The Flowery Path in Cambodia
Seongnam, South Korea, Park Yeon-wu
During the vacation, I went to Cambodia as a member of ASEZ the World Mission Society Church of God University Student Volunteer Group. The volunteer service that my team was supposed to do was painting murals. At first, we were somewhat confused because we had expected to give practical help such as donating school supplies to local students and cleaning up the streets. But making the living environment beautiful was as important as picking up trash on the streets because it was to clean the hearts of citizens, the owners of the street.
One problem was that none of us had painted murals before; we didn’t know what to do. Then some members who were good at painting made a sketch and then the other members added details.
On the day of the volunteer service, we woke up at dawn and made a sketch. Before coloring the wall, we cleaned up the surrounding area with the local members. Just by getting rid of old flyers and cleaning the wall, the street looked different.
Imagining how nice the street would look when the painting was done, we began to paint the wall in pastel tone along the sketch. We painted the petals and leaves with the color given to each of us.
When someone drew wrong lines by mistake or colored in the wrong place, we corrected it together. Since it was the rainy season, it was very hot and rainy. It could be tiring, but we helped one another with a smile and finished the work.
When the painting was done, the street became so bright. It was not only us who felt the difference; many people stopped to watch the painting. Some even sat and looked at it closely. The children in the neighborhood went along the wall with their curious eyes. A local TV interviewed us about our volunteer service.
We were thankful that our small act of service could give peace and happiness to people. Volunteer service is an act for others, but happiness comes back to us. Volunteer service seems to be far from the reality, but it is the most practical help.
Koreans say, “Let’s walk only on the flowery path,” when they express their hope for good things. Happiness of making the flowery path not only for oneself but for everyone is a privilege for those who have practiced it.