The spirit of Valentines Day is evident to Global Volunteers all year around – all around the world. These reports – in the words of our team members – tell of the human sentiments that can’t be captured on a greeting card.
The Language of Love
Mark Bierbaum calls his service in Peru “a joyful ritual of English lessons and daycare support interspersed with endless hugs, handshakes, and greetings from children of every age.” At Sagrada Familia, Mark, his wife Maggie and son Michael worked with children who have been separated from their families, or who live in the impoverished shantytown outside the community’s walls. They came to teach, but learned that in discovering their limitations, they discovered what holds us all together – the recognition that we are, after all, on a journey together.
Compassion in Action
Diana Swansen said she witnessed compassion in action all around her in Vietnam – without even looking for it. Leveraging her passion for aviation, she ignited the interest of a classroom full of sixth-graders, fascinating them with maps and charts, and nurturing their dreams of become pilots. At the same time, she found reasons for gratitude every day – in the small acts of kindness shown to her, her teammates and each other.
The Gift of Susannah
With a thirst for cross-cultural understanding, Carolyn Gallaher joined her third service program with Global Volunteers to uncover the true heart and soul of Crete. In just two days, her work with a hotel worker led her to an understanding deeper than she had imagined. A “wrong turn” led her into the life of her student, and cultivated a trust and understanding that only the “gift of Susannah” could offer.
Are you thinking what we’re thinking? As these volunteers discovered their “Valentines” around the world, they were, in fact, the valentines in other people’s world. Amazing how that works, isn’t it? Please join us! You may be surprised how important you can be in another person’s life.
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