South Africa Fundraiser : Week 3

Reflections…

Hello,

This week we (South Africa Fundraiser Team) have put together reflections on how this project has shaped us personally. We hope that our reflections can help you gain insight on what this project meant for us.

Taebin Kim

Being involved in this fundraiser campaign has made me more thankful with what I have right now. I realized that having food, family, and a home where I can feel safe and comfortable is a blessing that others could only imagine. It has been inspiring to know that there are many people who have been giving all they have to serve others in need and spread God’s love. Throughout the campaign, I was reminded that our love should not be limited only within our community but should be shared with other communities. I hoped that the effort that I am putting for this campaign and support from our congregation may be helpful even if it may not be huge. I experienced that serving others can be exhausting physically, but at the end of the day, it makes you feel joyful and achieved. I hope that for those who are reading this can also feel joy of serving by supporting our campaign.

Charley Ngo

I am very grateful for the opportunity to be involved with this fundraiser and campaign. This experience has been eye-opening to me and has allowed me to see how this pandemic has affected people from another country. It has also made me see and appreciate all the blessings I have. I have been reminded that in times of crisis, it is the vulnerable that suffer the most. So the necessities I have started to consider rights, such as clean water and food are not readily available to everyone around the world. Through this project, I have grown to be thankful that I live in a place where we are able to practice physical distancing. I am thankful for this as I have learned that some people must constantly put themselves at risk of exposure to the virus in order to get just enough food to survive. I hope that through this project, I can expand God’s kingdom by sharing his love, offer people hope in this uncertain time and make our current situation just a little bit brighter.

Emily Kim

The experience of serving on this campaign has provided me with a new perspective on life outside of my bubble of privilege. I remember being very shocked to discover the level of disparity that exists in South Africa. Looking at the pictures of South Africa, in which one side of a road was filled with huge houses, nice cars and pools, while the other was littered with garbage, people and barely habitable shelters, was crazy to me. I am a strong believer in social responsibility and it was alarming to see an overwhelming absence of it in South Africa. There are literally starving people in the wealthy’s own backyard and yet the disparity, and by extension the hardships and struggles of the poor, still continue. It put things into perspective, realizing that my biggest worries and problems of not being productive enough or missing my friends, were trivial compared to those across the world, and even in my community, who are worried about when their next meal could be. I realized that at times like these it is futile to just feel guilty about one’s privilege. Instead, I focused on feeling grateful for all the things I take for granted in my life and utilized any opportunity to give and serve to do so. My hope is that our community can make the most out of this opportunity in South Africa to give and serve our fellow brothers and sisters of Christ that are in need of support. 

Overall, this experience has been a rewarding one for all of us involved. We are grateful to have had an opportunity to actively serve both our community and beyond. In times where the weak and poor are suffering, the onus falls on those who have much to shoulder their burden and provide relief. Therefore, we, the South Africa Fundraiser Team, sincerely hope that the members of our community give what they are able, this Sunday, May 24th, to support those in South Africa through Rev. Ohm’s ministry.

Special Offering

“All a family needs is $20 to survive for 2 to 3 weeks.”

– Rev. Ohm

Just $20 is enough to support a small household for 2 – 3 weeks. Putting into perspective, in Canada the amount of money that could be spent on buying a nice meal for 1 person, equates to keeping a household alive in South Africa for 2-3 weeks.

On Sunday, May 24th, our church will be collecting special offering to support the ministry in South Africa. While we recognize that this situation is difficult for everyone, please donate to this special cause if you are able.

Thank you,

South Africa Fundraiser Team

South Africa Fundraiser : week 1

South Africa Fundraiser : week 2

South Africa Fundraiser : week 3