Saturday, October 3rd, 2020 8:30-11:00am
“Your actions are the sole determinants of our happiness” - Rev Sun Myung Moon
CARP and YAM gathered in the morning to start the day off by serving and putting faith into action. Johanna van Galen started us off by reminding us through her peace message, that as we serve the community, we have the choice to create the experiences to be something great and meaningful, and be happy. It is through our actions and attitude in what we do where we can help create peace. Every action of service counts towards peace.
Councilman Noel Gallo, brought us to a new location in Oakland to go around and pick up trash along the streets. He reminded us of the value of what we are doing for the community and expressed his gratitude for us coming. At every project, Noel Gallo always asks us to pray before we begin to serve to invite God into what we are doing. Junta Naito gave the offering prayer before we headed out on our way.
We split up into groups and went down the streets picking up trash with the heart of service. Along the way we could have conversations with each other and time for self reflection and thought. People were very grateful for us being out there to serve and would stop to say thank you or have a short conversation.
“It was today that I felt Councilman Noel Gallo’s generosity in wanting to create a safe, supportive community that will help serve the people. It was an honor to be invited to his office with warm arms and receive inspiring words from his wife and team. He reminded us that even the smallest act of service can make a big impact and to be proud of the work we have achieved today.” - Julia Chai
It was a great way to start our day with service, and being reminded of the value of service we do not just in our communities but even in our daily lives and at home with the people around us.
"It's nice being able to contribute in some small way and that I'm glad we get to do it in a team. What's really cool is that Councilman Gallo is doing that field work with us and that's something you love to see from people in leadership." - David Tsui
Report by Gabriela von Euw
