24/05/2024
喺菲律賓嘅服務之旅完結之後，呢幾日我一直好忙碌。除咗慶祝母親節，仲有好多工作要做同埋會議要參加。今晚終於有時間靜下嚟，沉澱一下，同大家分享下呢次服務之旅嘅感受。
我之前去過兩次烏干達。第一次去嘅時候，考慮咗半年。當時對當地嘅環境有啲擔心，覺得自己未準備好。不過，最終直覺仲係帶我踏上呢段服務之旅。每一日嘅經歷都好震撼，眼前嘅現實令我心痛。有人問我點解明知心痛仲要再去，我都答唔到，但係就係有一種牽掛，想返去睇吓佢哋。
我好開心自己又再返去，因為我真係睇到我哋嘅慈善項目點樣幫助人進步同埋改變，帶俾佢哋希望。
四年之後，我參加咗呢次菲律賓嘅服務之旅，冇設定偉大嘅目標。我希望呢次旅行可以再次填滿我嘅心，令我重新對生命有熱情，或者可以影響身邊嘅人明白呢個宇宙嘅運作。因為只有大家都好，我哋每個人先會變得更好。
我鍾意工作，工作可以帶俾我能量，但係我唔鍾意自己對事情有期望嘅性格。只有喺做慈善服務嘅時候，我先可以重新學習盡力去做一件事，唔抱任何期望。呢種當下嘅力量令我感到滿足，所以呢次旅行係我送俾自己嘅一次學習當下同埋無私之愛嘅旅程。
呢次菲律賓嘅服務之旅相比去烏干達或尼泊爾要容易好多，無論係體力上定係心力上都輕鬆好多。冇咩令人傷心無奈嘅場景，住嘅地方都唔錯。雖然做義工需要準備好心情，唔係去旅行，但係當住宿條件有旅行質素嘅時候，內心真係好感恩。
去到Legazpi嘅Naga City，其實呢個城市就好似我鄉下石龍10年前咁，都有啲大型嘅商場，有好多餐廳，感覺幾唔錯！但係第二日正式去學校做服務嘅時候，去到小村莊見到嗰啲木屋同簡陋嘅房子，感覺真係好似三四十年前嘅大陸咁......
點解貧富懸殊可以咁嚴重？日頭經過嘅村莊同夜晚住嘅酒店差別真係好大，你好難想像佢哋係同一個城市，車程只係半個鐘！
去到學校幫佢哋做各種建設，點解唔直接俾錢佢哋，等當地人自己整呢？點解需要一啲根本唔係做開呢行嘅義工去幫手？因為曾經喺慈善機構嘅董事會做過，我知道其實慈善機構需要好多人去做監管，保證捐款人嘅錢真係用喺啱嘅地方。除咗咁樣，仲有另外兩個我覺得好重要嘅原因：第一，因為見到佢哋嘅環境同需求，我哋參與嘅人可以將故事帶返嚟，幫助佢哋籌款，令到佢哋嘅狀況得到更好嘅改善；第二，錢當然可以幫佢哋改善環境，但係愛同關懷可以令佢哋心靈得到最大嘅支持，等佢哋知道呢個世界上有好多人希望佢哋過得更加好！
做咗幾日泥水佬，其實我自己都幾enjoy。首先，我唔怕熱，出汗對於我嚟講係一件好事。我諗我咁大個人都未試過出咁多汗，我件衫係完全濕透，褲都濕晒。佢哋話室外嘅體感溫度係超過44度，唯一擔心嘅就係脫水問題，所以我哋不停地飲水補充電解質。見證住工程嘅進度，感到非常興奮。只係嗰幾日好想同啲小朋友玩，但係因為做嘢都冇機會去玩！我哋偷到空閒時間嘅時候，就會去班房度偷望吓啲小朋友。嗰幾日見到佢哋喺度做緊排練，為我哋嘅表演做好準備！
我好羨慕我老公同小朋友之間毫不費力嘅溝通。可能因為佢本身就好似一個小朋友，最後一日喺佢哋表演完之後，小朋友將佢哋預先準備好嘅感謝卡送俾我哋所有探訪嘅義工。我老公收到咗一大疊感謝卡，因為啲小朋友好鍾意佢，佢好搞笑！
我哋喺學校拍咗好多片，我仲未有時間去剪接。不過我哋有一個小小嘅目標，希望為佢哋學校籌款喺水井上面建一個儲水缸，令佢哋可以有自來水系統，唔使再去井邊打水。我哋已經決定會再返去嗰度睇吓啲小朋友，希望下一次可以有水幫佢哋整返個魚池，等佢哋可以養魚，咁佢哋就有魚食啦！
最後一日我哋去咗Farewell dinner，喺晚飯嘅時候我被邀請去分享今次旅行嘅感受。 Foundation project manager Tyler喺台上講咗一句令我好大感受嘅說話：“Talent is universal, but opportunity is not.”
