Biggest's story
Biggest Mundele and family at Matthew House Ottawa when they were hosts.
“We moved and everything seemed to go wrong at once. We ran out of money. We couldn’t afford to pay rent. My wife got sick. We went to the hospital and we didn’t have enough money to pay our bills… We were desperate. No one could take us in.” – Biggest Mundele
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Each month we share stories of amazing people connected to Matthew House Ottawa. Enjoy!
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My name is Tonton Mundele Beya Wa Beya, but my friends call me Biggest. I am originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and when Matthew House first became a part of my story, I had just finished studying in China. My wife and I immigrated to Canada as permanent residents.
We moved and everything seemed to go wrong at once. We ran out of money. We couldn’t afford to pay rent. My wife got sick. We went to the hospital and we didn’t have enough money to pay our bills as the first few months as a permanent resident are not covered by medical care. We were desperate. No one could take us in. We couldn’t even stay at a hotel. We got connected to the Catholic Centre for Immigrants and they told us about Matthew House.
The Executive Director at the time was very empathetic but she told us that the house was only for refugee claimants. They made an exception for us and it changed our life.
I remember very clearly the first night...there was no room. My wife was crying; we were so desperate. It was a full house but they let us sleep on the couch in the basement until someone moved out. We spent two to three months there as residents and it allowed us to get on our feet.
We felt like we had come home. The host family was so good. The volunteers were there to help. They helped us access employment resources. David Botha at the Furniture Bank was one of my first references. When we moved out, we got 80% of the furniture from the furniture bank. The chairs, everything. I thought to myself, “This is crazy. How can people do this with so much of their heart and their love to people that they don’t know, these strangers that have nothing?” It was amazing.
My wife and I used to say that we should come back to Matthew House as volunteers. We wanted to pay forward what they had done for us, to help people. From time to time we had to go to a furniture bank for a few assignments volunteering. When the current house parents moved out, we considered moving in.
You always want to consult friends when you make these decisions. Some thought this was a good idea, others thought “Is that really a good idea?” We had our first child already, a boy. Some said, “Do you really want to go and move again? You won’t have your privacy. You’ll be living in one room.” We said, “We think what we are going to do is much stronger and will have more of an impact on people”
We signed a contract. We were very happy to spend this time there. Initially it was for a year. We ended up spending two years. We even had our second child there.
We had fun and people were also very supportive. It was crazy. The residents had a baby shower. It was such a family. I remember all these evenings spending time with the residents, having dinner, and intaking new residents. It was a very great experience.
Today we have two kids, live in Kanata, and I work as a trade commissionaire at Global Affairs Canada. We even bought our first house because in our early days in the house the former executive director of Matthew House, Janice Long-Mills, encouraged us to and set us up with a real estate agent.
I know that sometimes people are afraid of strangers. They don’t want to get involved with people they don’t know, especially because they don’t want to make their life difficult. But the truth is, we are all strangers to other people. If we get to know other people, there are no longer strangers. We give to our community the best of what we carry. Our society is composed of people coming from different places. We need help from people who live here who have been here long to help those people who come from different backgrounds and experiences.
I remember clearly that when my first baby was about four months old I had to take a resident to emergency in the middle of the night. The ambulance came. She was so sick. I left my wife with my little one and we spent the whole night there with the resident. But I always remember that this is what it means to give your heart to people. People will remember this.
So, for people who are still hesitating to get involved with Matthew House, I would say: open your heart, help people in need. This is the best gift we can give with people who have chosen Canada to be their home. We should open our hearts to welcome them.
Interview and transcription by Hannah Marazzi
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Wanna help? Here is how you can change lives through Matthew House Ottawa:
Donations: you can give online here or cheques can be mailed to 380 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa ON K2G 6A1.
Become a monthly donor: The consistent support from our monthly donors has been a HUGE help during this time, and we would encourage you to give in this way if you are able. You can set up a monthly donation here – just click “donate monthly” tab at the top of the page.
Refugee Services: We welcome donations of grocery cards (or groceries and frozen meals) to help feed the refugees we have welcomed at the house, though we ask that you please contact Doreen in advance to make arrangements (dkatto@matthewhouseottawa.org).
Furniture Bank: If you have gently-used furniture you no longer need, please give us a call at 613-591-6681. And please spread the word among your networks as well.
Pray: for past, present and future residents and furniture bank clients
Since 2010, Matthew House Ottawa has welcomed hundreds of refugee claimants, and provided quality used furniture to about 5000 families in need. We have done this as a large, dedicated team of volunteers and a small handful of employees, with a lot of passion and commitment. Thank you for helping to make this important work possible!