Taman Indah Jaya BEC Brings Chistmas Cheers And Joy To Those In Need

By DS
Photos by courtesy of
Dominic Sintar, Dalius LL and John Tan
Sandakan :  Pope Francis in his exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel (#48) said Today and always, 'The poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel. There is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor. May we never abandon them.' 

During the 3rd Sunday of Advent, 13th December 2014 at St Mary's Cathedral, Bishop Julius in his homily shared that doing little good deeds for the underprivileged are signs of us preparing the path for the Lord's coming. Caroling definitely brings us joy, the joy of Christmas but we must endeavor to move beyond that. We need to reach out to those who have less in life. That act of charity will bring deeper and greater joy to the less fortunate, a much meaningful Christmas.

It has been the practice of Taman Indah Jaya BEC for the last three years to bring Christmas joy and cheers to at least one needy family within the community during the Advent season. The message of Love invites us to open our heart, to care about others, encouraging one another to practice charity, to do good work.

BEFORE

This Advent, Indah Jaya BEC has assisted to repair and renovate a 1960's dilapidated wooden house without toilet facilities at Sungai Manila, some 30 kilometers from town.

AFTER

They have constructed a toilet and bathroom at the back of the house, put up a 10 feet by 18 feet veranda with proper zinc roofing, repaired the staircase, changed wooden windows to louvers and painted the frontage of the house. It may not be a complete renovation but with the little assistance extended, the family of eight may at least enjoy the little comfort of life.

Dalius, (left) Chairman of Indah Jaya BEC presenting Bibles to Haslinda and her husband, Thomas

John Tan (3rd left), the Vice Chairman presenting the Daily Reading to Thomas (left) witnessed by Sr Veronica fsic (right)

Christmas 'ang paws' to the family

On 17th December 2014, members of the Taman Indah Jaya BEC visited the family. They presented among others, Bibles, Daily Reading and Reflection, Christmas 'ang-pows,' clothing and some tit-bits to the family. Also present was Sr Veronica Kandaung fsic, the person who raised the plight of the family to the attention of the mentioned BEC.

Dominic Sintar presenting mattresses, tables and chairs to the family

A Good Samaritan touched by the plight of the family, contributed two mattresses, a plastic banquet table and six chairs. The Samaritan who wished to remain anonymous said, 'I am happy to be able to contribute to others. Reaching out to the needy is in fact giving light and hope to them especially during this season of Advent.'

Dominic Sintar, the out-reach coordinator of Taman Indah Jaya BEC shared, 'Advent is a time to touch those in need. By doing so, we are sharing God's love with others. Our yearning for the Kingdom of God may be renewed within us. I hope every individual or community will commit to help someone else during this season of Advent.' 

Haslinda,a parishioner of St Peter's Chapel, Sungai Manila, the owner of the house expressed her sincere appreciation to all those who had come forward to assist her and her family.

She has this to say, 'This is the greatest Christmas gift my family and I have received from the community. We want to say thank you to Indah Jaya BEC and kind individuals for their contributions in cash or in kind and above all for sharing God's love with us. We will cherish this special day. We will treasure your kind deeds. Hopefully, one day we may be able to touch others like you have touched us today. May the Lord shower upon all of you his choicest blessings.' 

Putting in place the toilet and bathroom

It is out of this kind of little acts of charity during the Advent season that we learn to cooperate and move forth together to do something beautiful for God and worthy of our Catholic faith. May we live to be bearers of  light, giving hope to those in need within our circles and beyond.