Volunteer Service Review
Love and happiness increase as much as we share. Shall we listen to vivid stories about volunteer services?
Love that Gives Strength
Last summer, an unprecedented rain spell caused severe flood damages. I volunteered for the flood recovery efforts with the Church of God Young Adult Worker Volunteer Group [ASEZ WAO]. As we arrived at the village, the residents were already cleaning the dust with sweat. Greenhouses were all ruined, and it was hard to recover their household items. Most residents barely pulled themselves together. I could feel the sadness from their worried faces. We moved to our allotted areas. We used shovels to scoop out the dust and garbage, which covered the greenhouses, put them in sacks, and brought them outside. The place was so sweltering that even the heatwave warning was issued due to the sizzling hot and humid weather.…
Mun Su-jeong from Gwangju, South Korea
Work Together with Love
A lot of changes were made in my daily life due to COVID-19. Semester opening date was delayed and I had to begin the first day of the semester on-line. While I was practicing social distancing and following government guidelines, I really wanted to be of help to the medical staff and quarantine officials who fought with the virus at the front line. However, in reality, all I could do was support them with my heart. If there was a single way I could help them, I really wanted to do so. Then, I heard of “Cheer Up Campaign” that was planned by ASEZ, our church’s university student volunteer group; it was a wonderful news for me like a timely…
Song Yeon-ju from Yangsan, South Korea
Habit of Speaking Beautiful Language
I heard the news that the students of ASEZ, the World Mission Society Church of God University Student Volunteer Group, would carry out the “No More Verbal Abuse” campaign. I never expected that such a topic would be used for a campaign; because it was common sense that we should not verbally abuse other people, which we all learned from childhood through picture books, moral textbooks, and public advertisements. On ASEZ website, however, I was surprised to see the related card news and videos. I found out that verbal abuse does not only include swearing at and criticizing others. Distorting facts by thoughtlessly exaggerating them and belittling other people were all of verbal abuse; I might have unconsciously been committing…
Son Chae-eun from Daegu, South Korea
With the Spirit of Ownership
“Things have changed, but I’m fine because Father and Mother are always with me!” This is what I repeatedly say to myself these days to let go of negative emotions that pop up in my mind, spending much more time alone due to COVID-19. My faith in God transformed my lethargic and passive lifestyle. In this particular situation when all people are tired and exhausted, I wanted to share love with them. Then, just in time, I got an opportunity to do a meaningful work with the members of Salt Lake City Church. We made a plan to carry out ASEZ’s Cheer Up Campaign. We reminded ourselves of the fact that there is a lack of quarantine supplies due to…
Sidney Rogers from Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.
Though Invisible
On the day of the cleanup, the sky was covered with clouds, contrary to the weather forecast that it would rain. I was worried that the cleanup might be interrupted by rain, but the clouds shaded off the burning sunlight and made a cool, pleasant weather. We did our cleanup in my village. I was wondering why we chose to do a cleanup in my village. Street cleaners frequently clean my village, and flower beds are well taken care of; it seemed unnecessary to do a cleanup. I was also somewhat anxious that our members, full of the sense of volunteerism and active in participation, might come to the village in a large number, making it the sea of orange…
Im Mi-ran from Incheon, South Korea
We Give Happiness
During the school holidays in 2019, our church student group members, along with our teacher who was in charge, planned to perform a volunteer service and visited a senior citizen center with a hope to create good memories and spend our vacation meaningfully. The person at the center heard our plan and gladly allowed us to carry out our plan. “I’ve watched how the members of the Church of God conduct volunteer services. If you are students from that church, you are always welcome,” he said. Grateful for such unexpected hospitality, we prepared a program with a resolution to bring joy and inspiration to senior citizens. On the day of our volunteer service, the seniors greeted us with smiles as…
Park Chae-wun from Incheon, South Korea
On Earth Day
On April 22, 2018, since it was Earth Day, the ASEZ Church of God University Student Volunteer Group carried out a street cleanup in our efforts for a cleaner community. Early in the morning, about eighty volunteers gathered at Suitland Parkway. Included in the volunteers were not only ASEZ members but also ordinary citizens. At first glance, the area where we would be cleaning looked clean. As we started the cleanup, however, there was a lot of garbage hidden in every corner. Although we planned to clean up for two hours, it was not enough. We piled small pieces of garbage scattered everywhere, waste tires, and abandoned pieces of furniture. The pile was so high that someone could stand behind…
Florencia Riquelme from Washington D.C., U.S.
