People Who Wear A Smile On Their Faces All The Time

The photo is taken on a short two-day getaway that we took in the small town of Huacho, a 2-hours drive from Lima, last month. Huacho is famous for its delightful boat trips and delicious seafood. We feasted on both attractions with an equally vivacious appetite. It is also a nostalgic site for me to visit, as I defeated a whole pack of top Peruvian chess players here 3 years ago to win the Huacho International chess competition. Huacho is known as the "Friendship Capital" of Peru, due to the warmth and friendliness among the people here.

Our office administrator Laura and two young professionals Karen (far-left) and Oscar (far-right) joined us for the trip. Karen is a marketing manager in a foreign MNC here in Peru, while Oscar is an engineer by training who became a teacher by choice because he felt that teaching was a more meaningful job where he could impact more lives. Karen is volunteering her time on Saturdays to give enrichment talks to the youths in our "Youth Alive" project, while Oscar takes time off his busy schedule to teach the youths Mathematics on Thursday evenings. What prompted these successful young professionals to take time off their hectic schedules to volunteer with us? I will tell you their stories another time. For now, let me share with you excerpts from what Laura, who is only 18 years old, has to say about volunteering her time to organize activities for the youths in our "Youth Alive" program.

"Now, I am volunteering in the executive committee for the youth wing of the Peruvian branch of Generation Acts Club International. I am also a youth, but it’s nice to work with people of my age, and it is a joy to see how they are growing in their character and values. It is not easy to talk about commitment to youths in Peru, because the youths here like to have fun. However, the youths in our youth group are slowly understanding more about the value of commitment in their lives. Each Saturday, we have a time of planning events and projects, learning lifeskills and discussing issues related to character development. Of course, we arrive late at home but with joy and hope that we are discovering greater significance and meaning in our lives!"

Mother Teresa made a keen observation when she said: "In the developed countries there is a poverty of intimacy of spirit, of loneliness, of lack of love. There is no greater sickness today than that one." What is the cure to that sickness? The same lady added: "We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing." Hoarding our time, talent and treasures not only brings the suffering of deprivation to the needy people around us, but it also brings upon ourselves the suffering of dereliction of the soul. The well-known Christmas story about Mr. Scrooge shows the damage that hoarding can do to a person's internal well-being.

A curious natural phenomenon of Lima is that it never rains (good news for those who like to have outdoor parties!), but the sudden storms of life often come with alarming alacrity. Yet, when we look at people like Laura, Oscar and Karen, we often see them wear a smile even during the moments when they have to weather the storms of life. Their secret: they have discovered the joy and sense of liberation that comes from sharing their time, treasures and talents to improve the quality of the lives of people around them.