveness and new life that the Creator wanted to bring into his life. Paul was eager to pray, saying sorry, thank you and please. Sorry for the things he had done in his past, thank you for the opportunity to receive forgiveness and please make him a new person.<\/p>\n

On the longest day of the year, which celebrates National Indigenous Day, Paul prayed to start a new life. Paul is eager to move on to treatment and continue his journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this first-person account, Saskatoon Crossroads Residential Services chaplain Tyrone McKenzie shares how divine timing and the perseverance of kindness can win over even a hardened heart. Housing, shelter, and social services (including correctional and justice services and addiction services) are fundamental aspects of The Salvation Army’s mission. Click\u00a0the links above to learn more. Photo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1842,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[14,1],"tags":[48,135,183,137,140,138,68,141],"location":[],"class_list":["post-1841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-general-interest","tag-giving-hope-today","tag-hope","tag-mens-emergency-shelter","tag-mental-health","tag-saskatoon","tag-shelter","tag-the-salvation-army-crossroads-residential-services","tag-the-salvation-army-saskatoon"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAt a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon - Prairies and Northern Territories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon - Prairies and Northern Territories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this first-person account, Saskatoon Crossroads Residential Services chaplain Tyrone McKenzie shares how divine timing and the perseverance of kindness can win over even a hardened heart. Housing, shelter, and social services (including correctional and justice services and addiction services) are fundamental aspects of The Salvation Army’s mission. Click\u00a0the links above to learn more. Photo […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Prairies and Northern Territories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-08T18:22:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-26T10:58:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1877\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"SalvationArmy.ca\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"SalvationArmy.ca\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"SalvationArmy.ca\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1\"},\"headline\":\"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-08T18:22:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-26T10:58:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/\"},\"wordCount\":596,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Giving Hope Today\",\"hope\",\"Men's Emergency Shelter\",\"mental health\",\"saskatoon\",\"shelter\",\"The Salvation Army Crossroads Residential Services\",\"The Salvation Army Saskatoon\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Featured\",\"General Interest\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/\",\"name\":\"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon - Prairies and Northern Territories\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-08T18:22:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-26T10:58:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg\",\"width\":2500,\"height\":1877},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/\",\"name\":\"Prairies and Northern Territories\",\"description\":\"Prairies and Northern Territories Division\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1\",\"name\":\"SalvationArmy.ca\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dad52017e8d05f91dd36f51533fd4d34de13c1e4d6e8c2d198a5e65847134bba?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dad52017e8d05f91dd36f51533fd4d34de13c1e4d6e8c2d198a5e65847134bba?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"SalvationArmy.ca\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/author\/gutemberg1\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon - Prairies and Northern Territories","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon - Prairies and Northern Territories","og_description":"In this first-person account, Saskatoon Crossroads Residential Services chaplain Tyrone McKenzie shares how divine timing and the perseverance of kindness can win over even a hardened heart. Housing, shelter, and social services (including correctional and justice services and addiction services) are fundamental aspects of The Salvation Army’s mission. Click\u00a0the links above to learn more. Photo […]","og_url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/","og_site_name":"Prairies and Northern Territories","article_published_time":"2024-08-08T18:22:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-26T10:58:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2500,"height":1877,"url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"SalvationArmy.ca","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"SalvationArmy.ca","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/"},"author":{"name":"SalvationArmy.ca","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1"},"headline":"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon","datePublished":"2024-08-08T18:22:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-26T10:58:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/"},"wordCount":596,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg","keywords":["Giving Hope Today","hope","Men's Emergency Shelter","mental health","saskatoon","shelter","The Salvation Army Crossroads Residential Services","The Salvation Army Saskatoon"],"articleSection":["Featured","General Interest"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/","url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/","name":"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon - Prairies and Northern Territories","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-08T18:22:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-26T10:58:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/Crossroads.jpg","width":2500,"height":1877},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/2024\/08\/at-a-crossroads-finding-hope-in-saskatoon\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"At a Crossroads: Finding Hope in Saskatoon"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#website","url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/","name":"Prairies and Northern Territories","description":"Prairies and Northern Territories Division","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1","name":"SalvationArmy.ca","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dad52017e8d05f91dd36f51533fd4d34de13c1e4d6e8c2d198a5e65847134bba?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dad52017e8d05f91dd36f51533fd4d34de13c1e4d6e8c2d198a5e65847134bba?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"SalvationArmy.ca"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca"],"url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/author\/gutemberg1\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1841"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/pranorth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=1841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}