Warm Wintering
When I heard that my Zion members would repair the roof and the wall of an old house of an elderly couple, I decided to participate in the demolition work for one day. On the morning of the volunteer, I drove to the house for about an hour, admiring the landscape of fields covered with white frost. The brothers and sisters who arrived there earlier welcomed me with a bright smile. I was a little worried that I might not be helpful because of my weak body. Before getting into the full-scale work, we carried all the stuff out of the house. Working hard, we sweated even in the cold weather. After having a delicious lunch, I went up to…
On Nam-yeol from Wonju, South Korea
Loving and Learning
‘How can I spend my summer vacation meaningfully?’ Although each of us belonged to a different Zion, we’d been participating in the IWBA education together. In 2017, we all hoped to have a special experience during our summer vacation which came only once a year. Being on the same page, we decided to take action before it was too late. Our plan was to fly to a country we had never been to, broaden our horizons both physically and spiritually, and display God’s glory through our good deeds. The place we were going to stay for ten days was Salt Lake City, the capital of the state of Utah, in the Midwest U.S. Just like its name, we prayed that…
Noh Min-a from Anyang, South Korea
A Fun Day like a Picnic
We went to a vineyard in Daebudo Island to help a farmer. It takes over an hour to Daebudo Island from Bucheon, so we left early in the morning to give the farmer as much help as possible. Very early in the morning, we were excited as if we were going on a picnic. The farmer of the vineyard welcomed us as if he was welcoming his own children visiting him from a different city. He thanked us for coming all the way there in a busy farming season when it is hard to hire people even for a high price, and he smiled brightly, which made us feel great even before starting the work. What we needed to do…
Yun Mi-hyang from Bucheon, South Korea
The Fruit of Unity
Our Torrance Zion has been doing various kinds of voluntary works, keeping a good relationship with the City Hall of Torrance, since we held the global environmental cleanup movement for the first time in October, 2015. Recently, the City Hall asked us to clean the Charles H. Wilson Park. Wilson Park is famous in Torrance because it has a small steam train that runs there twice a month. However, as it rained a lot recently, weeds grew around 2.4 km [1.5 mile]-long train track, and it spoiled its beauty. The City Hall asked us if we could remove the weeds so that the residents and children could use the steam train more joyfully and safely. On the day of the…
Kotaro Uechi from Torrance, CA, U.S.
Having the Same Care for One Another
I’ve never been part of a dance group in my life. When I was asked if I wanted to partake in the dance for the elderly, I took this blessing with great gratitude. I was not good at it but I didn’t want to lose the opportunity of blessing. Brothers named the dance group and practiced dancing every day. We all helped one another in creating an outfit we would wear for the day. We worked all night in preparation for the event and at times we seemed to get tired, but we encouraged each other by reminding one another of our goal that was to bring joy, laughter, and happiness to the elderly. Finally, we finished the costumes, but…
Byron Reveles from Sunland, CA, U.S.
