Mission to Montreal: Maricarmen Raudales

How did you end up at The Salvation Army? You can ask any Salvationist that question and you’re always going to get an interesting answer. Maricarmen Raudales is no exception. 

She is the executive director of L'Abri d'Espoir, the only Salvation Army shelter for women in Quebec. She's also a soldier at Montreal Citadel, where she's involved in multiple ministries.

In this episode, Maricarmen shares how the Army is fighting against conjugal violence in Quebec, what inspires her about the Army today, and how she learned the Army is far more than just a thrift store.

Transcript

Kristin Ostensen  

This is the Salvationist podcast. I’m Kristin Ostensen. How did you end up at The Salvation Army? You can ask any Salvationist that question and you’re always going to get an interesting answer. Maricarmen Raudales is no exception. She’s a soldier at Montreal Citadel, where she’s involved with multiple ministries. And she’s the executive director at L’Abri d’Espoir, The Salvation Army’s shelter for women and families in Montreal. In everything she does, her passion for ministry, for giving hope, for living the gospel, is clear. So how did Maricarmen connect with the Army? Like so many of us, first through music—and then, through the mission.

Hi, Maricarmen. Thank you for being with us today on the Salvationist podcast.

Maricarmen Raudales  

Thank you for having me.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah. So, to start us off, can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your background?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Well, I am originally from Honduras. For those who don't know where that is, that is two countries south of Mexico. And it's a very poor country—one of the poorest in Latin America. And I was born into a middle-class family, but I had parents who were really involved in helping in the community as leaders and volunteers in various areas, so I grew up giving a lot to my community. I studied French at the [] francaise in high school, so when it came time to go to university, somebody told me about Montreal and about McGill. And there I was at 18 at McGill University in Montreal. I loved it. It was really great years I spent here. And then I left, because I had to—you know, my program, my bachelor's finished. And I went home. Because I studied communications and Latin American studies, so I was working, when I got back, in community work. I was working with street children, then within the area of human rights, children's rights. I worked for the United Nations peacekeeping missions. And yeah, and from there, I decided to go for a master's degree. And I got a scholarship to go to Syracuse for international relations and public administration. And after that, I'm like, What do I do? So I thought, I'm not that far from Canada again in Syracuse. So I applied for immigrant status, and I got it. I thought I was going to be here only for a few years. But I met my husband, had kids, and here I am, 27 years later, still in Montreal, still in Canada, and loving it.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, wonderful! That's great. Can you tell me a little bit about how you became a Christian? A little bit about your faith journey? 

Maricarmen Raudales  

I didn't grow up in a Christian home. My family was nominally Catholic, as were most people that I knew in Honduras growing up. But I had my mother's sister—she was a loving faith warrior who was always witnessing to me, for years and years since I was in high school, you know, a teenager. And unfortunately, I gave one step forward, two steps back—I got close to my faith, I never made a real commitment until I had children. When I had children, it became very real to me that I couldn't, that I needed to make a decision, that spirituality had to be an important part of my life and an anchor for me and my children in Canada, and that I needed to sort of really search for God and commit to that. And so that became the time when I said this is it.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah. And can you tell me a bit about how you ended up at The Salvation Army?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Well, I'm one of those people who had never heard about The Salvation Army. I knew they did good work, but I didn't—I knew the thrift stores, but didn't know it was a church, right? One of those! But when my kids were in school, in grade school, there's a law in Quebec that forces you to put your kids in French school. And that kind of frustrated me. At this school, there was a lot of, I found experiences of immorality, just things that I thought were just, I wasn't comfortable with. And that made me want to homeschool. So I homeschooled for three years. I have three children, so my two eldest girls, I did Grade 1, 2 and 3; Grade 4, 5 and 6. So I did the whole elementary school in three years. But my husband wasn't very much on board. So he said, no, he wanted them to go back to the school system. So when I put my eldest back, she went into high school and there was no music program. And she had become very taken by the trumpet. So it was music that drew me to The Salvation Army. I was looking for someone to teach her trumpet, and I just happened upon this family in my neighbourhood, just like that, who told me that their kids were getting trumpet, were going to The Salvation Army church, and that they were having lessons there. And so I called, I was accepted very generously because I wasn't a member of the church. And when I went, because of my background in the helping areas and the mission, the model, you know, the commitment to sharing the gospel and responding to human needs, you know, “heart to God and hand to man,” it was just ooh! Exactly me. So I just became very, very—I was in, I was hooked. [laughs] I became very committed to the church and I really found a home for myself, a great home church for me and my children at the Montreal Citadel.

