“This book sings and invites you into its song… The spirituality of this book will deeply touch you.”

— Charles Ringma, Emeritus Professor, Regent College Vancouver

“I read Becoming Neighbours on a rainy Vancouver morning, grateful to be in a warm home with blankets and a hot cup of coffee. It was after a very (very) long week – where living and working in community had felt particularly difficult and painful. Reading Anika’s words was a balm for my spirit. She encouraged me, challenged me, made me laugh, and made me cry – all the things! If you’re a person who needs a pep talk or encouragement to continue to show up, and walk along the road towards deep community with the people around you, read this book.”

- Jeanette Moss, Team Lead & Director of Strategy and Development, Salsbury Community Society

“It was such a gift to read Anika’s book, which is so beautifully written. She’s such a gifted storyteller. But more than that, her stories of growing in relationship with her neighbours will warm your heart and touch you deeply. Her book affirms my own aspirations to pursue loving neighbours and even more challenging, to love strangers.

- Barry Jung, community convener, social connector, curator of Neighbours on Purpose

“Anika writes out of a deeply reflective lived experience of sharing a home space and daily life with people in transition between countries, who are often dealing with great trauma, loss and vulnerability. The values coalesced from within that experience provide a foundational orientation for welcoming that is very rare. I highly recommend this humble pearl of wisdom to any and all who connect with folks in transition and who have the courage to begin the adventure of mutual transformation, connectedness, and a larger, truer life.”

— B. Binder, former MCC Country Rep, retired teacher, University of the Fraser Valley

“This thought-provoking little book speaks graciously about welcoming the stranger. It will guide many people on their journey to revise what they have taken for granted and consider new possibilities of deeper connection.”

- Marlae Vermeer, former Kinbrace volunteer

“Becoming Neighbours has heartwarming stories of how people from different cultures find their common humanity and need for each other in the context of resettlement in Canada. I would recommend it for all who desire to work locally with newly arrived immigrants.”

-Deb Penney, nurse-midwife, researcher on refugees and health, University of Utah

“Anika Bauman is a gifted writer and she uses her personal stories to share Kinbrace’s five core values of welcome, trust, mutual transformation, celebration, and prayer. This clever book presents the work of Kinbrace Community Society while demonstrating the value and simplicity of practicing hospitality. Each chapter tells a unique and beautiful story with practical applications for the reader. Reading this short book educated me about outreach with refugee claimants and challenged me to think about how I share my life with others and I hope that it helps me be a better listener and a source of solace for people who are suffering.”

— Dr. Craig Kraft, Executive Director of Outreach Canada