“I smelled waffles on the 4th floor and had to check it out!”

Late November:  It’s by far the busiest season for an art + design student.  The school will often extend their operational hours until the wee hours of the morning so that students can burn the midnight oil trying to complete their remaining projects.  It’s hectic, stressful, and utterly exhausting.

This is when our student leaders decided we could best love our school.  In an environment that is marked and defined by individualism, competition, and as a result, isolation, we wanted to extend a grand gesture of love from a loving community.  Many of our student leaders bit the bullet and sacrificed time to work on their own projects to… make waffles?

Yep, waffles.  Freshly baked waffles.  With fresh fruit, multiple kinds of syrup, whipped cream, Nutella, and much more.  We wanted to love students during the most stressful period – to tell them we loved them and believed in them – by giving out free waffles.

We put pictures of waffles around the school the week before, and then the evening of our first run we went to all the busy work spaces at 9pm with big, handmade, posters advertising FREE WAFFLES.  The responses were great: “You’re joking right?” “Nope. Seriously. Free waffles.” “What? (insert a multitude of shocked profanities)”  Then the students ran.  And I mean they literally charged down the halls like the running of the bulls, rushing to the elevators, and within 2 minutes of opening the doors to the lounge we booked, 50 students were lined up.  This line up grew and weaved out of the room for two and half hours.

As people bottlenecked in the lounge and waited, we got to chat with them.  Many were curious and confused.  Some were skeptical.  Some were almost tearful with gratitude.

“Who are you and why are you doing this?” “We’re OCAD Christian Fellowship. We love you guys, and thought you could use a waffle to get through the night.”

“Christian huh? Well I’m a godless heathen.  Still want to make me one?” “Most definitely.  We love you.” “Love.  Ha.  You know, I used to believe in God, but the questions got to be too much.” “Oh yeah? What kind of questions? “Well…”

“It’s pouring rain outside, I’m soaked, none of my work is going well, I’m never going to leave here, I just ran out of money for groceries, and I’m starving… and you’re giving away free waffles?  I love you so much!”

We wanted to love students during their time of need, and the love was received well!  Over two nights were gave away around 500 free waffles, and managed to connect with a whole cluster students who a) didn’t know there were Christians at OCAD, b) didn’t know that Christians loved them, and c) left having been affected by the parable of the free waffles in the first floor lounge.

It was a beautiful evening, as OCF students learned to serve together, and saw the potential of what serving the Kingdom at OCAD could like.  People were well fed in a variety of ways.  Now, when we walk on campus, people point to us and say “Hey! You’re the waffle people!”  Yes we are.  Now we are excited to get to know those people more, and let them know that this whole Waffle Love experience was not a onetime fluke, but a characteristic of a Christ-centred community.  I am TOO excited for next term!