:: How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ::

Anne Frank

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Pondering: Freely Ye Have Received, Freely Give.

This post is going to be a personal one from me, Rachel Johnson. I am the Director of Project Development for the foundation. I have cherished every moment in which I have been employed by this organization.

As the staff blogger, I rarely struggle to find topics about which to write. Today, though, I have been suffering through some pretty severe writer's block. In an attempt to clear my mind, I turned to the Touch A Life video page in search of inspiration. I have seen Patrick Cone's documentary about Lake Volta a hundred times but I was particularly struck by the video today as I focused my attention on Richard, a sweet, articulate 10-year-old boy who was rescued off of the lake in December 2006. The line that impacted me the most was the following, a comment made when discussing what Richard wants to be when he grows up:

  • "I want to be a bus driver because if some of my friends are at my hometown, then I will go and take them."

Implicit in Richard's statement is the notion of giving back. I was struck by Richard's maturity, along with his ability to see past the unfortunate beginning to his childhood and understand how, because of his experiences, he can reach out to help others in similar circumstances. Richard's comment reminded me to continue devoting myself to service, perpetually expressing gratitude for undeservingly leading a beautiful life.

In order to pay homage to my alma mater, Pepperdine University, I want to sign off from this post by sharing the school's mantra regarding service:

  • "Freely ye have received, freely give." -- Matthew 10:8.

1 comment:

dav fonseca said...

Querida Rachel Jonhson, tenho seguido o teu trabalho na Touch A Live já Há algum tempo, e tenho um enorme orgulho por aquilo que és e pelo que fazes. Mas ao ver que não existia nenhum comentário, entriteceu-me o meu coração, então ganhei coragem e força para te dar uma palavra de animo e foprça para continuares a boa obra. Gostaria de um dia "em breve" ir como volutário até ao Ghana mas ainda estou a aprender inglês, embora tenha 33 anos nunca timha me preocupado com isso se não agora. Não conseguia compreender uma mulher como tu, mas agora tudo ficou claro, de graça recebes e de graça dás. Deus vai te retribuir 100 vezes mais´, é o que está escrito na sua palavra.
Que Deus te abençoe
Tenho miuto orgulho de ti
Um abraço
Até que Deus queira.