Kristin Ostensen  

That's amazing. Yeah, I think a lot of people come in that way, you know, through the music. Yeah, it's wonderful. And so how long have you been at Montreal Citadel then?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Oh, I think it's 12 years, around that. Yeah.

Kristin Ostensen  

That’s great! Can you tell me a little bit how you've been involved in ministry since you started attending the Army, and maybe some of your more meaningful experiences doing that?

Maricarmen Raudales  

I'm the type of person who does a lot of—I get involved very quickly. So I started getting involved in leadership and on the leadership team. I was also involved in hospitality—in it and then running it. And then I was in translation because our congregation is almost, at this point, probably more than 50 percent Hispanic. So then I organize the translation so that they have a better access to the service. And then, and for the last several years, I've been running, I've been responsible for the youth ministry—Sunday school, youth group, that kind of thing. So yeah. And then the program committee, to sort of be involved. But essentially, I just do a little bit of whatever's needed, when it's needed. One of the things that I really enjoyed, that I had the privilege to be one of the five Salvationists from Canada that participated in the Rio 2016 international sports mission, that during the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. So it was only five of us. There was people from the U.S., from Europe, from Australia. And we were there for a week—88 of us—and we were assigned to a corps and it was just exciting to be able to be there at that time, meeting people, developing relationships, and trying to sort of disciple people, you know. So it was really exciting. We were allowed, we worked with some homeless people up and around the corps, some sex workers that were coming for some support at the corps. And we ran a couple of programs, sports activities, just to bring kids from the community—it was not a very, it was, you know, a low-income community—to sort of give them that opportunity and also, you know, talk to them about the Lord. So it was a great time; it was wonderful to be able to be part of that mission.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, I'm sure. Is there anything from that mission that kind of stands out for you in particular?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Well, it's always that sense of the Army, that commonality, that common thread, whether you're from Norway, from Brazil, we're all kind of facing similar challenges—people who need the Lord, people who have great needs, and just how it presents itself differently. But we're all in that fight together. I think working with the sex workers was very interesting because we tend to make assumptions and have certain biases and prejudices, and just seeing how they just want to be accepted and just have a space to, you know, they need help, too. It’s just that part of being able to be open to different situations and doing it without judgment, as I thought how important it was and how meaningful it was for those sex workers.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, absolutely. And of course, you've been working for The Salvation Army professionally for about five years now.

Maricarmen Raudales  

Five years exactly, yeah.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, that’s amazing.

Maricarmen Raudales  

Yeah, it is!

Kristin Ostensen  

And how did you get into that? How did you start working for the Army?

Maricarmen Raudales  

I think that's just divine intervention. 

