Because it matters…
Twelve months in a year can easily whizz by without much thought. Hectic schedules and personal commitments get the better of me – but we, both Terence and I have made it a point to purposefully set aside some days in our allocated annual leave to go out and do something meaningful – give back, in short.
In previous years we have travelled around Malaysia, Thailand, Acheh, and Indonesia helping local communities by way of capacity building, skills enhancement, education and even physical labour. Days in our early youth we spent many hours under the hot sun digging holes for bamboo piling to build new shacks, hours in the kitchen helping women cook and time with young ladies teaching them handicraft and social skills. We organized and put together children and youth rallies for local schools and universities and witnessed the joy and excitement we brought to them.
Little did we know that the act of giving back became a lifestyle, something we cannot simply ignore. We’re made mindful of the tiniest blessings that come to us daily and of the greater call that God has entrusted us with – this is the very least we can do. It helps put life into perspective. After all, if life is a selfish journey, what a lonely road it will be.
This year we will be going to Cambodia, at the end of August for a medical mission trip. The team is made up of a doctor, 5 medical students and 9 professionals. We will be visiting a village in Battambang, Siem Riep to give medical aid to over 500 villagers. Due to the impoverish state of the village, local communities barely get medical support or attention unless a severe situation calls for it. We’ve been alerted to pack our day bags with muesli bars, munchies and bottled water as the villagers often come in throngs leaving little room for the medical team to rest or have proper lunches.
We will occupy a vacant school to set up the make shift clinic. Prepared for the most basic amenities (eg. an empty building with minimal furniture), we will have to improvise to create different stations for registration, blood & sugar test, vision test, doctor’s consultation ‘ward’ and a medicine dispenser unit.
On the Sunday we will be there, we will be visiting the local church and sharing a Sabbath with them in fellowship, singing and word. My heart thumps with anticipation for the great things we will encounter and the lives we will touch – because the Great Commission really matters to my Father and therefore it matters to me.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.journeywithdeb.com/because-it-matters%e2%80%a6/trackback/
