Volunteering for the Homeless This Christmas 2015

I said before, our family hasn't been very good in implementing the volunteering part of our FECS Family Traditions. As I look back at the list of traditions I wanted to cultivate for our family, volunteering is the most under-achieved.

This year, God has brought us an opportunity to serve the homeless at our church (http://www.fibc.dk/blog/2015/11/3/christmas-at-grace-cafe) - so convenient. I don't have to go around doing research. It is served right at our door-step. Yet, I know I will have to be on my knees and pray hard, that our volunteering goal will materialize this year.

We are kindda clumsy and awkward in this area. Both Mr. FECS and I are introverts. We are not very good at getting out of our comfort zones. We are not very good at making small talk, preferring to be just among our cozy little small group of friends and family. Besides, Christmas is a very hectic period in Denmark, full of social activities, and usually Mr. FECS would get an overdose already by mid-November just being with his small group of friends, that he needs to retreat into his cave and re-charge, to re-gain his energy before he can face the human race again.To ask him to meet total strangers? No way.

I think we will be learning and benefiting more from this experience, than actually good at offering practical help. This is what I learn, when I volunteered in the past. I always gained more, than what I have given out.

I will pray and commit to God. If we manage to realize it this year, I will be very happy. If not, I will learn to be patient and to give my family more time to mature in this area, and pray that we will be ready next year.

What about your family? Has it been easy for your family to volunteer? Do you face the same challenges as I do? Don't give up.

19 December 2015 - Setting up the table

Warming up the food

The homeless having their warm meal

More Volunteering Opportunities in Denmark...

The glitters and "hygge" (Danish word for coziness) of Christmas can sometimes make me forget the sufferings of the world. Yet, we should not lost sight of it. I am reminded once again of the book "Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light" I read and will re-read again:



I am touched and inspired by the life, love and service of this amazing woman. Helping the poorest of the poor, cleaning the wounds of people eaten by maggots, staying by the side of those who are dying.

No, I don't have the courage or the emotional maturity and strength yet to help in such situations. But right here home in Denmark, there are such needs and volunteer opportunity (we don't have to travel all the way to India).

According to the Danish Red Cross, 5,000 Danes died alone without friends and families by their side... and volunteers could help in this area:

http://www.frivilligjob.jobbank.dk/job/34426/roede-kors/frivillig-vaager-er-det-dig-

Conversation Starters with Seniors

Photo credit: http://www.girlfriendzmag.com/2013/05/tips-for-terrific-visit-elderly-loved-one/
We are preparing ourselves to serve as volunteers to visit old people. It would be a challenge, as it would be in Danish. But what could we talk about? I have done some research and here are a list of ideas that I have gathered:

http://www.agingcare.com/Articles/questions-to-ask-elderly-parents-147907.htm
http://conversationstarters.com/101.htm

Here are some tips when visiting elderly people:

https://www.caring.com/articles/visiting-elderly

Creating A Culture of Service in Your Family

14 March 2014 (5Y0M8D) - Memory of J's Very First Volunteering Experience

I read about creating a culture of service in your family from the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families" and it got me thinking. We are always doing activities and having fun with J, focusing on ourselves and our family. But it can also be fun to serve others, and we should inculcate this habits early in our children.

This is a great and fun way to create a culture of service in your family. You could also designate one day a month, where your family serve at a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter, or visit a old folk home, a children's home, etc.

