The Early Days

Here are history of some organizational efforts made during the month of August and part of September, including some stories which were recorded when they happened during those two months period. These stories include some evidence that the Helpers are everywhere, which I myself have seen with my own two eyes when I stayed in India. However, there is no place in a blog like this one, where I can fittingly include the detail evidence of the work of the Helpers in India and other places. Therefore, all the information within this blog is concerning our work here in the Willamette Valley. 

It’s Thursday and I am filled with desires, - desire like wanting to travel the globe, visiting foreign countries, or growing wings and just flying away. None of these feelings are as strong as the desire to use my computer. I move over and switch the laptop on. Seconds later, I was staring down at this breathtaking imagery of this immense coastal landscape, _ filled with glaciers the size of tall story buildings. The crystal whiteness of the glacier produces a sharp contrast against walls of dark igneous rocks which stretch out to infinity in both directions so that it look as though I was looking down between a passive continental plate boundary. For an instant, I felt like I was flying over the Grand Canyon in broad daylight. But this was just one of those cute looking screen savers which programmers use on modern computers these days to greet users. I flip the picture before going on to work, making some updates on the Helpers website.

I checked our Facebook page for message but there were none. I have grown accustomed to reading delightful notes from the few followers the page has gathered so far. Occasionally, I would receive a message from a total stranger halfway across the world, telling me to keep on the good work, and the specific ways in which our works have renewed their hope in humanity. A small segment of those messages is from here in the United States. But if anything, those encouraging notes have awakened something very radical inside my heart.  

GoFundMe

Too many things have happened since the beginning of August.  We started a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds, which so far had only raised 120.00 dollars out of the goal set. And the other day, I met with Dr. Alvin, an Associate professor at the University of Oregon, concerning the Visible Helpers project. This meeting went very well, Dr. Renee Alvin made some meaningful suggestions and quickly introduced me to someone who could further help me. I also met with Barbara on Friday, one of Oregon’s finest people, who is also a board member for several organizations in Eugene, including the Food for Eugene program. On that day, I remember repeating a refrain with gusto that has become a cliche for me nowadays about turning "Visible Helpers" into a platform that would serve the need and awaken the spirit of brotherhood in people for local and international volunteerism. On that day, as any other day, I was making my case again with a casual cadence.

The Helpers

A friend of mine and one of our prominent volunteers who would make a good staff for any Aid- organization for his endless desire to help people, is present this morning. Steve is also here, a wonderful man who, like Daniel, is always ready to help strangers. I first met Steve at school during the spring. We both were at the TRiO study center, when he initiated a conversation, one that would later turn into a strong connection. After this first meeting with the man, a few days later, he insisted that he drop me off at my house so that I don’t have to take the bus that day. Not wanting to embarrass anyone, I reluctantly agreed and Steve drove me about 16 miles to my house. 

This morning, Steve came over to my house, and when he saw the magnet on my car’s door, I felt the need to explain, to tell him what this whole thing was all about. So, I began by telling Steve that The Helpers, was about..., “It’s about kindness to people, right?” He concluded while I was still struggling to get the words together. In the end, these two great men helped me moved to my new address.  What a luck to have Helpers.

Last week, one of our Helpers, who rather remains anonymous, helped a sister. She was standing outside, holding a young girl between the ages of four to five-year- old by her side before the WinCo Food store which is off Barger. She also held a sign that says help! The anonymous Helper was with me in the car when we drove by the woman. He asked me to make a U- Turn, so I found a safe way to do that, and when we got there, he gave the sister some food he had bought for himself, and money. This Helper’s altitude only revealed to me that there are no special ways to help somebody. 

On Tuesday, I myself was helped by a very kind lady after leaving my car running until the battery ran out of power. This happened right before the Eugene Library.  Denise, a middle-age woman who was visiting the library that day, came to my aid. Eager to help, she realized that her jumper cable wasn't inside the car. To my surprise, she got back inside her van and drove over to a nearby friend’s house to borrow one, returned and she was at the forefront getting my car started. I was very grateful to her. Finally, Denise and I said goodbye to each other as we both went our separate ways. The next day, I received a phone call from Denise and I went over to her house where I helped to transfer her king-size mattress from a trailer car into her home. Lucky for me, I had the perfect opportunity to return the favor in a small way. Denise who is no novice to helping strangers, had now shown to me a better way to help.