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Once a govt rebel, now a helper of the helpless (3)

An interview with Linn, our Goducate worker among the depressed communities in East Malaysia.

Linn is a Filipina who now lives in Malaysia, with her husband and her three children. Her husband is working with poor migrants in Kuala Lumpur.

Linn: It was the call of the times and I was given opportunities to serve. It was during those times that I realized I love people. I really love poor people and my heart ached for their miseries.

PC: Were you ever a communist? Party member?

Linn: I was with a left-wing national student org by association (because I was a student leader from a prime univ) and by affection because my friends were there. That org was labeled subversive.

We were more for social change rather than communism although during those times, every one was lumped together as such. No, I was not a party member.

PC: Where did you study in university?

Linn: I took up a double major of bachelor of Arts in political science and history at Univ of the Phils in the Visayas for 6 years but did not finish.

PC: Why didn’t you graduate?

Linn: I got sidelined by many other things:

1.The political climate

2.My emotional baggage: My father was among the first OFW leaving us to work in Qatar when I was just 10 yrs old.

3.My mom’s teaching post was away from us so we get to see here only week ends-grew up on our own plus the maid.

4.I was young – had no coach, did not realize my confusion about many things until later in life. I did not really know what i wanted except that I want to live a meaningful life of helping people. I was not able to see the end result but the day to day thing only.

5.People graduate to find work to have money. I had money-graduating was not as pressing.

6.People in my class were talking about what happened, what to do, what should have been done etc. I just do it.

Linn
Linn

PC: What experiences did you have organizing “communities”?

Linn: When i was 7, I remember my teacher writing my name on the board as president of the class and then opening the VP and other offices for election. That was weird I heard later that she observed me having command and leadership over my classmates.

During my teens, I would go to a slum area on Saturdays (for 4 yrs), look for kids to teach then spend time with their parents, discover their stories, organize events for them.

to be continued

Previous posts:
Interview with Linn – A helper of the helpless Part 1
Interview with Linn – A helper of the helpless Part 2

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The helpless become helpers (2)

Lexon is from Indonesia (front row, extreme right). After finishing middle high school in his home place in Sumatra, Lexon migrated to the island of Batam to look for work. He found a manual job in an oil refinery.

I first met Lexon, over three years ago, when he lived in a little squatter shack opposite the refinery in which he worked. Like the other young men in that squatter area, he had come to Batam with dreams of a better life. However, without proper guidance he quickly fell into bad habits. Thankfully one of our workers Sam Quek took him under his wing and invited Lexon to live with him.

He was weaned from his bad habits, learned discipline, became more confident, learned to speak English and discovered that he could lead other young people. Today, he is in charge of the Goducate Learning Center in Batu Aji, Batam.

On the last day of our training when it was time to share our dreams, this is what he said in fluent English: “I was JUNK! Real JUNK! I smoked! I was a drunk! I played gambling! I was hopeless but today I have hope!”

There were tears in his eyes and in almost every one of our eyes! Then, one of our leaders who works with troubled teens in East Malaysia spoke up and said: “Lexon, you give me hope. I dream of all my boys becoming like you!!”

I could not hold back my tears as I remembered the old hopeless Lexon – and marvelled at how he is now a giver of hope to his students at Batu Aji and to all of us at Goducate.

Let’s help the helpless help themselves! Volunteer! Be a part of Team Goducate!

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The helpless become helpers

At our Project Leaders Training last week were two young men who were once hopeless and helpless but were now attending the training as leaders! They had been helped but were now helping others!

Both of them had never left their country before. They were proud owners of brand new passports – one from the Philippines and the other from Indonesia.

Roberto (aka Jet) Paltuob has just graduated from college (3rd from left in front row). Even when he was in his final year at college, he was volunteering with us as a camp organizer and camp counsellor with troubled teens in his native province of Iloilo, Philippines.

He is an amazingly hard worker and effective counsellor. It is no wonder that he can counsel troubled teens because he was once a troubled teen. For twelve years he was a pain to his mum, his family and his community. Jet was a hopeless drug addict!

However, some dear Christian friends did not give up on him and lovingly led him out of drugs and back to his mum, his family, his studies and a life of joy and usefulness. Jet is now a part of Camp Goducate – a large campsite that is dedicated to helping thousands of other like him to a life of joy and usefulness.