Although my eyes have been heavy for the past hours, I still feel completely happy and fulfilled because I went to our youth group's outreach program today. Yeah yeah, I don't look like I'm a member of a group called Jesus and Me (JAM) and yeah, the outreach activity is my "mukhang hindi pero oo" (Sobremisana, 2009) thing that I try hard to regularly go to.

It's a really nice way to spend a not-so-busy Sunday since I don't always get the opportunity to seriously help people. The place is a boys' town located in Tanay, Rizal. So imagine the long drive: winding roads, nice mountain scenery, cool wind, clear blue sky littered with puffy white clouds.. and Pine trees, no houses, motorcycles, boulders.. Kaya pakiramdam namin nakaabot na kaming Sagada. And it was only after three hours that we finally managed to arrive. The program started at 1 p.m. and it was quite awkward because there were a hundred of them and only 30 + of us. But we played several games (plus a mini-lecture) so in the end, everybody became friends with everyone! Syempre maraming maraming food kaya mas masaya!

I think what made my day one of the greatest is that though we were informed beforehand that the guys there all had cases, it never really occured to me that they were bad. In fact, they're just like any normal teen. They like music (galing kumanta and tumugtog!), food, fun.. And most of all, they treasure education, the one thing that many students are taking for granted. Aside from that, they were gracious and warm, and did not think twice about sharing and talking to us. It's a place full of acceptance, free from all prejudice, and with a strong faith in God. Now, if every place were like that then the whole world would be much happier, right?

Never mind that I spent my whole day in another "house." Rest can make weariness go away but the lessons and the experience that we had, along with the chance to help, will surely stay with us for a very long time.

Wala lang. Headache. Time to catch some zzzs.