Starting Out… A Chance Encounter
I work five days a week, and my weekends are precious – but time spent at the Colours Friendship Centre has been nothing but fulfilling and life-breathing since I first stepped foot in September 2023.
I started volunteering by chance. I had made a trip down because I was writing an article about the Centre for work; and by the first class, I knew that I had found my place where I’d wanted to volunteer for good.
I sat by this migrant brother called Anowar, who told me that he did not complete his degree because his home country, Bangladesh, kept flooding. But he still wanted to learn. I was touched by him and the conversation, despite it being limited due to the language barrier.
After Anowar, there was Ali and Masud. After the two, there was Samad, then Rasel, then there was Sankar, Prem and Ram – all friends I made over the weeks I’d spend teaching them in class. We sat side by side every Sunday for six weeks, and taught them powerpoint skills, and how to use excel. After class, we will chit chat over tea and food (mostly Vadai). The friendships with these brothers were most memorable to me, I think I’m even more excited seeing them each week than they are to see me.
Answering the Call
I loved this volunteering space for four reasons – firstly, I don’t have to do any work beforehand, and am just be able to go to the centre and be present each week. Secondly, I could make friends with people I wouldn’t normally talk to in my daily life. Thirdly, I could volunteer with my dearest church friends and make new friends there. And fourthly, I always leave each session feeling incredibly fulfilled and heart warmed.
Volunteering is not easy, by any means. And giving up precious time in an already tiring week is not easy too. But I think about the migrant brothers who gave up their lives back in their home country to be in Singapore to work here and build our nation. And not to mention, spending their only rest day a week to be here with us. And this makes me pause and reflect, and thank God. I thank God for them; I thank God I am able bodied enough to help them, and I thank God that He chooses to use me in such a way.
Serving and Volunteering doesn’t have to be big or scary; it can just be you showing up, holding a conversation with someone, or being a friend to someone! Simply put, it’s just a movement you choose to intentionally make. For me, when I said ‘yes’ and committed to volunteering, I said ‘yes’ to being God’s vessel, and ‘yes’ to seeing how He could transform me through this experience, and transform the way I see the world.
God taught me to see the world like how he does, and subsequently, love the world like how he does. So let God use you, and see just how powerfully he can use you and what he does through you.
