How Serving Others Has Changed My Perspective
This blog originally was published on Premier Education Partner’s website, authored by Emily Everswick.
Where are you from in China?
I am from Guangzhou, near Hong Kong. My dad and mom both work there, and I am an only child. My dad owns a hotel chain management company. My mom is in investment management, and she works for Lions Club International, as well. I live in an apartment building in China, which is very common there. In my free time, I am a songwriter and singer.
Where do you live in the United States?
I currently live in Chattanooga, TN, and go to Chattanooga Christian School there. For the last two years, I lived in Cleveland, Ohio. I had a pretty good experience there, but there is a big difference because the school in Ohio was non-religious school, and now I’m at a Christian school. I’ve made a lot more friends since I’ve moved to Tennessee.
Who is your host family?
I’m living with a pretty nice family. They have three kids. One is in my grade, and there’s one in 9th and 7th grade. Wilson is a junior.
Tell us a little bit about how you’ve been serving the community.
My mom works for Lions Club Int. So, since sixth grade, I’ve been doing service stuff through them. I do fundraising events. I wrote and sang songs and helped raise funds for it. I also did projects visiting underprivileged families. One impoverished family had a child with severe diabetes, and they couldn’t afford the medications. We visited them and helped decide to fund schooling and medicines. We also did disaster relief, first response, blood bank promotion, and had a blood donation bus.
Since joining Premier Education, I volunteered in New Orleans over the Thanksgiving break. That area was flooded long ago, and we volunteered at a park with lakes with a water storage area in case water comes in the future it will provide disaster prevention. We helped pull vines out of the tree to help the trees not die. We also served at a community service center to help children with fun lessons. We also helped build a youth room with construction. The work was intense. I never did anything like that, but I learned a lot. It was rewarding and felt good. It was all very meaningful.
On another day, we helped in a food pantry called Giving Hope. It is a non-profit organization founded by a businessman who owns car dealerships in the area. We helped organize food, and in the afternoon, people came in, and we distributed items to them. About 350 people came. I felt really tired after that. I have not stopped talking since I left that experience because it made a significant impact on me. I said as many nice things to them as I could to the people who visited the pantry. I tried to make them feel welcome and ask them about their day and try to make them feel comfortable. I can imagine how hard their lives are, and I wanted to help them. I tried to motivate others to be kind to them, as well.
What gifts have you unexpectedly received while serving others?
I can say for sure they are not physical gifts that I have received. But I learned so much. When you severe others, you get things like sympathy and empathy of others and a heart of gold. You can’t buy any of these things with money. My view of the world has also been impacted.
What is your motivation for all of this volunteer work?
I don’t know how to express this feeling. I think that helping others is what everyone should do, but I don’t see that. It’s essential to help our society develop. If everyone loved and helped others, there wouldn’t be all these problems in the world. I’m trying to make it happen.
What would be the ultimate Christmas present this year?
My ultimate Christmas present would be to be able to provide needed water to people who need it in this world. Water can change lives.
“Water can change lives!”
-Wilson
Wilson, we agree with you! And our team at Premier Education is so thankful for you and your heart to help others.
“But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” – John 4:14
