Tag Archives: gk

Courage and Honor

day twenty-three.

So yesterday, I finished watching The Blind Side before my shift ended (oh yes, I multitask), and at the end of the movie, I understood why my friends were all raving about the movie: because it’s good. Really good. I thought it would make me cry, like Hachiko did, but it tugged at my heart strings, and it made me feel really good after the end of the movie.

I think I just found my new feel-good movie. :)

Anyway, I think the thing with The Blind Side is it shows a side of humanity that we all wish to see more often. Here’s a big guy, who has been cheated out of a family, a good home and basically a good life, and there’s this woman who has all three and more, and yet sees beyond herself. She didn’t do anything too extraordinary — she just loved in a way that she knows. She loved unconditionally. She loved like Jesus did.

And I think that kind of kindness is what we are all looking and hoping for, and ultimately, what we’re all wishing to be able to do ourselves.

I know I do.

The movie reminded me of those days when I would spend every weekend in our Gawad Kalinga site. Back in college, YFC (Youth for Christ) was almost half my life, and being in YFC also meant I was quite active in Gawad Kalinga, since we handle that. I was almost a mainstay of our GK site in Baseco, and the best days of my summer were spent at a GK site too. I can talk about GK all day long, and I used to dream of the day when everyone I know would be involved in it as well.

It’s been so long since I have last been to any GK activity, much less to a GK site. I guess, when I graduated, I just didn’t find make enough time to continue volunteering. I know there’s no one else to blame but me, because I let life overwhelm me…and it’s kind of sad. I see old friends who’s made GK a part of their lifestyle, and I wonder…what could have happened if I also did the same thing? What if my life was more involved in volunteerism and outreach? What if I spent more time in GK sites than thinking about buying stuff?

That’s why I connected with The Blind Side so much, because…well,I want to do something like what Leigh Anne did. Do something to change someone’s life, and have a chance for someone to change my life as well.

A friend once told me that a Christian soon learns to hold not only a Bible but a newspaper as well — it tells us that a Christian does not only read God’s word and believes in it, but a Christian also reads the newspaper to know what’s going on and to do something about it. It doesn’t have to be something big or earth shattering. Sometimes a simple act of kindness to another person is already a big thing.

So now that I’ve written about this…do I have the courage to actually set out and do things and reach out? What am I going to do about it now?

Revolution of Hope, Part 1

Yes, I went to Naga City this weekend, despite the comfort issues. It was a fun weekend, although it was a lot different from the Davao ILC last year. Because of its differences, it merits a two part entry in this blog. :)

So Thursday, I fixed my things and my mom (I love you!) dropped me off at the meeting area. As I said, I was nervous because I have no idea who I will be with. I met some of the people who arrived who are basically my “younger generation” since they all came from my chapter. The other people came, and it was time to leave. I rode a jeep together with other people in my chapter, some Napico kids and the SIGA who I was supposed to watch over together with Tita Precy, their couple coordinator.

On the way to NagaCan I just say that it’s a LONG ride to Naga? As in LOOOOONG. Since we were riding an aircool jeep with not-so-soft seats instead of an airconditioned bus with cushioned seats, the ride was well, butt-hurting. Plus the wind was constantly in our face and hair that I know it all accumulated several layers of dust during the travel. Traveling at night time is even different: it’s dark and cold. We all had to figure out ways how to be comfortable without messing with the other riders and to stop your butts from hurting from sitting because of the 10-12 hours of travel. It was a fun because people actually lied down on the floor to get some sleep, while some of us bundled ourselves with jackets and blankets so we won’t freeze.

Continue reading Revolution of Hope, Part 1

I ♥ GK

I love GK :)

Today, I went back to one of the loves of my life, GK.

Now before you go thinking that this is some boy, no, it’s not. If you’ve known me for a while, you would probably know what I would be talking about, but if not, GK stands for Gawad Kalinga. To give you a formal definition of what GK is:

Gawad Kalinga (GK) translated in English means to “to give care”, and it is an alternative solution to the blatant problem of poverty not just in the Philippines but in the world. GK’s vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.

The first time I visited a GK site was during my first Summer House Training (SHOUT) with YFC High School Based. One of our activities for the week was to visit a GK site. Back then, GK wasn’t really that big yet. We visited one of the biggest GK sites in Bagong Silang, Caloocan. At that time, all I thought about GK was like Habitat for Humanity or something like it — all building and such. So what I was really looking forward was the builds. But when I got there, I got to meet some of the kids, who were all soooo sweet. =) They stuck to us like glue, and I know some people had a life-changing experience because of the kids. It really didn’t matter that much to me yet, because I was just really doing it because I was a YFC leader and it’s expected of me.

Continue reading I ♥ GK

GK 1MB National Build

February 25, 1986: our parents and grandparents rallied in EDSA to throw a dictator out of presidency and in turn, change the country. It was the change that everyone is waiting for. It was the promise of a new life for our country.

Twenty years later, another group gathered on this day. While everyone else was rallying, blaming the government for the country’s misfortune and while the entire country was in a state of emergency, other people chose a different path and decided not to point fingers of blame but to start doing something more worthwhile, something that actually works.

February 25, 2006. GK1MB is born. 1 Million Heroes, out to help raise the Philippines from poverty. 1 Million Filipinos not joining any rallies, not taking any sides, not pointing any blame, but accepting responsibility and acting on it to bring the country (and everyone else) up instead of down.

GK 1MB National Build

[Click on the image to see a larger version]

 

One year later. February 25, 2007. On the 21st anniversary of the EDSA People Power 1 revolution, be a hero. Join the GK 1MB National Build nearest you! Click on the image to see the details. ;)Let’s go, friends! Let’s pick up our construction materials, arm ourselves with a smile and join other heroes in rebuilding this nation! :)

For more information, visit www.gawadkalinga.org. :)