Up until last year the idea of volunteering was always ‘a good thing to do’, will eventually get round to getting involved in voluntary work in the community, or working abroad for a week and giving back.
Until July 2015 i had no idea how rewarding and exciting it would be, there was always that thought at the back of my mind and something i just never really thought would become reality and now here i am today, constantly thinking of new voluntary challenges i could be involved in to help bring smiles to those who genuinely need it most and appreciate the help and support they receive.
The importance of volunteering to me cannot put put into words, it is something that is felt, something that just feels right and that gets me thinking of new ideas of how best to help those in need without being a chore or without thinking there is something else i could be doing. All i am doing is taking some of my own time and putting it to some good use and it feels amazing. Little did i realise i would be as involved as i am today and little did i think i would enjoy as much as i do. Now when i think of holidays abroad and new challenges and exciting new adventures, i think about how i can make a difference to peoples lives whilst exploring the world.
I have been blessed with a loving family and some amazing friends and i just didn’t realise just how blessed. So i don’t see them all the time, i may not speak to them everyday but they are only a phone call away, a text message away from a little giggle and a drive away for some best spent times. How blessed i am that i have these friends i can call on when i am feeling in need of a bit of company, family just round the corner for home cooked hot meals when i fancy having dinner with family. It doesn’t cost anything but it is so much more than any of those kids i visited in Africa had, it is so much more than the girls i spent time with in Cusco as they had none of that.
How easy it is for us to turn a blind eye on what is going on around us, they are thousands of miles away why should we care, why should we care about those next door or in our neighbouring countries. We care because we are good human beings and we have a heart and we want to see smiling faces on innocent children’s faces. We go out of our way to make our loved ones laugh, our nieces and nephews, little grandchildren and even the grown up kids, so why should the children around the world not be treated to a smile.
When God blesses you financially, don’t raise your standard of living. Raise your standard of giving.
How simple is the above statement.
When we get a pay rise or receive our Christmas bonus or come into money in some shape or form, i can guarantee the last thing anyone one thinks is, ‘who could i donate part of this money too’? and it isn’t even about donating money, what about all those clothes sitting in the closet collecting dust, shoes we have grown out of or the kids they no longer fit, there are millions of kids all over the world they would fit.
Volunteering to help a single human being does not come at a great cost, it starts with having a heart, it starts with the good person within us and it starts with making the time to make a complete stranger smile.
Just smile, sit back and smile.
That feeling in those few seconds is enough to change the life of a child, which is why i chose to volunteer and help the less fortunate because whatever little time i give them, making those kids smile or laugh is giving them hope that there are people who care and it does make all the difference.
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