Kristin Ostensen

Yeah?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Because I, well, I had been at home with my kids for 10 years. And I started going to the Army. And shortly after, I was looking for work because I'd been out of the workforce for a while. And it was through someone at the church, Colonel Glen Shepherd, somehow I ended up working at the organization that he worked with, which is a Christian international nonprofit that works in the health sector. And so as I worked with him and became familiar with the Army, I really wanted to serve in the Army. Even though it was local, it's not international, I thought, You know what? There's a lot that I can contribute. So an opportunity came up as they did some restructuring at the Booth Centre in Montreal, and I became the executive director of programs. And I really found that a lot of my skills were quite transferable, even though it was a bit of a steep hill to understand, sort of, the homeless sector and some of the issues, and working more with local government, and it's not the same as working internationally. But I very excited to do that and to sort of contribute. And then, at L’Abri, the director here had to be on leave for a while, so they asked me to come and replace. But then she did not come back, so then it became a permanent position for me to be the executive director of L’Abri d’Espoir, which is the women's shelter.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, that's right. Yes, I was going to say, can you tell us a little bit about L’Abri d’Espoir?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Well, L’Abri d’Espoir is actually one of the largest shelters in Montreal, and the only women's shelter that's run by The Salvation Army in Quebec. We have 50 beds for women and 12 beds for children. And it's for vulnerable women, with or without children, who need just immediate support and help to sort of reintegrate society. They can stay anywhere between one night to two years, depending on the program. So we have an emergency shelter program that's 15 double rooms, so a capacity of 30 women—they can stay up to three months. Then we have a family program, and that's for seven mothers and up to 12 children, and they can stay, depending on their needs, they can stay up to two years. And then we have a third floor, which is the transitional housing program, that's for 13 women that can stay up to two years. So it's really a variety of services. We have a variety of clientele—we're not focused on any single one. So it could be conjugal violence, it could be mental health, it could be just lack of employment, it could be—a lot of immigration issues lately. And then we just, you know, adjust to what their needs are, and help them and support them to sort of move forward, at their rate and at their pace and however they feel capable of doing.

Kristin Ostensen  

And as executive director, what would you say your vision is for L’Abri d’Espoir? And what are your hopes for the women who come here?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Well, it's going to sound strange, but I'm very committed to the women, and to really make sure that what we do here, we do it with care, sincere care, with offering them dignity, and allowing them to, giving them the safe space and the support to transform, to make changes in their lives, even if it's a small one. I'd like to know that every person that came or has connected to L’Abri d’Espoir, any woman, saw an opportunity to make a positive change and has made a positive change, even if it's a small one. Many of them come back, but that we always support them in that way. But I also want it to be a great place for the staff to work. As you all know, staffing has become a real challenge across the territory. And I think that retention, I think that making sure that people feel that this is a good working environment is really important, that we treat our staff with the same care and dignity that we do our residents. I think it's very important.

Kristin Ostensen  

Can you think of a recent example that really demonstrates the impact that the Army is making at L’Abri d’Espoir?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Yeah, I mean, this is what we live for. I think, since I've been here, I've had several women come up to me and tell me their story of how a woman who was a victim of conjugal violence when she came from Iran, and she was just destroyed, she was unable to pick up the phone and make calls for herself. And after a year and a half, she got a driver's license, she was able to get a job, she got an apartment. To us, it made us almost cry to see how wonderful that was. That was a young person. And we saw an older woman who was from Germany, a psychologist by training, who again had sort of come upon some bad times and could never have imagined going to a shelter. It was unimaginable to her. But her social worker said, No, go. You're better off there than on your friend's couch because they're going to support you and help you. She, again, was like, I wish I could tell the world that if you have an issue, come to a shelter because you'll get the support. You'll never get the support if you just stay in your corner. You know, you need to be able to be guided, to be pointed to the right resources. So knowing that, the eye-opening experience for them, and to say: There is help. I don't have to go through this alone. I think it's just extremely meaningful and just rewarding. 

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, absolutely. I can see that for sure. And, of course, at the INSPIRE Conference last year, you were one of the recipients of a COVID-19 Excellence Award. How did that feel for you to be recognized in that way?

Maricarmen Raudales  

I was surprised. I didn’t expect it. Like, what? [laughs] But it's funny because that period was so intense, and everybody who works in social services understands that it was intense. We were just going a day by day. In our case, I was at the Booth Centre at the time. We had an outbreak and public health just landed and required that we make major changes, lots of protocols and systems that we just didn't know—it was just new to us. But we adjusted, we adapted, we did what we had to do because we really wanted to protect those close to 200 men that were there—some of them with significant mental health issues that we said, They're very vulnerable, we have to make sure that we protect them. And so we did it—we just did what we had to do. It was, you know, long hours, it was doing things that we're not used to doing, serving meals at the door. It was just complete—it was very intense. But public health recognized this, as well, for all that we did in that very short—because it was at the beginning of COVID, that we had that outbreak, and we were able to keep up those systems so that we didn't have another outbreak until maybe, I think, recently. So it was good and it was, I think, not just for me, but across the territory, to all the people that were recognized at the INSPIRE Conference, I think it was a time to sort of look back because a lot of us haven't even had time to look back—we just keep going. So to say, You know what? That was amazing. Whether it was in Newfoundland, or if it was in B.C., or in Quebec—we all made an important contribution, we all committed to being there for the people that we serve, and going the extra mile for them. And that was a time where we really had to step up and do it. Our families were scared sometimes—you know, we were the ones that were still coming in and being exposed, not being able to work from home. And I think, at the end, we were all glad to do it. We were all satisfied with what we were able to do, to keep people safe. So it's really worthwhile. I think it's important that we were seen, you know? Sometimes we think we're not really seen—we just do, do, do, do, do. But it's nice when the Army says, You know what? We see you, and we value you and what you've done and your team, because, clearly, it's not just me—it's a team effort. And so that was, that felt good.

