Another feeling of personal and beneficial comfort is your summer vacation. People understand the need to take a break from the ordinary, the daily grind. They realize that the health benefits, both physical and emotional, of going on a vacation, somewhere different from their everyday surroundings is what makes the other 51 weeks a year bearable. To the envy of Americans, Europeans take 4-6 weeks a year for vacation and are more productive and focused when they return to work or university. Whether it is away to a beautiful white sandy beach in the Caribbean or to Disney World or a mountain retreat, when you return from your vacation, relaxed and refreshed, you are like a new person. Your experiences and memories, captured on photos and camcorders will last a lifetime. No one seems to remember how much it all cost because the experience was considered well worth it.
When I receive inquiries about volunteering with Changes for New Hope, I am responding to many various mindsets about what they will be experiencing. Questions about whether it is like an Indiana Jones movie, do we live in grass huts, will we be kidnapped or is there any chance of getting sucked into a revolution are amusing but common concerns. Give my regard to Hollywood.
In reality, the question arises with a tad of uncertainty about volunteering in the Peruvian Andes with poor children in adobe pueblos in lieu of a luxury cruise to the Bahamas. Which trip would allow them to come away with more incredible memories and stories to share? It is a personal decision which every person has to make for themselves. There is no wrong answer. Being elbow deep in children’s hugs dressed in their shabby clothes and sitting on rocks for furniture in their adobe dirt floor houses can not compare to the pampered luxury of a cruise and exotic ports of call with bottomless drinks and lobster buffets. But then, it was never supposed to.
So why would anyone consider our rugged Peruvian adventure over the hedonistic pleasure of an all inclusive Jamaica resort? Aside from the fraction of the cost to be where our action is, people come to volunteer because there is a powerfully intrinsic joy to touch the lives of children who express their love and happiness with you in such simple ways just because you perhaps read them a story. The contrast of the magnificent backdrop of snow capped mountains of the Corderilla Blanca that surround you are herds of sheep hustling along trails through adobe villages of children and families cooking over open fires, women hand knitting a sweater and men making new adobe in the mud with wooden box forms. This is the real Peru. The Peru that doesn’t appear in guide books. To spend some time and a few dollars here to make a significant difference in the quality of life for appreciative children is a heartwarming experience. Incredibly so. Every volunteer that has chosen to delve into our world has come away from their experience profoundly enlightened and enriched.
How can this be so personally affecting? It is because the human spirit, the energy that connects all of us together, is alive and full on when you put your compassion into action. A selfless act, with no interest in personal material gain, can recharge you, energize you and morph you into a more loving and endearing person and who wouldn’t want to become that incredible individual? It is an experience, a transformation that will stay with you for the rest of your days. No drinks, no pills, no professional help can even come close to what our volunteers share as a very real life changing experience. Is there a personal comfort and benefit to volunteering with us? Absolutely! Even those who can not make the trip but become a part of our Team by sending postcards with messages of hope and love, or support us with packages of materials or donate to us tell us how much the involvement with us means to them. Especially when a little drawing from the children arrives back to them a few weeks later.
After more than five years with the children of Changes for New Hope the intensity has not diminished. In fact, everyday reinforces and renews the feeling of what every true humanitarian knows; genuine love and compassion. I hope that you will consider joining us to experience this pure joy for yourself.
You may have many questions first. Feel free to ask us about this life changing experience by clicking on our 'Contact' link at the top of this page.