Dreams do come true By RICHARD JOHN
Let me start with a brief introduction about myself and how I came to know about GK. I am from Fiji Islands, a member of Singles For Christ (SFC). I learned about GK when I was in the Christian Life Program (CLP). There was a visit by some SFC members from Australia while we were having our Discovery Camp in Fiji. They showed us a documentary about GK. After seeing the documentaries, I had a dream that one day I will go to the Philippines and be a part of GK. I will go and build houses for the poor.
The prayer was answered yet the dream was to be fulfilled. Before the friends from Australia left, they told us that they will be going to GK in January and invited us if we want to join them. It was already November. There were two of us who were really interested in going.
So we both started to fundraise and pray hard so that we could both go. It was hard work. Go to work, run after sponsors, organising things for the fundraising, as the time was short. I struggled a lot.
But wait! The question arises "why did I want to go to the Philippines?" I'm not a Filipino. I have no one that I know there. I have never been there but "why?". I have a job, I have a family, I am the only person who is working in my family. I took leave without pay. "What is so powerful about GK that made me live everything behind and be a part of it?" "What created so much passion in me?" There must be something special about GK.
Yes my friend, there was. I had a dream. I had a passion to fulfill my dream and to be a part of GK. But the question still arises, "I'm not a Filipino. I have no bonds with the people in the Philippines", but I tell you my friend, I have a bond. Far more than any other bond. A bond of love, a bond of being human. Even though we are not physically bonded, but we are specially bonded. We are all created by the same God. Every person in this world, rich or poor, black or white, short or tall, fat or skinny, no matter what religion, what ethnic background, we are all family and all created by one God.
I didn't want to go to the Philippines just for the sake of building houses or to have fun. But for the sake of my family, family of God. A family is waiting for me that one day I will come back and build a house for them. One by one, brick by brick. I was going to my family to help them build a nation. And when this nation is built, I will say proudly that I was there, with them to build their nation.
A dream yet to come true. I was the only person who could go to the Philippines from Fiji this year. I was helped by my Australian friends to come to the Philippines. As I reached Philippines, I know that all I dream about is coming true. We were assigned to a GK site in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. As I reached there, I couldn't wait to build because of the warm welcome I received. Even though the weather was not on our side, we were able to do some work. But the main thing is what I learnt about GK. It is not about building houses.
It is about giving respect and receiving respect. Knowing your identity and knowing what it really means to be a Filipino, creating a bond of love, giving people hope, showing people that a dream can be achieved, telling them that there are people who cares about them. Telling them that there are people who will pull them out of darkness and into the light.
Another thing I learnt about GK is to be a Bayani (a hero). Heroes are the people who will give their lives to save the lives of others. When I came to the Philippines, I was treated as a hero. They gave me all the best that I could have even though they are so poor.
The house I was staying had two kids. As each day went by, I got attached to the kids as if they were mine. The warm love they gave to me. It was amazing. They hugged me, played with me, and were always with me. I thought I came to help them. I thought they were poor. But I was more poor than them. They gave me their love. They build my inner peace that I was seeking. It was like it was them who was helping me. For every sacrifices that I made to come to the Philippines was worth it.
What I learnt was that, even though they are poor, they give so much. They work together, the rich and poor hand in hand to build houses one by one, brick by brick. Together they are building a nation.
They had a dream... they are fulfilling it... I had a dream... I fulfilled it. It is time that you be a part of the same dream!
I didn't want to go to the Philippines just for the sake of building houses or to have fun. But for the sake of my family, family of God. A family is waiting for me that one day I will come back and build a house for them. One by one, brick by brick. I was going to my family to help them build a nation. And when this nation is built, I will say proudly that I was there, with them to build their nation.