With children in the children's ome, for example, you can:

1. Bring a less privileged kid out to the zoo
2. Let your child buy Christmas presents for the kids
3. Visit a kid at a children's home with your child

I am compiling a list of volunteering opportunities for Denmark and Singapore below and will return to this post to update it:

Volunteering Opportunities in Denmark

Here are a list of volunteer opportunities in Denmark:

http://www.frivilligjob.jobbank.dk/job/index.asp?act=find/0&max=10&virk=&udd=&fag=&opgavetype=&geografi=3,4,5,7,8,11,14,15,16,17,33,18,19,20,21,35,22,23,24,25,26,37,38,27,43,28,29,45,30,31&hjemme=&key=&postnr=

Volunteering opportunities in Denmark for families and kids at risk:

http://www.frivilligjob.jobbank.dk/job/34463/familiekurser-med/frivillige-til-familiekurser-med

Denmark Volunteering Site

Here is a volunteer job site for Denmark:

http://frivilligjob.jobbank.dk/

Josephine Schneiders Børnehjem

http://www.j-schneider.dk/jsb/

Red Barnet

http://www.redbarnet.dk/Bliv-frivillig.aspx?ID=2242

Grace Cafe Copenhagen

http://gracekbh.dk/nodherberg/
www.blaakors.dk

Bredebo Plejehjem

http://www.bredebo.ltk.dk/composite-8547.htm

Besøgsbaby

http://www.kk.dk/besoegsbaby

Venligboerne - Denmark's Friendly Neighbours

http://www.unhcr-northerneurope.org/news-detail/venligboerne

Sandholm asylcenter

https://www.facebook.com/anna.momsen.92/posts/10153308652351968?pnref=story

Singapore

If you are from Singapore, here is a place where you can volunteer:

Chan Su Lan Methodist Children's Home

http://www.cslmch.org.sg/volunteer.html

Touch Community Services

http://www.touch.org.sg/tcsi

http://www.statravel.com.sg/volunteer.htm

http://www.concern.sg/OverseasVolunteering

http://mercyrelief.org/web/Contents/Contents.aspx?Id=79

China

http://www.chinaconcern.org/go?gclid=CJO1poO1vcYCFULbcgod8-kIxA

Rest of World

Here are the links to more volunteering opportunities around the world:

Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa

http://www.motherteresa.org/07_family/volunteering/v_cal.html

Missionaries of the Poor founded by Father Richard Ho Lung

http://www.missionariesofthepoor.org/volunteers.php

Additional Information:

I am so thankful that God brought me my best friend CY, who recommended to me this activity centre for senior people in Copenhagen where volunteers are needed, where she is volunteering every Every Thursday, the centre opens up for the Chinese senior people in Copenhagen. She was so sweet to kindly offer to bring us there.

Today is my day off from work (now that I am on part-time). It gives me a chance to take J out of the kindergarten and bring him along :-) I am not sure if I will have so much follow-through, but at least, that is a start, so prayerfully, we can slowly become a family that serve others.

Today, on the first day of J's volunteering, it was a bright, sunny and cheerful day. God made it real easy for us. I took a picture of J on his first volunteer work as a memory.

Interesting, J suggested why don't we make dumplings for the senior people, and just on our way there, my friend smsed told me that they would be making dumplings that day. What a divine coincidence!

Actually, ironically, we received more than we give. J got a special treat of a theatre play by the senior people at the activity centre. J got to participate in making dumplings and also has been a good help in rolling the dumpling pastry. We also got to eat the dumplings. J had been very easy-going and patient to his credit, but I also got to see developmentally where he has to work on in terms of interacting with people. We have been blessed a lot more than we actually give yesterday.

You can read more about the Activity Centre for Senior people here:

Aktivitetscentret Sankt Joseph

http://www.aktivitetscentret.dk/22261398

The entrance to the building. Interestingly, it was where Daddy was born as a baby. It used to be a hospital

Inside the Centre

Making dumplings with my friend, CY, who is one of the volunteers

J helped to roll the dumpling pastry

The senior people doing some workouts - Danes and non-Danes all interacting together

A close-up of J all floured :-)

Helpers/volunteers in the kitchen

The lunch room as it was slowly being filled up

J enjoying his dumplings

Some of the senior people at the centre

The puppet theatre room

J got to enjoyed a piece of puppet theatre performance...

by the sweet ladies here :-)