Be the Cause – Page 171 – Make a Difference

Compassion in the Slums of Ahmedabad

16 of us from Be the Cause are currently in Ahmedabad. Today we were in Ramapir No Takro Slum. This slum has over 150, 000 people living in the at most poorest conditions imaginable to mankind. The people there are of course much wealthier then we can imagine. Such beauty, kindness, compassion and love is what is felt when walking through.

Today a few of us from the group walked into the slum and picked up paper and plastic items.This of course encouraged the people in the slum to also pick up and clean their community. While walking through the slum, children and their families ran up to us, and helped us with picking up. A few of us were told from a Manav Sadhna volunteer that we were an example to the community because of our eagerness and dedication in cleaning up their home.

Manav Sadhna has a non traditional educational setting in the slum. They educate the childern and provide nutritious meals, as well as many other things…such as bathing the children which is what we did for this project. While bathing the children, we felt as if we were cleaning our own souls. The experience of seeing the children before and after their baths was astonishing…to see the happiness from the children from also getting their finger nails clipped, hair washed and combed, and lotion applied…was probably the biggest gift we ever could give them…and maybe the biggest gift we could give ourselves.

Another activity that was beneficial for both Manav Sadhna, the slum, and ourselves had to do with building the community center. We had a small part today in helping building this community center…by passing bowls full of bricks to each other, while standing in an assembly line of sorts. It felt like each brick that will be placed…represents a part of each one of us…because we were feeling such love and compassion, and inspiration…

Gianna and Kristeen

Christmas Caroling at the Houston Hospice

Posted on 12/19/2005

Christmas caroling at the Houston Hospice was definitely one of the most beautiful volunteer experiences I’ve ever had. The Houston Hospice is an in-patients unit where patients are brought in because they are very sick. Most of the patients who are there usually last only a few days to a few weeks at most. Every time I go there to spend time with patients, I never know if I would see that same patient again next week. Knowing how precious each moment is for these patients, I try to make the most of each visit, each moment I have with them. Especially during the holiday season when they are desperately craving the warmth and comfort of being home with friends and family just like the rest of us, Christmas caroling was a small attempt to bring the joy and spirit of Christmas right where they were.

Caroling event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my good friend Angela’s mother, Mrs. McCall, who brought her husband and her friends to sing for the patients at the Hospice. They all had beautiful voices; one of them even played the piano while the another friend accompanied the singing of familiar songs with his guitar. Within moment of starting the singing, the family members of the patients came out in the hallway to join us. Even the Hospice staff and patients sang along with us. At first when the doors started to open, I thought they were coming out to let us know that we were being too loud, but it turned out that they actually wanted to request us to sing their favorite song. Someone requested us to sing Silent Night while others started to clap and dance as the entire atmosphere was being filled with the spirit of Christmas. Seeing everyone with a big smile on their face, I couldn’t stop thinking of “Bootsie,” the patients on the second floor whom I had visited earlier.

I asked our group to stop by the room of Bootsie as she was lovingly called by everyone in her family, including her thirteen grandchildren. When I was with her earlier, I remembered how anxious she felt thinking that she may not get to go home for Christmas because she may not be around for that long. I told her that Christmas was just around the corner and that I had a surprise for her that would hopefully cheer her up. Sure enough, she lightened up as soon as we approached her room to sing for her. She sang along with us and said she enjoyed every minute of it, and so did we. Caroling was a wonderful way of reaching out to uplift someone’s spirit through beautiful songs that helped get us all in the spirit of Christmas.