Kristin Ostensen  

Absolutely. No, I mean, our front-line folks did an absolutely phenomenal job. I mean, you do a phenomenal job every day. But especially during the pandemic—it was just such a challenging time for everyone, and as you said, you couldn't work from home. So thank you—thank you to you and everybody on your team for just doing that. Yeah, but just thinking back on the pandemic, what were some of the lessons that you took away from that? And how do you see L’Abri d’Espoir sort of moving forward and doing even better because of maybe what you learned during the pandemic?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Well, I think that one of the things is that staffing is so important. Oddly enough, what I learned is that our staff are just as vulnerable as the residents. We realized that we were asking a lot of each other, of everyone, and that we needed to take care of each other, too. Everybody lives these experiences very differently. Everybody had to go home to certain situations, whether they had vulnerable elderly parents or people in their lives. And I think that that teamwork that we were asking, that we were doing, we really had to also sort of see, How are you guys doing? How are you feeling? Do you need a break? And of course, this is magnified if you look at the public health system. But even within the shelter system, I think that we have to really always look at our own people and take care of them so that they can take care of others properly. Oddly, that was a lesson for me. And also that enforcing protocols is not always easy. I think you have to, it takes a while, it's a lot of discipline required to sort of be very strict about certain things. And the comfort levels of each individual. We lived it all very differently. And I think we had to be respectful of that, within our team and even with the people that we served. So I think that was a big lesson for me, to sort of be sensitive to people's experience within a crisis situation and to support and take care of them.

Kristin Ostensen  

Absolutely. And at your home corps, in a similar way, how do you see the corps sort of emerging from that time? 

Maricarmen Raudales  

I think what we're finding is, at the Citadel, we get a lot of people coming through family services. So a lot of immigrant families—a lot. So that the adaptation that's required is that immigrant families have different needs—they still don't understand the system, they still don't understand, they don't speak the language. So it requires for us to sort of try to find people who can speak various languages, that we can adapt, that we can be inclusive despite that. I think we still try to do a little bit more outreach, to be more available in the community, and continue to offer online services. I think that's been good because some people, you have the shut-ins, and you have different people who can continue to benefit from being a part of the church without necessarily always physically being there if they cannot. I think that's been a positive coming out of COVID, of the pandemic. But, yeah, change—new people, different people. And the church that needs to, sort of, be the church that it needs to be for those people, right?

