Let's Chat!?! By LILIAN CHAN*
(*Extract edited and taken from "A step into the world of GK" written by Lilian Chan and Andrew Li)
While living here, I always wanted to help the 'poor' somehow, but I had no idea how! So when people from GK came to youth group to give a talk, I was so touched by the idea of being able to help the poor in such a logical and practical way, I wanted to find out more about GK and experience it for myself!
The Philippines is a really interesting place, with a mixture of Asian, Spanish and Western cultures. In terms of safety, many of the places we visited would not normally be considered safe for tourists, simply because they're places with lots of poverty, which is often associated with crime. However, while staying in the GK villages, I felt completely safe, because people in GK villages live out the values they were taught, and they all really respect anyone who comes to help them out.
We realised that building relationships is the most important aspect of the work of GK, not just building houses . The problem with poverty is that many people get stuck in that cycle, because they don't even have the hope that they can improve their own situation. GK provides hope for these people, not only by the houses, but also through livelihood programs, youth groups, schools and values formation.
So when we weren't building houses, we had the opportunity to get to talk to the people who live in the GK houses and hear about their stories. Some of the stories are so touching and amazing. It also gave us the chance to spend time with the kids, which was great, because they're now full of hope for what they can do in the future.
We didn't have any particular skills in house building, or in helping or teaching people but I realised that just our being there, and our willingness to help actually gave hope to the people. It's very difficult to explain, but by their realising that people from a different country actually care about them, it gives them the sense that they are actually someone, and that they can try to do what they want to achieve. One of the ladies in the village explained that when the teenagers of that village see foreigners coming to help, they follow and also help out to create the community.
Before going to GK, my idea of helping the poor was to give the homeless man on the corner a few coins, and then leave and go back to my comfortable house. But ever since going to GK and working, playing, eating and living with the poor, I have realised that the poor are not a nameless faceless group in society, but individuals who all have their own personality, needs and hopes. I had the chance to realise that although they're Filipino and poor, and I'm Chinese-Australian and well-off, that we're all still brothers and sisters. Would I allow my own sister or parents to have to live in the slums, or pick up rubbish in a dumpsite to find food? Jesus taught us, 'Whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me!' (Matthew 25:40). Before my trip to the Philippines, I found it impossible to understand this perspective, but the people in the village have taught me so much.
It was definitely an experience! Spending three weeks with people you don't really know, seeing a foreign country, staying at an island resort, living with the poor - what more could you want? You really get to know your abilities and limitations as well, because it is emotionally and physically tiring. But yeah overall, it really gave me a chance to fulfil one of my life goals of being able to help the poor.
We didn't have any particular skills in house building, or in helping or teaching people but I realised that just our being there, and our willingness to help actually gave hope to the people. It's very difficult to explain, but by their realising that people from a different country actually care about them, it gives them the sense that they are actually someone, and that they can try to do what they want to achieve. One of the ladies in the village explained that when the teenagers of that village see foreigners coming to help, they follow and also help out to create the community.
