Every day, millions of people are suffering due to poverty, lack of food, proper healthcare, and basically just human rights. Some suffer just because they are women, they are black, Hispanic, disabled etc. All around the world people are in constant need of help from others whether it is direct or indirect service. When we join together and reach out to those in need, it is called community service. Community Service was something that I was aware about, but I never got the courage to go out into the community and actually commit to something simply because I was nervous, scared and overall I just did not know where to start or who to get in contact with. In Theology, I was assigned to complete 10 hours of community service, and it went better than what I expected. Out of all the community service opportunities, I decided to join PACT.
PACT stands for People Acting for Community Together. PACT stood out the most to me because I felt that it would help me make a change to serious problems in our community. The first event that I attended was the orientation. That first day I had a mix of emotions. I did not want to attend, but at the same time I was very excited. When I got there, I automatically felt good. Everyone was very welcoming, and made me feel as if I belonged. They started off with a brief summary of what PACT was, and how they have made a difference in the community so far. Once everyone was feeling less tense, we began another activity which was the ice breaker. All of the members, and those completing their community service hours got together in a circle, and went around saying our names and a social justice issue we cared about. Everyone said something different which made me more aware of the things that are going on in the community that I was not really concerned about before. Once we got that over with, we split into groups and spoke about the social justice issue we cared about, and why we specifically chose that. That was one of my favorite parts, and what really made me confirm that PACT was the right decision. The social justice issue that I care for, and is very important to me because it hits close to home is gun violence. I had never expressed my feelings about gun violence to people who actually wanted to listen, and it made me feel very good inside. It made me feel like the issue was actually important and worth listening to, and just the fact that I was voicing my opinion, it made me feel like I was making a change by making others more aware of the problems the community faces due to gun violence.
Another activity that I attended, which was more direct service, was the annual meeting. The annual meeting was held in Corpus Christi Catholic Church. When I entered the church, I was a bit surprised. It was full of many people which I did not imagine at all. There were over 200 people in the church, and yet everything was so peaceful. In the meeting, different congregations came together and spoke about issues that are currently affecting the communities. These congregations are full of people of different faiths, different genders, and age. This made me feel very warm on the inside because it made me happy how people put their different religion view points to the side, and focused on issues that they all have in common regardless of their faith. I felt very welcomed there just because everyone seemed so comfortable being in a different setting than what they usually would be used to. Every year, PACT members vote on a major issue occurring in the community, and hold public officials accountable for it. Last year, gun violence was voted as the problem to focus on. Therefore, the meeting started off by bringing up public officials who had adopted solutions to gun violence, and PACT tries to identify whether or not they have made progress regarding the issue. Once the different public officials were questioned, different people came up to the stage and gave a testimonial of a social issue that people need to become aware about. This year the issues were low wages, transportation, immigration, and the elderly. All the congregations then voted for an issue to focus on for the upcoming year. The issue that was voted as a focus area was immigration. Immigration is an issue that I am very aware about because I do have family members that immigrated to the U.S from Cuba. Even though those family members did not have it as bad, and many resources were provided to them due to the wet foot, dry foot policy, it still hit me that immigration really is an issue that tears families apart every day, and I am very happy that the community is focusing on that this year.
After doing both direct and indirect service for PACT, I realized that God is present in every single situation, even the smallest details. For starters, God is standing by everyone. Religious conflict is a situation that can stand in the way of people coming together for a common good, but because of God, people of different faiths were brought together to form PACT. In this way, God is standing by the mistreated and the marginalized. Therefore, I believe that I was put in this situation for a reason, and it was to be able to help out others in the slightest way. For example, I filled out spreadsheets, and translated documents which in the beginning it seemed as if it was a tedious task. After I started working on that, I realized that not everyone has the money to hire people or get fancy machines to do the work for them, so the fact that I was able to help the organization out with those documents really matters and makes a difference. I was able to do something for someone without them having to struggle to find the necessary needs to “pay†me. As a result, this shows that what we do and what we do not do matters. I was able to give back to the community just by taking a couple of hours and doing tasks that they would not have been able to complete unless they would have paid someone to do the work, with money they do not have.
To add on, working with PACT made me realize how we are all made in the image and likeness of God. Everyone is made as a social being. We are all different. We come from different backgrounds, cultures, societies, and we all somehow interconnect with each other. The reason the annual meetings are even able to occur is because we all share that common good that connects us together. When we come together, especially to help others, we resemble God in a way. We resemble the way God is so selfless, and open to others. God is love. Being created in that image has helped us feel compassion for others, and find the satisfaction in reaching out to those in need. Being able to experience what PACT is really about even if it was just ten hours, really changed my view on certain things. It brought so much joy seeing that the little things such as translating documents, has brought joy to other people’s lives and even taken some weight off of their shoulders. While doing these activities I felt warmth in my heart. I felt closer to God as if I was directly serving him. I volunteered for 10 hours, but I know for a fact in my heart that I made a change in people’s lives. I believe that when you help out in your community, it completely transforms you. It opens up your heart to other people, and that is what God is all about. God is always looking for good in our hearts and when we serve one another we are more like him. Serving one another is serving God. Everything we do for each other, we have done for God because God is within all of us.
Overall, I felt the presence of God throughout this whole experience. I am extremely thankful that I was able to take part in such a great activity. PACT is a great example of how God stands by everybody. He gave people who don’t have voices in the community a great organization who would speak on their behalf. That shows God is present in every situation, and if you just have faith, things will get better. PACT is one of the ways God has revealed himself to the oppressed and to the marginalized. Through PACT, God is standing by them. I believe that many people do not realize how present God really is in our daily lives. I am a strong believer in him but sometimes I lose sight that his presence is found in every aspect of my life, and it causes me to sometimes lose a bit of faith. PACT made me pay attention to the little things. Being a member even for a short time made me open up my eyes and my heart, and I immediately have felt the presence of God in everything. I was given this experience at a time when I felt as if everything was just falling apart, and it was for a reason. PACT has helped me reflect that God is with everyone at all times. Everyone’s relationship with God is different, therefore he’s within all of us in different ways.
This service learning experience was unforgettable. I was welcomed with open arms, and everyone made me feel comfortable in this organization. I feel more in contact with God, and I now realize that he is found in even the smallest details. I came to the conclusion that joining PACT made me aware that God’s presence is not something everyone is naturally aware of, but we have to be willing to open up are hearts to it. PACT brings together many people of different faiths for the common good of helping out others, and that is what God is all about, which is love for everyone.