On Sunday Luxuries and Moving Days

By Pat Pagulayan

Being able to come to the Moving Day last Sunday, January 19, has been a humbling experience and a huge blessing for me. Doing shift-work usually means having to work on weekends, and having a Sunday off is considered a luxury. Might I say, last Sunday was definitely a luxury well-spent.

I have heard quite a lot about what occurs during Moving Day, but none of what I’ve heard reflects the magnitude of the time, effort, and dedication that is being put into making these Moving Days even possible. From renting a van, picking up items from houses, organising the cars, gathering people and directing them, to the non-stop ringing of phones, flipping through different addresses, determining the routes to be taken, deciding which items go to which family, and a whole lot more going on in the background that I’m not even aware of. The list goes on and on; and regardless of how thorough I describe the events that occurred prior to us even leaving the church, it doesn’t do justice to the extent of what needed to be done on that day. It was even more difficult last Sunday as we had to do it without the help of Man with a Van, a removalist company that volunteers their time and resources in helping deliver these goods to the refugees’ homes.

As I stand there in the middle of the chaos, I got reminded of how amazing God has provided for this cause. He not only gathered strangers (well, majority of us only met that day), but He has also found a way to appeal to people’s hearts to donate their mattresses, couches, and other household items. I honestly never thought they’d be able to fill up a van and a trailer to the brim! Although we “first-timers” were like headless chickens running around, not knowing what to do, we were able to effectively work together, under the guidance of the people who know what they were doing. All of these material and human resources combined, we were able to successfully deliver mattresses, couches, clothing, kitchen items, etc. to 12 families!

And oh my, are these families grateful! They would let us in their humble abodes, offering us whatever food or drink they have (one family even gave us cordial to drink from wine glasses!). They’re very welcoming and hospitable. They delight on whatever we had to give them, even if at times, it may not be enough. Their gratefulness humbled me. There they were, thankful with what they could receive, while I whinge about mundane things. There they were, grateful that 6 of them would no longer be sharing a single electric fan on these 40°C hot summer days because we’ve given them more fans, while I complain that the air conditioner in my unit is not cool enough. This Sunday, God taught me to be mindful of the many blessings that He has showered upon me, and that maybe, it’s time to give back.

Indeed, a Sunday day-off is a luxury to me, but it is not a luxury for me to have, but a luxury for me to give. And by the looks of it, that Sunday is the first of many more Sundays to come.