If We Work with One Mind
In the morning after a heavy snow warning was issued, I received a message that we were going to volunteer to remove the snow. When I got ready and arrived at Zion, it was already crowded with brothers and sisters, holding different kinds of snow removal tools, even from the entrance. We made teams and left for each assigned location. The snow on the big road around Zion had already melted, but in small alleys were icy roads. We started to remove the snow, walking carefully as if we were stepping on an ice skating rink. Although there was no one giving directions, we knew what to do; those with shovels broke the ice, those with brooms gathered the broken…
Im Mi-ran from Seoul, South Korea
The Church That Is Good at Volunteer Activities
On an autumn day, we had a cleanup at Yeongrang Beach in Sokcho. Our voluntary service was postponed a couple of times because of the typhoon and tidal waves, but that day, the weather was fresh with a cool breeze. It was a perfect day for a voluntary service. In the city of Sokcho, the Church of God is known for its voluntary service. That’s because since last year, we’ve cleaned up the streets with the community service centers of the districts where we live every month. This time, the staff members from the community service centers joined us. We cleaned up around Jangsa Port where there are many restaurants, and Yeongrang Beach which is a resort beach during vacation…
Tak Jeong-sun from Sokcho, South Korea
Filling Emptiness Caused by the Absence of Mother with Care and Love
On a hot summer day, around fifty brothers and sisters from the Gangneung Zion volunteered to clean the place of a young man who has an intellectual disability. He was living alone since his mother had died. His home was a mess because he didn’t clean the place for a long time. All kinds of dirty things were over the wall and floor, and all the furniture and clothes had molds over them. It seemed impossible for anyone to live in such a place. It required urgent cleaning; otherwise, the young man’s health could be in danger. We were divided into a few teams, put on masks and rubber gloves, and started cleaning right away. First of all, we took…
Hong Sun-tae from Gangneung, South Korea
Like Planting a Tree
There is a tree-planting day in Australia. Australia puts a lot of efforts into planting and taking care of trees because its land is wide and has lots of plants and parks. Our Sydney Zion members decided to support the government work for National Tree Day 2018. When we arrived at the park on the day of our volunteer service, the park keepers were waiting for us with seedlings and planting tools. The work seemed easy because they had already dug the hole to plant the seedlings. But before long, we realized that planting a tree was not simple; depending on how we planted a tree, the tree could grow well or die. The method of planting trees was complicated.…
Ryu Mun-suk from Sydney, Australia
Young Adults’ Passion Cleans the World
On November 30, 2017, we held a cleanup with the slogan “Mother’s Street” behind the Quezon City City Hall. The volunteers were mostly young adults. Whenever we passed by, people asked us where we were from and what we were doing. They seemed to be much curious to see many young people carry out volunteer activities with smiles. “We are from the Church of God. We’re spreading Mother’s love to people. Good morning!” Although the weather was very hot, I was much encouraged that we could shine God’s glory by participating in the volunteer event. Though what we could do was very small, I was filled with joy. We picked up garbage one by one like treasure until we filled…
Sharina Aya Z. Gorospe from Quezon City, Philippines
Planting Tree Seedlings
The Canoas Zion planned to perform a voluntary service together with the Department of Environment of the Municipality of Canoas. Our job was to plant tree seedlings in a park. On the day of the event, we met early in the park. An officer from the Department of Environment and an invited environmentalist thanked us for participation and talked about the importance of planting trees. “It is said that we should drink at least eight glasses of water a day. In the future, however, water will be so expensive and scarce due to environmental pollution. Not just water, but air will also become more polluted. Many countries will have to make big artificial lungs to get fresh air. The thing…
Bruna Carvalho de Lima from Canoas, Brazil
Pleasant and Happy Volunteer Service
The Baltimore Church visited the Sunrise of Silver Spring, an assisted living facility, to cheer up senior citizens living there by performing various songs and dances at the end of the year. Many of the residents clapped, tapped their feet, and sang along with us. One resident even stood up and danced, holding the hand of one of us with a happy smile. The residents thanked us for coming and asked when we would come again. We all smiled brightly, promising we would visit soon. It was fun and we really wanted to revisit. I had never felt such genuine happiness when I used to visit a nursing home once a month with another organization before I joined the Church…
Melissa Hutchins from Baltimore, MD, U.S.
People Who Make Differences
In April, 2016, there was a record-breaking rainfall in Houston. About 500 mm [19.7 in] of rain poured, which is the six-month amount of rain in Korea. In Greenspoint, located in North Houston, the water rose up to over 30 cm [12 in], and water started coming in the first floors. On the first Sunday after the flood happened, more than sixty members from the Houston Church went to Greenspoint for a flood recovery work. Although about a week passed after the flood, the recovery work was slow. Debris that was swept down with the rain was everywhere, and there was odor at every house because of the hot weather. The residents, who were managing to stay in their houses…
Houston Church, TX, U.S.