I have always enjoyed adventures with my dad. Once we visited a bothy, a simple,remote hut you can stay in for free. Usually the bothy is squeaky clean on arrival, however sometimes it is full of mess from previous visitors.
Dad taught me the most important Bothy Rule: keave the bothy in a better state than you found it. If most people follow this rule Bothies function well.
Dibidil Bothy
I have often applied the bothy rule to everyday life and it can be the quiet, unmentioned motivation behind my choice of actions. As the world according to the media becomes darker I’ve become more motivated to leave things within my sphere of influence in a better state than I found them, bringing a little bit of heaven to earth.
There are many wonderful churches in Brighton however one church stood out. Led by a pastor with a heart for social justice who leads his small church to make a huge difference in the community, One Church quickly became my church. It is full of people who have committed their lives to leave the world in a better place than they found it. I love their heart to build community and the wealth of projects they are involved with. Many work with charities or have been aid workers overseas.
I would have been involved in so many projects however I struggled to find time to be part of the community. As a result I was incredibly relieved by the decision to leave my post at Brighton College at the end of the academic year and look for some new direction.
Friends had told me of their dreadful experiences at boarding school chapel, a dull, lifeless monotony with little relevance to daily life which inoculated them against faith. So I was surprised to be looking forward to an inspirational and encouraging morning chapel. Father Robert always grabbed our attention with his intelligent, humorous and perceptive sermons on a huge range of topics.
Brighton College Chapel
This morning he was preaching about Extra Cover, something teachers dread when checking morning emails. Except this Cover was different…a charity providing essentials enabling the poorest children in Sri Lanka to receive an education. Something leapt inside me, I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.
Cycling home, Extra Cover remained in my thoughts. When I got home I checked my email and received an email from MercyShips who were in need of a science teacher, I signed up!
Voluntourism is a word I hate. It brings up the image of a well meaning person paying an expensive package tour company charity thousands of pounds to take them to a far away land to build a build or do something that local people could do better for a fraction of the price.
I will pay MercyShips thousands of pounds to take me to a far away land. However we do something that the local people cannot do at any price. Being there I will enable many lives and communities to be transformed by freely healing the sick, and providing health education and training to many people. We are doing transformative work that local people cannot, and in doing so hoping to leave a legacy that lasts many years. In the last year we achieved so much, have a look at this link to see what we have done.
I’m in the final preparations to leave on Friday. I’ve enjoyed seeing many family and friends and have tied up many loose ends.
Cycling with Jackie and Aline
Watch this space for a post about my first impressions and classes on board.
Things to do now
1. Subscribe to this blog, or make a comment. It’s great to hear from you!
2. What do you do already that makes the world a better place? How can you bring a little more of heaven to the situation you are in?
3. If you have faith please pray for:
- A relaxing journey
- Quick settling in
- Me to find my niche on board – friends and activities to be involved in
- Good health in Madagascar.
4. Consider supporting someone (not me) who volunteers in a worthwhile situation.
5. Have a look at Mark 8:34-38, some further words from Jesus that inspired me.
2 responses to “A voyage to volunteering”