Skip to main content

I volunteered and I felt selfless

Whenever I feel consumed of my daily responsibilities, I complain and grumble over it and wish it all ends. And I promised to myself that if I find time, I’ll surely escape from the city unwind beneath the forest, or at the mountain peak, or at a yacht in the middle of the sea. 


That was on a Sunday, February 22, 2015, I marked it red. It surely is an important activity. Looking at my schedule organizer it read, Books in Bags 2pm at One Pavillion Mall. Oh yes, I remembered.


I and my friends were invited by Ms Lorna Eguia to volunteer in a Story and Play activity for the orphans of Sunshine Ministry. It’s been a long time since I spent time in sharing my stocked up knowledge.


Unlike my friends, never was I fond of kids. My temper can’t sustain their restiveness. So never there was a time that I considered volunteering for the Kids Ministry in our church.


When we got there, I saw these kids running around and messing things up, and I sighed, “Lord stretch my patience”. I was whispering to myself, "Are you sure about this?".


We prepared games, action songs, and a short drama skit all out of necessity. That’s when I saw smiles and laughters and giggles. The look of innocence. It hit me. Their happiness is too simple. They just need people who are willing to spend even a little time for them. People who can read them stories of hope and of dreams. People who can listen to their simple wishes.


Two hours, that was just two hours of a day.


When we were about to leave, they gave us a hug and told us to come back. Their little hands holding mine felt like a lightning striking my heart. It hit me again.


“I am going back”, I said.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Filipino Stores and Restaurants in Tokyo

For somebody who craves for Filipino food and snacks from time to time, here are the stores I frequent to. I can only share a limited perspective but solely based on my experiences. Read on! Filipino Stores 1. Asia Yaosho (Kabukicho, Shinjuku)  While they mostly have Filipino products, they also sell Thai goods. I think their prices are a little lower than the other Filipino stores I've tried. However, they have limited stocks and they often run out of items that I usually need, like Bearbrand. 😁 Credits: This photo is from this website .  2.  Ameyoko Center Underground Marekt (Ueno)   This market is heaven for Southeast Asians. They have a lot of varieties, dry goods, frozen meat, and even fresh seafood. There are also two Filipino stores in the area. They sell more items than Asia Yaosho but they are a bit pricey.  Credits: Photo is from this website. The market is underground. The entrance is on the side of this building at the center of this photo.  3....

Summer: Warm Encounters

This year's summer break has been the best I've had in Japan or at least ever since I got to spend for my trips on my own. But while scanning through a thousand travel photos on my phone and camera, I realized that travel is made even more special with people you are with and those you encounter. Izumo, Shimane Other than its quiet and laidback atmosphere, the beauty of Izumo lies on its people. Our going there wasn't as carefully planned as it should have been. It's much farther from Tokyo and would honestly cost us more. But my oneechan convinced me that it will be worthwhile. I also happen to have a friend living in Izumo and I thought it will be a good opportunity for a catch up.  This Izumo friend drove us around and went out of her way for us to be able to spend a memorable day around the area. She as usual welcomed us with warmth and excitement sharing the history and stories of her hometown here and there. She is also naturally funny. Her quirks still make me gi...

Lessons in Spring

It's almost summer vacation and I have been planning on so many things to do for the long holiday but I have to sit down and write all the experiences worth remembering in spring.  HAKONE I stumbled upon this blog post that suggested a walk through the old Tokaido road would be fascinating. It would also be a less stressful trip to Hakone as it is an off the beaten path. So I forced myself to walk through the old road that actually leads you to lake Ashi. It  took about two hours of both feeling scared and excited. I was feeling nauseous in my stomach. The paved road uphill gave me an adrenaline rush. It was sunny and the air was cool. It was a good day to hike. There was a warning sign of bear sightings. I don't know why but that's the least of my concerns. In fact, what scared me more is the idea of bumping into a suspicious person along the way. Aren't humans scarier than animals? Life lesson: Travel alone. A lot . CHICHIBU A road trip through the mountains of Chichi...