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, absolutely. And thinking about, you know, starting fresh, doing new things. I'm wondering what inspires you about The Salvation Army right now? Where do you see opportunities for growth and new life?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Well, I'm really excited with in the last two, three years, maybe five—I can't really say and say exactly—just how there's been positive changes. I think there's been a commitment to new technology, innovation, renewal. I find a lot of opportunities for professional development for staff, online training, you know, new systems which, for us, as work tools—whether it's for HR, or what have you, and client management—that kind of thing that's coming. I think those are all tools that are we're excited about as we work because we want to be more efficient; we know that we can do more. And the fact that there's that opportunity, that encouragement to try new things—you know, I think that I feel in the air, there's that sense of trying new things, get out there, be innovative, develop partnerships, do things in new ways. We’re trying to be a more—although it’s a large organization, it’s a big ship to move, but encouraging that its various pieces take on new projects. So I do think that there's possibilities. The more, especially in my case, I see that the more we start partnerships, that we work with others, the more that we see creative opportunities to do things better, and to bring more resources to the women that we serve.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah and, of course that’s part of the new vision, right? Being an innovative partner. And speaking of innovation, I know that L’Abri d’Espoir is going to be starting up new innovation grant program quite soon. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Yeah, well, we did one last year, which was focused on conjugal violence. And the idea was that we wanted to take the issue, or run with the banner of conjugal violence in Quebec, to make it known throughout the ministry units with men, women, community and family Services, and that was done. And this year, the focus has been more on, it will be on raising awareness among youth. These are teens and preteens and the adults in their lives, to prevent or to discuss, to have conversations and dialogue around sexual exploitation and violence against young people. We're probably not going to do it in a direct way. It'll be more, what are healthy relationships, you know? What could be red flags about something that is becoming a little bit risky or unhealthy? And that young people can recognize it themselves and in their friends, what's going on. And parents can also, and coaches and teachers can also be part of that network to support young people and to sort of protect them from the danger that's out there. So that's going to be interesting. I mean, we just hired the new person. It's going to really take us to working around Montreal. I really feel that L’Abri d’Espoir and The Salvation Army could always use some more visibility in Quebec. Our footprint is a bit small. So at these events, I think it's ways for us to be out there in the community and more visible to people as to what does the Army do. And so, this aspect of modern slavery and human trafficking, conjugal violence in Quebec, and how we're, you know, taking action against it, I think it's a really positive thing—just in general because it needs to be done, but important because it gives some extra visibility to the Army's work in Quebec.

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah. We're obviously more than just a thrift store, right? 

Maricarmen Raudales  

Yes! My kids just, [laughs] they think I'm crazy because everywhere I go, I'm like, we got to see what the Army is doing here! So, I’m in Cuba—let's go to the Army. OK, I'm in New York City, I'm in Los Angeles, I'm in Amsterdam, they’re like [laughs]. In Ghana, I went to a service and they're like, Mom! [laughs] But it's amazing. It's amazing to see what the Army and how there's, when you go to a corps, you see the similarities. You see the—many times, not often, not always, but you see the worship team, you see the brass band, and you see the timbrels and go, Oh, I'm home, you know. Even when you're in a completely different environment, and you see that we all are united by that common thread of wanting, you know, to be the hands and feet of Jesus and also be, you know, sharing his love, spreading his love, and sharing the gospel. So it's a whole package. 

Kristin Ostensen  

Yeah, absolutely. And of course, you became a soldier quite recently, actually, just a year ago. Can you tell me a little bit about why you decided to take that step?

Maricarmen Raudales  

Yeah, that's a little bit difficult, because my husband, unfortunately, when I became a believer, I was already a parent. He didn't make that choice with me. He's a French Canadian. The French Canadian relationship with faith has been very special and challenging. So I've been on this journey of faith on my own with my kids. And I became an adherent after two years because I was very committed to the Army. But I felt that I wasn't able to honour the covenant and the requirement to not consume alcohol, and have that be an issue of conflict with my husband, even though I'm not much of a drinker. But over the years, I think I saw my husband see the benefits, the rich benefits that the Army brought to me and to our children. And so, I thought that after 10 years after, you know, becoming an adherent, I felt that was the right time, and that coming out of the pandemic, too. It's like the pandemic makes us also think about, Wow. You kind of have to live now and do things when you can, right? Because you don't know what's coming around the corner. So I thought that this is probably the right time to make that decision. And I became a soldier last June, 2022.

Kristin Ostensen  

Well, thank you so much for sharing about your faith and your ministry. It's so neat to hear about what the Army is doing Quebec—it's just wonderful to hear about. And yeah, bless you in all you do.

Maricarmen Raudales  

Thank you. And please pray for us because, like I said, there's challenges in Quebec that I think are very unique to this province—as, you know, social services, as corps, as churches. And so prayer is always welcome. Thank you for this time, and thank you for, you know, having me on this podcast. 

Kristin Ostensen  

Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Salvationist podcast. For more episodes, visit Salvationist.ca/podcast.