Near the tail-end of the outreach efforts for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy last week, a young volunteer posed the question, "What do we do now?"
The short answer is, "We do what we can". As short answers rarely satisfy anyone, save for those who crave a loving union of souls sanctified by a mutual assent towards building a life together, allow me to elaborate.
"We do what we can, wherever we are." It doesn't have to end at a relief center. As I kept on repeating over and over again as the relief efforts for Ondoy came to an end, at the very heart of change is a change of heart. If your experience in helping the victims of Typhoon Ondoy have made you a more compassionate, caring, generous, joyful and loving individual, then that is a change worth building on. The bedrock of all institutional change is a simple change of heart. You change the world by first changing yourself.
Also, "We do what we can, wherever that may lead us." Goods may exit a relief center, but it takes good people to bring them to where they can bring relief. Our suffering countrymen deserve more than just a bag of relief goods. They need to know that someone cares. During more pleasurable occasions, Filipinos celebrate friendships, and they cement them with abundant smiles and copious amounts of beer. During times of crisis, Filipinos celebrate strangers, and the anonymity that bolsters the giver's nobility often gives way to abundant smiles and copious amounts of heartfelt tears.
Megatent Relief Center is going to Pangasinan this Friday. We have 5,000 bags of relief goods, a skeletal team of veteran volunteers, and little else. Don't think that we simply need more relief goods. Don't think that we simply need more volunteers. We need YOU! Let's do what we can. Wherever we are. Wherever that may lead us.
Please check Megatent Conquers Pangasinan and Baguio. We need YOU!
Photo Credits:
Pictures come courtesy of Tin Sanchez and Pong Ignacio of Ondoy Photos.
4 comments:
You know what, John-D? I remembered again just now (the thought had been crossing my mind from time to time in the past several months) -- we call the recipients of relief goods, relief services, medical missions, scholarship programs and the like "beneficiaries". Of course they benefit from these things too, but if you really think about it, the people who provide the service or the goods or the program are the ones who take away more from what is being done. Giving oneself and really helping have a deep impact on the spirit and the character. When you don't lose sight of the fact that the people you're helping are human beings and not merely mouths to feed or figures to get out of poverty, every effort is much more enriching to the giver. That's what I think :-)
So beneficiaries... lahat tayo beneficiaries, hindi lang yung tumatanggap ng goods and services. And so gratitude is really felt by everyone 'cause everyone benefits :-)
So, thanks for providing the opportunities for us to help ha. I really appreciate it!
Galing! I never really thought of it that way. Thanks for sharing this with me. :D
I salute you guys. More power!
And may the Lord be with you always.
Thanks Willy! Please pray for the safety of the volunteers. They're leaving for Pangasinan early Friday morning. Thanks!
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