其實去到呢個小村莊，我彷彿返咗去我細個喺大陸嘅時候。點解我對呢句說話感受咁大？其實我從來都覺得住喺農村唔係一件好慘嘅事。都市人覺得農村嘅人物質好缺乏，覺得佢哋好慘，但係嗰啲物質又係咪即係佢哋需要嘅呢？嗰啲物質係咪真係令到佢哋變開心咗？
尤其喺小朋友身上，小朋友好簡單。我細個唔着鞋喺條村度跑來跑去，爬樹，見到個水塘鍾意就跳落去游水，每日都自由奔放。聽到村裏面嘅阿媽們見到天黑嗌小朋友開飯，我就會跑返自己屋企開飯。我有一個好開心嘅童年！但係我嗰陣時個世界好細，唔知道將來會係點，亦都唔知道自己要做乜嘢！
我好幸運有機會移民到香港接受好唔同嘅教育，原來個世界可以變得咁大。除咗令自己變得更加好，我仲可以令其他人因為見到我嘅經歷而變得更加好！ 所以我覺得有機會接受教育先至可以有一個更加光明嘅將來！
我好想令到嗰度嘅小朋友知道，透過教育佢哋嘅潛能可以得到發揮同善用。每一個人都可以做到自己想做嘅嘢，每一個人都有能力去改變世界。最重要係希望喺佢哋心裏面放下愛嘅種子，因為當一個人被別人善待、被別人幫助之後，佢呢粒愛嘅種子就會萌芽，繼續去幫助其他有需要嘅人！我哋嘅宇宙就係咁樣運作㗎啦！
Hill Ngan
After the service trip to the Philippines concluded, I have been extremely busy these past few days. In addition to celebrating Mother's Day, there has been a lot of work to do and many meetings to attend. Tonight, I finally have some time to sit down, reflect, and share my feelings about this service trip with everyone.
I have been to Uganda twice. The first time I went, I considered it for half a year. At that time, I was worried about the local environment and felt that I was not ready. However, my intuition eventually led me to embark on this service journey. Every day's experience shocked me, and the reality in front of me broke my heart. Some people asked me why I would go again knowing it would be heartbreaking. I couldn't explain it clearly, but there was a kind of attachment that made me want to go back and see them.
I am very glad that I went back again because I really saw how our charity projects helped others progress and change, bringing them hope.
Four years later, I participated in this service trip to the Philippines without setting great goals. I hope this trip can fill my heart again, rekindle my passion for life, or influence those around me to understand how the universe works. Because only when everyone is well, can each of us become better.
I like working; work gives me energy, but I don't like my character of having expectations for things. Only when doing charity service can I relearn to do something with all my effort without any expectations. This power of the present moment makes me feel satisfied, so this trip is a journey I gave myself to learn about the present and selfless love.
This service trip to the Philippines was much easier compared to going to Uganda or Nepal, both physically and mentally. There were no heartbreaking and helpless scenes, and the place we stayed was also good. Although volunteering requires being mentally prepared and is not a vacation, when the accommodation conditions have the quality of a vacation, I feel truly grateful.
When I went from Naga City to Legazpi, this city actually reminded me of my hometown Shilong ten years ago. It also has some large shopping malls and many restaurants, which felt quite nice! However, when I officially went to the school the next day to do service work and visited the small village with its wooden houses and simple huts, it felt like mainland China from thirty to forty years ago...
Why is the wealth gap so severe? The difference between the villages we passed during the day and the hotel we stayed in at night was significant. It's hard to imagine they are part of the same city, with just a half-hour drive between them!
When we went to the school to help with various construction projects, why not just give them money and let the local people build it themselves? Why do they need volunteers who are not even in the construction industry to help? Having worked on the board of a charity organization before, I know that charities require many people to supervise and ensure that the donors' money is used for the right purposes. In addition to this, there are two other important reasons I believe in: first, by seeing their environment and needs, those of us who participate can bring their stories back and help raise funds to improve their situation; second, while money can certainly help improve their environment, love and care can provide the greatest support to their spirits, letting them know that there are many people in this world who want them to live better lives!
After a few days of doing manual labor, I actually enjoyed it myself. Firstly, I am not afraid of the heat, and sweating is a good thing for me. I don't think I've ever sweated so much in my life - my clothes were completely soaked, and even my pants were wet. They said the outdoor temperature felt over 44 degrees, and the only concern was dehydration, so we kept drinking water to replenish electrolytes. Witnessing the progress of the project was very exciting. I really wanted to play with the children those days, but didn't have the opportunity due to work! Whenever we had some free time, we would sneak into the classroom to watch the children. Those days, seeing them rehearse and prepare for our performance was heartwarming!
I admire the effortless communication between my husband and children. Perhaps it's because he himself is like a child. On the last day, after their performance, the children gave us all visiting volunteers thank-you cards they had prepared in advance. My husband received a stack of thank-you cards because the children really liked him, he's very humorous!
We took many photos at the school, but I haven't had time to edit them yet. However, we have a small goal to raise funds for their school, to build a water tank on the well so they can have a piped water system and no longer need to fetch water from the well. We have decided to go back to see the children there again, hoping that next time we can help them build a fish pond so they can raise fish and have fish food!
On the last day, we attended a farewell dinner. At the dinner, I was invited to share my feelings about this trip. The project manager of the foundation, Tyler, said something that deeply touched me on stage: "Talent is universal, but opportunity is not."
Actually, coming to this small village, I felt like I had returned to my childhood on the mainland. Why did this statement resonate with me so deeply? I never thought living in a rural area was a miserable thing. Urbanites think that rural people lack material wealth and pity them, but do they really need those material things? Can those material things really make them happier?
Especially with children, they are very simple. When I was a child, I ran around the village barefoot, climbed trees, jumped into ponds to swim when I saw them, and lived freely every day. When the mothers in the village called their children home for dinner at night, I would run back to my own home to eat. I had a very happy childhood! But back then, my world was small, I didn't know what the future held, and I didn't know what I wanted to do!
I am fortunate to have the opportunity to immigrate to Hong Kong and receive a different education. I never realized how big the world could be. Besides improving myself, I can also help others become better by sharing my experiences! That's why I believe that having the opportunity to receive education can lead to a brighter future!
I hope to let the children there know that through education, they can unleash and utilize their potential. Everyone can do what they want to do, and everyone has the ability to change the world. Most importantly, I hope to plant a seed of love in their hearts because when a person is treated kindly and helped by others, that seed will sprout and continue to help others in need! That's how our universe operates!
Young Living Foundation
