KST Batch 25

"Charity is not a virtue.  It is an obligation."

Every year I try to remember one thing I learned from KST.  

During the graduation ceremony I was listening to the priest's homily.  

Haha! Why is this important? Because I rarely listen to the priests.  

My mind wanders all the time, thinking of what to eat or where is my next travel destination.  

But for some reason, I was able to connect with the priest.  Not only did I listen to his homily but I could almost remember it verbatim.

He said that charity is not a virtue but an obligation.  It does not mean that it is the end all and be all, though.  We are all entitled to our beliefs and opinions.

I remember the parable of the talents.  The master gave the servants coins and how happy he was when they invested it except for one who buried the coins.

We are all given talents and it is up to us to use it and help others.  "To whom much is given, much is expected."

It is already my 8th year in KST.  

Some people ask me after all these years if I still have the same zeal and enthusiasm as I did when I first started.  The answer is yes.  We have different participants every year.  New faces, new experiences and new lessons to be learned from each other.

My parther is Anna.  

We have 6 women under us and the name of our group is Masigla.

Thelma, Clariz,Gena,Nerissa, Maritess and Erika.

The first session started on June 3 and the graduation was last October 24.  

I am quite happy because I know the ladies under our guidance improved a lot.  

One employer even wrote to us to say that her helper has changed significantly and she is so grateful for the program that Bel Air has for its kasambahay.

I know the back stories of some.  A bit sad because they have to leave their small children in the provinces so that they can give them a better future.  Their dream is for their children to be able to finish their education.

During our sharing sessions they would become teary eyed while they tell us the hardships they are experiencing in their lives and the sacrifices they must endure.  It can sometimes get to you and hit you hard emotionally.  

On graduation day, it almost broke my heart to see one of our participants wearing a plain white t shirt while everybody was dressed in their Sunday's best.  But she seemed OK with it so I guess it was the best that she could do.

Over the years, I have become more emphatic to their plight.  Our head facilatator, Tita Coret, would encourage us to come to KST earlier than our 2 pm call time so that we could get the know the ladies better.

I hope that I was able to make even a tiny difference in their lives.  

Then I would feel that I have not wasted my 8 years in KST.

I know that it was all worth it.  

Would I still  join KST next year? 

Definitely, Yes!!