Get Directly Involved

Back in high school, a couple of my friends and I used to visit a children’s home on Saturday afternoons. It was just a temporary home for kids who, for one reason or another, had to be separated from their parents/guardians. Some of those kids came from very poor homes or homes not conducive for young kids. When we visited the children’s home, we would play with the kids, sing worship songs, perform skits, and even tell them stories from the Bible. Sometimes, we’d play tag, kick a soccer ball around, color pictures, or just watch them as they showed us how to play a certain video game or two. In a way, we were there to just play and interact with them. Bring some joy into their lives and show them that someone cared.

Every time we would visit, the kids were so excited to see us that they’d be jumping all around, each trying to turn our attention towards them specifically. Sometimes, I’d even have two kids grab one of my hands and try to drag me towards the swings or slides. It was obvious that they were glad that we were there. Their eyes would sparkle and toothy grins spread across their faces. You could very clearly see the happiness on their faces when they saw us coming in through the door. The hardest part was when we would have to leave. They’d all be holding to our arms and legs, asking if we could just stay a bit longer. Some would even make us promise that we’d be back again to visit or else they’d never let go.

Because of the time I spent with those kids, I firmly believe that just giving monetary donations to those considered “poor” isn’t enough. No doubt, money would be helpful in providing for their basic necessities such as food, clothes, and shelter, but I believe that people should take a personal interest and get directly involved in helping the poor. For some, poor doesn’t just mean they are lacking in monetary funds. For some, poor means they’re lacking in happiness, compassion, and love. I know that those kids at the children’s home benefited more from our direct interaction with them than if we were to just donate money to the facility. What brought a smile to their face was the fact that we took time to just talk and spend time with them; that we cared about them. The direct contact we had with the kids made more of an impact on their lives (hopefully for the better) than any money we could have given to them.